MIT

When producing "smart fabrics" made of conductive fibers, it can be difficult placing functional elements such as electrodes in specific locations along those fibers. A new polymer, however, could make doing so much easier.

While autoclaves are considered essential for sterilizing medical equipment in First World health care facilities, they're often not available in developing nations where access to electricity is limited. A new solar-powered autoclave may be the answer to that problem.

A unique study is looking at the effects of universal basic income during a pandemic. Using data from a massive trial in Kenya, the research suggests the policy may help individual well-being but it is not a silver-bullet in times of extreme disruption.

Materials stay cooler when water evaporates off of them, but once all the water is gone, the cooling effect stops. Bearing this in mind, MIT scientists have developed a camel fur-inspired material that could keep items cool without using electricity.

MIT scientists have developed an acoustic system that acts like an underwater GPS, yet doesn't need batteries to operate. The system is instead powered by modulated audio signals reflected from the environment to provide net-zero energy positioning info.

If a 3D printer leaves gaps in the plastic that it deposits, it's usually thought of as an unwanted flaw. Now, however, the process has been harnessed to quickly and cheaply produce pliable polymer textiles.

The world’s first fleet of autonomous boats is growing – literally. MIT’s self-driving Roboat has now doubled in size, allowing it to carry two people at a time, plus the boats have had an intelligence upgrade and can now move in coordinated groups.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) causes people to lose control of their muscles – unfortunately, this often eventually causes them to lose their ability to speak. A new skin-worn device, however, could still let them communicate with others.

Diamond is an electrical insulator, but maybe not always. A new study calculated that deforming diamond nano-needles would change their conductivity from an insulator to a semiconductor to a highly conductive metal – and back again at will.

One of the ways physicians can gain some forewarning of impending heart failure is through the detection of excess fluid in the lungs, and MIT researchers have developed a new machine learning tool that could offer them a helping hand.

Ultra wide-angle fisheye lenses are typically thick, bulbous contraptions, that can't easily be incorporated into devices such as smartphones. That could be about to change, though, as engineers have now created one that's completely flat.

In order to track how someone's body position changes as they sleep, they typically have to be rigged up with sensors, or filmed by a video camera. MIT's new BodyCompass system, however, offers a third alternative that many people may prefer.