This talk will describe how the K. Lisa Yang Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Center at MIT is creating technologies that are global by design. This entails spotting and quantifying meritorious problems, leveraging engineering science to create high-performance, low-cost solutions, and engaging a wide network of stakeholders that are positioned to catalyze adoption and dissemination.

The following research projects will be highlighted: 1) Time-variant photovoltaic-powered electrodialysis (PV-ED) desalination systems that continually vary pumping and salt extraction power to match available solar power. Compared to industry standard grid-powered reverse osmosis, GEAR Center’s PV-ED systems are at price parity and reduce water wastage by 75%. 2) Ultra-low pressure, low-cost drip irrigation emitters that were realized by characterizing fluid-structure parametric design relationships.

GEAR Center’s emitters cut pumping power by up to 69%, reduce the cost of solar-powered irrigation by up to 40%, and require 58% less plastic than current products. 3) High-performance, low-cost plastic prosthetic feet created by predictively and quantitatively connecting their mechanical design to biomechanical performance. GEAR Center’s feet facilitate near-able-bodied biomechanics and perform as well or better than industry-standard carbon fiber feet that cost up to 100X as much.

Amos Winter is the Germeshausen Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Director of the K. Lisa Yang Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Center at MIT. His research focuses on machine and product design for developing and emerging markets.

Prof. Winter earned a BS from Tufts University (2003) and an MS (2005) and PhD (2011) from MIT, all in mechanical engineering. He received the 2010 Tufts University Young Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award, the 2012 ASME/Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal, was named one of the MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35 (TR35) for 2013, and received the MIT Edgerton Faculty Achievement Award and an NSF CAREER award in 2017. Prof.

Winter is the principal inventor of the Leveraged Freedom Chair (LFC) developing-world wheelchair, which was a winner of a 2010 R&D 100 award, was named one of the Wall Street Journal’s top innovations in 2011, received a Patents for Humanity award from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2015, and was the subject of “Engineering Reverse Innovations”, winner of the 2015 McKinsey Award for the best article of the year in Harvard Business Review.

To learn more, go to:

GEAR Center's website: https://www.gear.mit.edu/

GEAR Center's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitgearlab/?hl=en