Industry

‘Ambidextrous’ robots could dramatically speed e-commerce

01/16/19 — In a new paper, Berkeley engineers build on 35 years of research with new algorithms that compute robust robot pick points, enabling robot grasping of a diverse range of products without training.

New quantum material could take computers beyond semiconductors

12/03/18 — Researchers from Intel Corp. and UC Berkeley's MSE are looking beyond current transistor technology and preparing the way for a new type of memory and logic circuit that could someday be in every computer on the planet.

A tableful of students take part in the Cal Hacks hackathon

‘I don’t really want to work at Facebook’

11/16/18 New York Times — A visit to Cal Hacks finds that for many young engineers, including Berkeley computer science students, the stigma of working for Facebook is beginning to outweigh the financial and other benefits.

Students with computers listen to a lecture in David Wagner

Data science, the ‘new Latin’ for students, in demand in Silicon Valley

10/19/18 SF Chronicle — Data science is one of the fastest-growing fields of study at Berkeley, but the field is in such demand that jobs far outstrip the supply of graduates in the Bay Area

Exterior of Skydeck offices in downtown Berkeley

Accelerating Berkeley startups at SkyDeck

06/11/18 TechCrunch — TechCrunch profiles SkyDeck, the UC Berkeley tech incubator that has developed an acceleration program to launch a series of successful startups, including Chirpo, LimeBike and Kiwi.

Universities and the digital transformation of society

06/02/18 — Dean S. Shankar Sastry considers Berkeley's role during this age of artificial intelligence, cloud computing and the Internet of Things.

Chirp Microsystems acquired

03/23/18 — Chirp Microsystems, a startup enabled with technology developed at UC Davis and UC Berkeley, has been acquired by Japanese electronics giant TDK Corporation. Based in Berkeley, Chirp Microsystems makes tiny, ultra-low power sensors that function like sonar or echolocation. The micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology enables extremely precise sensing and has applications in drones, robots, vehicles, smart home products, augmented reality and virtual reality systems.

Andrew Ng says factories are AI’s next frontier

12/18/17 MIT Tech Review — Artificial intelligence expert and Berkeley Engineering alum Andrew Ng (Ph.D.'03 EECS) is on a mission to AI-ify manufacturing, starting with partners like Foxconn.

Karen Taylor of Onederful pitching during SkyDeck

State grant accelerates UC Berkeley’s innovation and entrepreneurship

12/12/17 — Berkeley has announced promising early results from a $2.2 million state-funded grant, which has helped the campus, already a global hub for innovation, to expand its entrepreneurship activities with new facilities, courses and programs.

Inventing the future

11/01/17 — In a Q&A with Berkeley Engineer, Dean Shankar Sastry outlines his vision for the future of the college and beyond.

Boot camp participants at California Memorial Stadium.

Fresh ideas for nuclear power

08/24/17 — Two dozen students from all over the world gathered at Berkeley for two weeks over the summer to discuss, plan and help start building a new nuclear energy sector. The students, along with professional mentors and speakers, were part of the 2017 Nuclear Innovation Boot Camp.

Next big thing for David Patterson: New chip for Google Brain

05/08/17 CNBC — Less than a year after retiring from 40 years at Berkeley Engineering, legendary EECS professor David Paterson is now a key part of the team behind a critical chip that Google uses for artificial intelligence processing.

Berkeley is #1 school for Silicon Valley tech hiring

05/03/17 Business Insider — Silicon Valley tech firms hire more alumni from UC Berkeley than any other school, including Stanford and the Ivy League, according to a new analysis from online recruiting company HiringSolved.

Shell and Berkeley officials at signing ceremony

EBI signs partnership with Shell to fund energy tech research

03/15/17 — UC Berkeley's Energy Biosciences Institute has entered into a five-year, multimillion dollar research agreement with Shell International Exploration and Production Inc. to fund research that meets the growing demand for energy in ways that are economically, environmentally and socially responsible.

Allen Yang at the Center for Augmented Cognition

Gift from virtual reality pioneer Immerex will create AR/VR lab at Berkeley

03/14/17 — A gift from the entertainment virtual reality company Immerex will outfit a new lab for Berkeley's accelerating work in AR/VR, from training doctors to enhancing artistic performances.

Robots unloading float glass on an assembly line.

Berkeley a regional center in new robotics manufacturing consortium

01/25/17 — Berkeley Engineering is a key partner in the new $253 million Advanced Robotics Manufacturing Innovation Hub, launched this month by the Department of Defense to create and deploy next-generation robotic technology.

A crystallized version of malonic acid, made by yeast, at Lygos

Clean tech rises again, retooling nature for industrial use

01/04/17 New York Times — Clean tech companies are aiming for a comeback in their quest to use genetic editing to make industrial chemicals. Among them is Lygos, spun out of Berkeley bioengineering in 2011 to create malonic acid from yeast (instead of the usual cyanide) for use in fragrances and cosmetics.

Hashtagging the way to safer infrastructure

11/29/16 — Civil and environmental engineering professor Kenichi Soga delivered a CITRIS talk about using social media and sensor-laden environments to build smart infrastructure.

Nuclear engineering assistant professor Rachel Slaybaugh

New nukes

11/01/16 — Nuclear power production is on track for a reboot, with advanced nuclear technologies holding promise for cost-effective energy production.

SCET alum builds the supermarket of the future

09/27/16 Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology — SCET alum Chai Mishra believes his new food delivery service, Movebutter, will not only change the way we shop for food, but will make the entire food value chain more affordable, equitable and ethical.