2+ day, 11+ hour ago  (920+ words) Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to help optimize decision-making in high-stakes settings. For instance, an autonomous system can identify a power distribution strategy that minimizes costs while keeping voltages stable. But while these AI-driven outputs may be technically optimal,…...

3+ day, 11+ hour ago  (812+ words) Designers, makers, and others often use 3D printing to rapidly prototype a range of functional objects, from movie props to medical devices. Accurate print previews are essential so users know a fabricated object will perform as expected. But previews generated by…...

5+ day, 17+ min ago  (856+ words) In biology, defects are generally bad. But in materials science, defects can be intentionally tuned to give materials useful new properties. Today, atomic-scale defects are carefully introduced during the manufacturing process of products like steel, semiconductors, and solar cells to…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago  (1097+ words) Growing up in Mexico and Texas, Mariano Salcedo "25 couldn"t readily indulge his passion for creating music. "There are no bands in Mexican public schools," he says. While some families could pay for instruments and lessons, others, like Salcedo"s,…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago  (663+ words) Proteins are far more than nutrients we track on a food label. Present in every cell of our bodies, they work like nature's molecular machines. They walk, stretch, bend, and flex to do their jobs, pumping blood, fighting disease, building…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago  (939+ words) Augmenting citizen science with computer vision for fish monitoring'MIT News Centers, Labs, & Programs - Augmenting citizen science with computer vision for fish monitoring Previous image Next image Each spring, river herring populations migrate from Massachusetts coastal waters to begin their annual…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago  (508+ words) Artificial intelligence holds promise for helping doctors diagnose patients and personalize treatment options. However, an international group of scientists led by MIT cautions that AI systems, as currently designed, carry the risk of steering doctors in the wrong direction because…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago  (722+ words) ChromoLCD combines the sharpness of LCDs with the precision lighting of LEDs. The collective powers of these lights help users stamp designs onto flat surfaces (like walls) and soft ones (like bags) after they've been coated with photochromic dye. Imagine…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago  (617+ words) From enhancing international business logistics to freeing up more hospital beds to helping farmers, MIT Professor Dimitris Bertsimas SM "87, PhD "88 summarized how his work in operations research has helped drive real-world improvements, while delivering the 54th annual James R. Killian Faculty Achievement…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago  (696+ words) A few weeks ago, Amy Moran-Thomas and 20 students in her class 21A.311 (The Social Lives of Medical Objects) were gathered around a glucose meter, a jar of test strips, and various spare medical parts in the MIT Museum seminar room, talking…...