The Mechanics of Soft Materials (MSM) Lab at 200 Boston Ave is a University facility designed to assess the mechanical properties of a variety of soft materials using state-of-the art testing equipment and expertise.

These materials may exist at many different strength and size scales, and may demand specific test conditions. Further expertise is available for data post-processing and material modeling. Custom test fixturing can be designed to accommodate advanced test geometries, with appropriate guidance and funding considerations.

Current Research Projects:

• Biomechanics: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
• Manduca Sexta: Muscle Performance in a Soft-Bodied Terrestrial Crawler
• Rubber: The Pseudo-Elastic Response of Rubberlike Solids
• Silk Biomaterials: Mechanical Properties of Hydrogel Biopolymers
• Magneto-sensitive (MS) Materials: Nonlinear Magnetoelastic Deformations
• Electro-sensitive (ES) Materials: Nonlinear Electroelastic Deformations
• Tissue Scaffolds:
• Soft-bodied worm-like robots: Inchworm Robotics Project (InchBot)