To Harvard! Tec student helps create robot that regenerates tissues

Thanks to her training in mechatronics, robotics, and programming, Daniela Hernández has helped develop a new tool for the healthcare sector at one of the world’s most prestigious educational institutions. 

The eighth-semester student of Mechatronics Engineering at the Tec’s Sonora Norte campus completed a semester at Harvard Medical School, in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, to research innovations in tissue regeneration. 

This project aims to develop a robotic arm capable of regenerating tissue in wounds using a bio-ink printing technique. 

“I wasn’t interested in medicine, but I applied so I wouldn’t be left wondering, ‘What if…?’ Ultimately, a path opened up, and it changed my life,” the student said. 

During her stay, Daniela worked with doctors from around the world, including Dr. Su Ryon Shin from Korea, who oversaw the area where the project was carried out.  

The laboratory team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital is working with cells to regenerate skin tissue in wounds, primarily in diabetic patients.  

This student is working on a robotic arm capable of regenerating skin, functioning as a bio-ink printer—a material composed of living cells, biomaterials, and growth factors.  

The machine detects the wound and autonomously plots the path the printer will follow across it. 

Although Daniela’s stay has ended, the project will continue in Boston as it moves into the testing phase, focusing on a range of muscle movements in multiple dimensions.  

The ultimate goal is to implement it in hospitals around the world, said the student. 

Daniela told CONECTA that one of the biggest challenges she faced in making her trip was that her visa arrived just three days before her scheduled departure for Massachusetts, leaving her very little time to raise the necessary funds for the trip.  

With such short notice, Daniela recalls that she contacted health and government agencies in Hermosillo to request assistance.  

The Good Neighbors Foundation, International Programs, San Diego de Alcalá Hospital, and the State Government, through the Sonora International Scholarship, are among the institutions that have supported this young woman from Sonora by covering her tuition, airfare, housing, and living expenses.  

“One thing that can be said about me is that I never give up,” she said, describing herself. 

In addition to her engineering background, she believes that her perseverance and the skills she gained through student organizations gave her the tools she needed to pave the way for this opportunity. 

Additionally, one of the first challenges he faced during her time in Boston was having to teach herself a new programming language from scratch, since the one used in Harvard’s labs was different from the one she had used up until then. 

“It was quite a challenge to say, ‘Yes, I’m ready. I’m not going to give up, and everything will work out because it has to,” the student said as she described her journey. 

To complement her education, Daniela enrolled on a course as part of the Master’s program in Mechanical Structures at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), an opportunity she secured through negotiations with the professor in charge of the lab where she completed her internship. 

Daniela said that, at the end of her stay, the most valuable lesson she took away was her professional and personal growth. 

Besides expanding her knowledge and skills in mechatronics, she believes she has learned the importance of perseverance and taking the initiative to continue learning. 

The student said that one of her goals following this experience is to bring some of this technology to hospitals in Mexico once she graduates from college, as she believes that, as young people, it’s their responsibility to give back to the community for the support they’ve received. 

“Many people supported me, and I’d like to repay the debt we young students owe to our community,” she added. 

Upon returning from this research stay with a newfound interest in the biomedical field, Daniela shared that she is currently interning at GCE Biomédica in Hermosillo, Sonora, where she hopes to continue her professional development after graduation.