Summer 2022
Bad breaks for our state’s bridges
Washington State University researchers are going for broke on Washington’s aging bridges. » More ...
Engineering
Spring 2022
Robot swarms, soft bots, and other robotic ideas
We’ve come a long way from clunky, claw-handed Robot from Lost in Space.
Robots have had industrial and entertainment uses for a number of years, but researchers at Washington State University are rethinking robots’ design, tasks, and collaboration with humans. From the tiniest self-powered robot to soft robots, fruit-picking bots, and swarms of small robots like bees that can search collapsed buildings, the very idea of what is a “robot” is changing.
The creation of the National Robotics Initiative in 2011 also pushed the field toward more collaborative robots (or co-robots), which are designed to work cooperatively with humans. The robots are no longer … » More …
Spring 2022
Mighty tiny
Robeetle breaks world record for lightest self-powered crawling robot, thanks to a Washington State University engineer. » More ...
Winter 2021
Collecting
Stories from the Winter 2021 issue of Washington State Magazine feature collecting, from books in archives to plastic waste for recycling. » More ...
Winter 2021
To shield and protect
Matthew Percival and the US State Department's Diplomatic Security Service ensure the safety of embassies and staff. » More ...
Winter 2021
Plastic
Piling up without foreseeable end, Washington State University researchers work to solve the “plastics problem.” » More ...
Winter 2021
Plant plastics
Why make plastic from petroleum and fossil fuels when they can be made from plants and bio-based materials?
Plastic waste remains a huge problem, one that WSU researchers are working on, but other research across the country looks at alternatives to fossil fuel-based plastics.
WSU collaborates with Iowa State University on the Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (CB2) on developing high-value biobased products from agricultural and forestry feedstocks. The WSU Composite Materials and Engineering Center provides expertise in renewable resources to develop those novel bio-based polymers, chemicals, and composites.
The work at WSU has been underway for a … » More …
Fall 2021
Mimicking mother nature
Manufacturing biological components to fix broken bodies is no longer a science fiction. » More ...
Fall 2021
Research—a review
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred innovation in research topics and methods at WSU. » More ...
Fall 2021
Videos: Eye control research at Microsoft
Eye-controlled wheelchairs and other devices can help people with neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS, communicate and connect.
Watch how engineer Jon Campbell (’03 Comp. Sci. & Comp. Eng., ’05 MS Comp. Sci.) and the Microsoft Research Enable Team are developing eye control technology.
Read more about Campbell and eye-control technology.