Faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering conduct scholarly research involving the planning, design, manufacture, and operation of devices, machines, and systems. Much of this research is at the forefront of technological advancements in energy conversion, manufacturing, machine design, fluid mechanics, and aerospace systems. Mechanical engineering faculty and students in the department are also working on new ideas and innovations, including robotics, laser systems, new energy sources, automatic controls, and computer graphics systems in applications related to space technology and aircraft design, orthopedic biomechanics, pollution control, automobile design and combustion engines, robot vision, problems of heating and lubrication, and the development of microprocessors and computer-based computational algorithms.