Coloring outside the lines
For Mathias Kolle, the wings of a butterfly are a window into a better material world. The insects’ iridescence is a result of “structural color” rather than pigments or dyes: A single wing is layered...
View ArticleA simpler method for learning to control a robot
Researchers from MIT and Stanford University have devised a new machine-learning approach that could be used to control a robot, such as a drone or autonomous vehicle, more effectively and efficiently...
View ArticleMIT engineers create an energy-storing supercapacitor from ancient materials
Two of humanity's most ubiquitous historical materials, cement and carbon black (which resembles very fine charcoal), may form the basis for a novel, low-cost energy storage system, according to a new...
View ArticleLeading business past dollars and cents
How does Annabel Flores work to defeat a broken STEM pipeline while solving our country’s biggest aerospace and defense challenges? She uses a voice the MIT Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) program...
View ArticleInvisible tagging system enhances 3D object tracking
Stop me if you’ve seen this before: a black and white pixelated square in lieu of a physical menu at a restaurant.QR codes are seemingly ubiquitous in everyday life. Whether you see one on a coupon at...
View ArticleThe tenured engineers of 2023
In 2023, MIT granted tenure to nine faculty members across the School of Engineering. This year’s tenured engineers hold appointments in the departments of Biological Engineering, Civil and...
View ArticleAlumnus’ thermal battery helps industry eliminate fossil fuels
The explosion of renewable energy projects around the globe is leading to a saturation problem. As more renewable power contributes to the grid, the value of electricity is plummeting during the times...
View ArticleAI helps robots manipulate objects with their whole bodies
Imagine you want to carry a large, heavy box up a flight of stairs. You might spread your fingers out and lift that box with both hands, then hold it on top of your forearms and balance it against your...
View ArticleSupporting sustainability, digital health, and the future of work
The MIT and Accenture Convergence Initiative for Industry and Technology has selected three new research projects that will receive support from the initiative. The research projects aim to accelerate...
View ArticleLaser-based system achieves noncontact medical ultrasound imaging
Researchers from MIT Lincoln Laboratory and their collaborators at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Ultrasound Research and Translation (CURT) have developed a new medical imaging...
View ArticleTiny magnetic beads produce an optical signal that could be used to quickly...
Getting results from a blood test can take anywhere from one day to a week, depending on what a test is targeting. The same goes for tests of water pollution and food contamination. And in most cases,...
View ArticleSchool of Engineering awards for 2023
Each year, the MIT School of Engineering honors outstanding faculty, students, and staff across its departments, labs, centers, and institutes with a number of awards. Recently, the school announced...
View Article“We don’t give assignments here”
For 85 years, MIT’s Hobby Shop has provided a space for MIT’s community members to build their passion projects. For the last 65 of those years, that work has taken place in a low-ceilinged, windowless...
View ArticleStudy suggests energy-efficient route to capturing and converting CO2
In the race to draw down greenhouse gas emissions around the world, scientists at MIT are looking to carbon-capture technologies to decarbonize the most stubborn industrial emitters.Steel, cement, and...
View ArticleMIT researchers win grants to develop and test 14 innovative ideas to improve...
The MIT Jameel World Education Lab has awarded $917,526 in Education Innovation Grants to support 14 research projects exploring a range of topics, including electrical engineering, extended reality,...
View ArticleHow to prevent biofilms in space
After exposure in space aboard the International Space Station, a new kind of surface treatment significantly reduced the growth of biofilms, scientists report. Biofilms are mats of microbial or fungal...
View ArticleSmart pill can track key biological markers in real-time
Researchers from MIT, Boston University, and elsewhere report a smart pill the size of a blueberry that could be a game changer in the diagnosis and treatment of bowel diseases. That’s because it is...
View ArticleMaking life friendlier with personal robots
“As a child, I wished for a robot that would explain others’ emotions to me” says Sharifa Alghowinem, a research scientist in the Media Lab’s Personal Robots Group (PRG). Growing up in Saudi Arabia,...
View ArticleA. Michael West: Advancing human-robot interactions in health care
An accomplished MIT student researcher in health care robotics, with many scholarship and fellowship awards to his name, A. Michael West is nonchalant about how he chose his path.“I kind of fell into...
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A pose-mapping technique could remotely evaluate patients with cerebral palsy
It can be a hassle to get to the doctor’s office. And the task can be especially challenging for parents of children with motor disorders such as cerebral palsy, as a clinician must evaluate the child...
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