MIT researchers are developing ways to transform plants into interfaces, reports Katharine Schwab for Fast Company. Schwab explains that the researchers hope to eventually be able to develop “plants that can transfer signals and act almost like a networked computer.”
Bloomberg News spotlights how MIT researchers have developed a fleet of autonomous boats that can automatically latch onto one another. Bloomberg notes that the boats will be able to “transport goods and people, collect trash and assemble into floating stages and bridges.”
Boston Globe reporter Martin Finucane writes that MIT researchers have developed an automated latching system that could enable a fleet of autonomous boats to connect to docking stations and other boats. Finucane explains that in turbulent water, “after a missed first attempt, the system can autonomously adapt, repositioning the roboat and latching.”
Popular Mechanics reporter Daisy Hernandez writes that MIT researchers have developed an autonomous aquatic boat that can target and latch onto one another to form new structures. Hernandez writes that the boats were conceived “as a way to explore new modes of transportation and help improve traffic flow.”
Mashable highlights how MIT researchers have developed a new system of computationally simple robots inspired by biological cells that can connect in large groups to move around, transport objects and complete tasks. Mashable explains that robots made up of simplistic components, “could enable more scalable, flexible and robust systems.”
TechCrunch reporter Darrell Etherington writes that MIT researchers have developed a new system that enables autonomous boats to latch onto one another to create new structures. Etherington explains that the researchers envision fleets of autonomous boats forming “on-demand urban infrastructure, including stages for concerts, walking bridges or even entire outdoor markets.”
Bloomberg News reporter Carol Massar spotlights how MIT researchers have developed a robot that can identify and sort recyclables. “The system includes a soft Teflon hand that uses tactile sensors to detect the size of an object and the pressure needed to grasp it,” Massar reports. “From there it can determine if it’s made of metal, paper or plastic.”
Scientific American reporter Jeremy Hsu highlights how CSAIL researchers have developed a robot that can automatically sort recycling. The robot “uses soft Teflon ‘fingers,’ which have fingertip sensors to detect object size and stiffness,” Hsu explains.
Financial Times reporter Hugo Cox highlights how MIT researchers have developed robots that can be used to detect disease in specific regions by sampling sewage. “A local robot takes days to identify an outbreak of flu; the surge in attendance at local hospitals and surgeries typically takes weeks to register,” Cox explains. “And because the information is local, the response can be too.”
MIT startup ClearMotion Labs has developed technology that helps cars adjust to potholes in the road, making for a smoother ride, reports Robert Goulston for Boston 25 News. “As the wheels are going over bumps, those sensors are detecting those bumps and instantaneously looking to push and pull the wheels,” explains MIT alumnus and ClearMotion CEO Shakeel Avadhany.
MIT researchers have developed a new particle robotics system inspired by biological cells that can transport objects placed in their midst and squeeze through small gaps, reports Kaveh Waddell for Axios. “The particle robotics system is a departure from traditional robots, where a part failure generally breaks the entire thing,” Waddell explains.
Wired reporter Emma Bryce highlights Prof. Dina Katabi’s work developing a wireless system that can help track a person’s health and could be used to monitor Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients. Katabi explains that the system “can be used to detect and understand higher level information, not just monitoring the signs and the measurements, but really being able to understand the meaning of those measurements.”
CBS This Morning correspondent Nikki Battiste visits MIT to learn more about a device developed by MIT researchers that uses wireless signals to detect food contamination. “We hope to be able to build a portable device that a person can take with them when they're trying to buy something from a supermarket or from a farmer's market,” explains Prof. Fadel Adib.
Researchers at MIT have developed an expandable pill that can stay in the stomach for a month and could potentially track issues like ulcers and cancers. “The pill is made from two types of hydrogels -- mixtures of polymers and water -- making it softer and longer-lasting than current ingestible sensors,” reports Robert Preidt for HealthDay.
Washington Post reporter Peter Holley writes that MIT researchers have developed a new ingestible, expanding pill that can remain in the stomach for up to a month and could be used to help with weight loss or to monitor conditions inside the human body. “The pills could also be used to place tiny cameras inside the body that could monitor tumors and ulcers over time,” Holley explains.