System lets robots identify an object’s properties through handling

With a novel simulation method, robots can guess the weight, softness, and other physical properties of an object just by picking it up.

Adam Zewe | MIT News • mit
May 8, 2025 ~7 min

Ping pong bot returns shots with high-speed precision

In addition to training future players, the technology could expand the capabilities of other humanoid robots, such as for search and rescue.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News • mit
May 8, 2025 ~8 min


Spacecraft can ‘brake’ in space using drag − advancing craft agility, space safety and planetary missions

An aerospace engineer explains why NASA, Space Force and other agencies are using or testing aerobraking for more fuel-efficient spacecraft.

Piyush Mehta, Associate Professor of Space Systems, West Virginia University • conversation
May 7, 2025 ~8 min

Hybrid AI model crafts smooth, high-quality videos in seconds

The CausVid generative AI tool uses a diffusion model to teach an autoregressive (frame-by-frame) system to rapidly produce stable, high-resolution videos.

Alex Shipps | MIT CSAIL • mit
May 6, 2025 ~6 min

New tool evaluates progress in reinforcement learning

“IntersectionZoo,” a benchmarking tool, uses a real-world traffic problem to test progress in deep reinforcement learning algorithms.

MIT Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems • mit
May 5, 2025 ~7 min

Novel AI model inspired by neural dynamics from the brain

New type of “state-space model” leverages principles of harmonic oscillators.

Adam Conner-Simons | MIT CSAIL • mit
May 2, 2025 ~4 min

Study of facial bacteria could lead to probiotics that promote healthy skin

During the early teen years, many new strains of C. acnes colonize the skin on our faces. This could be an optimal time for probiotic treatment.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
May 1, 2025 ~9 min

Making AI models more trustworthy for high-stakes settings

A new method helps convey uncertainty more precisely, which could give researchers and medical clinicians better information to make decisions.

Adam Zewe | MIT News • mit
May 1, 2025 ~7 min


The MIT-Portugal Program enters Phase 4

New phase will support continued exploration of ideas and solutions in fields ranging from AI to nanotech to climate — with emphasis on educational exchanges and entrepreneurship.

Lisa Capone | MIT Portugal Program • mit
April 30, 2025 ~12 min

MIT engineers advance toward a fault-tolerant quantum computer

Researchers achieved a type of coupling between artificial atoms and photons that could enable readout and processing of quantum information in a few nanoseconds.

Adam Zewe | MIT News • mit
April 30, 2025 ~7 min

/

437