McKelvey School of Engineering

Science & Technology Tip Sheet

Lewis the robotic photographerMay and June are prom, graduation and wedding months, times when the family camera gets a steaming workout. Computer scientists at Washington University in St. Louis can take that camera out of your designated photographer’s hands and perch it atop Lewis, the world’s first robotic photographer.

Lewis the robotic photographerMay and June are prom, graduation and wedding months, times when the family camera gets a steaming workout. Computer scientists at Washington University in St. Louis can take that camera out of your designated photographer’s hands and perch it atop Lewis, a five-foot tall, 300-pound robot that wanders through a space taking pictures of people. Named after Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark fame (for his traveling ways), Lewis is the creation of William D. Smart, Ph.D., and Cindy M. Grimm, Ph.D., assistant professors of computer science at Washington University, and is considered to be the world’s first robotic photographer.

ChenIn the age of SARS, what the world needs is a better respirator, or breathing mask. As hospitals worldwide face major shortages of masks, Da-Ren Chen, Ph.D., assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, has developed material for a breathing mask using nanofibers so tiny and skinny that the entry of harmful particles as minute as viruses and bacteria is nearly impossible. Comprised of just less than two percent material, it is inexpensive to mass-produce, allowing companies a good profit opportunity.

Da-Ren Chen, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and environmental engineering science at Washington University in St. Louis, has developed material for one using nanofibers so tiny and skinny that the entry of harmful particles as minute as viruses and bacteria is nearly impossible.

Visiting professor Chuen-Jinn Tsai, Ph.D., and Da-Ren Chen, Ph.D., assistant professor of mechanical engineering, discuss the design of their coaxial cyclone.Washington University in St. Louis engineers have developed a device that can make the semiconductor manufacturing industry cleaner

This NASA image shows the smoke from Iraq’s oil fires set early in the confrontation.An air pollution expert at Washington University in St. Louis says the air pollution created by the Iraqi war is regional and should remain that way unless something catastrophic happens such as the torching of the Kuwaiti oil wells in the 1991 Gulf War.

The St. Louis arch has been thought to be a potential target for terrorists.Researchers at Washington University’s Center for Security Technologies are planning a surveillance system that recognizes aberrant traffic flow and then, using automatic target recognition, identifies and analyzes the danger.

The Environmental Initiative was launched to explore the role that research universities can play in addressing environmental issues.

Photo by Bill StoverA recent symposium on clockless computing brought industry pioneers Ivan Sutherland and Wesley A. Clark to the University.