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College of Engineering news

Spot, a dog-like robot created by Boston Dynamics
April 30, 2025

The race for animal-like endurance in mobile robots hinges on new energy storage technology

If we envision a future in which humanoid or animal-inspired robots work at construction sites or safeguard older adults, then we’ll need to develop energy storage systems that will allow…

UW-Madison civil and environmental engineering PhD student Wei Han demonstrates a virtual reality system his group is using to research how drones affect construction worker safety on work sites
March 12, 2025

In virtual reality, new study explores safe drone use on construction sites

The buzz of drones on construction sites is becoming ever more common, enabling crews to scan or inspect their work from above. At the same time, those drones can distract…

Xiaopeng Li with UW-Madison autonomous passenger vehicles
February 7, 2025

With UW-Madison leadership, autonomous vehicles could bridge transportation gaps for people living in rural areas

University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers are leading a first-of-its-kind research center devoted to advancing autonomous vehicle (AV) availability in rural and tribal communities. The Tribal and Rural Autonomous Vehicles for Efficiency,…

Assistant Professor Yonatan Mintz and undergraduate student Fengxu Li
February 7, 2025

New country, abundant resources, aptitude for research help undergrad build confidence

A year ago, Fengxu Li says, the idea of talking to a stranger on Zoom about himself would have simply felt too nerve-wracking and intimidating. He had only arrived in…

Zhaohui Liang works on a control unit
September 4, 2024

In the back yard, autonomous lawn mowers on the horizon

Set it and forget it. That’s the wish of every homeowner who’s trying to fit mowing the lawn into an already busy weekend. It’s also the logic driving (pun intended)…

PhD student Jiahao Zhao
September 3, 2024

New antenna design thwarts attempts to sidetrack or steal sensitive information

By blocking “backdoor” access, an antenna developed by University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers may enable both military personnel and ordinary citizens to keep their communications more private and secure. Called a…

Communications satellite
July 1, 2024

Through years of hard work, a promising new ‘low-work-function’ cathode material is poised to fill vacuum electronics

A multi-year collaboration between electrical and materials science engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has resulted in a promising new electron emission cathode material, a key component in modern vacuum…

Kangwook Lee
May 6, 2024

Through his CAREER award, Kangwook Lee is looking for ways to make AI more adaptable

The reason generative artificial intelligence models like ChatGPT or Gemini can fix computer code in just seconds, compose a sonnet in the style of Shakespeare, or explain the physics of…

Student Ben Levy makes an adjustment to his haptic glove
April 29, 2024

Undergrad’s ambitious research project produces novel haptic glove design

As a high school student in the San Francisco Bay Area during COVID pandemic lockdowns, Ben Levy had a lot of free time on his hands while being stuck at…

Students discuss a low-frequency magnetic beacon
April 15, 2024

There’s no substitute for real engineering: In underwater localization class, design students aim for new technology

When Joe Berg, a senior in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was deciding which classes to take for the fall semester 2023, one offering caught his…