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Granular materials, such as sand and gravel, are an interesting class of materials. They can display solid, liquid, and gas-like properties, depending on the scenario. But things can get complicated...
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In work that could someday turn cell phones into sensors capable of detecting viruses and other minuscule objects, MIT researchers have built a powerful nanoscale flashlight on a chip.
Their approach...
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There is a lot of activity beneath the vast, lonely expanses of ice and snow in the Arctic. Climate change has dramatically altered the layer of ice that covers much of the Arctic Ocean. Areas of...
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In recent years, robots have gained artificial vision, touch, and even smell. “Researchers have been giving robots human-like perception,” says MIT Associate Professor Fadel Adib. In a new paper,...
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In a September 2020 essay in Nature Energy, three scientists posed several “grand challenges” — one of which was to find suitable materials for thermal energy storage devices that could be used in...
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In the era of social distancing, using robots for some health care interactions is a promising way to reduce in-person contact between health care workers and sick patients. However, a key question...
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Dexter Ang ’05, AF ’16 had been working as a high-frequency trader before he learned his mother had ALS. Over the next year, he watched her slowly lose the ability to walk, feed herself, and even...
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George Hatsopoulos '49, SM '50, ME '54, SCD '56 played many roles in his life. He is perhaps most well known as a thermodynamics expert, inventor, and founder of Thermo Electron Corporation. But at...
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Many surgeries today are performed via minimally invasive procedures, in which a small incision is made and miniature cameras and surgical tools are threaded through the body to remove tumors and...
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Among the newly selected fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) are four members of the MIT community: Domitilla Del Vecchio, professor of mechanical engineering;...
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Warehouses, manufacturing floors, offices, schools — organizations of all kinds have had to change their operations to adapt to life in a pandemic. By now, there is confidence in some ways to help...
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Some of the research described in this article has been published on a preprint server but has not yet been peer-reviewed by experts in the field.
As Covid-19 infections soar across the U.S., some...
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Understanding the degradation of materials in extreme environments is a scientific problem with major technological applications, ranging from spaceflight to industrial and nuclear safety. Yet it...
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At the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak in Italy, doctors and healthcare professionals were faced with harrowing decisions. Hospitals were running out of ventilators, forcing doctors to choose which...
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An air of uncertainty descended on MIT’s campus in early March. Whispers and rumors about campus closing down swirled in the hallways. Students convened en masse on Killian Court to dance, hug, and...
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As both a biomedical engineer and physician, Giovanni Traverso is uniquely positioned to tackle the challenges associated with Covid-19. Earlier this year, as the enormity of the pandemic became...
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1970 was a milestone year for efforts to combat air pollution. On April 22, the first Earth Day was celebrated. The 1970 Clean Air Act was the first policy to establish federal regulations on car and...
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On a cloudy day last August, Emily Zhang held her breath at the Hockenheimring racetrack in Germany’s Rhine Valley. Less than two weeks after the circuit hosted the German Grand Prix, it was the...
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For humans, it can be challenging to manipulate thin flexible objects like ropes, wires, or cables. But if these problems are hard for humans, they are nearly impossible for robots. As a cable slides...
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With great sadness, MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering shares the news that our colleague Victor Wong, Principal Research Scientist in the Sloan Automotive Laboratory, passed away on July 13...