JUST ABOUT EVERYONE GETS NOSTALGIC thinking about childhood, but there’s an extra special something about the gizmos and gadgets, devices and peripherals of years past. Take computer mice. The very first home computer I can remember was an old IBM that resembled a cement block and only took keyboard commands. But oh, the wow-factor when we stepped up to an Apple Plus with that little box of a mouse. There are multiple others that have made their mark in a whole range of shapes and sizes, from trackballs to hockey pucks, and of course, the structural-looking ergonomic iterations that were such an oddity compared to other rodent peripherals of yesteryear.
It’s in examples like this that show how industrial design is unquestionably woven into nearly every part of our lives. All the devices with which we interact have an engineer behind them and as engineering trends and manufacturing capabilities evolve, so too do these objects.
In this month’s cover story, “Industrial Design’s Fading Fun Factor,” Poornima Apte investigates why the designs we’re seeing today appear to be drifting toward a kind of sameness, especially when compared to decades past. She wrote: “Cost and bottom-line considerations have also understandably played a role in shaping industrial design’s evolution. Minimalism helps lower manufacturing costs in simplifying design for the user and the molding process.” It’s a fascinating read.
Meanwhile, we’ve pulled a piece out of the archives that never made it into the pages of Mechanical Engineering until now, and it feels particularly relevant. Right now, work is underway on a $1.6-billion effort to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant that has remained idle since its partial meltdown in 1979.
Completion is now expected to be as soon as 2027, shortly before the 50th anniversary of that near disaster. Four key individuals spoke about their experience at the plant and how they helped avert disaster at the 12th meeting of the International Conference on Nuclear Engineering on April 28, 2004. Read their first-hand accounts of what happened in “Three Mile Island.”
Patent 2,435,717 that was issued on Feb. 10, 1948 to Meroë Morse for the Polaroid camera, a true nostalgia generator if ever there was one. Photo: Polaroid Corporation Records Related to , b. VII.10, f. 24. Baker Library, Harvard Business School
Beyond the broad concepts and historical dives, I invite you to check out some of the other pieces we’ve compiled in this month’s issue.
The sports fans among our readership, squash enthusiasts in particular, may be interested to learn how researchers at Brown University have unlocked the mechanics behind the famous nick shot, where the ball will hit the corner where the wall and floor meet and promptly lose its momentum. Our writers also explored how roboticists are drawing inspiration from insects to create flapping wing micro-air vehicles, how a 3D-printed implant combines bioactive polymers and electroconductive materials to regrow nerves, and how heliostats, which harvest solar energy by day, could soon be used to track space objects.
And our own Sarah Alburakeh recently ventured forth into the wilds of New Jersey to attend RoboCon NJ, which is a hands-on celebration of engineering that brought together current and future engineers to explore all things robotics.
Our team is already working away on fresh stories for 2026, but if you happened to miss the October or September issues, don’t forget that they’re still waiting for you to visit.
Oh, and our editorial staff won some awards this past month. Check out ASME News to learn more about our big wins.
—Louise Poirier, managing editor
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