Soft actuators, components in mechanical devices that enable movement, are inspired by biological systems but can’t yet replicate the complexity of the human body. Purdue Polytechnic’s David Gonzalez Rodriguez is researching the creation of 3D-printed flexible structures that can function as soft actuators and sensors.

Purdue Polytechnic’s Robert Nawrocki and his research colleagues are designing a soft, flexible electrode that can be comfortably placed on the skin, enabling a treatment called deep nerve stimulation. The new technology could potentially provide relief for medical disorders including migraine, rheumatoid arthritis and many gastrointestinal illnesses without the side effects of traditional pharmaceutical treatments.

Purdue Polytechnic’s Robert Nawrocki received the 2021 Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), an executive branch agency within the Department of Defense.

Purdue Polytechnic graduates Ivan Ball and Scott Massey received the Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation to advance their GroPod in-home greenhouse technology.

A utility company turned to Purdue Polytechnic’s Jason Ostanek and Luis Maldonado to deal with the potential of foul-smelling air near ground-level ventilation shafts for the DigIndy Tunnel System, a 28-mile network of huge sewage storage tunnels 250 feet below Indianapolis.

Purdue Polytechnic’s Kokomo location now resides inside the newly renovated Inventrek Technology Park, which features expansive lab space for mechanical engineering technology and electrical engineering technology coursework and numerous other learning spaces. Students take advantage of seven times more workspace than was available at Purdue Polytechnic Kokomo’s previous location.

Purdue Polytechnic’s Davin Huston and Mark French, along with Kathryn Smith, a former graduate student in Huston’s lab, have created a flexible, printed circuit board that makes electric guitars better for both players and manufacturers.