The Future, Engineered

Science fiction, as a genre, is best known for its creative re-imagining of our world. Each novel, film, and painting showcases an artist’s wildest visions of our future. What I find most interesting about this genre is how technology is depicted in science fiction. Sci-fi technology is always portrayed as highly advanced, complex, and almost magical. Concepts like flying cars, telepathic communication, robotic suits, and quantum computing used to be common staples of science fiction. But today, what was once fiction is becoming reality thanks to the innovators and visionaries known as engineers. Engineers are today’s magicians, guiding the world into a future we once could only imagine.

In the same way we love to follow the latest trends and internet drama, we should also be paying close attention to the innovations emerging from the engineering industry. As a core pillar of STEM, engineering is highly respected but often overlooked. It's known for rigorous majors and high salaries, yet one of the most exciting aspects of the field is the innovations engineers develop and their wide range of applications. Engineering is present in nearly every part of our lives. Over the years, engineers have worked tirelessly to deliver some of this century’s most important innovations in computing, architecture, medicine, agriculture, and space travel. Today, engineering continues to impact major industries with exponential growth and innovation.

At the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE), industry-leading engineers are working to bring robotics and machine learning to operating rooms. Many industries, such as manufacturing and mechanics, already heavily rely on robotics to improve efficiency and reliability, but medicine, especially surgical operations, requires a different approach to robotics. That is why VISE is developing and using needle-sized, concentric-tube robots to perform careful, precise actions during a surgery. Additionally, their robots utilize machine learning to work alongside surgeons in the operating room. By using complex machine-learning algorithms, these robots can observe human surgeons and learn to mimic their exact movements and sequences during procedures. VISE’s efforts aim to transform medicine by making surgery safer, more affordable, and more accessible.

The University of Texas at Austin is making groundbreaking advances in environmental science through the “UT WaterHub® Project.” The UT WaterHub® is a 9,600-square-foot wastewater reclamation and reuse facility, soon to be the largest university-based WaterHub in the U.S. For context, approximately 322 billion gallons of water are used in the U.S. each day (USGS). Much of this water is returned to distribution systems as wastewater that has been used and contaminated by human activity. When left untreated, wastewater can carry pathogens and pollutants that pose risks to human health and the environment (EPA). Civil engineers at UT Austin have developed efficient water distribution systems that can reuse wastewater while preventing further environmental contamination. Once treated, this wastewater is then used for cooling towers, boilers, power plant systems, and irrigation.

In Houston, Texas, Rice University’s Neuroengineering Initiative is combining neuroscience, engineering, nanotech, and bioscience to turn sci-fi into reality. Researchers at the Rice Neuroengineering Initiative use engineering to understand, restore, and even enhance brain function. One of Rice’s key areas of focus is closed-loop neuroscience and neurotechnology. Engineers in this field design systems for sensing and controlling neural circuits to stimulate the brain and make devices and services more accessible, especially for neurodivergent individuals. For me, the most interesting parts of the initiative’s work are in neural regeneration and repair. Some labs at Rice are exploring ways to engineer devices and systems that regenerate neural tissue by modeling the regenerative behavior of certain organisms. This field of engineering holds great potential, as it could lead to reversing paralysis, repairing brain injuries, and treating neurodegenerative diseases.

These glimpses into the cutting-edge innovations of engineering today clearly show that this field is not slowing down anytime soon. There are many problems in the world, but at the same time, many solutions that engineering can offer. The engineers who ask the hard questions and challenge the status quo are the same engineers shaping our future. Furthermore, the ever-expanding nature of engineering leaves room for visionaries with passions in all areas. Many engineers work in robotics, manufacturing, and technology, but many also focus on improving environmental conditions, conserving resources, and building sustainable smart cities. Engineering is a necessity in numerous fields, allowing individuals of all personalities and backgrounds to make an impact where they see fit. Remember, this is just the surface; there’s so much more I can’t wait to explore and share on the NexNotes blog. In the upcoming post, I’ll be covering groundbreaking innovations, revolutionary ideas, bold experiments, and visionary projects with more detail and depth. Stay tuned because the future is being built right in front of us.