robotics / artificial intelligence archive

MIT class asks: Fly me to the moon? - An MIT graduate class, aimed at figuring out whether MIT could, or should, mount an entry into the $20-million Google Lunar X-Prize competition announced last fall, has arrived at the bottom line: Yes, we can (technically)! May 21, 2008

Beaver-like robots face off in annual MIT contest - Robots designed to toss pool-noodle trees into a river of ping-pong balls ruled over competitors focused on rescuing fuzzy toy beavers in this year's 2.007 contest, "Da (yes) MIT, or Save the Baby Beavers," held on Thursday, May 8, at MIT. May 9, 2008

Meet Nexi, the Media Lab's latest robot star - A new experimental robot from the MIT Media Lab can slant its eyebrows in anger, or raise them in surprise, and show a wide assortment of facial expressions to communicate with people in human-centric terms. April 9, 2008

Brains informing computers, and vice versa - After many years, Tomaso Poggio's two parallel lines of research--one aimed at using computers to understand how the brain works, the other at improving the abilities of computers to "think"--have begun to converge. February 16, 2008

MIT students design graduate student development program - An MIT PhD candidate in electrical engineering and computer science will describe a novel professional development program for graduate students and its impact at MIT at the annual meeting of the AAAS in Boston. February 16, 2008

MIT finishes fourth in DARPA Grand Challenge - MIT's automated Land Rover, packed with computers and electronic sensors, finished fourth in the DARPA Grand Challenge. The MIT vehicle, competing for the first time, was one of only six to complete the challenging 55-mile course. November 5, 2007

MIT's 'robocar' named finalist - Team MIT has made it to the finals of the DARPA Urban Challenge, a competition for cars and trucks that run without human help. The goal of the contest is to develop vehicles that can operate on their own in battle and keep humans out of harm's way. November 1, 2007

Cask from the past - For the first time, researchers have identified DNA from inside ceramic containers in an ancient shipwreck on the seafloor, making it possible to determine what the ship's cargo was even though there was no visible trace of it. October 29, 2007

A good luck send-off for 'Robocar' - CSAIL Director Victor Zue makes remarks at a send-off barbeque lunch in early October for MIT's self-driving "Robocar." October 17, 2007

MIT's 'exoskeleton' lightens the load - Researchers at MIT have created a device to lighten the burden for soldiers and others who carry heavy packs and equipment. Their invention, known as an exoskeleton, can support much of the weight of a heavy backpack. September 19, 2007

Herr wins $250,000 Heinz Award - Professor Hugh Herr, a double amputee whose work has led to the development of new prosthetic innovations that merge body and machine, has won the 13th annual Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment. September 12, 2007

DARPA names MIT's 'robocar' a semifinalist - An MIT vehicle that effectively drives itself has been selected as a semifinalist in this year's DARPA Urban Challenge, a competition for cars and trucks that run without human help. August 9, 2007

Researchers building robotic fin for submarines - Inspired by the efficient swimming motion of the bluegill sunfish, MIT researchers are building a mechanical fin that could one day propel robotic submarines. The MIT team hopes to create a more maneuverable, propeller-less underwater robot. August 3, 2007

Robotic ankle research gets off on the right foot - An Army veteran who lost part of his leg in Iraq walked with more spring in his step Monday as he unveiled the world's first robotic ankle -- an important advance for lower-limb amputees that was developed by a team at MIT. July 23, 2007

Drivers Unwanted: MIT 'Robocar' takes a spin - A team of MIT faculty and researchers are working toward what could be the car of the future: a vehicle that drives itself, with people as passengers. Their vehicle took a driving test last week during a visit by officials from the DARPA Urban Challenge competition. June 28, 2007

Student's elegant, relentless machine wins robo-fest - In a raucous battle of the 'bots that exuded energy squared, senior Stephanie Sidelko took top honors May 9 in MIT's annual Design 2.007 contest when she and her machine outwitted, outlasted and outmaneuvered the tough competition. May 22, 2007

Mechanical engineering robo-fest starts May 15 - MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering will celebrate its annual festival of maximum design and engineering on May 15 and 16 at 6 p.m. in the Johnson Athletic Center. The event is free and open to the public. May 14, 2007

MIT shows how brain interprets surfaces - A team of researchers from MIT and NTT Lab in Japan reveal how the brain responds to surface textures. Their findings show that the perception of reflectance and gloss may be coded by neurons that respond differentially to light and dark spots. April 19, 2007

Assistive robot adapts to people, new places - Robot housekeeping may be decades away from becoming a reality, but a new MIT humanoid called Domo shows promise as a household assistant for the elderly or wheelchair-bound. Applications could also include agriculture and space travel. April 9, 2007

Robotic brace aids stroke recovery - At age 32, Maggie Fermental suffered a stroke that left her right side paralyzed. After a year and a half of conventional therapy with minimal results, she tried a new kind of robotic therapy developed by MIT engineers. March 20, 2007

Model mimics neural processes in object recognition - For the first time, MIT scientists have applied a computer model of how the brain processes visual information to a complex, real world task: recognizing the objects in a busy street scene. February 23, 2007

Hard drives will evolve into soft hearts ... or not - A Nov. 30 debate on the limits of intelligent machines held at MIT echoed a presidential campaign slugfest. Nobody won a round, but the audience scored insight from two of the brightest minds in the field of artificial intelligence. December 5, 2006

Robotic pets may be bad medicine - In the face of techno-doomsday punditry, Sherry Turkle has long been a proponent of the positive. But now the director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self says she has finally met a technology that upsets her. November 29, 2006

CSAIL hosts debate on robotic 'nature' and future - "Creativity: The Mind, Machines, and Mathematics," a debate and discussion hosted by AI pioneer Rodney Brooks, will celebrate the 70th anniversary of Alan Turing's groundbreaking paper "On Computable Numbers," on Nov. 30. November 28, 2006

Robots headed for deepwater operations - MIT Sea Grant recently co-hosted a technology forum to discuss how autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) can offer low-cost solutions for deepwater oil and natural gas exploration and production. November 8, 2006

MIT's intelligent aircraft fly, cooperate autonomously - MIT researchers and collaborators have laid the groundwork for an intelligent airborne fleet of small, unmanned vehicles for military use. The vehicles would require little human supervision and could automatically monitor their condition. September 26, 2006

Kayaks adapted to test marine robotics - MIT researchers are working toward the day when a team of robots could be put into action like a team of Navy SEALs -- doing such dangerous work as searching for survivors after devastating hurricanes or sweeping harbors for mines. August 7, 2006

MITES makes a splash with robots - A rousing game of underwater Quidditch brought this year's Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science program to a close on July 28, as high school students maneuvered their underwater robots through the Alumni Pool. August 1, 2006

Team envisions exploring Mars with mini probes - MIT engineers and scientist colleagues have a new vision for the future of Mars exploration: a swarm of probes, each the size of a baseball, spreading out across the planet in every direction. July 17, 2006

2.007 robots face off at finals - The final rounds of this year's iteration of the annual robot contest put on by MIT mechanical engineering students boiled down to a machine named Charlie and a simple plan for victory. May 23, 2006

Media Lab researcher gets into Monkey Business - Rachel Kern's office in the MIT Media Lab is quiet -- a bit too quiet -- when visitors drop by to hear about Monkey Business, her master's thesis and the latest research phase in the lab's Speech Interface Group. May 17, 2006

2.007 victor shares advice for 2006 - MIT's 36th annual festival of extreme engineering, the famed robot competition that takes its name -- 2.007 -- from a sophomore mechanical engineering course, will be held on May 16 and 17 in the Johnson Athletic Center. May 10, 2006

Nokia Research Center Cambridge opens - Advancing the vision of mobility while developing real-world applications, MIT and Nokia announced April 21 the opening of the Nokia Research Center Cambridge. April 21, 2006

Artist explores human-robot interaction - Alumna Pia Lindman has a new solo show in the MIT Museum's Compton Gallery: She will become a human imitating machines that imitate human gestures. April 12, 2006

Show and tell - John Hutchinski, with his father Pete behind him, listens as a member of Project Orca talks about underwater autonomous robot submarines. April 12, 2006

Robot photographs ancient Greek shipwreck - Sometime in the fourth century B.C., a Greek merchant ship sank in the eastern Aegean Sea. Filled with ceramic jars of wine and olive oil, it might never have divulged its clues to ancient Greek culture, except for a research team including scientists from MIT. February 2, 2006

Get ready for 'Invasion of Technology' - It'll be a jamming night at the Museum of Science as humans, computers and robots join forces to present a musical hybrid of Western and traditional Balinese music, featuring premieres by MIT musicians, on Jan. 25. January 18, 2006

Course 2.12 sends robots to the rescue - Images of men, women and children stranded on rooftops or trapped amid mountains of rubble inspired designers of an MIT engineering course to apply robotics technology to disaster response and rescue missions. December 19, 2005

MIT closes in on bionic speed - MIT researchers, led by Professor Sidney Yip, have proposed a new theory that could make robotic muscles 1,000 times faster than human muscles, with virtually no extra energy demands. November 7, 2005

MIT develops Anklebot for stroke patients - MIT pioneers in the field of robotic therapy are hoping a robotic gym full of machines targeted at different parts of the body will significantly improve stroke patients' movement in arms, wrists, hands, legs and ankles. June 30, 2005

Robots go for Tic-Tech-Toe - Mark Cote's squeezer-grabber-thingy-bopper ruled over Robert Panas' flipper-upper-doo-hoppy in the final tie-breaking rounds of Tic-Tech-Toe, the robot competition for students in MIT's course 2.007. May 17, 2005

Robot-made 'Kiss' wins mural contest - A portrait that explores the ability of a robot arm and a computer to create art was selected the winner of MIT's second annual Student Mural Competition. May 16, 2005

Robot 'zoo' is a class act - Icarus and Mostly Harmless were among the machines on hand at a robotic "petting zoo" May 5 held in honor of the inauguration of President Susan Hockfield. May 6, 2005

Robot contest puts design into action - Visitors have a unique chance to view a video history of MIT's famed robot contest 2.007, and get an insider's preview of the 2005 contest in an inauguration week event, "Learning by Design," on Thursday, May 5. May 4, 2005

Teams build robots that walk like humans - Three independent research teams, including one from MIT, have built walking robots that mimic humans in terms of their gait, energy-efficiency and control. March 2, 2005

Robots serve humans in many settings - There's still a long way to go before today's robots evolve into everyday technologies, but even now, autonomous robotic vehicles are exploring uncharted places, assisting troops in combat and performing household tasks. March 2, 2005

A robot high for Archimedes Pi - MIT sophomore Andrew Spann recounts how his team's robot, Archimedes Pi, prevailed over the competition during IAP's Maslab, a course where student teams build camera- and sensor-equipped robots to navigate an unknown course. February 1, 2005

Here comes Santa Claus - A pint-sized Santa Claus, with help from a student-designed robot, deposits gifts down a chimney. The robot was one of four competing in the final project for Professor Harry Asada's Introduction to Robotics class. December 23, 2004

Roving on court - Students in the Introduction to Robotics tested their rovers--Spirit and Opportunity--on Killian Court on Thursday, May 13. May 19, 2004

2.007 contestants gear up - MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering will celebrate its annual competition of maximum design and engineering on May 5 and 6 at 6 p.m. in the Johnson Athletic Center. April 28, 2004

Student dances with robots - Sommer Gentry is investigating the complex haptic communication behind the often-improvised moves in swing dancing. February 4, 2004

Student dances with robots - Some call it swing dancing. Others call it a highly evolved system of communication and control via haptic signaling. An MIT grad student calls it both. February 4, 2004

Humanoid will open doors - Cardea and 14 other robots from universities across the country recently demonstrated their capabilities in D.C., for officials from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). November 5, 2003

RoboSnails mimic nature - The snail now has its first robotic counterpart in research at MIT that could lead to new forms of locomotion for future machines. September 10, 2003

RoboSnails model movements - The humble snail now has its first robotic counterpart in research at MIT that could lead to new forms of locomotion for future machines. September 4, 2003

Biology: the ultimate robotics - Sawyer Fuller began looking at neuroscience to see what he could learn about the "brain of robotics." As he saw it, "what robots can do is extremely limited." September 3, 2003

Cinderella team in contest - A team of MIT undergraduates won $1,500 for finishing second in a robotic competition sponsored by the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) August 27, 2003

Robot plays Cinderella/Terminator - A pick-up team of five MIT undergraduates with only a week to prepare won $1,500 for finishing second in a robotics competition sponsored by INCOSE. August 14, 2003

Solution of walking-on-water mystery - MIT researchers report that they now understand how the insects known as water striders skim effortlessly across the surface of ponds and oceans. August 6, 2003

Happy 100th for EECS - Rodney A. Brooks explains robot-human interaction to Professor John V. Guttag (head of electrical engineering and computer science) during the department's 100th anniversary celebration. June 4, 2003

LCS and AI Lab to merge - Two major laboratories at MIT are merging: the Laboratory for Computer Science and the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. June 4, 2003

MIT's computer science, AI labs merge - Thomas L. Magnanti, dean of the MIT School of Engineering, today announced the merger of two major laboratories at MIT: the LCS and the AI Lab. May 28, 2003

Evolving human-machine relations - Four MIT researchers gave hundreds of EECS alumni and friends a taste of the future of human-machine relationships on Friday in Kresge Auditorium at the first day of a two-day celebration of the department's centennial. May 23, 2003

2.007 'bots groove - The annual contest (now in its 33rd year) challenges sophomores in mechanical engineering to design, build and compete with autonomous robots, or 'bots. May 14, 2003

2.007 contest - The Department of Mechanical Engineering will host the 33rd annual Design 2.007 contest in the Johnson Athletic Center. April 30, 2003

Kismet lands at MIT Museum - Kismet, the world's first sociable robot, joins an exhibit titled "Robots and Beyond: Exploring Artificial Intelligence @ MIT" in the MIT Museum on Friday, April 18. April 16, 2003

MIT, London report transatlantic touch - Researchers at MIT and UC London have linked hands in the first transatlantic touch, "feeling" each other's manipulations of a small box on a computer screen. October 28, 2002

Tiny ideas get media play - James McLurkin, ant farmer and creator of robotic ants and other small things in droves, is living large on a subway poster in Washington, D.C. October 23, 2002

MIT's robotic helicopter performs new stunt - A team of MIT researchers looked on recently as the pilot of their model X-Cell 60 helicopter flipped a switch on a remote control box. October 9, 2002

MIT's robotic 'copter - A team of MIT researchers looked on recently as the pilot of their model X-Cell 60 helicopter flipped a switch on a remote control box and executed a complex maneuver. October 4, 2002

Team One is No. 1 in robot contest - Team One's whirring, spring-action robot triumphed over machines built by seven other teams as the two-week International Design Contest concluded with a bang on Aug. 16. August 28, 2002

Robot contest draws worldwide talent - 42 students from seven countries are plunging into the 13th annual running of the International Design Contest , which is being held this year at MIT. August 14, 2002

Researchers create animation of face - Mary 101's face belongs to a real person, but her image is now a video ventriloquist's dummy. MIT researchers Tomaso Poggio and Tony F. Ezzat can make her say anything they want. May 22, 2002

Realistic speech animation - Mary 101's face belongs to a real person, but her image is now a video ventriloquist's dummy. May 22, 2002

Robocopter over Killian - About 20 people gathered at 6:30 a.m. as MIT researchers and a professional pilot turned on the robotic helicopter and flew it some 30 feet into the air. March 6, 2002

Robotic helicopter goes on a 360-degree roll - MIT researchers are creating the world's first acrobatic robotic bird--a small, agile helicopter that the military and entertainment industry could use. February 13, 2002

MIT helicopter makes first acrobatic roll - MIT researchers are creating the world's first acrobatic robotic bird. February 1, 2002

MIT lab creates robotic dinosaur - If Peter Dilworth gets his wish, children may one day be able to view walking -- and perhaps running -- 3-D recreations of small dinosaurs. May 21, 2001

AI Lab creates dinosaur - If Peter Dilworth gets his wish, children may one day be able to view walking -- and perhaps running -- three-dimensional recreations of small dinosaurs. May 16, 2001

2.007 contest gets underway - MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering will host the 31st Design 2.007 contest on Wednesday, May 9 at 7pm in the Johnson Athletics Center. May 2, 2001

MIT hosts A.I. event - Hollywood was at MIT on Monday as the AI Lab hosted a media event that brought together scientists and pioneers with some of the filmmakers and talent of A.I. May 2, 2001

MIT team building social robot - Kismet is a robotic head that can interact with humans in a human-like way via myriad facial expressions, head positions, and tones of voice. February 14, 2001

Team builds 'sociable' robot - "Hello, Kismet," said Cynthia Breazeal in a singsong voice. Leaning closer to the object of her attention, she asked, "Are you going to talk to me?" February 14, 2001