FALL 2015 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

A BIG YEAR FOR HAPTICS

Edward Colgate and Michael Peshkin host world conference, grow startup company

f June’s World Haptics “This round of funding allows Tanvas to Conference was any indication, move from working on key engineering dis- coveries and building our patent portfolio,” more researchers are Peshkin said. “Now we are able to hire more getting in touch with touch. people, move toward products, and build relationships with consumer electronics IAnd mechanical engineering companies.” professors J. Edward Colgate and As their company gains momentum, Colgate and Peshkin, too, have had a Michael Peshkin are right at the successful year. In October, the pair forefront of the excitement. was inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. In March, they were inducted into the National Colgate was the general co-chair of the Academy of Inventors (NAI). Election as largest conference in the event’s history. fellow to the NAI is a high professional Nearly 450 researchers and students distinction accorded to academic inventors from academia and industry crowded into who have demonstrated a prolific spirit Northwestern’s Norris University Center of innovation in creating or facilitating for a week of workshops, presentations, outstanding inventions that have made and hands-on demonstrations. All projects a tangible impact on the quality of life, revolved around haptics, a tactile feedback economic development, and the welfare technology that allows users to interact of society. with the digital world through touch. The team also made a fascinating One of the most popular tables during research discovery this winter that provides TOP: Michael Peshkin and Ed Colgate. the hands-on demonstrations was that insight into how the brain makes sense BELOW: Mondher Cherif, chief scientist of Tanvas, of Tanvas, a company founded by Colgate of data from fingers. Published in the explains the new haptics technology to guests at this year’s World Haptics Conference. and Peshkin. Tanvas, formerly known as Proceedings of the National Academy of Tangible Haptics, is developing a surface Sciences, the experiment presented two technology that allows users to feel what virtual bumps on a touchscreen, with the “By leveraging the virtual bump illusion, they see on their touchscreens. Attendees distance between them varying across we were able to design a meaningful lined up to try the device and marveled at trials, to subjects participating in the study. experiment that shed light on the way the the ability to feel bumps and textures on a When the bump and finger spacing were brain integrates information from multiple flat glass screen. identical, subjects reported feeling two fingers,” Colgate said. “Our big finding was Tanvas is already having a good year. The bumps as one. In this case, the brain thinks ‘collapse’ — the idea that separate bumps company recently received a $5 million invest- it is too coincidental that there should be felt in separate fingers are nonetheless ment from Chicago venture fund R7 Partners, two bumps at the same time, so it registers experienced as one bump if their separation trading firm Peak6, and Northwestern. the bumps as one. happens to match that of the fingers.” FROM THE CHAIR

Institute, the Master of Science in a long and distinguished career Dear friends and colleagues, Engineering Design and Innovation with the Tribune Company, serving program, and Design for America as chairman and CEO. Stan’s euters recently ranked the myself) is being taken to the next (DFA). DFA, founded by Professor leadership and generosity led to the world’s most innovative uni- level by Marchuk and PhD student Liz Gerber, is now a network of 29 establishment of the Wilson-Cook Rversities, using a combination David Meyer, who ran a successful student-run design studios across Professorship in mechanical engi- of measures based on patents and Kickstarter campaign to develop the country. DFA held its annual neering and the gift that led to the research publications (“The World’s an inexpensive programmable Leadership Studio at Northwestern naming of the McCormick School of Most Innovative Universities,” oscilloscope and function generator in August, and more than 90 DFAers Engineering and Applied Science. www.reuters.com, September that uses the student’s laptop from 28 studios spent four days Stan was a gentleman, a leader, and 15, 2015). Northwestern ranked as a display, allowing electronics applying human-centered design a trusted adviser, and his impact number six. prototyping out of the lab (page 7). principles to help those touched by on Northwestern, Chicago, and the This led me to reflect on the ways The department’s leadership in Down syndrome. nation was enormous. mechanical engineering drives inno- innovative teaching was once again Two new campus-wide initiatives I am pleased to present this vation at Northwestern. Certainly recognized with the University’s originated from the department in newsletter highlighting some of there is the innovative research, most prestigious teaching award. In the past year: the Northwestern the recent innovations coming out patent licensing, and startups by May 2015, Professor Walter Herbst Initiative for Manufacturing Science of our department. Thank you for faculty in our department. This was awarded the Charles Deering and Innovation (page 6) and the taking the time to look through newsletter contains a sampling of McCormick Clinical Professorship Institute for Cellular Engineering it, and I wish you a healthy and the exciting new research coming in Teaching Excellence. Students Technologies (iCET). iCET, directed fruitful 2015–16. out of our department, including praised Walter’s positivity, his belief by Professor Horacio Espinosa, research that shows how to keep in their creativity, and the way he focuses on the creation of tools a surface dry underwater (page 4). inspires them to do more than for cell manipulation and analysis One of the promising new startups they thought possible. Including and combines our historic strength originating from research in our Professors Todd Murphey and in mechanics with emerging department is Tanvas, a company Neelesh Patankar (2014), our opportunities in medicine. led by Professors Ed Colgate and department received three of the In September we welcomed Michael Peshkin (page 1). ten Charles Deering McCormick our newest faculty member Mike Our faculty members are inno- Professorships awarded University- Rubenstein (below). We also vating in teaching, too. The portable wide in the past two years. mourned the passing of Stanton lab (“lab-in-a-backpack”) concept In addition to innovative teaching, Cook, Mechanical Engineering adopted by ME 233 Electronics mechanical engineering is leading Advisory Board member and Kevin Lynch Design (Peshkin) and ME 333 the way in teaching innovation. longtime friend and supporter of Chair and Professor of Introduction to Mechatronics Our faculty members play Northwestern. Stan was a graduate Mechanical Engineering (Professor Nick Marchuk and leadership roles in the Segal Design of our department and went on to

Department Welcomes Rubenstein

Mike Rubenstein joined the department in September

n expert in swarm robotics, Mike with his custom-designed Kilobot robots Rubenstein joined the department has been featured in Science, BBC News, Athis September as an assistant Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, professor. He has a joint appointment with and NPR. Kilobots are now commercialized Northwestern’s Department of Electrical and being used by many other research Engineering and Computer Science. groups around the world, including two “I am excited to join Northwestern and groups with more than 900 robots each. collaborate with its strong robotics team This fall, Rubenstein is teaching a special to create the next generation of robot topics course called “Swarms and Multi- swarms,” Rubenstein said. robot Systems,” which surveys the state-of- Swarm robotics is the design and the-art in robotic swarms and challenges programming of simple robots to perform students to program swarm behaviors. complex, collective tasks—similar to ants Rubenstein is also developing low-cost working together to transport larger objects. robots designed for STEM education. Mike Rubenstein displays his 1,024-robot swarm. As a researcher at Harvard University, The inexpensive, easy-to-use robots are Rubenstein designed and built a 1,024-robot attractive for classrooms and have been won the affordable education robot design swarm, which is the first swarm of this scale. used by more than 300 students. For these challenge, sponsored by the African His work on controlling shape formation commercially available robots, Rubenstein Robotics Network.

2 Northwestern University • McCormick School of Engineering ROBOTICS MASTER’S STUDENTS COMPLETE FIRST YEAR

The first cohort featured students from a wide variety of academic backgrounds

he first Master of Science in Robotics class has successfully completed the one-year, inter­disciplinary program, led by the Department of Mechanical TEngineering in cooperation with several other departments.

The program, intended to prepare students with a variety of technical backgrounds for careers in robotics, allows students to participate in courses and research spanning mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science. “We have a wide variety of academic backgrounds in the program, ranging from economics and psychology to physics and computer science,” said Todd Murphey, associate profes- sor and director of the program. “The cohort model allowed these students to take advantage of their various expertise, enriching both their individual experiences and the program as a whole.” After arriving on campus last September, the 14-student cohort kicked off the program with a robot-programming boot camp. Then they took a variety of robotics courses covering topics such as machine learning, dynamic simulation, robotic manipulation, and embedded systems. In the winter term, each student completed an independent, self-proposed project, many of which can be seen here: robotics.northwestern.edu. Students also participated in research projects, directed by faculty members from across the University and beyond, including the Neuroscience and Robotics Laboratory and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Projects included research in multi-robot systems, robotic manipulation, haptics, swarm robotics, bio-inspired sensing and control, and prosthetics engineering. During summer 2015, students either completed the program requirements with a full-time research project or completed external internships at companies such as Disney, Auris Robotics, and Applied Dexterity. Several of the more entre- TOP: MSR students gain practical experience working with commercial robot systems, preneurial students received funding through Northwestern’s such as Rethink Robotics’ Baxter robot. MIDDLE: Students design and build auton- Summer Accelerator to develop startup companies in the omous vehicles in ME 433 Advanced Mechatronics. BOTTOM: All students engage in Northwestern Garage (thegarage.northwestern.edu) individual faculty-directed research projects in labs across the University and at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Mechanical Engineering • Fall 2015 3 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Staying Dry Learning from Blu-Ray Discs Can Underwater Biology to Accelerate Be Used to Improve Engineers identify how to keep Discovery Solar Cells surfaces dry when submerged New paper explores the Data storage pattern strategies nature employs transferred to solar cell hat is the ideal “roughness” to achieve different increases light absorption needed in the texture of a surface mechanical functions Wto keep it dry for a long period of time when submerged in water? A ho knew Blu-ray discs were Northwestern mechanical engineering spider’s web is one of the most so useful? A Northwestern team has found that the valleys in the intricate constructions in nature, WEngineering team has discovered surface roughness typically need to be Abut its precious silk has more than that the pattern of information written on a less than one micron in width. That’s one use. Silk threads can be used as drag- Blu-ray disc works very well for improving really small—less than one millionth lines, guidelines, anchors, pheromonal light absorption across the solar spectrum. of a meter—but these trails, nest lining, or even food. And each And better yet, the researchers know why. nanoscopic valleys have use requires a slightly Blu-ray discs contain macroscopic impact. different type of silk, a higher density of data Understanding how the optimized for its function. than DVDs or CDs, and the surfaces deflect water so “Each type of silk has associated quasi-random well means the valuable similar proteins, but they pattern, perfected by feature could be repro- are synthesized differ- engineers over decades Patankar duced in other materials ently,” said Sinan Keten, for data storage that on a mass scale, potentially saving billions Keten assistant professor of Sun offers unique capabilities of dollars in a variety of industries, from mechanical and civil engineering. “Then to control the absorption of solar light. antifouling surfaces for shipping to pipe the spider knows how fast to reel the When transferred to the surface of solar coatings resulting in lower drag. That’s silk to get different properties. Nature cells using nano-imprinting process, the science and engineering at work for the is smart. It can tailor a structure to get quasi-random pattern provides the right benefit of the economy. The research different mechanical properties.” texture to improve the cells’ light absorp- was published in the August 18 issue of Spider silk is one biological material tion and performance. Scientific Reports. that Keten discusses in his new paper Working with Cheng Sun, an associate “The trick is to use rough surfaces of “The role of mechanics in biological and professor of mechanical engineering, the right chemistry and size to promote bio-inspired systems,” published in the materials science and engineering profes- vapor formation, which we can use to our July 6 issue of Nature Communications. sor Jiaxing Huang and his team tested a advantage,” said Neelesh A. Patankar, Surveying everything from sea cucumbers wide range of movies and television shows the professor of mechanical engineering and Venus flytraps to human muscles and stored on Blu-ray discs, including action who led the research. “When the valleys trees, the review paper broadly explores movies, dramas, documentaries, cartoons are less than one micron wide, pockets of the strategies that biology employs and black-and-white content, and found water vapor or gas accumulate in them by to create different functions and the the video content did not matter. All worked underwater evaporation or effervescence, mechanics at play within those functions. equally well for enhancing light absorption just like a drop of water evaporates without Discovering how and why biological in solar cells. The findings were published having to boil it. These gas pockets deflect systems attain desirable static and in Nature Communications. water, keeping the surface dry.” dynamic mechanical functionalities The overall broadband absorption The researchers also reported that often reveals principles that inform new enhancement of a Blu-ray patterned solar nature uses the same strategy of surface synthetic designs based on biological cell was measured to be 21.8 percent, the roughness in certain aquatic insects, such systems. researchers reported. as water bugs and water striders. Small “In addition to improving polymer hairs on the surfaces of their body have the solar cells, our simulation suggests the less-than-one-micron spacing, allowing Blu-ray patterns could be broadly applied gas to be retained between the hairs. for light trapping in other kinds of solar cells,” Sun said.

4 Northwestern University • McCormick School of Engineering ‘POP-UP’ FABRICATION TECHNIQUE DEVELOPED Saving Money and the Environment with 3-D Printing A new case study finds the method could reduce an airplane’s weight by 4 to 7 percent

Northwestern engineering team has confirmed a new way to help Athe airline industry save dollars while also saving the environment. By manufacturing aircrafts’ metal parts with 3-D printing, airlines could save a significant amount of fuel, materials, and other resources. Led by Eric Masanet, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Microscopic pop-up books: structures go from two dimensions to three with a simple “pop!” the team used aircraft Masanet industry data to complete New technique trumps 3-D printing a case study of the life-cycle environmen- tal effects of using 3-D printing for select echanical engineering research- on a stretched elastic material. Then we metal aircraft parts, a technique that is ers at Northwestern and the release the tension, and up pops a 3-D already being adopted by the industry. MUniversity of Illinois at Urbana- structure. The 2-D structure must have Funded by the US Department of Energy’s Champaign have developed a simple some place to go, so it pops up.” Advanced Manufacturing Office, the case new fabrication technique to create The advantages of the new pop-up study is described in a paper published beautiful and complex 3-D micro- and method are numerous. The technique is in the May issue of the Journal of Cleaner nanostructures with many advantages over fast and inexpensive, and it can: be used Production. 3-D printing. to build many different structures at one Conventional manufacturing methods The technique mimics the action of a time; utilize many different materials, tend to be inefficient and wasteful. To children’s pop-up book—starting as a including silicon; incorporate different produce a 1-kilogram bracket for an flat two-dimensional materials into one hybrid structure; be airplane, for example, it requires 10 structure and popping up used to build structures on both micro- and kilograms of raw material input into the into a more complex 3-D nano-levels (down to a thickness of 100 manufacturing process. And, from an structure. Using a variety nanometers); and produce a wide range of engineering design perspective, that of advanced materials, different geometries. With 3-D printing, on final bracket may still contain much more including silicon, the the other hand, it is difficult to integrate metal than is required for the job. 3-D researchers produced more than one material in a structure; it printing, on the other hand, requires far Huang more than 40 different is almost impossible to print semicon- less raw material input and can further geometric designs, including shapes ductors or single crystalline metals; and produce parts that minimize weight resembling a peacock, flower, starburst, speed is slow. through better design. table, basket, tent, and starfish. In a related paper, Huang made strategic “There are enough parts that could be “In just one shot you get your structure,” cuts in a 2-D material to create more than replaced by 3-D printed versions to reduce said Northwestern’s Yonggang Huang, 50 different, pop-up 3-D structures. Called the aircraft’s weight by 4 to 7 percent,” professor of mechanical engineering. “We “Kirigami,” the new assembly method is Masanet said. first fabricate a two-dimensional structure based on an ancient Japanese paper art.

Mechanical Engineering • Fall 2015 5 FACULTY NEWS ALUMNA NAMED MOST L. Catherine Brinson has joined Northwestern Engineering’s senior lead- ership team. Effective Sept. POWERFUL WOMAN 1, she was named associate dean and will focus on the school’s professional master’s programs. ENGINEER IN TECH

Wei Chen received ASME’s 2015 Design Automation Gwynne Shotwell (’86) tops Business Insider’s list Award from the American Society of Mechanical usiness Insider magazine recently compiled a list Engineers. The award recog- of the “Top 22 Powerful Women Engineers in Tech,” nizes Chen’s contributions to and Gwynne Shotwell, the president of Space the field of design automation, which have B advanced both theoretical development Explorations Technology Corporation (SpaceX), was and practical applications in many areas, number one on the list. including simulation-based design under Shotwell earned two degrees from McCormick—a uncertainty. bachelor’s in mechanical engineering in 1986 and a master’s in applied mathematics in 1988. After Sinan Keten received a 2015 graduating, she spent more than a decade at Aerospace Young Investigator Award from Corporation, where she quickly moved up the ladder. the Office of Naval Research. She joined SpaceX in 2002 as vice president of business Gwynne Shotwell The Young Investigator development and became president in 2008. Program is one of the oldest and most selective research SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches rockets, and has a contract with NASA to advancement programs in the country. carry supplies to the International Space Station. Business Insider said Shotwell is powerful because she “is responsible for day-to-day operations for arguably one of the most exciting companies on the planet, and off it.” Q. Jane Wang received the 2015 International Award from the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers. The Society’s highest award, it recognizes Wang’s contribu- tions to the field of tribology. NIMSI to Coordinate Manufacturing at Northwestern RECENT EVENTS n the heels of Northwestern’s human-machine interfaces, logistics, and C.D. Mote Jr., president of the National involvement with the revolutionary economic and employment analysis. Academy of Engineering, delivered the third Digital Manufacturing and Design “NIMSI will link our great institutes annual Jan D. Achenbach Lecture on April O Innovation Institute (DMDII)—a $70 million in energy and sustainability, materials 30. Titled “What’s coming, whether we like federal investment—the University has research, policy, and more, with the excep- it or not,” Mote’s talk addressed the need to recognize the direction of the future in order launched its own initiative to coordinate tional faculty in Northwestern Engineering, to better plan. research and education Weinberg, Feinberg, Kellogg, and elsewhere efforts associated with to create a manufacturing umbrella that manufacturing on campus. enhances our internal structure and Subra Suresh, president of Carnegie Mellon University and former director of The Northwestern external presence,” said NIMSI director the National Science Foundation, delivered Initiative for Manufacturing Jian Cao, professor of mechanical the third annual Ted Belytschko Lecture Science and Innovation engineering and associate vice president on September 24. Titled “Cell mechanics in (NIMSI) aims to facilitate for research. medicine,” Suresh addressed recent devel- Cao the translation of ideas to “Our goal is to provide a focal point where opments in the application of mechanics, materials science, and physics of biological impact both mass production of products Northwestern faculty can come together cells that offer new insights for diagnostics and emerging hyper-customized and per- and where external partners can come and therapeutics in the context of human sonalized manufacturing. It will do so across establish important connections,” she said. cancers, hereditary blood disorders, and a broad spectrum of activities, including “NIMSI will offer an organizational frame- infectious diseases. design integration, material innovation, work that will enhance our abilities to make novel processes, computational methods, a local, national, and global impact.”

6 Northwestern University • McCormick School of Engineering STUDENT NEWS

‘Veggie Bot’ Wins 2015 Design Competition ‘Lab in a Backpack’ Revitalizes Electronics Class

cubes and place them on their electronics and even acquire data team’s color in the checkerboard onto their computers. Priced at arena. Robots could steal dropped around $100, it’s ten times cheaper cubes from opponents and earn than the typical electronics extra points for stacking cubes. workbench but still offers enough Teams of undergraduates, rep- functionality that it is useful for resenting a variety of engineering both beginners and experts. fields, spent five months designing, Developed by mechanical building, and programming their Northwestern-created nScope turns a engineering graduate student David The winning team (left to right) robots to operate autonomously. laptop into an electronics workbench Meyer, lecturer Nicholas Marchuk, Sean Ye, Simon Zhao, and Eric Hao. The winning team included and professor Michael Peshkin, Eric Hao, Adam He, mechanical new tool is changing the way the nScope has quickly gained student-designed, autonomous engineering undergraduate Aelectronics is taught in the popularity and is now used in Arobot named Veggie Bot won the Sean Ye, and Simon Zhao. classroom at Northwestern—and several mechanical engineering and ultimate game of checkers during Team Improv Robotics received its creators offered it to the biomedical engineering courses at Northwestern’s 24th annual Design the $500 Myke Minbiole Elegant public this spring through a wildly Northwestern. Acknowledging the Competition. In a feat of dexterity Engineering Award. The award is successful Kickstarter campaign. increasing demand for the nScope, and strategy, Veggie Bot outmaneu- named for mechanical engineering Developed at Northwestern, Marchuk and Meyer started a vered second-place team Snuggly alumnus and 2001 Design the nScope is a small, portable campaign on the crowd-funding site Bunnies for the $1,000 award. Competition winner Minbiole, who USB-powered device that turns any Kickstarter in May. Within days they “Robot Checkers” took place worked as an engineer before laptop computer into an electronics passed their $25,000 goal to qualify May 23 at the Ford Motor Company being killed in a hit-and-run workbench. It provides an oscillo- for funding, and the campaign has Engineering Design Center. During collision in 2007. Members of scope, function generator, and power ended up generating $187,000 from the competition, each robot Improv Robotics were Alexander supply all on a small card—allowing more than 1,700 backers. More infor- attempted to pick up two-inch Martin and Jonathan Sammon. users to build, measure, and test mation can be found at nscope.org.

NEW COURSE MIXES ART AND ENGINEERING

McCormick and MacLean Fund for Art & Engineering, the course was co-taught by Northwestern Weinberg students Engineering’s Malcolm MacIver, associate collaborated on social professor of mechanical engineering, and Jeanne Dunning, artist and professor of art practice art theory and practice in Weinberg. MacIver and Dunning asked the class to rtists and engineers typically have study social practice art, a medium that different ways of viewing a problem: combines practicality and usefulness with Aartists want to explore it, while aesthetics for the purpose of social engage- engineers want to solve it. ment. “There is a vast diversity of kinds of At Northwestern, faculty are working to art,” MacIver said. “We wanted to choose Created in the class, the Spectrum game empha- break down this type of conventional think- something that was most appropriate for sizes shapes and pattern matching to play to the ing to help students look at problems in new a collaboration with engineers. The useful strengths of individuals with autism. ways. A new course offered last fall called component of social practice art brings to Artists and Engineers Collaborate brought mind engineering and design.” collaborative game that helps non-autistic together students from both the McCormick Interdisciplinary groups converged workers better understand their autistic School of Engineering and the Weinberg and collaborated to design four projects: colleagues; SpeakUp!, public interventions College of Arts and Sciences to collaborate ShuttleTalk, a smartphone app that that promote awareness of street harass- and learn each other’s cognitive styles. facilitates social interaction among riders ment; and Bable, a bench/table hybrid that Sponsored by the Barry and Mary Ann on the intercampus shuttle; Spectrum, a encourages students to work outside.

Mechanical Engineering • Fall 2015 7 Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Northwestern Technological Institute University 2145 Sheridan Road

Evanston, Illinois 60208-3100

exhibit, hosted a robotics symposium at Northwestern. at symposium robotics a hosted exhibit,

On the exhibit’s opening day, Lynch, who serves as adviser to the the to adviser as serves who Lynch, day, opening exhibit’s the On

display until January 2016 when it will begin touring other cities. cities. other touring begin will it when 2016 January until display

In May, the MSI kicked off their Robot Revolution exhibit, on on exhibit, Revolution Robot their off kicked MSI the May, In

Todd Murphey, Jarvis Schultz, and Paul Umbanhowar. Paul and Schultz, Jarvis Murphey, Todd

department chair Kevin Lynch, Brenna Argall, Mitra Hartmann, Hartmann, Mitra Argall, Brenna Lynch, Kevin chair department

short presentations of their work. Faculty participants included included participants Faculty work. their of presentations short

the “behind the scenes” of robotics, and several experts gave gave experts several and robotics, of scenes” the “behind the

Undergraduate and graduate students were on hand to explain explain to hand on were students graduate and Undergraduate

Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) in Chicago. in (MSI) Industry and Science of Museum

as part of a National Robotics Week program (April 4–12) at the the at 4–12) (April program Week Robotics National a of part as

program — demonstrated some of their cutting-edge robots robots cutting-edge their of some demonstrated — program

including students from the new Master of Science in Robotics Robotics in Science of Master new the from students including

Mechanical engineering robotics experts and their students — — students their and experts robotics engineering Mechanical

Hit the Robot Block Party Block Robot the Hit

Faculty and Students Students and Faculty

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