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 CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—A human clearing junk out of an attic can often guess the contents of a box simply by picking...

New Electronic ‘Skin’ Could Enable Lightweight Night-Vision Glasses

MIT engineers developed ultrathin electronic films that sense heat and other signals, and could reduce the bulk of conventional goggles and scopes. By Jennifer Chu | MIT News CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—MIT engineers have developed a technique to grow and peel ultrathin “skins”...