March 6, 2024
Three new electrochemistry research labs open exciting opportunities for ME students
Three new electrochemistry-focused research labs are now open in Mechanical Engineering (ME), led by ME faculty members Eric Kazyak, Luca Mastropasqua and James Pikul. These labs are working together on pressing societal challenges related to electrochemical energy storage and conversion and are equipped to conduct research on batteries, fuel cells, soft robotics and self-healing metals. Read more…
January 4, 2024
A new electroadhesive clutch to improve haptics in virtual reality gloves and beyond
When engaging in virtual reality (VR) and manipulating an object, users want to be able to feel what they’re touching in virtual space. A hard object needs to feel hard and a soft object needs to feel soft; mechanisms that can accurately deliver these touch sensations are called haptic systems. Read more…
September 18, 2023
Focus on new faculty: James Pikul is redefining what we use to generate and store energy
A robot, hard at work, runs low on power. Instead of needing to be plugged in and waiting to recharge, the robot simply “eats” some nearby metal, which provides power to top off its battery.
This is just one of the “disruptive” energy storage technologies developed by James Pikul, who joined the UW-Madison Department of Mechanical Engineering as the Leon and Elizabeth Janssen Associate Professor in August 2023. Read more…
October 4, 2022
New Mechanical Engineering Faculty: James Pikul
James Pikul will join the Department of Mechanical Engineering as an Associate Professor in Fall 2023!
Pikul’s research group seeks to make transformative advances in energy storage, energy conversion, multifunctional materials, and robotics by understanding and exploiting nanoscale to macroscopic characteristics of electrochemistry and soft matter. His electrochemistry work in particular fits strategically between the department’s efforts in energy storage and robotics. Read more…