Research News

At RIT, robots are learning to read the room—especially rooms with humans. Improved communication between robots and people is part of the human-centered philosophy that anchors much of RIT’s work in robotics.

The wireless spectrum has become very crowded real estate, and work is underway through a new technology research center to improve spectrum access, co-existence, and security. 

RIT is spearheading a transformative $7.3 million research hub in collaboration with the University of Rochester. The center will study the lifecycle of microplastics, including its origin as plastic waste, distribution, and movement in the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem.

The recent total solar eclipse over Rochester provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on Earth for two faculty-researchers and their students to capture data about the effects of the sun’s energy during a total eclipse.

Patru’s authenticity and humor are as much a part of his classes as the informal conversations he has with students about mutual interests in space, music, art, and history. These qualities are only a few of the reasons he’s being honored with the Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching.

RIT will be a contributing partner on a $4.5 million U.S. Department of Energy initiative to improve the operation of grid transmission and distribution systems, including how information about energy resources can be better transmitted securely.

Students leveraged the variety of makerspaces in RIT's brand-new SHED facility to create arts-integrative work responding to a theme of "Play."

By exploring the point at which fiber composite materials begin to deteriorate and how the environment affects material, Amy Engelbrecht-Wiggans, an RIT assistant professor of mechanical engineering, believes there is a way to ensure longer-term reliability. To answer these questions, Engelbrecht-Wiggans received a National Science Foundation Faculty Career Development Award (CAREER).

Engineering professor, Andres Kwasinski co-authors new book, “Resilience Engineering for Power and Communications Systems: Networked Infrastructure in Extreme Events” published by Cambridge University Press.

The Debrief features Xudong Zheng, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, about how his team's research on an innovative sensor array could be used by the Navy during stealth operations at sea.

Researchers at RIT are creating a novel sensor system based on the superior design and detection range found on harbor seal whiskers.

Work by Risa Robinson and members of the Respiratory Technologies Laboratory completely shifted how e-cigarette analysis is done and became an industry model. Through this new viewpoint, the team recorded harmful emissions that were not otherwise seen in a lab setting, and this data contributed to FDA policies and regulations about e-cigarette usage today.