Department

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Novel Monitoring Method for Electric Currents and Magnetic Fields

06712

Magnetic-fluid-clad fiber sensor detects AC currents up to 15 kHz with sub-millisecond response, enabling broad-band optical sensing.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Sensor
Lead Inventor: Dolendra Karki
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Dolendra Karki
Tulika Khanikar
Khurram Naeem
Date Submitted: 2024-04-09

High-Performance Fiber Optic Carbon Dioxide Sensor for Elevated Temperature and Distributed Monitoring

07143

High-temperature fiber-optic CO2 sensor with Lewis acid-base polymer film enables 50–100°C detection, distributed sensing, and strong signal.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Tags: Coating
Polymer
Platform Technology
Lead Inventor: Paul Ohodnicki
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Tulika Khanikar
Paul Richard Ohodnicki
Yang-Duan Su
Technology Readiness Level: 5. Advanced prototype validation
Date Submitted: 2025-04-08

Event-Based Camera Velocimetry Field Reconstruction

06992

Event-Based Camera Velocimetry reconstructs dense velocity fields from low-cost event cameras using ML-informed reduced-order modeling.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Hessameddin Babaee
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Hessameddin S. Babaee
Md Nazmus Sakib
Date Submitted: 2024-12-02

Advanced Defect Detection Software for Additive Manufacturing

06696

AI-powered LPBF defect detection maps IR data to 3D CAD geometry, reduces storage >99%, enables real-time quality control.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Software - Non-Healthcare
Tags: Artificial intelligence (AI)
Machine learning
Software
Lead Inventor: Shawn Hinnebusch
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Shawn Hinnebusch
Albert Chi Fu To
Technology Readiness Level: 5. Advanced prototype validation
Date Submitted: 2024-03-20
Collections: Healthcare AI

Laser Patterning for Magnetic Domain Engineering

05869

Laser patterning enables precise magnetic domain engineering in amorphous/nanocrystalline alloys with CW/pulsed laser annealing.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Ahmed Eladawi
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Ahmed Talaat Farag Ibraham Eladawi
Paul Richard Ohodnicki
Date Submitted: 2021-11-09

Active Combustion Throttle Valve and Actuator

01573

Fast, compact coil-actuated valve enabling high-frequency, low-hysteresis flow control for combustion and engines.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Other Engineering Technology
Lead Inventor: Jeffrey Vipperman
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Nathaniel B. Black
William W. Clark
Mary Ann Clark
Date Submitted: 2007-09-27

Novel Hybrid Advanced Manufacturing System

06568

Hybrid manufacturing system unites wire-arc DED, friction stir welding, and milling for refined microstructure, stronger, high-precision parts.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Tags: Engineering
Manufacturing Technology
Material Science
Lead Inventor: Albert To
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Dinh Son Nguyen
Albert Chi Fu To
Date Submitted: 2023-11-10

AI for Vascular Calcification Risk Assessment

06541

AI-driven vascular calcification phenotyping classifies risk, enabling targeted, faster MACE prediction and personalized treatment.

Technology Type: Digital Health
Technology Subtype: Clinical Decision Support
Therapeutic Areas: Cardiovascular
Therapeutic Indications: Atherosclerotic disease
Tags: Cardiology
Clinical Decision Support
Life Science
Lead Inventor: Mehdi Ramezanpour Koomleh
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Mehdi Ramezanpour Koomleh
Anne M. Robertson
Date Submitted: 2023-10-12
Collections: Cardiometabolic
Healthcare AI

Linear Variable Differential Pitot Tube for Flow Dynamics

06154

New high-temperature flow sensor uses linear variable differential approach (LVDPT) to measure real-time, localized velocities in nuclear/solar media.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Gregory Kinzler
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Heng Ban
Gregory EJ Kinzler
Date Submitted: 2022-09-06

Novel Pipeline Monitoring Methods

06091

Fiber-optic guided-wave sensors non-invasively monitor pipelines and infrastructure in real time, enabling AI-enhanced corrosion and defect detection.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Paul Ohodnicki
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Nageswara Rao Lalam
Paul Richard Ohodnicki
Ruishu Wright
Date Submitted: 2022-07-03
Collections: Healthcare AI

Novel Sensors for Monitoring Nuclear Waste Storage

06090

Fusion of distributed fiber optics and acoustic NDE enables direct, non-invasive internal DCSS monitoring for leaks and corrosion.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Environmental Engineering
Lead Inventor: Paul Ohodnicki
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Paul Richard Ohodnicki
Zhang Pengdi
Date Submitted: 2022-07-03

Advancing Sensing Layers for High-Temperature Optical Fibers Using Atomic Layer Deposition

05657

ALD-deposited nanocoatings enable silica fiber sensors to withstand ~800°C, offering robust, real-time harsh-environment monitoring.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Paul Ohodnicki
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Jung-Kun Lee
Yulin Liu
Paul Richard Ohodnicki
Date Submitted: 2021-04-03

Electromagnetic Field-Assisted Processing for Enhanced Soft Magnetic Alloys

05486

Electromagnetic field-assisted thermal processing selectively heats soft magnetic alloys, enabling microstructure control for high-performance motors.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Ahmed Eladawi
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Ahmed Talaat Farag Ibraham Eladawi
Paul Richard Ohodnicki
Date Submitted: 2020-08-18

Design of Piezoelectric Material-Based Touchpad Devices

06274

Piezoelectric touchpad uses PZT modes for precise, low-power touch detection; prototype with Kalman-filtered localization.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Zhengze Xu
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Qing-Ming Wang
Zhengze Xu
Date Submitted: 2023-01-25

Self-Assembled Nanocomposite Soft Magnetic Ferrites for High-Frequency Applications

06355

Self-assembled Ni-Zn ferrite nanocomposites boost high-frequency inductors with higher saturation, lower losses, scalable redox control.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Tags: Engineering
Material Science
Lead Inventor: Paul Ohodnicki
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Suraj Venkateshwaran Mullurkara
Paul Richard Ohodnicki
Date Submitted: 2023-03-18

Novel Method for Patterning Nanocarbon Materials

05587

Laser-induced carbonization patterns nanocarbon surfaces with tunable conductivity for flexible nanoelectronics via CW CO2 lasers.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Mostafa Bedewy
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Moataz Magdi Mahmoud Amin Abdulhafez
Mostafa M. Bedewy
Date Submitted: 2021-01-13

Binder Jet Printing: A Novel Method for Joining Dissimilar Materials

07100

Two-step binder jet printing with sintering bonds dissimilar materials via mechanical interlock and alloying, reducing thermal stress.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Tags: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Mahsa Beyk Khorasani
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Mahsa Beyk Khorasani
Markus Chmielus
Technology Readiness Level: 3. Prototype development
Date Submitted: 2025-02-28

High Temperature Optical Fiber Devices

05308

High-temperature optical fiber sensor enables near-IR/thermal emission probing above 500°C, enabling harsh-environment sensing and energy extraction.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Tags: Engineering
Material Science
Sensor
Lead Inventor: Paul Ohodnicki
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Paul Richard Ohodnicki
Sheng Shen
Date Submitted: 2020-04-15

Additively Manufactured Ferrite-Based Soft Magnetic Cores for High-Frequency Applications

06354

3D-printed ferrite nanocomposite cores with tunable microstructure for higher-frequency, denser EV power converters.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Tags: Engineering
Material Science
Lead Inventor: Paul Ohodnicki
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Bishal Bhandari
Dipika Mandal
Suraj Venkateshwaran Mullurkara
Date Submitted: 2023-03-18

Steeltown Retractor

03966

Motorized base with disposable, adjustable retractor arm enables rapid, precise abdominal exposures, reducing OR time and sterilization.

Technology Type: Medical Device
Technology Subtype: Surgical Medical Device
Therapeutic Areas: Other
Tags: Minimally invasive
Lead Inventor: Jeffrey Vipperman
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Peter David Allen MD
Christopher Michael Dumm
Garth Abraham Elias
Technology Readiness Level: 4. Prototype testing and refinement
Date Submitted: 2016-06-20

Novel Energy Frugal Method for Producing Permanent Magnets

06392

Novel Mn-Al magnet production via severe plastic deformation enables low-cost, REE-free permanent magnets for sustainable energy uses.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Chemical
Tags: Engineering
Material Science
Permanent Magnets
Lead Inventor: Jorg Wiezorek
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Ravi Shankar Meenakshisundaram
Jorg Michael Wiezorek
Date Submitted: 2023-05-02

Pressure Sensor with Corrugated Sidewall

04835

Corrugated parylene sidewalls strengthen implantable capacitive pressure sensors, enabling safer, real-time wireless blood pressure monitoring.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Sensor
Lead Inventor: Sung Kwon Cho
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Sung Kwon Cho
Date Submitted: 2018-12-20

Pittsburgh Additive Manufacturing Simulator_PACSIM

05623

GPU-powered PAMSIM accelerates part-scale thermal simulations for additive manufacturing, offering 300x speedup over CPU-based tools.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Albert To
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Florian X. Dugast
Albert Chi Fu To
Date Submitted: 2021-02-25

New Method of Microstreaming

06155

A new glass-driven acoustic streaming method creates strong, stable vortices on membranes to boost microfluidic gas exchange.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Therapeutic Areas: Respiratory
Lead Inventor: Sung Kwon Cho
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Sung Kwon Cho
Anthony L. Mercader
Date Submitted: 2022-09-07

Scanning Pattern Optimization for Reducing Residual Stress and Deformation

05741

Algorithm optimizes laser scanning patterns in metal additive manufacturing to cut residual stress/deformation up to 40%, boosting accuracy.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Albert To
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Qian Chen
Hunter Taylor
Albert Chi Fu To
Date Submitted: 2021-06-24

Remote and Controllable Drug Release System

05191

Acoustically driven microtube system enables remote, dose-controllable, pulsatile drug release without implanted power, via bubble mechanics.

Technology Type: Therapeutic Modality
Technology Subtype: Drug Delivery / Formulation
Therapeutic Areas: Other
Tags: Implantable Medical Device
Life Science
Therapeutic Medical Device
Lead Inventor: Sung Kwon Cho
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Sung Kwon Cho
Fang-Wei Liu
Date Submitted: 2019-12-05

Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells

04204

Flexible perovskite solar cells on oxidized titanium foil offer bend durability, 14.9% efficiency, and UV/humidity protection.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Energy
Lead Inventor: Jung-Kun Lee
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Mansoo Choi
GillSang Sang Han
Jung-Kun Lee
Date Submitted: 2017-04-04

Fin Thruster on Acoustic Resonator for Swimming Robots

06864

Acoustic-resonator powered fin thrusters enable microrobots to swim, steer, and reach fast, targeted medical micro-navigation.

Technology Type: Medical Device
Technology Subtype: Other Medical Device
Tags: Precision medicine
Life Science
Lead Inventor: Sung Kwon Cho
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Sung Kwon Cho
Wenbo Li
Date Submitted: 2024-09-04

Fabrication Method of Carbide Ceramics for Additive Manufacturing and Carbide-Carbide Joining

03863

Low-temp carbide ceramic fabrication enables additive manufacturing and bonding with dense, high-crystallinity joints via transient silicide diffusion.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Jung-Kun Lee
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Jung-Kun Lee
Ian Nettleship
Ryan W. Read
Date Submitted: 2016-03-21

Advanced Multi-Wavelength 3D Printing Technique

04836

Multi-wavelength vat photopolymerization enables continuous, multi-material 3D printing with higher speed, accuracy, and strength.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Xiayun Zhao
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Xiayun Zhao
Date Submitted: 2018-12-26

Augmentation of Gas Exchange Using Oscillating Membrane and/or Bubbles for Artificial Lung and Other Gas Exchange Devices

03776

Oscillating membrane-bubble system boosts gas exchange via microstreaming, enhancing mass transfer in artificial lungs and devices.

Technology Type: Medical Device
Technology Subtype: Therapeutic Medical Device
Therapeutic Areas: Respiratory
Lead Inventor: Sung Kwon Cho
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Sung Kwon Cho
Date Submitted: 2015-11-25

MATLAB Implementation of the Proportional Topology Optimization Method

03460

Non-gradient topology optimization in MATLAB: simple, fast, accurate for stress-constrained and minimum‑compliance problems.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Albert To
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Emre Biyikli
Albert Chi Fu To
Date Submitted: 2014-12-01

Optimized Dissolvable Support Structure for Laser Powder Bed Fusion

05689

Algorithm-optimized dissolvable supports for laser PBF reduce residual deformation and stress, cutting post-processing and costs.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Albert To
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Florian X. Dugast
Kevin Andrew Glunt
Owen Hildreth
Date Submitted: 2021-05-13

Flow Bed Assisted Photopolymerization Manufacturing

05472

Flow Bed Assisted Photopolymerization Manufacturing enables high-throughput, embedded-filler 3D printing for multi-material composites (CMCs/PMCs/MMCs).

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Tags: Engineering
Material Science
Lead Inventor: Xiayun Zhao
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Xiayun Zhao
Date Submitted: 2021-02-17

Adaptive Two-Wavelength Single Camera Imaging Thermography for Smart in-situ Process Temperature

05130

Adaptive two-wavelength single-camera thermography enables real-time, cost-efficient melt-pool temperature measurement in metal additive manufacturing.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Xiayun Zhao
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Dian Li
Chaitanya Krishna P. Vallabh
Xiayun Zhao
Date Submitted: 2019-10-07

Individually addressable interdigitated electrodes and droplet manipulations for digital microfluidics

03995

New interdigital electrode design enables full droplet manipulation of conductive and non-conductive liquids on a chip, AC/DC compatible.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Material Science
Lead Inventor: Sung Kwon Cho
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Sung Kwon Cho
Technology Readiness Level: 3. Prototype development
Date Submitted: 2016-07-18
Collections: Women's & Reproductive Health

Membrane Contractor for Seawater Purification

06083

A membrane-coated desalination method locally lowers seawater pH to convert bicarbonate into CO2 for simultaneous desalination and carbon capture.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Environmental Engineering
Tags: Chemistry
Environmental Engineering
Material Science
Lead Inventor: Katherine Hornbostel
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Hoda Behbahani
Matt Green
Katherine Mary Hornbostel
Date Submitted: 2022-06-30

Novel use of Goubau Waves in Passive Sensing

06116

Goubau-wave wireless sensing enables long-range, secure data from passive sensors on pipes, with real-time health monitoring.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Sensor
Lead Inventor: Paul Ohodnicki
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Jagannath Devkota
David Greve
Paul Richard Ohodnicki
Date Submitted: 2022-07-31

Using Composite Sealing to Augment Solar Cell Durability and Lifespan

03655

Flexible, nanoparticle-embedded PMMA coating creates superhydrophobic seal, boosting perovskite solar cell durability in humid air.

Technology Type: Engineering Technology
Technology Subtype: Semiconductor
Lead Inventor: Jung-Kun Lee
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: GillSang Sang Han
Jung-Kun Lee
Date Submitted: 2015-06-17

Mass Immunization Device

00736

Portable syringe electrode enables safe, efficient DNA vaccine delivery via adaptive electroporation with reduced tissue damage.

Technology Type: Medical Device
Technology Subtype: Surgical Medical Device
Therapeutic Areas: Infectious Disease
Tags: Platform Technology
Lead Inventor: Michael Lovell
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
All Tech Innovators: Neal Herring
Steve Heston
Leaf Huang Ph.D.
Date Submitted: 2002-08-12
Collections: Regenerative Medicine