Military students innovate technology solutions for US Special Operations Command
Working with mentors and military operators, cadets are addressing challenges in such areas as autonomy, data analytics, communications, and blood delivery.
AI copilot enhances human precision for safer aviation
Designed to ensure safer skies, “Air-Guardian” blends human intuition with machine precision, creating a more symbiotic relationship between pilot and aircraft.
Planning algorithm enables high-performance flight
With this new approach, a tailsitter aircraft, ideal for search-and-rescue missions, can plan and execute complex, high-speed acrobatic maneuvers.
A simpler method for learning to control a robot
Researchers develop a machine-learning technique that can efficiently learn to control a robot, leading to better performance with fewer data.
Preparing Colombia’s cities for life amid changing forests
MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative Research Program Director Marcela Angel MCP ’18 has built an international program in natural climate solutions.
A step toward safe and reliable autopilots for flying
A new AI-based approach for controlling autonomous robots satisfies the often-conflicting goals of safety and stability.
Drones navigate unseen environments with liquid neural networks
MIT researchers exhibit a new advancement in autonomous drone navigation, using brain-inspired liquid neural networks that excel in out-of-distribution scenarios.
New algorithm keeps drones from colliding in midair
Researchers create a trajectory-planning system that enables drones working together in the same airspace to always choose a safe path forward.
Resilient bug-sized robots keep flying even after wing damage
New repair techniques enable microscale robots to recover flight performance after suffering severe damage to the artificial muscles that power their wings.
Six Lincoln Laboratory inventions win 2022 R&D 100 Awards
Technologies recognized with "Oscars of Innovation" transform hurricane tracking, electronics cooling, collision avoidance, cybersecurity, and more.
Robotic lightning bugs take flight
Inspired by fireflies, researchers create insect-scale robots that can emit light when they fly, which enables motion tracking and communication.
Ocean vital signs
MIT scientists hope to deploy a fleet of drones to get a better sense of how much carbon the ocean is absorbing, and how much more it can take.
Improving predictions of sea level rise for the next century
Brent Minchew leads two proposals to better understand glacial physics and predict sea-level rise as part of MIT's Climate Grand Challenges competition.
Giving bug-like bots a boost
A new fabrication technique produces low-voltage, power-dense artificial muscles that improve the performance of flying microrobots.
Blockchain technology could provide secure communications for robot teams
The transaction-based communications system ensures robot teams achieve their goal even if some robots are hacked.
System trains drones to fly around obstacles at high speeds
New algorithm could enable fast, nimble drones for time-critical operations such as search and rescue.
Sertac Karaman named director of the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems
Associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics will head MIT’s longest continuously-running lab.
Tackling air pollution with autonomous drones
Alumni of the MIT New Engineering Education Transformation Program (NEET) worked together remotely from across the globe to design thinking machines.
Developing drones to address pandemic-related challenges in Scandinavia
After meeting in an Advanced Study Program at MIT, three Norwegian students began working together to transport biological samples using autonomous vehicles.
Creating “digital twins” at scale
Model could help predictive virtual models become standard practice in engineering.
Helping robots collaborate to get the job done
Algorithm enables robot teams to complete missions, such as mapping or search-and-rescue, with minimal wasted effort.
Researchers introduce a new generation of tiny, agile drones
The technology could boost aerial robots’ repertoire, allowing them to operate in cramped spaces and withstand collisions.
A new world of warcraft
Political scientist Erik Lin-Greenberg explores how a burgeoning high-tech arsenal is shaping military conflict.
System prevents speedy drones from crashing in unfamiliar areas
Drones can fly at high speeds to a destination while keeping safe “backup” plans if things go awry.
Deploying drones to prepare for climate change
PhD student Norhan Bayomi uses drones to investigate how building construction impacts communities’ resilience to rising temperatures.
Robots track moving objects with unprecedented precision
System uses RFID tags to home in on targets; could benefit robotic manufacturing, collaborative drones, and other applications.
Optimizing solar farms with smart drones
MIT spinoff Raptor Maps uses machine-learning software to improve the maintenance of solar panels.
MIT engineers fly first-ever plane with no moving parts
The silent, lightweight aircraft doesn’t depend on fossil fuels.
Fleets of drones could aid searches for lost hikers
System allows drones to cooperatively explore terrain under thick forest canopies where GPS signals are unreliable.
One man’s flying car dream is taking off, thanks to MIT
Felipe Varon uses knowledge gained from MIT Professional Education to improve his invention; hopes cars might service areas with low access to food and supplies.
E-commerce spurs innovation in last-mile logistics
As delivery logistics become more challenging with expanding e-commerce, planners such as Matthias Winkenbach are offering solutions.
Wireless communication breaks through water-air barrier
In a novel system developed by MIT researchers, underwater sonar signals cause vibrations that can be decoded by an airborne receiver.
Chip upgrade helps miniature drones navigate
Low-power design will allow devices as small as a honeybee to determine their location while flying.
Keeping data fresh for wireless networks
Algorithm provides networks with the most current information available while avoiding data congestion.
Albatross robot takes flight
Autonomous glider can fly like an albatross, cruise like a sailboat.
Researchers develop virtual-reality testing ground for drones
With new system, drones navigate through an empty room, avoiding crashes while “seeing” a virtual world.
Former Math Olympiad medalist embraces social entrepreneurship
MIT senior Mehmet Efe Akengin aims to innovate for the greater good.
The autonomous “selfie drone”
Alumni’s video-capturing drone tracks moving subjects while freely navigating any environment.
Evading in-flight lightning strikes
MIT study shows electrically charging planes would reduce their risk of being struck by lightning.
In fieldwork program, students take the lead
TREX program from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering takes students to Hawaii to conduct environmental research.