Bioengineering in Motion

See videos of bioengineered systems in action in this online extra that accompanies the feature article, "Life Sciences, Applied."

This online extra accompanies "Life Sciences, Applied," from the January-February 2009 issue of Harvard Magazine.

 

In this video, blood pulses through tiny channels in a polymer. The lab group directed by Homans professor of surgery Joseph Vacanti uses a microfabrication technique to mimic blood vessels for use in tissue engineering.

 

 

 

A tissue-engineering application developed in the lab of associate professor of biomedical engineering Kit Parker, demonstrated in this video, uses an elastic film coated with a layer of heart muscle cells; these hybrid structures can engage in lifelike movements.


 

 

This video from the lab of assistant professor of computer science Radhika Nagpal demonstrates three ways to use modular robots programmed to work together cooperatively: a table made from a series of robots that work together to keep it level; a simulation of a bridge that would keep itself level even if the ground under it shifts; and a proposed design for a system to render complex three-dimensional shapes using thousands of modules working cooperatively.

 

Related topics

You might also like

How AI Is Reshaping Supply Chains

Harvard Kennedy School lecturer on using AI to strengthen supply chains

This Astronomer is Sounding a Warning on 'Space Junk'

As debris accumulates in low Earth orbit, the danger of destructive collisions continues to rise.

Understanding AI Vulnerabilities

As artificial intelligence capabilities evolve, so too will the tactics used to exploit them. 

Most popular

Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts teaches the value of immersive attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

The Truth About Imposter Syndrome

Thoughts on a perennial undergraduate complaint

Explore More From Current Issue

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio smiling beside the pink cover of her novel "Catalina" featuring a jeweled star and eye.

Being Undocumented in America

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s writing aims to challenge assumptions. 

Brandon Terry, wearing a blue suit, standing before The Embrace, a large bronze sculpture of intertwined arms in Boston Common.

A New Narrative of Civil Rights

Political philosopher Brandon Terry’s vision of racial progress

Student walking under bright stage lights shaped like smartphones displaying social media apps.

Two Years of Doxxing at Harvard

What happens when students are publicly named and shamed for their views?