MIT Media Lab researchers have developed a machine-learning model that takes computers a step closer to interpreting our emotions as naturally as humans do. In the growing field of “affective computing,” robots and computers are being developed to analyze facial expressions, interpret our emotions, and respond accordingly. Applications include, for instance, monitoring an individual’s health […]
Cell-Sized Robots Can Sense Their Environment
Researchers at MIT have created what may be the smallest robots yet that can sense their environment, store data, and even carry out computational tasks. These devices, which are about the size of a human egg cell, consist of tiny electronic circuits made of two-dimensional materials, piggybacking on minuscule particles called colloids. Colloids, which insoluble […]
Molecular Clock Could Greatly Improve Smartphone Navigation
MIT researchers have developed the first molecular clock on a chip, which uses the constant, measurable rotation of molecules—when exposed to a certain frequency of electromagnetic radiation—to keep time. The chip could one day significantly improve the accuracy and performance of navigation on smartphones and other consumer devices. Today’s most accurate time-keepers are atomic clocks. […]
‘Blind’ Cheetah 3 Robot Climbs Stairs Littered With Obstacles
MIT’s Cheetah 3 robot can now leap and gallop across rough terrain, climb a staircase littered with debris, and quickly recover its balance when suddenly yanked or shoved, all while essentially blind. The 90-pound mechanical beast — about the size of a full-grown Labrador — is intentionally designed to do all this without relying on […]
Controlling Robots With Brainwaves And Hand Gestures
Getting robots to do things isn’t easy: usually scientists have to either explicitly program them or get them to understand how humans communicate via language. But what if we could control robots more intuitively, using just hand gestures and brainwaves? A new system spearheaded by researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) […]
‘RoadTracer’ To Build Maps From Aerial Images
“Holes” in maps have created many problems for self-driving cars. Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) created RoadTracer, an automated means of building road maps with more accuracy than previous approaches. By using data from aerial images road maps can be more accurate and cost-effective. MIT professor Mohammad Alizadeh said that […]