MITs

Inspired by fireflies, MIT scientists have created soft actuators that can emit light in different colors or patterns. Credit: Courtesy of the researchersInspired by fireflies, scientists create insect-scale robots that can emit light when they fly, which enables motion tracking and communication.Lightning bugs that light up dusky backyards on warm summer evenings use their luminescence for communication — to attract a mate, ward off predators, or lure prey.These glimmering fireflies also sparked the inspiration of…

This illustration shows an analog deep learning processor powered by ultra-fast protonics. Credit: Ella Maru Studio, Murat OnenNew Hardware Delivers Faster Computation for Artificial Intelligence, With Much Less Energy<span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>MIT</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>MIT is an acronym for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is a prestigious private research university in Cambridge,…

Neural network algorithms are set to tackle dataset bias and enhance productivity in the future Artificial intelligence or AI models have a mixed reputation in the global tech market. On one hand, smart performance and boosting productivity with automation create a good image for AI models. On another hand, the negative image includes bias, racism, sentience, and many more. The dataset bias issue is a constant struggle for tech companies to fight against to drive better customer engagement. Meanwhile, the…

Microplastics are a growing environmental problem, but a new study could help cut out a decent chunk of them. The authors showed that silk could be a biodegradable replacement for microbeads and plastic particles that are often added to cosmetics, paints and other products.Studies continually show that there are few places on Earth untouched by microplastic pollution. These tiny fragments have been detected in oceans, rivers, farmland, ice and snow from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and from the top of Mount Everest to the…

A team of physicists at MIT recently published a mind-blowing research paper detailing their successful efforts to use entanglement and ‘quantum time-reversal’ to create sensors capable of incredibly deep measurements. That sounds like a lot of science jargon, but the gist is that this could potentially lead to a legitimate ‘dark matter detector,’ and that’s something that could revolutionize humanity’s understanding of literally everything. Up front: Physics is a moving target. Because we are…

The MIT Morningside Academy for Design, an interdisciplinary center that aims to build on the Institute’s leadership in design-­focused education and become a global hub for design research, thinking, and entrepreneurship, will launch in September 2022, President L. Rafael Reif announced in March. The academy, which will be housed in the Metropolitan Warehouse with the School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P), will create and administer academic and research programs across MIT, especially between SA+P and the School…

Fireflies are one of the best parts of warm summer nights. The dancing, flickering lights of these tiny bugs have enamored people for centuries. Now, a group of scientists at MIT have created robot lightning bugs inspired by nature. Not only can these robots fly, but they also emit light. Just like real-life fireflies. From performing simple tasks to helping explore the Moon, humans have found many uses for robots. But what could robots the size of an insect do? Well, the possibilities, as it turns out, are quite…

MIT researchers have designed a sensor that can distinguish between viral and bacterial pneumonia infections. In the background, depictions of viruses are on the left, and bacteria on the right. Credit: Jose-Luis Olivares, MIT, and iStockphotoDoctors could use this diagnostic to avoid prescribing antibiotics in cases where they won’t be effective.Pneumonia can be caused by many different types of bacteria and viruses, but there is no easy way to determine which microbe is causing a particular patient’s illness. This…

MIT researchers recently made one of the boldest claims related to artificial intelligence we’ve seen yet: they believe they’ve built an AI that can identify a person’s race using only medical images. And, according to the popular media, they have no idea how it works! Sure. And I’d like to sell you an NFT of the Brooklyn Bridge. Let’s be clear up front, per the team’s paper, the model can predict a person’s self-reported race: In our study, we show that standard AI deep learning models can be…