The Economist highlights Prof. Michael Triantafyllou’s work studying how seals employ their whiskers to detect their surroundings. Triantafyllou is using the seal whisker as a model for developing an underwater sensor that would, “detect the wakes of natural objects, such as fish and marine mammals, and artificial ones, such as other robots, surface ships and submarines.”
In this video, VOA reporter Steve Baragona looks at different methods of harvesting water from fog. Baragona highlights a new system developed by MIT researchers, explaining that in some areas where the water supply is dwindling, “the technology is far cheaper than other options like desalination.”
Tasker Smith, a technical instructor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, writes for Make Magazine about his work developing 3-D printed tools to create a custom leather press. “By marrying the versatility of digital design and fabrication with luxurious materials like leather,” writes Smith, “we can supercharge our process and generate customized artifacts worthy of handing down from generation to generation.”
MIT researchers have developed a new technique to 3-D print magnetic robots that could one day be used as biomedical devices, reports Erik Olsen for Quartz. “The engineers have enabled the bots to roll, crawl, jump, and even snap together like a Venus flytrap to grasp a pill and then roll away with it,” explains Olsen.
MIT researchers have updated their robotic cheetah to allow it to move without relying on external vision sensors, reports Lisa Spear for Newsweek. Spear explains that, “an algorithm helps the mechanical creature determine the best time to transition a leg between a swing and a step, by constantly calculating the probabilities of each legs' movement.”
Axios reporter Kaveh Waddell writes about the Cheetah 3 robot, which navigates its environment without cameras. Waddell explains that, “the researchers measure the force on each of the Cheetah's legs straight from the motors that control them, allowing it to move fast — at 3 meters per second, or 6.7 miles an hour — and jump up onto a table from a standstill.”
This CNN video profiles the new Cheetah 3 robot, which can avoid obstacles and climb stairs without using external visual sensors. CNN notes that the cheetah, “relies on ‘feel’ in place of cameras or sensors, using ‘blind locomotion.’”
ABC News reporter Bopha Phorn writes about the latest iteration of a robotic cheetah developed by MIT researchers. Phorn explains that the researchers hope the cheetah will eventually be able to, “help some work that’s impossible for humans to do,” like search and rescue operations.
In this video, Reuters reporter Roselle Chen spotlights the Cheetah 3 robot, which utilizes two algorithms to run across rough terrain and maintain its balance without using cameras or sensors. Chen explains that the robot being able to navigate without cameras or sensors is like a human being able to walk around while its pitch black out.
MIT researchers have unveiled the latest iteration of their robotic cheetah that can navigate without the use of cameras or sensors and could be used for disaster response, reports Jordan Graham for The Boston Herald. “We’re mostly thinking about sending robots instead of humans where potential hazards like toxicity or radiation or dangers can be,” explains Prof. Sangbae Kim.
Writing for Popular Mechanics, Eric Limer highlights how the updated Cheetah 3 robot can navigate by feeling its way around its environment and can leap up onto tables. Limer explains that the robotic cheetah is, “able to rear back on its hind legs, leap into the air, and make a solid landing on a platform much taller than it is.”
TechCrunch reporter Brian Heater writes that Prof. Sangbae Kim and his research group robotic cheetah can now run up the stairs and walk over debris without the use of cameras or sensors. Heater explains that the robot, “utilizes a pair of new algorithms — contact detection and model-predictive control — which help it recover its balance in the case of slippage.”
Researchers from MIT’s Little Devices Lab have developed Lego-like devices that can perform diagnostic tests, writes UPI reporter Allen Cone. The devices could significantly reduce the cost of diagnostic tests and as they don't require refrigeration or special handling, “they could be particularly useful in the developing world.”
Verge reporter Rachel Becker writes that MIT researchers have developed a robotic cheetah that can run up the stairs and navigate without the use of cameras. Becker explains that the Cheetah 3 robot navigates its environment by touch, which could allow it to, “venture where humans can’t — like deep inside power plants for inspections.”
MIT researchers have developed a new waterproof coating method that is safer for both the environment and humans, reports Brooks Hays for UPI. Lab tests showed the coating, “works to waterproof a variety of fabrics and materials against a variety of liquids,” Hays explains.