Studying astrophysically relevant plasma physics
Thomas Varnish has always loved a hands-on approach to science. Research in lab-based astrophysics has enabled the PhD student to experiment in a heavily theoretical subject.
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The tenured engineers of 2024
Twelve faculty members have been granted tenure in six units across MIT’s School of Engineering.
A prosthesis driven by the nervous system helps people with amputation walk naturally
A new surgical procedure gives people more neural feedback from their residual limb. With it, seven patients walked more naturally and navigated obstacles.
Designing for outer space
With NASA planning permanent bases in space and on the moon, MIT students develop prototypes for habitats far from planet Earth.
Researchers leverage shadows to model 3D scenes, including objects blocked from view
This technique could lead to safer autonomous vehicles, more efficient AR/VR headsets, or faster warehouse robots.
Researchers use large language models to help robots navigate
The method uses language-based inputs instead of costly visual data to direct a robot through a multistep navigation task.
New computer vision method helps speed up screening of electronic materials
The technique characterizes a material’s electronic properties 85 times faster than conventional methods.
Mouth-based touchpad enables people living with paralysis to interact with computers
The startup Augmental allows users to operate phones and other devices using their tongue, mouth, and head gestures.
Helping robots grasp the unpredictable
MIT CSAIL’s frugal deep-learning model infers the hidden physical properties of objects, then adapts to find the most stable grasps for robots in unstructured environments like homes and fulfillment centers.
A technique for more effective multipurpose robots
With generative AI models, researchers combined robotics data from different sources to help robots learn better.
MIT Corporation elects 10 term members, two life members
The term members will serve between one and five years on MIT’s board of trustees.
Controlled diffusion model can change material properties in images
“Alchemist” system adjusts the material attributes of specific objects within images to potentially modify video game models to fit different environments, fine-tune VFX, and diversify robotic training.
School of Engineering welcomes new faculty
Fifteen new faculty members join six of the school’s academic departments.
MIT scientists learn how to control muscles with light
A new study suggests optogenetics can drive muscle contraction with greater control and less fatigue than electrical stimulation.