Printing data-driven wearables that mimic nature
MIT lecturer Jessica Rosenkrantz writes programs mimicking processes in nature to "grow" objects that can be digitally fabricated.
Nylon fibers made to flex like muscles
MIT engineers find a simple and inexpensive new approach to creating bending artificial muscle fibers.
The promise of fluorescent polymer gels
Color-changing materials could be used to detect structural failure in energy-related equipment.
Finding a new formula for concrete
Researchers look to bones and shells as blueprints for stronger, more durable concrete.
Armor plating with built-in transparent ceramic eyes
Tiny sea creatures feature transparent optical systems as tough as their shells.
Biomimetic non-reflective coating for solar cells wins MADMEC
Team wins $10,000 at annual competition for invention inspired by butterfly wings.
A mollusk of a different stripe
Optical features embedded in marine shells may help develop responsive, transparent displays.
How to hide like an octopus
Researchers create materials that reproduce cephalopods’ ability to quickly change colors and textures.
New material structures bend like microscopic hair
Researchers say structures may be used in windows to wick away moisture.
Researchers engineer light-activated skeletal muscle
Technique may enable robotic animals that move with the strength and flexibility of their living counterparts.
Plants exhibit a wide range of mechanical properties, engineers find
Biological structures may help engineers design new materials.
Soft autonomous robot inches along like an earthworm
Flexible design enables body-morphing capability.