Wyss Institute

In 2017, researchers demonstrated a soft robotic exosuit designed to help stroke patients improve their mobility. Now an untethered version of the lightweight ankle-assisting device has been shown to increase walking speed and distance.

Scientists at Harvard have come up with a new way to supercharge immune cells that are one of our key defenses against cancerous cells, equipping them with a type of “backpack” that slows tumor growth in mice with an aggressive form of breast cancer.

Scientists have pieced together 10 devices that mimic the functions of different organs to create a functioning Body-on-Chips platform, which can offer new and comprehensive insights into how prospective drugs will behave throughout the human body.

Researchers have incorporated living microbes into 3D printed objects. The resin material is embedded with chemical “instructions” that tell a layer of microbes to fluoresce in particular colors, producing a stunning array of patterns and designs.

Scientists at Harvard University have developed a new type of cancer vaccine that was combined with chemotherapy to prove highly effective in mice, eliminating the cancer cells and stopping them from coming back for some time after.

We've watched with interest as subsequent developments have allowed RoboBee to fly, swim, hover, perch and lose its tether. Now it's become the first microrobot to achieve controlled flight using soft artificial muscles.

Researchers have developed ultra-gentle robotic grippers that can grasp and release jellyfish and other very soft marine animals without harming them.

​Wearable mobility robots can be big and heavy, but they have the potential to help those who can't move to walk again or make light work of heavy objects. Harvard's Wyss Institute has revealed a soft exosuit that's lightweight and portable, and can provide both walking and running assistance.​

Slapping on a Band-Aid is the easiest way to help a cut on your skin heal, but things aren’t so simple for internal wounds. Now, researchers from Harvard have developed spray-on hydrogels, produced by bacteria, that can help heal these internal wounds.

A patient’s immune system can often react badly to bone marrow transplants. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) may help, but they too can be cleared out by immune cells. Now, a Harvard team has shown that coating MSCs in a thin hydrogel can protect them, making bone marrow transplants more successful.

​Driven into the ground, interlocking metal plates known as sheet piles can keep soil from eroding after rainfall, they can serve as retaining walls on slopes, or perform other functions. Installing them is a laborious process, though, which is why scientists have created a robot to do the job.

A Harvard team has developed small, insect-like robots that can climb inside machines to inspect them, saving the trouble of pulling them apart if there’s nothing that needs fixing.