To develop a new artificial muscle for robots MIT researchers are taking inspiration from an unlikely source – the cucumber. It's not the fruit of the plant, but the tendrils that wrap themselves around solid objects to support the growing plant by coiling and pulling with surprising force.
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CAR-T cell therapy involves reprogramming T-cells to hunt down cancer, which has been effective against blood cancers but not so much against solid tumors. Now, scientists at MIT have found a way to supercharge the technique with a vaccine booster.
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Researchers at MIT have identified a surprising new dynamic drug duo to fight cancer, combining two classes that are already beginning to be widely used. Interestingly, the combo appears to work in a completely different way to what scientists previously expected.
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All living things are built with 20 amino acids in myriad combinations, so why not machines and robots? This is the inspiration for a novel fabrication method using a handful of multi-use parts to create all manner of tiny machines. Machines who eventually, may even be able to build themselves.
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We may hear a lot about photovoltaic panels, but solar collectors are also quite useful – the devices collect heat from sunlight, which is used in applications such as the heating of homes. Now, MIT has announced a new material that could make them cheaper and more efficient than ever.
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Cytokines are small proteins that could help fight cancer, but they're toxic to healthy cells. Now, researchers from MIT have managed to keep cytokines contained in cancer cells, attaching them with proteins that stick like Velcro.
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A Google research team has been working on eliminating the face-stretching distortion you get from wide angle lenses, without the ugly bending of perspective lines you get by applying regular distortion filters. At SIGGRAPH 2019, the team has presented an algorithm that does just that.
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The CRISPR gene-editing system is a powerful tool, but sometimes cutting and pasting can have unwanted side effects. Now researchers from MIT and Harvard have developed a new CRISPR-based system that can insert new DNA sequences without cutting, which should make the process safer and more accurate.
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Advances in robotics are a constant, but every now and then the ingenuity of researchers crystallizes in maneuvers that are as awe-inspiring as they are terrifying. Here's some recent examples that will do the sleeping habits of those fearing a robotic apocalypse more harm than good.
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MIT has unveiled the latest version of the robotic boats it is developing for Amsterdam that are intended to help move passengers and goods along the city's 165 canals in the near future. The new iteration of these "Roboats" has been given the ability to locate and dock with one another.
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