MIT researchers have combined a simple physical interface with computer-vision algorithms to create GelSight – a portable imaging system that can achieve resolutions previously possible only with large and expensive lab equipment. The device could provide manufacturers with a way to inspect products too large to fit under a microscope and it shows potential for… »
Currently, nuclear powerplant inspectors use indirect methods to monitor buried piping by generating a voltage gradient to identify areas where pipe coatings may have corroded, and by using ultrasonic waves to screen lengths of pipe for cracks. A team of researchers from MIT is developing small, egg-sized robots designed to inspect nuclear reactor underground pipes… »
The idea of reversibly storing solar energy in chemical bonds is gaining a lot of attention these days. A group of researchers from MIT have developed a novel application of carbon nanotubes which shows potential as an effective approach to store solar energy for use whenever it’s needed. The method simplifies the process by combining… »
Almost as cheaply and easily as printing a photo on your inkjet, an inexpensive, simple solar cell can be created by special “inks” deposited on the paper. The researchers from MIT came with a process essentially the same as the one used to make the silvery lining on packages you see in everyday groceries –… »
Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide, with over 48% of world blindness caused by age related cataracts. Existing diagnostic methods require Slit-lamps, which require a trained physician to interpret the results and aren’t affordable. Researchers from MIT have developed a simple device that can clip onto an ordinary smartphone or a tablet and… »
Unlike other researchers who are developing self-repairing materials, civil engineers at MIT cooperated with physicists at the University of Potsdam, Germany, went in a different direction and developed a flexible skin-like fabric with electrical properties which could be applied to areas of structures where cracks are likely to appear and be used to detect cracks… »
Many kinds of algae and cyanobacteria are capable to use the energy from sunlight in order to produce compounds needed for their own survival, and during that process they split water molecules and release hydrogen, which holds promise as a clean and carbon-free fuel for the future. A group of researchers found a way to… »
Researchers at MIT’s Media Lab have developed a new approach to glasses-free 3D displays, called High-Rank 3D (HR3D) Display, and they claim it could double the battery life of devices like the Nintendo 3DS without compromising screen brightness or resolution, expand the viewing angle of a 3D screen, and it would maintain the 3D effect… »
