3-D printing

Photo shows two prototype assembler robots at work putting together a series of small units, known as voxels, into a larger structure.

Assembler robots make large structures from little pieces

Systems of tiny robots may someday build high-performance structures, from airplanes to space settlements.

October 16, 2019

Recent graduate student Karly Bast shows off the scale model of a bridge designed by Leonardo da Vinci that she and her co-workers used to prove the design’s feasibility.

Engineers put Leonardo da Vinci’s bridge design to the test

Proposed bridge would have been the world’s longest at the time; new analysis shows it would have worked.

October 9, 2019

A lattice structure, originally printed flat, has morphed into the outline of a human face after changing in response to the surrounding temperature. Perspective view (left), top view (middle), and side view (right) of transformed lattice, approximately 160mm tall.

This flat structure morphs into shape of a human face when temperature changes

New structural design could lead to self-deploying tents or adaptive robotic fins.

September 30, 2019

PhotoChromeleon, a reversible process for changing the color of objects developed at MIT, involves a mix of photochromic dyes that can be sprayed or painted onto the surface of any object.

Objects can now change colors like a chameleon

Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory team creates new reprogrammable ink that lets objects change colors using light.

September 10, 2019

Building on the legacy of the Apollo program, MIT faculty, staff, and students are working toward the next great advances in space flight — ones that could propel humans back to the moon, and to parts still unknown.

Taking the next giant leaps

Fifty years after the first moon landing with Apollo 11, the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics looks to the future of space exploration at MIT.

September 5, 2019

MIT researchers have 3-D printed ultrathin ceramic films that convert energy from one form into another for flexible electronics and biosensors. Here, they’ve printed the piezoelectric films into a pattern spelling out “MIT.”

Ultrathin 3-D-printed films convert energy of one form into another

Low-cost “piezoelectric” films produce voltage, could be used for flexible electronic components and more.

August 28, 2019

Researchers at MIT demonstrated gloves fabricated by a system for automating knitted garments.

Computer-aided knitting

New research from the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory uses machine learning to customize clothing designs.

August 6, 2019

Microfluidic devices, like those shown here, could be 3-D printed in space and used to construct DNA for insertion into bacteria, reprogramming them to make specific products.

Scientists look to synthetic biology and 3-D printing for life support in space

Do-it-yourself bio and maker communities can help NASA meet needs of long-distance missions.

July 26, 2019

MIT alumnus Steven Keating has died. Keating conducted research on additive manufacturing and synthetic biology. He developed a technology that could 3-D print the foundation of a building.

Celebrating a curious mind: Steven Keating 1988-2019

Steven Keating SM'12, PhD '16 inspired millions with his research-driven approach to battling cancer and his advocacy for open patient health data.

July 22, 2019

A new MIT-invented system automatically designs and 3-D prints complex robotic actuators optimized according to an enormous number of specifications, such as appearance and flexibility. To demonstrate the system, the researchers fabricated floating water lilies with petals equipped with arrays of actuators and hinges that fold up in response to magnetic fields run through conductive fluids.

Automated system generates robotic parts for novel tasks

When designing actuators involves too many variables for humans to test by hand, this system can step in.

July 12, 2019

MIT graduate student Will Langford developed a machine that's like a cross between a 3-D printer and the pick-and-place machines that manufacture electronic circuits, but that can produce complete robotic systems directly from digital designs. (Video in "Related" sidebar below shows the assembly of a machine from five standard parts.)

Tiny motor can “walk” to carry out tasks

Mobile motor could pave the way for robots to assemble complex structures — including other robots.

July 2, 2019

MIT engineers 3-D-print stretchy mesh, with customized patterns designed to be flexible yet strong, for use in ankle and knee braces.

Engineers 3-D print flexible mesh for ankle and knee braces

Techniques could lead to personalized wearable and implantable devices.

June 19, 2019

Building the tools of the next manufacturing revolution

From industrializing 3-D printing to creating nanomaterials at scale, John Hart is reimagining the way things are made.

June 17, 2019

Inkbit, a startup out of MIT, has created a multimaterial 3-D printer capable of printing extremely flexible materials more accurately than competitors, according to the founders.

A 3-D printer powered by machine vision and artificial intelligence

MIT startup Inkbit is overcoming traditional constraints to 3-D printing by giving its machines “eyes and brains.”

June 4, 2019

“What makes The Deep unique is that the students have a lot of ownership, and the students help run the space,” says Professor Marty Culpepper, who is known as the Institute's “Maker Czar.”

Welcome to The Deep

A new creative space opens as maker culture continues to thrive at MIT.

April 8, 2019

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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