Contact
Assistant
Betar Gallant Esther & Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Professor, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Leslie Ann Owens Senior Lecturer, Information Technology Executive Director, Center for Information Systems Research (CISR) Nick van der Meulen Research Scientist, Sloan Center for Information Systems Research Clena Abuan Senior Technology Associate, BP Jerry Gupta P&C Research Lead, Swiss Re Institute
Merging Humans and Machines: Innovation and Translation Xuanhe Zhao Uncas (1923) and Helen Whitaker Professor, MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering
Whereas human tissues and organs are mostly soft, wet, and bioactive, machines are commonly hard, dry, and abiotic. Merging humans and machines is of imminent importance in addressing grand societal challenges in health, environment, sustainability, security, education, and happiness in life. However, merging humans and machines is extremely challenging due to their fundamentally contradictory properties. At MIT Zhao Lab, we invent, understand, and facilitate the translation of soft materials and systems to form long-term, robust, non-fibrotic, and high-efficacy interfaces between humans and machines. In this talk, I will discuss three examples of innovation and translation for merging humans and machines: - the first fast and tough bioadhesive capable of replacing sutures for hemostasis and wound sealing (paper in Nature 2019, 2024; translation by SanaHeal Inc). - the first soft neurovascular robot capable of remotely treating stroke patients (paper in Nature 2018; translation by Magnendo Inc). - the first wearable ultrasound capable of imaging diverse human organs over 48 hours (paper in Science 2022; translation by Sonologi Inc).
Long before the current pandemic, MIT has fostered a culture which believes that innovation is about change, and that change is about resiliency. Enduring and recovering from difficult technical, environmental, and personal challenges depends on how quickly we can innovate a solution around them. New technologies which succeed are those which can adapt to different settings, promise widespread application, and most importantly, stay flexible in a constantly changing business environment.Â