Departments Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

He created his own global co-op during the pandemic

The coronavirus initially threw a wrench into Saul Blain’s dreams of a co-op abroad, so the electrical engineering major with a desire to work in a Spanish-speaking country cold-emailed 30 renewable energy companies in Latin America until he found one that said yes. “Throw a bunch of feelers out there until you find something,” he recommends.

by Peter Ramjug May 12, 2021

Jean Philippe, left, will get vaccinated when he returns home to New York, while Iris Cotrupi, center, and Zach Stanziano, right, have each received one of two doses. “Just go get it,” Stanziano urges others. Photos by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

‘Just go get it.’ Students who have received the COVID-19 vaccine encourage others to get their shots

Some Northeastern students have already received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, others are about to get fully inoculated. Now that everyone in the U.S. 16 years of age and older is eligible, students are encouraging others to roll up their sleeves and protect the pack.

by Peter Ramjug April 21, 2021

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

What does 6G technology hold in store? Think remote surgery, shared virtual spaces, and robots that search for dirty bombs.

This is the world that the sixth-generation wireless network can unlock, says Tommaso Melodia, William Lincoln Smith chair professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern. In October, his Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things will host a two-day virtual conference that will convene leaders from industry, academia, and government develop a roadmap for research and development for the successor to the 5G mobile network.

by Khalida Sarwari September 3, 2020

With a small ocean robot, Northeastern researchers produced high-resolution models of icebergs in Sermilik Fjord, Greenland. Photo courtesy Hanumant Singh

How to stop an iceberg in its tracks

In Greenland, icebergs are melting fast. With an ocean robot made by Northeastern professor Hanumant Singh, scientists are beginning to understand just how fast.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa February 27, 2020

A team of Northeastern students was recently selected by NASA to enter the Big Idea Challenge, and will receive a $90,000 award to develop a robotic system to help astronauts explore permanently shadowed regions of the moon. From left: Julian Morgen, Paige Butler, and María Belén Ou. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

NASA is going back to the moon. Northeastern University students are designing robots to explore the terrain.

Some parts of the moon never see the light, but they are full of resources that NASA could mine to settle on the lunar surface and venture beyond. The agency selected a team of Northeastern students to be part of the 2020 Big Idea Challenge, in which they will develop robotic systems to help survey the darkest areas of the moon.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa February 21, 2020

Faculty Expert

Hanumant Singh

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Deep neural networks are coming to your phone. Here’s how that could change your life.

Most researchers thought deep neural networks required too much computing power and memory to work quickly on your average smartphone. But assistant professor Yanzhi Wang is proving them wrong.

by Laura Castañón January 28, 2020

The pattern on this shirt prevents specific deep neural networks from being able to recognize that the wearer is a person. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

This T-shirt could make you invisible (to deep neural networks)

“Deep neural networks are very powerful, but also can be vulnerable to adversarial attacks,” says Northeastern assistant professor Shelley Lin. She and her colleagues have designed a T-shirt that prevents these artificial intelligence systems from being able to recognize that the wearer is a person.

by Laura Castañón November 13, 2019

Tommaso Melodia speaks during the Inauguration of the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things in the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Northeastern University launches the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things

The internet of things is the interface that allows people to connect the physical world with the cyber world, using tools like Alexa or a smart thermostat. Now, Northeastern researchers are taking that concept to the next level to solve some of the most pressing problems in the world with the new Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa October 18, 2019

Bats are the only animals that live most of their lives hanging upside down. Alireza Ramezani, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern, is working on a robot that mimics the ability of bats to hang feet up and save energy. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

To build a better drone, look to the bat

When bats fly, they use less energy than other flying animals. Alireza Ramezani, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern, is making a new robotic mechanism that will mimic the ability of bats to fly smart and save energy.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa October 18, 2019