What happens during the first moments of butterfly scale formation
New findings could help engineers design materials for light and heat management.
Robotic palm mimics human touch
MIT CSAIL researchers enhance robotic precision with sophisticated tactile sensors in the palm and agile fingers, setting the stage for improvements in human-robot interaction and prosthetic technology.
Baran Mensah: Savoring college life in a new country
From robotics to dance, the MIT senior has made it his mission to explore as many new experiences as possible at the Institute.
Unlocking the secrets of natural materials
Professor Benedetto Marelli develops silk-based technologies with uses “from lab to fork,” including helping crops grow and preserving perishable foods.
Finger-shaped sensor enables more dexterous robots
MIT engineers develop a long, curved touch sensor that could enable a robot to grasp and manipulate objects in multiple ways.
New sensor mimics cell membrane functions
The device detects the same molecules that cell receptors do, and may enable routine early screening for cancers and other diseases.
How to untangle a worm ball: Mathematicians solve a knotty mystery
California blackworms tangle themselves up by the thousands, then separate in a split second. Their trick may inspire the design of self-detangling materials and fibers.
AI system can generate novel proteins that meet structural design targets
These tunable proteins could be used to create new materials with specific mechanical properties, like toughness or flexibility.
Scientists uncover the amazing way sandgrouse hold water in their feathers
The structure of the desert birds’ belly feathers enables males to carry water over long distances to their chicks.
Robotic hand can identify objects with just one grasp
The three-fingered robotic gripper can “feel” with great sensitivity along the full length of each finger – not just at the tips.
Fiber “barcodes” can make clothing labels that last
Drawing inspiration from butterfly wings, reflective fibers woven into clothing could reshape textile sorting and recycling.
Exploring the nanoworld of biogenic gems
Project will develop new materials characterization tools and technologies to assign unique identifiers to individual pearls.
Resilient bug-sized robots keep flying even after wing damage
New repair techniques enable microscale robots to recover flight performance after suffering severe damage to the artificial muscles that power their wings.
Wiggling toward bio-inspired machine intelligence
Inspired by jellyfish and octopuses, PhD candidate Juncal Arbelaiz investigates the theoretical underpinnings that will enable systems to more efficiently adapt to their environments.
Researchers create the first artificial vision system for both land and water
Inspired by a fiddler crab eye, scientists developed an amphibious artificial vision system with a panoramic visual field.