Aeronautical and astronautical engineering

MIT researchers have found that laser technology could be used to attract attention from alien astronomers, reports Becky Ferreira for Motherboard. The researchers found that amplifying an infrared laser could “produce a signal that would outshine the Sun’s infrared emissions tenfold, an anomaly that would stand out to a smart species observing our solar system from a distant exoplanet.”

Boston Herald reporter Jordan Graham writes that MIT researchers have developed an autonomous system that allows fleets of drones to navigate without GPS and could be used to help find missing hikers. “What we’re trying to do is automate the search part of the search-and-rescue problem with a fleet of drones,” explains graduate student Yulun Tian.

Fortune reporter Aaron Pressman highlights how Prof. Julie Shah is working on making human-robot collaboration on the assembly line more effective through the use of collaborative robots, dubbed cobots. Pressman writes that Shah “is working on software algorithms developed with machine learning that will teach cobots how and when to communicate by reading signals from the humans around them.”

WCVB’s Mike Wankum visits the Beaver Works Summer Institute to see how high school students are gaining hands-on engineering experience. Robert Shin, director of Beaver Works, explains that the program is aimed at “inspiring the next generation.”

Boeing plans to open a research center in a new building being developed as part of MIT’s Kendall Square Initiative, reports Katrina Lewis and Julie Johnsson for Bloomberg News. Johnsson and Lewis explain that, “the center will support research for Boeing NeXt, an initiative aimed at a new wave of flying technologies.”

Boston Business Journal reporter Catherine Carlock writes that Boeing will come to Kendall Square to develop a new autonomous flight research center. Boeing is the first major tenant announced as part of MIT’s Kendall Square Initiative. Provost Martin Schmidt explains that Boeing’s presence in Kendall Square, “will create an unprecedented opportunity for new synergies in this industry.”

Boeing will establish a research center in one of MIT’s new buildings in Kendall Square, reports Zeninjor Enwemeka for WBUR. Provost Martin Schmidt explains that Boeing’s proximity to campus offers MIT, “a research partner, somebody who brings very interesting and important problems in future transportation systems.”

“One of the biggest names in aerospace is coming to MIT’s front door,” writes Boston Globe reporter Tim Logan, explaining that Boeing will lease space in one of the buildings MIT is developing in Kendall Square. “We want to bring corporate partners to the edge of our campus to facilitate stronger and deeper interactions with our community,” says Provost Martin Schmidt.

Engadget reporter Jon Fingas writes that MIT researchers have developed a tiny computer chip small enough to fit on a honeybee-sized drone that can help the drone navigate. The technology could eventually be applied to, “smart pills that navigate to where they're needed, or virtually any vehicle that may need to last for a very long time on one battery charge.”

Inside Higher Ed reporter Colleen Flaherty writes about a new report from the National Academics of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, co-chaired by Institute Prof. Sheila Widnall, examining the impact of sexual harassment in academia. Widnall explains that in order to eradicate harassment, “all members of campuses -- students, faculty, staff and administrators -- will be needed to promote an inclusive and respectful environment."

In response to a reader’s question about self-driving cars, Mercury News reporter Gary Richards describes new technology in the works by MIT researchers to allow, “driverless cars to change lanes more like human drivers do.”

MIT researchers have developed a virtual reality system that can train drones to fly faster while also avoiding obstacles, reports Lauren Barack for Salon. Barack explains that the “researchers are programming the drones so they think they're in a living room or bedroom while they fly. They virtually see obstacles around them, but those impediments aren't really there.”

A study led by Prof. John Hansman suggests that slower planes would significantly reduce noise on the ground. “It turns out engines aren’t the major culprit anymore,” writes Scott McCartney for The Wall Street Journal. “It’s the “whoosh” that big airplanes make racing through the air.” 

Ministry of Supply, which was founded out of MIT, is launching a new line of “intelligent outerwear” that will feature a jacket that can be warmed from your smartphone. "We think technology should just blend into the background and be simple to use,” cofounder and president Gihan Amarasiriwardena ’11 told Janelle Nanos of the Boston Globe.

Daniel Michaels and Andy Pasztor of The Wall Street Journal highlight Prof. Dava Newman’s BioSuit in an article about upgrades and improvements in space suits. Regarding the skintight, flexible suit, Michaels and Pasztor write that Newman’s suit differs in that, “pressure comes not from gas but from tiny electrically activated coils embedded in fabric.”