Engineering the Future Through Cross-Industry Collaboration

As the old proverb says: if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. 

As mechanical engineers, we pride ourselves on our ability to solve problems that lead to innovation, and teamwork is oftentimes the key ingredient to achieving real breakthroughs. 

And while the field of engineering is experiencing crossover amongst disciplines - with more and more companies adopting a multi-disciplinary approach - in the face of a rapidly evolving technological landscape, it’s time to think outside the box even further.   

Cross-industry collaboration has the potential to break down barriers that stand in the way of true transformation.  

Consider health care, for example. Mechanical engineers are doing some exciting work, from cutting-edge prosthetic design to wearable diagnostics and robotic surgical systems. One particularly exciting application is the development of improved prosthetics using magnets, which allows a prosthetic hand to read signals from the muscles of a patient who has experienced the loss of a limb.

In agriculture, engineering design is revolutionizing crop management. An MIT professor has developed a new spray nozzle that cloaks chemical pesticides in a thin layer of natural oil. This solution stops the chemicals from bouncing off plant surfaces and being wasted, while also reducing the harmful environmental effects of runoff. 

Engineering also plays a key role in the entertainment industry. On a recent episode of our Unconventional Engineering podcast, I had a great conversation with Jason Lopes, a 3D printing expert whose work has been featured in blockbuster films like Avatar, Iron Man, and Pacific Rim. Jason uses cutting-edge additive manufacturing technology to design costumes, movie sets, collectibles, and just about anything you can imagine. We spoke at length about the ways in which breaking free from outmoded methods and embracing new ways of doing things. 


As the boundaries between industries continue to blur, mechanical engineers have the unique opportunity to combine core engineering principles with contributions from new resources that may have once been out of reach.  


 

Kind regards,

Tom Costabile, P. E., FASME
ASME Executive Director/CEO