Shape-shifting robots
Self-folding sheets of a plastic-like material point the way to robots that can assume any conceivable 3-D structure.
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A plane that lands like a bird
An innovative control system allows a foam glider to touch down on a perch or a wire like a pet parakeet.
Broadband picture may not be so bleak
A new study disputes the claim that Internet data rates in the U.S. are only half as high as advertised; study’s authors call for better data.
Computer automatically deciphers ancient language
A new system that took a couple hours to decipher much of the ancient language Ugaritic could help improve online translation software.
Toward the Semantic Web
A new standard from the World Wide Web Consortium brings the Web a step closer to realizing the vision of its inventor, Tim Berners-Lee.
How the brain recognizes objects
A new computational model sheds light on the workings of the human visual system and could help advance artificial-intelligence research, too.
Gesture-based computing on the cheap
With a single piece of inexpensive hardware — a multicolored glove — MIT researchers are making Minority Report-style interfaces more accessible.
Rivest wins faculty’s Killian Award
MIT encryption pioneer recognized for ‘extraordinary’ contributions in computer science
Machines that learn better
New math will make it much easier to build machine-learning systems that tackle a wider range of problems.
When good enough is better
By exploiting a simple but counterintuitive trick, a new system finds sections of computer programs where accuracy can be traded for speed.
Seeing the forest for the trees
Object recognition systems that break images into ever smaller parts should be much more efficient and may shed light on how the brain works.
Should Google stay in China?
A panel discussion suggests that if the goal is to promote Chinese democracy, a censored Google is better than no Google at all.
Computing, Sudoku-style
Computer scientists generally see computation as something like following a recipe. Alexey Radul sees it as more like a puzzle with interconnecting parts.
