William Durfee

Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor and Director of Design Education, Mechanical Engineering

Contact

612-625-0099

wkdurfee@umn.edu

Mechanical Engineering
Room 2101B
111 Church Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Affiliations

Adjunct Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine

Director, Bakken Medical Devices Center

Biographical Info

Education

Ph.D. 1985, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.S. 1978, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
A.B. 1976, Engineering and Applied Physics, Harvard University

Professional Background

Professor and Director of Design Education, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 2001-present. Additional appointments to the Graduate Faculty in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Program in Human Factors and Ergonomics, the Neuroengineering Program, and the Product Design Program.
Director, Earl E. Bakken Medical Devices Center, University of Minnesota, 2022 - present.
Adjunct Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Minnesota, 2022 - present.

Scientific & Professional Societies

American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
American Society for Engineering Education

Biography

William Durfee’s research and professional interests include the design of medical devices, rehabilitation engineering, exoskeletons and wearable robots, compact hydraulic systems, product design and design education.
Lab
Human/Machine Design Lab

ME Research Areas
Biosystems & Bioengineering
Sensing & Controls

ME Impact Areas
Human Health
Robotics & Mobility

Research & Teaching

Research Interests

Developing a system that combines electrical stimulation of paralyzed muscles with a mechanical brace to restore walking to individuals with paraplegia.
Exploring the fundamental characteristics of tiny hydraulic systems and their application to powered exoskeletons for orthotics and human power amplification.
Developing a tiny internal combustion engine and compressor for supplying compressed air to portable, wearable pneumatic systems.
Researching the mechanical properties of human muscle including developing new research and clinical diagnostic instrumentation to quickly and easily measure muscle function.
Assessing performance characteristics of tools and devices used in surgical procedures.
Exploring new ways to educate engineers, including low-cost take-home lab kits.

Teaching Subjects

Introduction to Engineering

System Dynamics and Control

New Product Design and Business Development

Design of Mechatronic Products

Publications & Awards

Honors and Awards

Entrepreneurship Faculty of the Year, Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship, 2017
Co-Editor, ASME Journal of Medical Devices, 2016-present
Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, 2015
President’s Award for Outstanding Service, 2011
Program in Physical Therapy Faculty Service Award, 2011
Horace T. Morse Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education, 2001
Member, Academy of Distinguished Teachers, University of Minnesota, 2001-present
Minnesota State Council on Disability Educator of the Year Award, 2000
George Taylor/IT Alumni Society Distinguished Teaching Award, 2000

Selected Publications

W Durfee, Z Sun, J Van de Ven, Fluid Power System Dynamics, Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power, 2015. (book)
W. Durfee and P. Iaizzo, editors, Medical Device Innovation Handbook, 9th edition, University of Minnesota Medical Devices Center, 2022. (book)
M Gotthelf, D Townsend, W Durfee, A video game based hand grip system for measuring muscle force in children, J NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, (2021) 18:113, doi.org/10.1186/s12984-021-00908-1, 2021. [https://rdcu.be/cn8oY]
–L Griffin, M Yu, A Cloet, S Arnold, N Carlson, M Hillmyer, Q Ou, C Pei, Q Cao, D Pui, R Franklin, W Durfee, Protective masks utilizing non-endangered components, J Medical Devices, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4053720
–S Hashemi, D Bentivegna, W Durfee, Bone-inspired bending soft robot. Soft Robotics,, doi.org/10.1089/soro.2019.0183 , 2020

Google Scholar Profile