Could lab-grown plant tissue ease the environmental toll of logging and agriculture?
MIT researchers grow structures made of wood-like plant cells in a lab, hinting at the possibility of more efficient biomaterials production.
Computer-aided creativity in robot design
MIT researchers’ new system optimizes the shape of robots for traversing various terrain types.
Technique reveals deeper insights into the makeup of nacre, a natural material
Discovery could lead to new designs for improved and more sustainable materials inspired by nature.
How to get conductive gels to stick when wet
A new way of making polymers adhere to surfaces may enable better biomedical sensors and implants.
Widening metal tolerance for hydrogels
MIT graduate student Seth Cazzell shows controlling pH enables reversible hydrogel formation in wider range of metal concentrations.
Flexible yet sturdy robot is designed to “grow” like a plant
Its extendable appendage can meander through tight spaces and then lift heavy loads.
Double-sided tape for tissues could replace surgical sutures
New adhesive that binds wet surfaces within seconds could be used to heal wounds or implant medical devices.
“Nanofiber yarn” makes for stretchy, protective artificial tissue
Twisted fibers coated with living cells could assist healing of injured muscles and tendons.
Working out makes hydrogels perform more like muscle
Mechanical “training” produces strong, fatigue-resistant, yet soft hydrogels with possible uses in medicine.
Spider silk could be used as robotic muscle
Unusual property of the ultrastrong material could be harnessed for twisting or pulling motions.
Soft robotic fish swims alongside real ones in coral reefs
Made of silicone rubber, CSAIL’s “SoFi” could enable a closer study of aquatic life.
Engineers identify key to albatross’ marathon flight
Flying in shallow arcs helps birds stay aloft with less effort.
“Superhero” robot wears different outfits for different tasks
Shape-shifting device from CSAIL can walk, roll, sail, and glide using recyclable exoskeletons.
Our hairy insides
Engineers predict how flowing fluid will bend tiny hairs that line blood vessels and intestines.