Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL)

Centimeter-long origami robot

Controlled by magnetic fields, tiny robot climbs inclines, swims, and carries loads twice its weight.

June 12, 2015

A still from a video of MIT's first DARPA Robotics Challenge run, where they scored 7 points.

Robotics competition generated groundbreaking research

MIT team based robotic control algorithms on cutting-edge theory.

June 11, 2015

Illustration: DNA-like double helix with lines of 1s and 0s on it

Longstanding problem put to rest

Proof that a 40-year-old algorithm is the best possible will come as a relief to computer scientists.

June 10, 2015

MIT team places sixth at international DARPA Robotics Challenge

CSAIL team just misses winning the grand prize after programming a 400-lb humanoid robot to lift beams, climb stairs, and drive a car.

June 8, 2015

MIT researchers tested the viability of their algorithm by using it to guide a crew of three robots in the assembly of a chair.

Helping robots put it all together

New algorithm lets autonomous robots divvy up assembly tasks on the fly.

May 27, 2015

"sound" icon, with soundwaves emanating and hitting a pole

Gauging materials’ physical properties from video

“Visual microphone” technology could lead to noninvasive identification of objects’ structural defects.

May 21, 2015

To handle big data, shrink it

Algorithm reduces size of data sets while preserving their mathematical properties.

May 20, 2015

Henk van Houten, global head of Philips Research, and Associate Provost Karen Gleason

Philips establishes alliance with MIT

Company moves R&D headquarters to Cambridge and establishes a five-year, $25 million research alliance.

May 19, 2015

Learn a language while you text

Graduate student's “WaitChatter” app teaches vocabulary during moments in between text and instant-message replies.

May 14, 2015

Photo of green apples, in front of a camera with viewfinder showing green apples

Removing reflections from photos taken through windows

New algorithm exploits multiple reflections in individual images to distinguish reflection from transmission.

May 11, 2015

The first layers (1 and 2) of a neural network trained to classify scenes seem to be tuned to geometric patterns of increasing complexity, but the higher layers (3 and 4) appear to be picking out particular classes of objects.

Object recognition for free

System designed to label visual scenes according to type turns out to detect particular objects, too.

May 8, 2015

Researchers watch underwater footage taken by various AUVs exploring Australia's Scott Reef.

MIT engineers hand “cognitive” control to underwater robots

With MIT-developed algorithms, robots plan underwater missions autonomously.

May 6, 2015

One way to reduce email stress: Re-invent the mailing list

New CSAIL system lets users customize the mailing-list experience by following and blocking users and “upvoting” messages.

April 27, 2015

How a computer can help your doctor better diagnose cancer

Model from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory aims to automatically distinguish lymphoma subtypes.

April 23, 2015

A new memory-access protocol assigns every memory address to a single path (green) through a data structure known as a tree. But a given node of the tree will often lie along multiple paths (blue).

Cloud security reaches silicon

System for defending against memory-access attacks implemented in chips.