Engineering Out Loud

How do you combine ethics, policy, and practicality into the design of revolutionary robotics and artificial intelligence systems? Researchers Kagan Tumer and Tom Dietterich are collaborating to find out as they help lead the Oregon State Collaborative Robotics and Intelligent Systems Institute.

• The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics symposium

• CoRIS

• Artificial Intelligence Roadmap

• TWIML podcast episode featuring Tom Dietterich

https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-9-robotics-and-ai/beautiful-music-robotics-and-ai-s9e1

Geoff Hollinger, associate professor of mechanical engineering, is teaching underwater robots to use human preferences to take on risk as they complete their scientific missions.

https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-1-data-science-and-engineering/sea-and-sky-s1e2

What can be done to protect workers in one of the most dangerous industries on Earth? For much of his career, John Gambatese has studied, developed and evaluated a wide range of options designed to keep construction workers out of harm's way.

Advances in 3D graphics have made movies and video games more realistic, but can also have an impact on science. Associate Professor Eugene Zhang and Assistant Professor Yue Zhang describe their research to help medical doctors better target cancerous tumors by using 3D modeling and simulation.

• Associate Professor Eugene Zhang's website.
• Associate Professor (Senior Research) Yue Zhang's website.

https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-3-environmental-and-human-health/toy-story-tumors-s3e1

How can we help in the fight against Parkinson's disease? Harriet Nembhard and her colleagues developed a sensor system to detect the disease early on, opening the door to earlier treatment and improved quality of life. Nembhard is the head of the School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering and Eric R. Smith Professor of Engineering.

• Michael J. Fox profile in The New York Times Magazine
• The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
• Interview with Michael J. Fox on "CBS Sunday Morning"
• "A data mining methodology for predicting early stage Parkinson's disease using non-invasive, high-dimensional gait sensor data"
• "Evaluating the Cost-Effectiveness of an Early Detection of Parkinson's Disease through Innovative Technology"
• Narration for this episode was provided by Adam Keenan, a student with the Oregon State University Theatre.

https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-8-health-and-safety/detecting-parkinson%E2%80%99s-early-better-outcomes-s8e5

Aid workers put their lives on the line to treat patients with Ebola. Can robots help make their jobs a little easier and allow more people to survive the disease? Bill Smart, professor of robotics at Oregon State University, is exploring how robots may be most useful during disease outbreaks.

• Doctors Without Borders
• Oregon State's simulated Ebola treatment unit

https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-8-health-and-safety/robots-without-borders-finding-new-ways-treat-ebola-s8e4

What makes a frog's tongue sticky, or a snake's skin slippery? Joe Baio, assistant professor of bioengineering, looks to nature for substances that could provide clues to developing new biomedical adhesives and anti-fouling surfaces.

• The Baio Lab home page
• "Snake Scales" video featuring Joe Baio
• Press release

https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-8-health-and-safety/sticky-and-slippery-science-biomedical-applications-s8e3

Ever wonder why so many truckers park their rigs on highway off-ramps, in retail store parking lots and at other odd locations? It's not their first choice, and it's not the safest choice either, but sometimes it's their only choice. Research by Sal Hernandez reveals that the national truck parking shortage takes an enormous toll on people and commerce.

How can we support nuclear medicine efforts that help more than 40,000 people in the U.S. everyday? Researchers at the Oregon State University College of Engineering have developed a way to produce the much-needed radioisotope technetium-99m using small research reactors like the one here at the university.

• The Oregon State TRIGA Reactor
• Northwest Medical Isotopes
• "Bringing medical isotope production closer to home"
• Molybdenum-99 for Medical Imaging
• Moly target

https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-8-health-and-safety/making-medical-isotope-used-millions-s8e1

Can turning seawater into drinking water be a cost-effective way to provide clean, fresh water for the growing numbers of people facing water scarcity? Bahman Abbasi, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is taking up that challenge with a mobile, modular, solar-powered, desalination system.

Bonus content

• OSU-Cascades researcher awarded $2 million to develop solar-powered desalination technology
• Department of Energy Solar Desalination program
• Energy Systems Engineering -- OSU Cascades

https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-7-clean-water/turning-seawater-sweet-water-s7e6