Preston, four others win Ig Nobel Prize for ‘necrobotic’ spider study
Mechanical Engineering’s Daniel Preston, three graduate students and a postdoctoral fellow have won a 2023 Ig Nobel Prize for their “necrobotic” robot arm that incorporated a dead spider.
You can leave your gloves on: Rice-developed material burns viruses, safe for skin
A new material that packs deadly heat for viruses on its outer surface while staying cool on the reverse side could be used to make sustainable, multiuse personal protective equipment. Marquise Bell, a Rice graduate student who is the lead author of the research, was also part of this year’s NextProf Nexus workshop, a national, competitive faculty development program for engineering students from underrepresented groups.
Smart fabrics’ informed touch can tell you where to go
Rice U. engineers developed a lightweight, wearable textile-based device that can deliver complex haptic cues, enabling a user to perform open-world navigation tasks. The device is resilient to regular daily use, withstanding multiple cycles of washing and other damage and repair without loss of function.
New software designs optimized, personalized treatments for movement impairments
A team of Rice University engineers has launched open-source software that constructs and uses personalized computer models of how individual patients move to optimize treatments for neurologic and orthopedic mobility impairments.
NIH grant backs Rice lab’s sickle cell disease research
Rice University bioengineer Gang Bao and his team have won a grant from the National Institutes of Health to address critical questions surrounding the safety and efficacy of using gene editing to treat sickle cell disease.
Rice engineers’ storage technology keeps nanosurfaces clean
Rice mechanical engineers improved on a 50-year-old idea to create container technology that keeps volatile organic compounds from accumulating on the surfaces of stored nanomaterials.
Order in chaos: Atmosphere’s Antarctic oscillation has natural cycle
Rice researchers have discovered a natural cycle that repeats every 150 days in the north-south oscillation of the Southern Hemisphere’s prevailing westerly winds.
Gastric suction device could curb preventable newborn mortality
A team of Rice University engineering students partnered with the Dominican Foundation for Mothers and Infants to design a gastric suction device tailored to the specific needs and health care environment of the Hospital Materno Infantil San Lorenzo de los Mina, one of the largest maternity hospitals in the Dominican Republic.
Reginald DesRoches, Lydia Kavraki elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Rice University President Reginald DesRoches and Professor Lydia Kavraki have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the nation’s foremost society of scholars.
Self-navigating catamaran can carry cargo into war zones
A self-navigating, cargo-carrying sailboat designed by Rice University engineering students could be a sustaining link for Marines hunkered down on shore during war.
Team OR Lights wins Rice’s 2023 Engineering Design Showcase
Team OR Lights captured the top prize at this year’s Huff OEDK Engineering Design Showcase, presented annually by Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK).
Sensor system could decrease fall risk for older adults
A team of Rice University engineering students designed a fall-risk assessment system that enables doctors to create personalized risk-management strategies for patients based on their individual movement patterns at home.
Rice U. engineering students’ brace puts patients first
For those suffering from rib flaring associated with congenital deformations of the chest wall that cause it to jut out or cave in, a team of Rice University engineering students has come up with a potential solution.
Rice U. students engineer socks for on-the-go neuropathy treatment
A wearable electrical-stimulation and vibration-therapy system designed by Rice University engineering students might be just what the doctor ordered for people experiencing foot pain and balance loss due to diabetic neuropathy.
Rice U. engineering students aim to shed better light on surgeries
A team of Rice University engineering students designed a tunable lighting system that would allow surgeons to better illuminate their working area without having to handle equipment or wear headlamps.
