Mechanical engineering

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The 2023 James Dyson Award global winners have been announced. The prizes have gone to three different student teams, each of which offers novel solutions to modern issues including global warming and providing care in war and disaster zones.

Researchers at MIT have invented a printing process that could turn a lot of potential breakthroughs, such as electricity-generating clothing and smart sutures, into an inexpensive reality.

Harvard University labs are offering a comprehensive online Soft Robotics Toolkit to help in the design, creation, and control of soft robots made from flexible materials. The toolkit contains downloadable, open-source plans, step-by-step tutorial videos, and real world studies.

A team at MIT is developing extra robot limbs that can help out humans with everyday tasks where an extra hand, arm, or leg might be useful. The robot can automatically determine when it is needed and how best to help.

A US team from the University of Pennsylvania has taken out the 2013 James Dyson Award with the Titan Arm, an upper body exoskeleton that augments human strength. The team will receive the £30,000 (US$48,260) first prize, with an additional £10,000 (US$16,100) for their university.

Students from the University of California, San Diego have installed a computer and velocity sensors on a surfboard, in effort to create the ultimate surfing experience.

A British engineering student has invented a mobile bicycle-powered water pump, which is being used in rural Guatemala.