Xuanhe Zhao, Ph.D.

MIT’s novel device is a black, window-sized panel made of water-absorbing hydrogel, enclosed in a glass chamber with a special cooling layer.

Scientists in the US have developed a groundbreaking origami-inspired device which is capable of harvesting safe and affordable drinking water from the air and runs entirely on its own without the need for electricity.

The research team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) designed the black, window-sized vertical panel to tackle the global water crisis, which reportedly affects 2.2 billion people worldwide, including 46 million in the US.

Made from a water-absorbent hydrogel and enclosed in a glass chamber coated with a cooling layer, the device is designed to improve access to water by utilizing the atmosphere as its primary source, which researchers estimate holds millions of billions of gallons in the form of vapor… Continue reading.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the induction of Xuanhe Zhao, Ph.D., Uncas and Helen Whitaker Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology to its College of Fellows.

Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to medical and biological engineers, comprised of the top two percent of engineers in these fields. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering and medicine research, practice, or education” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering or developing/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.”

Professor Zhao was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows “for pioneering contributions in soft materials and systems and for international leadership in translational research…. Continue reading.