By combining origami and electrical engineering, researchers at MIT and Harvard are developing a transformable robot. The researchers have developed algorithms that, given a three-dimensional shape, can determine how to reproduce it by folding a sheet of semi-rigid material with a distinctive pattern of flexible creases. To test out their theories, they built a prototype… »
Researchers from MIT announced a new milestone on the path to functional fibers – fibers that can detect and produce sound. Yoel Fink, an associate professor of MIT’s Department of Materials Sciences and Engineering, and his associates have been working to develop fibers with more sophisticated properties, in order to create fabrics that can interact… »
Pranav Mistry, Liyan Chang, and Pattie Maes, from the Fluid Interfaces Group at the MIT Media Lab, were interested in removing the requirement for a physical mouse, while still allowing computer users to interact with their computers in a way with which they are familiar with. They developed an “invisible mouse” and named it Mouseless…. »
A week ago, during the all-day Saturday session, ten student teams demonstrated projects they had been working on for three months. Their assignment had been to design a new product with no more than 10 parts and build a prototype. It also had to relate to one of this year’s class themes: green living, global… »
Therapists once thought the therapeutic window closed six months after a stroke, however, a major clinical study has found that patients show modest yet meaningful gains in limb movement and an improved outlook on life years after suffering a stroke. Researchers from Brown University, lead by Albert Lo who is assistant professor of neurology, used… »
One of the limitations of modern computers is the lack of robust positional inputs. Today’s personal computer offers only a single mouse for positional input. The Glove Mouse (previously Video Acquisition Multi-touch Controller) provides a solution to this problem by allowing the user to use both hands to control two mouse cursors independently by wearing… »
A new approach to desalination being developed by researchers at MIT and in Korea could lead to small, portable units that could be powered by solar cells or batteries and could deliver enough fresh water to supply the needs of a family or small village. As an added bonus, the system would also remove many… »
Flyfire, a project initiated by the SENSEable City Laboratory (the same folks that came up with AIDA) in collaboration with ARES Lab (Aerospace Robotics and Embedded Systems Laboratory) aims to transform any ordinary space into a highly immersive and interactive display environment. Imagine that pixels could fly out of your computer screen and create an… »
