Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office

Robot designed for exploring hazardous, disaster zones

MIT researchers have improved the design of their Cheetah robot to be used for exploring disaster zones and other dangerous or inaccessible environments.

Researchers develop virtual-reality testing ground for drones

MIT engineers have developed a new virtual-reality training system for drones that enables a vehicle to “see” a rich, virtual environment while flying in an empty physical space.

Autonomous robot glider combines qualities of albatross and sailboat

MIT engineers have designed a robotic glider that can skim along the water’s surface, riding the wind like an albatross while also surfing the waves like a sailboat.

Robotic picking and cleaning system developed

Engineers from MIT and Princeton University have developed a robotic system designed to assist in picking and sorting tasks, from organizing products in a warehouse to clearing debris from a disaster zone.

Platform for microfluidic chips developed from LEGOs

MIT researchers have developed a platform for microfluidics using LEGO bricks to better perform operations such as mixing, sorting, pumping, and storing fluids.

Autonomous robot designed to keep pace with humans safely

Engineers at MIT have designed an autonomous robot with socially aware navigation that is designed to keep pace with foot traffic while observing these general codes of pedestrian conduct.

Graphene used to create cheaper semiconductor wafers

MIT engineers have developed a technique to reduce the overall cost of wafer technology by using graphene as a copy machine to transfer intricate crystalline patterns from an underlying semiconductor wafer to a top layer of identical material.

Researchers are ironing out graphene’s wrinkles

Engineers have developed a method to make graphene, touted as a potential successor to silicon, with fewer wrinkles and the ability to iron any that do appear.

3-D-printed structures shrink when heated

Engineers from MIT, the University of Southern California have manufactured 3-D printed structures that shrink when heated to an extreme temperature, which could lead to heat-resistant circuit boards.

Researchers learn that 3-D printed structures remember their shapes

Engineers from MIT and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) learned that three-dimensional structures return to their original shapes even after being stretched, twisted, and bent at extreme angles.