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Popular Science

Kelsey Atherton writes for Popular Science about HERMES, a humanoid robot created by MIT researchers that is controlled by a human pilot strapped into a remote exoskeleton. PhD candidate Joao Ramos describes it as “trying to put the human’s brain inside the robot.”

Wired

In an article for Wired about desalination technologies, Eric Niiler features Prof. Rohit Karnik’s work developing single-layer membranes from graphene that could make desalination more efficient. “If we want quantum leaps in performance, we have to look for other materials,” says Karnik.

Popular Science

Popular Science reporter Levi Sharpe writes that MIT researchers have developed an object recognition system that can accurately identify and distinguish items. “This system could help future robots interact with objects more efficiently while they navigate our complex world,” Sharpe explains. 

Wired

MIT startup LiquiGlide has announced that they are partnering with the international food packaging company Orkla to use their non-stick coating inside mayonnaise bottles, reports Katie Palmer for Wired. Palmer explains that LiquiGlide has “created an algorithm to optimize the thermodynamic relationships between a textured solid on the inside of the bottle, its liquid 'lubricant,' and the product in question.”

BBC News

MIT spinout LiquiGlide has signed a deal with Orkla that will allow the company to use LiquiGlide’s non-stick coating in their mayonnaise bottles, reports Chris Foxx for the BBC. Foxx explains that a customized version of the LiquiGlide “coating is created for each product, resulting in a "permanently wet" surface inside containers that helps the product slip out.”

BetaBoston

BetaBoston reporter Nidhi Subbaraman writes that MIT startup LiquiGlide has signed a deal with Orkla ASA to license LiquiGlide’s “slippery coatings for a brand of mayonnaise due to be launched in the next year in northern and central Europe.”

CNN

Lauren Said-Moorhouse reports for CNN that Prof. Sangbae Kim and his colleagues have developed a new algorithm that allows their robotic cheetah to independently leap over objects. "You have to manage balance and energy, and be able to handle impact after landing,” says Kim. “Our robot is specifically designed for those highly dynamic behaviors."

Scientific American

MIT researchers have designed a 3D-printed soft material with a modifiable surface texture inspired by the cuttlefish, writes Maria Temming for Scientific American. The team “discovered their modifiable surfaces are not only useful for camouflage but a spectrum of other applications.”

Boston Globe

Prof. Emeritus James Fay, who served as the chairman of the Massachusetts Port Authority and helped launch the Union of Concerned Scientists, died on June 2, reports Bryan Marquard for The Boston Globe. “To know him and benefit from his wisdom, courage, kindness, and friendship was a gift I will treasure for the rest of my life,” says senior lecturer Frederick Salvucci. 

PBS NewsHour

Miles O’Brien of the PBS NewsHour reports on how scientists are developing cheaper and more efficient tests for Ebola, highlighting Prof. Lee Gehrke’s simple diagnostic kits. Gehrke explains that the test his team developed is “very simple, requires no refrigeration, no power, no special training.”

The Wall Street Journal

In this video, Monika Auger of The Wall Street Journal describes how MIT engineers have developed a robotic cheetah that can jump over obstacles autonomously. Auger explains that the robot’s vision and path planning systems give it "complete autonomous control over its movements.” 

Wired

Neel Patel writes for Wired about how MIT researchers have trained their robotic cheetah to detect and leap over obstacles. The robot “estimates the height, size, and distance of objects in its path, and adjusts its approach to prepare a jump and safe landing—all without slowing down.”

The Washington Post

Writing for The Washington Post, Rachel Feltman describes how the MIT robotic cheetah can jump over obstacles up to 18 inches tall.  “The robot uses an algorithm to gauge the height and distance of upcoming obstacles, so it can clear them without breaking its (record-breaking) stride,” Feltman explains. 

Time

Victor Luckerson writes for TIME about the robotic cheetah created by a team of MIT researchers that can “autonomously leap tall obstacles in a single bound.” Luckerson explains that, “the cheetah can clear hurdles as high as 18 in. (46 cm) at an average running speed of 5 m.p.h. (8 km/h).”

Newsweek

Newsweek reporter Felicity Capon writes about the robotic cheetah developed by MIT researchers that can jump over hurdles autonomously. The cheetah uses an onboard mapping system to detect obstacles and estimate their height and distance.