New Atlas

Robotics Audio available

Robotic "particles" swarm together to move towards the light

Michael Irving March 20, 2019

Most robots are usually made to do one particular job, so they’re not very adaptable to new situations. But researchers at MIT, Harvard, Columbia and Cornell Universities have developed particle robots – simple circular devices that can connect to each other magnetically to move and work as a swarm.

A new system of "particle robots" can swarm together to achieve things that individual units can't ...

Robotics Audio available

MIT's robotic system can pick up items it has never encountered before

Nick Lavars March 18, 2019

Scientists at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a versatile new robotic machine they say can learn to pick up and put down all kinds of things, even ones it has never seen before.

Called Keypoint Affordance Manipulation (KPAM), the researchers say the new control software can afford robots fair ...

Environment Audio available

Can tropical tectonic activity trigger ice ages?

Michael Irving March 14, 2019

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a major driver of shifts in the Earth’s climate, and in the past too little CO2 has been associated with triggering ice ages. Now a team of scientists has found a surprising new mechanism that could lead to ice ages: Tropical tectonic activity.

Tropical tectonic activity, such as that occurring in Indonesia today, may have triggered ice ages in ...

Robotics Audio available

MIT's new robotic gripper works like a Venus fly trap

Nick Lavars March 14, 2019

From green blobs to boa constrictors, scientists have taken inspiration from some interesting sources in pursuit of robotic arms that can delicately lift heavy items. The latest solution from MIT resembles a venus flytrap in the way its snatches up objects many times its own weight.

The Magic Ball gripper consists of a skeleton made from cone-shaped origami structure that is connected ...

Science Audio available

Unusual strobing light and sound treatment reverses Alzheimer's in mice

Rich Haridy March 14, 2019

Could exposure every day to a specifically calibrated flickering light and droning sound help clear your brain of the toxic proteins that cause Alzheimer’s disease? A new study raises this possibility after mouse experiments showed neurological improvements through visual and auditory stimulation.

A new study suggests light and sound oscillating at 40 Hertz may help the brain clear ...

Medical Audio available

MIT's "DOLPHIN" could spot tiny tumors for early cancer detection

Michael Irving March 8, 2019

The earlier cancer is detected, the better the odds of treating it, but tumors can be hard to spot until they get to a certain size, at which point it might be too late. Now MIT researchers have developed a new optical imaging system that could be used to spot tiny tumors deep inside the body.

An MIT team has developed a new method for imaging smaller fluorescent particles deep inside the ...

Robotics

MIT's Mini Cheetah Robot can do a perfect backflip

Nick Lavars March 3, 2019

MIT's robotic cheetah has gained a new sidekick, and the nimble sibling of the four-legged galloping droid has a few impressive tricks of its own, including perfectly executed backflips.

The MIT Mini Cheetah robot has a few tricks up its sleeve

Materials

Spider silk's strange reaction to moisture could lead to better artificial muscles

Michael Irving March 3, 2019

It’s no secret that spider silk is one of nature’s most incredible materials. Now scientists have discovered a weird new ability. A team led by MIT has found that when exposed to a certain level of humidity, spider silk suddenly shrinks and twists, which could make it useful in artificial muscles.

Researchers have discovered that spider silk reacts strangely to moisture, a phenomenon that could be useful ...

Materials

Lobster-tail membrane could inspire better flexible body armor

Ben Coxworth February 20, 2019

When you think of lobsters and armor, the obvious connection would be their hard shells. An international team of scientists, however, is more interested in the flexible membrane on the underside of the crustaceans' tails. It has a unique structure, which could find uses in human technology.

A pair of lobster tails, with the translucent membrane visible on the underside of the one ...

Environment Audio available

MIT tech could let desalination plants use their own brine waste

Ben Coxworth February 15, 2019

When salt is removed from seawater in desalination plants, the byproduct is a lot of highly-salty brine. Ordinarily, this is just dumped back into the sea, which can harm the environment. Thanks to a new treatment process, however, that brine could actually be used to desalinate more water.

An existing desalination plant in Hamburg, Germany