Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

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2017

Stick, peel, or bounce: Controlling a freezing droplet's fate

When freezing droplets impact a surface, they generally either stick to it or bounce away. Controlling this response is crucial to many applications, including 3-D printing, the spraying of some surface coatings, and the prevention of ice formation on structures such as airplane wings, wind turbines, or power lines.

Colour changing tattoos monitor health

Researchers have developed smart tattoo ink capable of monitoring health by changing color to tell an athlete if they are dehydrated or diabetic.

Personal thermostat startup heats up for commercialisation

Sitting in a stifling subway car or walking Boston's cold winter streets may soon become more bearable, thanks to a "personal thermostat" wristband.

Blood testing via sound waves may replace some tissue biopsies

Cells secrete nanoscale packets called exosomes that carry important messages from one part of the body to another. Scientists have now devised a way to intercept these messages, which could be used to diagnose problems such as cancer or fetal abnormalities.

One vaccine injection could carry many doses

Engineers have invented a new 3-D fabrication method that can generate a novel type of drug-carrying particle that could allow multiple doses of a drug or vaccine to be delivered over an extended time period with just one injection.

Solar cells can be healed with light

Researchers have shown that defects in the molecular structure of perovskites - a material which could revolutionise the solar cell industry - can be "healed" by exposing it to light and just the right amount of humidity.

Peel-and-go printable structures fold themselves

As 3-D printing has become a mainstream technology, industry and academic researchers have been investigating printable structures that will fold themselves into useful three-dimensional shapes when heated or immersed in water.

Small robots are inspired by origami

Through origami-inspired engineering, researchers hope to not only create rapidly fabricable robots capable of completing tasks, but also build intuitive design software that enables others who may not be trained in engineering to create their own personalized origami robots.

Robots learn contextual commands

Despite what you might see in movies, today's robots are still very limited in what they can do. They can be great for many repetitive tasks, but their inability to understand the nuances of human language makes them mostly useless for more complicated requests.

New robot rolls with the rules of pedestrian conduct

Engineers have designed an autonomous robot with "socially aware navigation," that can keep pace with foot traffic while observing general codes of pedestrian conduct.

Robotic system monitors specific neurons

Recording electrical signals from inside a neuron in the living brain can reveal a great deal of information about that neuron's function and how it coordinates with other cells in the brain.

Using machine learning to improve patient care

In a new pair of papers, researchers explore ways for computers to help doctors make better medical decisions.

Designing custom robots in a matter of minutes

Even as robots become increasingly common across different parts of our world, they remain incredibly difficult to make.

Computer approaches human skill for first time

A research team for the first time has developed a computer algorithm that is nearly as accurate as people are at mapping brain neural networks — a breakthrough that could speed up the image analysis that researchers use to understand brain circuitry.

Machine-learning system enables smoother streaming

We've all experienced two hugely frustrating things on YouTube: our video either suddenly gets pixelated, or it stops entirely to rebuffer. Both happen because of special algorithms that break videos into small chunks that load as you go.

Wearable to prevent sexual assault

The team demonstrate the practicality of their unobtrusive design with user studies that support the technological development.

Automatic image retouching with machine learning

In tests involving a new Google algorithm for producing high-dynamic-range images, which capture subtleties of color lost in standard digital images, the new system produced results that were visually indistinguishable from those of the algorithm in about one-tenth the time, fast enough for real-time display.

Fashionable robotic accessories

Attached to garments, the robots generate shape-changing clothing and kinetic pattern designs—creating a new, dynamic fashion.

Transparent, flexible solar cells

Imagine a future in which solar cells are all around us — on windows and walls, cell phones, laptops, and more.

Building the safe genes toolkit

DARPA created the Safe Genes program to gain a fundamental understanding of how gene editing technologies function; devise means to safely, responsibly, and predictably harness them for beneficial ends; and address potential health and security concerns related to their accidental or intentional misuse.

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