NORAD marks 70 years of tracking Santa after a 1955 newspaper misprint
TL;DR NORAD is observing the 70th anniversary of its Santa-tracking tradition that began after a 1955 newspaper ad listed the…
Autonomous robotic probe rapidly maps photoconductance in new semiconductors
TL;DR MIT researchers built a fully autonomous robotic probe that images printed semiconductor samples, selects contact points using a domain-informed…
MIT AI pipeline redesigns underwater gliders into new hydrodynamic forms
TL;DR MIT CSAIL researchers built a machine-learning design pipeline that explores unconventional 3D shapes for small underwater gliders, simulating performance…
MIT handheld interface lets users teach robots with three demo modes
TL;DR MIT researchers built a handheld, sensor-equipped attachment that enables a collaborative robot to learn tasks via teleoperation, kinesthetic manipulation,…
MIT PhD Student Erik Ballesteros Builds Wearable ‘SuperLimbs’ for Astronauts
TL;DR MIT mechanical engineering PhD student Erik Ballesteros is developing wearable robotic arms called SuperLimbs to help astronauts work and…
New MIT framework incorporates component uncertainty into system design
TL;DR MIT researchers have created a modular design framework that folds uncertainty about individual components into the co-design of complex…
MIT engineers build hydrogel ‘tendons’ to boost muscle-powered robots
TL;DR Researchers at MIT created artificial tendons from tough, flexible hydrogel and attached them to lab-grown muscle to form modular…
MIT engineers design microrobot that flies as fast as a bumblebee
TL;DR MIT researchers built an insect-scale flying robot that matches key flight metrics of real insects by pairing a high-performance…
Jennifer Lewis on 3D-printed soft matter: Octobot to patient-specific tissues
TL;DR At MIT.nano’s 2025 Mildred S. Dresselhaus Lecture, Jennifer Lewis outlined advances in 3D printing soft and living materials, from…
Vine-inspired robotic gripper gently lifts heavy and fragile objects
TL;DR Researchers at MIT and Stanford built a soft, vine-like robotic gripper that grows from pressurized tubes, coils around targets,…