Mechanical emulation of living beings is an age-old dream and has inspired dramatic advances in biomechanics. Amazingly, macroscopic continuum theories are reliable predictors at the micron or even nanometer scale; however, because biological processes in living organisms are subject to non-equilibrium driving forces and stochastic fluctuations, we need to understand non-equilibrium mechanical processes and identify signatures of deviations from continuum theories at the cellular level. In this quest, we are studying three biophysical processes: mechanical responses of red blood cells, lipid-polymer-membrane interactions, and biomechanical couplings in molecular motors.