Jose Armando, E'26

Advancements in prosthetic technology significantly improve mobility and independence for individuals with limb loss. Traditional prosthetic devices, while functional, often lack the adaptability and sensory feedback necessary for seamless integration into daily life. Smart materials, including shape memory alloys, piezoelectric materials, and nanostructured composites, emerge as transformative solutions in prosthetic engineering. These materials enable enhanced proprioception, real-time adaptability, and increased durability, bridging the gap between artificial limbs and biological systems.

This review examines the applications of smart materials in prosthetic interfaces, emphasizing their role in sensory enhancement, adaptive control, and biomechanical integration. Case studies, such as neural-controlled prosthetics and advanced haptic feedback systems, demonstrate the effectiveness of these innovations in restoring natural movement and tactile perception. Despite these advancements, challenges remain in manufacturing scalability, material durability, and cost accessibility. The integration of Industry 4.0 technologies, including AI-driven control systems and 3D printing, offers potential solutions to reduce costs and improve accessibility.

By examining both technological advancements and barriers to widespread adoption, this review highlights the potential of smart materials to redefine prosthetic functionality. Future research and interdisciplinary collaboration in material science, bioengineering, and neuroscience are essential in overcoming current limitations and making next-generation prosthetics more intuitive, affordable, and widely available.

Anand Patil, A'26; Itamar Oelsner, A'25; Jose Armando, E'26; and Max Morningstar, A'23

Tufts University is spending a great deal of time and money on major infrastructure projects around campus, notably the upperclassmen dorm next to Hill Hall, an expanded & renovated gym, renovation of Eaton Hall, updates to Hodgdon Food-On-The-Run, Kindlevan, and more. However, the university has neglected to update one of the most important pieces of infrastructure for students’ day-to-day activities: pedestrian infrastructure; the vital piece of infrastructure that allows every student to get to and from their classes. Currently, there are countless accessibility issues with our pedestrian infrastructure, namely missing curb cuts and tactile strips, which make it extremely challenging for those with visibility and mobility impairments to traverse campus. In addition, there are glaringly unsafe crosswalk and intersection designs such as the crosswalk in the Medford portion of College Avenue outside the Science & Engineering Complex. Dangerous by design, crosswalks like these should never exist on a college campus with so much pedestrian traffic. Lastly, there is a general lack of attention to the quality and look of our sidewalks & pedestrian pathways, specifically on The Green/Academic Quad. This lack of attention to the aesthetics of our walking environment has been shown in studies to negatively affect mental health and reinforce car-centric design. Many other institutions of our caliber have beautiful and consistently maintained pathways throughout their entire campuses, and it is a stark contrast to what we have here at Tufts. This resolution hopes to bring to Administration's attention the numerous flaws in the pedestrian infrastructure so that they can begin to work on easy fixes immediately, and plan for a time in the future where major projects can be undertaken to ameliorate higher-level issues with our current infrastructure at Tufts.