Autonomous vehicles

“I really wanted people to think of the satellite not only as this technology that’s floating around out there in orbit, but as a machine that plays a structuring role in our everyday lives,” says Lisa Parks, a professor in MIT’s Comparative Media Studies/Writing program.

Contemplating the eyes in the sky

Media studies scholar Lisa Parks examines the way satellites and other aerial technologies have changed society.

July 20, 2018

A new computer chip, smaller than a U.S. dime and shown here with a quarter for scale, helps miniature drones navigate in flight.

Chip upgrade helps miniature drones navigate

Low-power design will allow devices as small as a honeybee to determine their location while flying.

June 20, 2018

Ryan Eustice PhD ’05 is senior vice president of automated driving at Toyota Research Institute and an associate professor at the University of Michigan.

On a mission to build the uncrashable car

Ryan Eustice PhD '05 and his team at the Toyota Research Institute are using artificial intelligence technologies to develop a car incapable of causing accidents.

June 11, 2018

A new algorithm developed by MIT researchers helps keep data fresh within a simple communication system, such as multiple drones reporting to a single control tower.

Keeping data fresh for wireless networks

Algorithm provides networks with the most current information available while avoiding data congestion.

June 4, 2018

Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and the Senseable City Lab have designed a fleet of autonomous boats that offer high maneuverability and precise control.

Fleet of autonomous boats could service some cities, reducing road traffic

Researchers design 3-D-printed, driverless boats that can provide transport and self-assemble into other floating structures.

May 23, 2018

At the International Conference on Robotics and Automation tomorrow, researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) will present a new lane-change algorithm.

Making driverless cars change lanes more like human drivers do

Algorithm computes “buffer zones” around autonomous vehicles and reassess them on the fly.

May 22, 2018

An albatross glider, designed by MIT engineers, skims the Charles River.

Albatross robot takes flight

Autonomous glider can fly like an albatross, cruise like a sailboat.

May 18, 2018

MIT engineers have developed a new virtual-reality training system for drones that enables a vehicle to “see” a rich, virtual environment while flying in an empty physical space.

Researchers develop virtual-reality testing ground for drones

With new system, drones navigate through an empty room, avoiding crashes while “seeing” a virtual world.

May 17, 2018

WHOI and MIT researchers deploy an autonomous underwater vehicle to test new navigation and sensing algorithms.

Fundamental equations guide marine robots to optimal sampling sites

New principled approach helps autonomous underwater vehicles explore the ocean in an intelligent, energy-efficient manner.

May 9, 2018

A team of MIT researchers tested MapLite on a Toyota Prius outfitted with a range of LIDAR and IMU sensors.

Self-driving cars for country roads

Today’s autonomous vehicles require hand-labeled 3-D maps, but CSAIL’s MapLite system enables navigation with just GPS and sensors.

May 7, 2018

Guy Satat, a graduate student in the MIT Media Lab, who led the new study.

Depth-sensing imaging system can peer through fog

Computational photography could solve a problem that bedevils self-driving cars.

March 20, 2018

Daniel Sperling, professor of civil engineering and environmental science and policy at the University of California at Davis and member of the California Air Resources board, during his talk at MIT.

3 Questions: The future of transportation systems

Daniel Sperling of the University of California at Davis discusses the major transformations in store for mobility.

March 13, 2018

CSAIL's NanoMap system allows drones to fly in congested environments such as forests.

Programming drones to fly in the face of uncertainty

CSAIL's NanoMap system enables drones to avoid obstacles while flying at 20 miles per hour, by more deeply integrating sensing and control.

February 12, 2018

Aviation Week Network “20 Twenties” award recipient Alexa Aguilar is a grad student working in AeroAstro’s Space Telecommunications, Astronomy, and Radiation Laboratory (STAR Lab) on the Cubesat Lasercommunication Infrared CrosslinK mission. She assisted with an engineering model assembly that identified problem areas in the initial design.

Two from AeroAstro named to Aviation Week's “20 Twenties” for 2018

Grad students Alexa Aguilar and Arthur J. Brown receive honor that recognizes outstanding student academic performance, civic contributions, and research.

January 17, 2018

Bryan Reimer, an AgeLab research scientist and the associate director of the New England University Transportation Center, will be honored for his work developing a better understanding of how people engage with vehicle automation.

MIT AgeLab's Bryan Reimer wins Autos2050 award

Reimer is recognized for his work in creating a data-driven understanding of how people engage with vehicle automation.