3-D printing

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

Microfilaments made using a new 3D printing method, shown in gray in this illustration, form a structure that cells, shown in color, can adhere to. The shapes formed by the filaments determine the very uniform shapes of cells.

New 3-D printing approach makes cell-scale lattice structures

System could provide fine-scale meshes for growing highly uniform cultures of cells with desired properties.

March 25, 2019

Students participating in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program include: (clockwise from top left) Veronica Boyce, Nicholas Bonaker, Alexandra Dima, Neeraj Prasad, Elizabeth Weeks, and Alexander Denmark.

Exploring the nature of intelligence

Undergraduate research projects show how students are advancing research in human and artificial intelligence, and applying intelligence tools to other disciplines.

February 21, 2019

MIT researchers have devised a technique that “reverse engineers” complex 3-D computer-aided design (CAD) models — breaking them down into the many individual shapes they’re made of — to make them far easier for users to customize for manufacturing and 3-D printing applications.

Customizing computer-aided design

System breaks down complex designs into easily modifiable shapes for custom manufacturing and 3-D printing.

January 2, 2019

MIT researchers have designed an ingestible sensor that can lodge in the stomach for a few weeks and communicate wirelessly with an external device.

Ingestible capsule can be controlled wirelessly

Electronic pill can relay diagnostic information or release drugs in response to smartphone commands.

December 13, 2018

MIT researchers have 3-D printed a novel microfluidic device that simulates cancer treatments on biopsied tumor tissue — and keeps the tissue alive for days — so clinicians can better examine how individual patients will respond to different therapeutics.

To guide cancer therapy, device quickly tests drugs on tumor tissue

Inexpensive 3-D-printed microfluidics device could be used to personalize cancer treatment.

December 12, 2018

Associate Professor A. John Hart (right), doctoral student Adam Stevens SM ’15, and their colleagues have designed a 3-D printer that can deposit material 10 times faster than today’s desktop models can. The team has also developed a novel process for 3-D printing using cellulose, a widely available natural polymer.

Accelerating 3-D printing

Researchers have designed a novel printhead that works with unprecedented speed and pioneered ways to melt and extrude renewable materials.

November 29, 2018

The RePaint system reproduces paintings by combining two approaches called color-contoning and halftoning, as well as a deep learning model focused on determining how to stack 10 different inks to recreate the specific shades of color.

Reproducing paintings that make an impression

CSAIL's new RePaint system aims to faithfully recreate your favorite paintings using deep learning and 3-D printing.