COVID-19 is compelling many business and institutions to embrace automation -- sometimes more quickly than they expected. In her latest Forbes article, Prof. Neera Jain says automation can be good, if it's done right.

Autonomous robots can be amazing tools for data gathering, but eventually they all must return to a base to recharge their batteries and upload their data. That can be a challenge, if your robot is a submersible exploring deep ocean waters. Now a Purdue team has created a mobile docking system for marine robots to dock autonomously, enabling them to perform longer tasks without the need for human intervention.

Join David Cappelleri and Laura Blumenschein as they discuss how robotics are changing the face of surgery, nursing, infection control, and much more, especially in the era of COVID. This webinar is free to attend, and begins Wednesday, October 7, at 3:15 pm.

Every year, the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University recognizes alumni who have demonstrated excellence in industry, academia, governmental service, or other endeavors related to mechanical engineering. We may not be able to celebrate in person just yet, but we want to congratulate our 2020 OME recipients for showing us the best that Mechanical Engineering has to offer!

Workforce education in manufacturing has traditionally been very low-tech: in-person teaching sessions, one-on-one apprenticeship, written manuals, and perhaps a video. But to keep pace with an increasing skills gap, some manufacturers are now turning to augmented and virtual reality to teach their workers new skills. A Purdue team has entered into a $5 million cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create an augmented and virtual reality experience prototype called Skill-XR.

Your company wants top talent, and our 2,200 engineering students want the top jobs. For as little as $5k/year, your company can become a Corporate Partner of Purdue ME, with an inside pipeline to the best and brightest of one of the top 10 engineering schools in the country.

N95 masks have a distinct shelf life, because their elastic bands disintegrate. Nick Vu, a Purdue ME grad student, is working to redesign the elastic band so that the N95 masks can be viably stored for a longer time.

The School of Mechanical Engineering is sad to announce that Raymond Cohen, professor and former director of Herrick Labs, has passed away.

More than 1.5 million bone fractures occur in elderly Americans every year, due to conditions like osteoporosis. A group of Purdue researchers has received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop novel solutions to the bone fracture problem, using engineering principles.

Carlo Scalo and his team focus on hypersonics, thermoacoustics, and vortex dynamics. Hear him talk about his research at this Zoom event: Celebrating Our Associate Professors, Friday Sep 25 at 11:30 a.m.