Surprisingly diverse innovations led to dramatically cheaper solar panels
New research can identify opportunities to drive down the cost of renewable energy systems, batteries, and many other technologies.
Eco-driving measures could significantly reduce vehicle emissions
New research shows automatically controlling vehicle speeds to mitigate traffic at intersections can cut carbon emissions between 11 and 22 percent.
AI helps chemists develop tougher plastics
Researchers created polymers that are more resistant to tearing by incorporating stress-responsive molecules identified by a machine-learning model.
MIT tool visualizes and edits “physically impossible” objects
By visualizing Escher-like optical illusions in 2.5 dimensions, the “Meschers” tool could help scientists understand physics-defying shapes and spark new designs.
Ultrasmall optical devices rewrite the rules of light manipulation
Nanophotonic devices developed at MIT are compact, efficient, reprogrammable, adaptive, and able to dynamically respond to external inputs.
How government accountability and responsiveness affect tax payment
Study participants in an in-person tax-paying experiment in China were more likely to pay their taxes if government officials were monitoring and punishing corruption.
How the brain distinguishes oozing fluids from solid objects
A new study finds parts of the brain’s visual cortex are specialized to analyze either solid objects or flowing materials like water or sand.
Creeping crystals: Scientists observe “salt creep” at the single-crystal scale
Device Research Lab study uncovers mechanisms behind a phenomenon that can impact civil engineering, desalination, coatings, membrane design, art conservation, and more.
New algorithms enable efficient machine learning with symmetric data
This new approach could lead to enhanced AI models for drug and materials discovery.
New transmitter could make wireless devices more energy-efficient
The flexible chip could boost the performance of current electronics and meet the more stringent efficiency requirements of future 6G technologies.
Why animals are a critical part of forest carbon absorption
An MIT study shows decreases in seed-dispersing animals can lead to a major reduction in forest carbon absorption.
New system dramatically speeds the search for polymer materials
The platform identifies, mixes, and tests up to 700 new polymer blends a day for applications like protein stabilization, battery electrolytes, or drug-delivery materials.
Famous double-slit experiment holds up when stripped to its quantum essentials
MIT physicists confirm that, like Superman, light has two identities that are impossible to see at once.
Robot, know thyself: New vision-based system teaches machines to understand their bodies
Neural Jacobian Fields, developed by MIT CSAIL researchers, can learn to control any robot from a single camera, without any other sensors.
Pedestrians now walk faster and linger less, researchers find
A computer vision study compares changes in pedestrian behavior since 1980, providing information for urban designers about creating public spaces.