Northeastern University

A new monitoring device can predict autism outbursts up to a minute in advance, creating a new window of opportunity to prepare ahead of time.

Traditionally, robots are either airborne or landlubbers – there’s not much crossover. But researchers at Northeastern University have now built a robot that can do both, walking around on two legs before jumping and flying short distances to get over obstacles in its path.

Water filters can get dirty and lose their effectiveness quickly. Now researchers have tested a new nature-inspired membrane that filters liquids using other liquids, making for a more efficient and longer-lasting membrane.

​​Advanced surgical glues that seal wounds faster could mean big things when it comes to medical care. A new material is showing particular promise in this regard, with the ability to be squirted directly into a wound, seal it in 60 seconds and dissolve thereafter. ​

When it comes to cleaning up contaminated soil, there is no quick and easy method – or at least, not yet. That said, a chemical engineer believes that using lasers may be a better way to go than any currently-used techniques.

​​If you should come across something that looks like a mussel but has a green LED in it, just leave it alone – it's a robomussel. Glued into existing mussel beds in 71 locations worldwide, the sensors are part of an ongoing effort to track the effects of climate change on the marine environment.​

Welding can damage the items being joined, or even cause explosions. That's why scientists at Northeastern University created MesoGlue. It's a glue that bonds metal to metal – or to other materials – and it sets at room temperature.

NASA is sending a pair of prototype humanoid robots back to school. Two R5 "Valkyrie" robots are being given to MIT and Northeastern University to develop robotic astronauts for future space missions.

Ultralow magnetic fields and a process called stereolithography could enable 3D-printed patient-specific medical devices, starting with catheters for newborn babies and then eventually extending into surgical implants for adults and kids alike.

Researchers at Northeastern University’s College of Engineering believe that fish scales could hold the key to creating armor that's both impervious and lightweight. They eventually aim to combine the properties of fish, snake and butterfly scales into a single protective armor system.

In recent years, many pharmaceutical companies have largely turned their backs on the quest to develop new antibiotics. Out one company bucking the trend is NovoBiotic, which has announced the discovery of a new class of antibiotic that holds promise for treating drug-resistant superbugs.

Three years ago, we first heard about GelSight – an experimental new system for imaging microscopic objects. Now, researchers at MIT and Northeastern University have incorporated it into an ultra-sensitive tactile sensor for robots.