MIT engineers design flexible “skeletons” for soft, muscle-powered robots

New modular, spring-like devices maximize the work of live muscle fibers so they can be harnessed to power biohybrid bots.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News • mit
April 8, 2024 ~8 min

MIT engineers design a robotic replica of the heart’s right chamber

The realistic model could aid the development of better heart implants and shed light on understudied heart disorders.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News • mit
Dec. 8, 2023 ~8 min


Why we think that some extinct giant flying reptiles cared for their young

Reptiles don’t generally care for their offspring, but some pterosaurs may have bucked the trend.

Jason Gilchrist, Lecturer in the School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University • conversation
Aug. 18, 2023 ~7 min

Babies almost all try crawling to get from Point A to Point B, but CDC says it's not a useful developmental milestone

Revisions to the CDC’s developmental milestone checklists removed crawling as a skill that babies pick up at a typical age. A biomedical engineer describes how more research may clarify its role.

Mark Geil, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Biomechanics, Kennesaw State University • conversation
Aug. 9, 2023 ~9 min

We're using VR to help find the next generation of basketball stars

When we tweaked the simulator, talented players naturally adapted.

Pooya Soltani, Senior Lecturer in Games Design, Staffordshire University • conversation
May 15, 2023 ~7 min

Speedy robo-gripper reflexively organizes cluttered spaces

Rather than start from scratch after a failed attempt, the pick-and-place robot adapts in the moment to get a better hold.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News Office • mit
April 27, 2023 ~7 min

Custom, 3D-printed heart replicas look and pump just like the real thing

The soft robotic models are patient-specific and could help clinicians zero in on the best implant for an individual.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News Office • mit
Feb. 22, 2023 ~8 min

How cancer cells move and metastasize is influenced by the fluids surrounding them – understanding how tumors migrate can help stop their spread

Counterintuitively, cells move faster in thicker fluids. New research on breast cancer cells explains why, and reveals the role that fluid viscosity plays in metastasis.

Yizeng Li, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Binghamton University, State University of New York • conversation
Jan. 9, 2023 ~7 min


World Cup 2022: footballers run either like gazelles or grizzlies – here's how our research can help coaches

Players can optimise their energy resources by adopting different styles when running in short bursts or longer periods.

Brian Hanley, Reader in Sport and Exercise Biomechanics, Leeds Beckett University • conversation
Dec. 5, 2022 ~6 min

Why elephants have bigger bones and other mysteries of biophysics

During a virtual Harvard Science Book Talk, Raghuveer Parthasarathy examines the mysteries covered in his new book, “So Simple a Beginning: How Four Physical Principles Shape Our Living World.”

Caitlin McDermott-Murphy • harvard
Dec. 2, 2022 ~6 min

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