Anyone who has ever taken a course in biology or left produce out on the counter for a little too long will recognize the noble fruit fly. Easy to breed, feed and observe, they are the subject of choice for many hoping to study a broad range of scientific inquiries. After hearing her parents debate the benefits of organic over conventionally-raised foods, Texas student Ria Chhabra decided to use the insect to investigate their argument. The 16-year-old looked at the rates of stress, fertility and longevity of the flies and noticed that all fared better on the organic potatoes and bananas that they were fed. She has since published her results, been named as a finalist in the 2011 Broadcom Masters national scientific challenge, and partnered with a research laboratory at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

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Post tags: broadcom masters, brown, Dallas, fruit fly, high school student, johannes bauer, MIT, Organic, Produce, ria chhabra, santharam kolli, southern methodist university, texas, type 2 diabetes, vitamin c

The first sure sign of a robot uprising will be when robots gain self-awareness and begin acting autonomously – and if this self-assembling robot is any indication, we’re well on our way to the robopocalypse. Researchers at Harvard and MIT teamed up to produce a 3D-printed inchworm robot that is able to aseemble itself. Using shape memory polymers that automatically fold into desired shapes, the remarkable bot transforms itself from a completely flat, two-dimensional object into a walking inchworm-shaped robot with almost no help from human hands.

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Post tags: 3D printing, 3d-printed inchworm robot, 3D-printed robot, harvard, ICRA 2013, inchworm robot, MIT, robots, self-assembling robot, Self-folding robot

Critics of wind power keep coming back to the same old complaint: what happens when there’s no wind? A new design from researchers at MIT could finally offer a solution to this renewable energy conundrum. Engineers have conceived of an offshore wind turbine anchored by hollow concrete spheres that could also turn seawater into electricity. The turbine would allow offshore wind farm managers to store excess energy for a time when there’s no wind.

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Post tags: "wind power", "wind turbine", coral reefs, floating wind turbines, MArine Power, MIT, offshore wind, wind farm

A team from MIT is working on developing ionic wind thrusters as an energy-efficient, low-emission alternative to conventional propulsion technologies like jet engines. The new thrusters would use ionic energy, which is created when a current passes between two electrodes. If one electrode is thinner than the other, it creates an air current in the space between them – and if a substantial voltage is applied, the device could produce powerful thrust without the need for fuel or motors.

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Post tags: airline engine, airline propulsion, atmospheric propulsion technologies, ion energy, ion engines, ion thrusters, ionic power, ionic propulsion, ionic wind thrusters, MIT, proceedings of the royal society

A team of researchers at MIT have developed a more efficient photovoltaic solar cell using particles known as quantum dots. The benefit of using quantum dots is that they can be produced cheaply, and the solar cells can be manufactured at room temperature, unlike silicon and other PV materials, which require high-temperature processing. Using a new technique, the scientists embedded the quantum dots in a ‘forest of nanowires,’ which will help the team to achieve higher efficiency ratios.

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Post tags: "solar energy", massachusetts institute of technology, MIT, nanowires, photovoltaic, qauntum dot solar cell, quantum dots, Solar Cell, solar efficiency, solar panel, Solar Power

Portable gadgets, like smartphones and tablets, have changed the way we consume information and communicate, but at this stage they all have one common flaw: they need to be tethered to the wall for a few hours to recharge their batteries. From portable solar panels to kinetic energy harvesting, we’ve seen several clever ideas aimed at generating energy on the go, but a new startup called Ubiquitious Energy promises to revolutionize the way we power our mobile devices. The company plans to develop see-through solar cells that can be installed on top of tablet screens, keeping your iPad running all day long.

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Post tags: "solar energy", apple, iPad, MIT, portable electronics, portable gadgets, portable solar, see-through solar, solar iPad, Solar Power, solar powered gadgets, solar-powered tablets, tablet, transparent solar cells, ubiquitous energy

In the hunt to replace petroleum, scientists are looking for more efficient ways to produce biofuels from organisms. A team of researchers at MIT have engineered yeast to manufacture the heavy alcohol isobutanol. Yeast normally creates isobutanol in small amounts, and by altering the cell so that the production takes place entirely in the mitochondria, the scientists were able to boost the amount of the chemical by 260 percent. The results of their work were published in the February 17 online edition of Nature Biotechnology.

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Post tags: 2-methyl-1-butanol, biofuel, biosynthetic, cytoplasm, ETHANOL, gregory stephanopoulos, isobutanol, isopentanol, jose avalos, MIT, mitchondria, nature biotechnology, petroleum, yeast

A team of engineers from MIT has created genetic circuits in bacterial cells that can not only perform logic functions, but also remember the results. These functions can then be encoded within the cell’s DNA and can be passed on in other cells for dozens of generations. The research, which was outlined in the Feb. 10 online edition of Nature Biotechnology, states that this breakthrough could allow for more efficient controls in biomanufacturing, as well as the programming of stem cells into other cell types.

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Post tags: bacterial cells, biodiesel, biofuels, Biological engineering, Boolean logic, Circuits, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (eecs), genetic circuits, Logic gate, MIT, stem cells, Synthetic biology

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "solar energy", abu dhabi, clean tech, clean tech hub, csp, Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, eco design, green design, greywater recycling, masdar city, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, MIST, MIT, photovoltaic panels, Recycling initiatives, shams 1, sustainable design, united arab emirates, World Future Energy Summit

Say hello to Baxter, the $22,000 humanoid robot that could help revolutionize manufacturing in the US. Rethink Robotics, a Boston-based robotics firm, produced Baxter in an effort to give cheap offshore labor a run for its money. Rethink wants to use Baxter to perform simple jobs that manufacturers have never been able to automate cost-effectively before, and in the process, Baxter promises to help cut down on repetitive use injuries. The robot is made from 75-percent American-made parts, and it could help manufacturers improve efficiency and increase productivity.

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Post tags: baxter, Humanoid Robot, manufacturing jobs, massachusetts institute of technology, MIT, repetitive use injury, Rethink, rethink robotics, robot, rodney brooks, US manufacturing

Researchers at MIT just developed a new bio-polymer film that is able to generate electricity from a readily available source: water vapor. The material changes its shape as it absorbs evaporated water. As the bio-polymer film repeatedly curls and unfurls it drives robotic limbs, which in turn generate enough electricity to power micro- and nanoelectronic devices.

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Post tags: bio-polymer film, devices, gadgets, MIT, piezoelectric, piezoelectric clothing, polymer film, sweat power, water power, water vapor

Germany is no stranger to car-sharing programs, but a novel new vehicle is about to join Berlin’s car-sharing network. The EV company Hiriko, originally called City Car, is planning to test run its folding car in agreement with the German railway network, Deutsche Bahn. Born from the labs of MIT in the mid-2000′s. The company name comes from the Basque word meaning “urban,” and the tiny electric vehicle is prefect for squeezing into tight spaces. With only two seats, the Hiriko has a sliding rear section onto which the front passenger section can retract. Folded, the car measures only 1.5 meters long, making it more compact than a Smart car at 2.7 meters.

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Post tags: Basque, battery, berlin, city car, deutsche bahn, eflinkster, electric vehicle, ev, folding, germany, hiriko, ialai, laga, MIT

Transforming robots are not be the exclusive property of cartoons and sci-fi blockbusters anymore. Engineers from MIT have created a tiny device that is capable of folding itself into almost any desirable shape. Developed by Neil Gershenfeld, Ara Knaian and Kenneth Cheung, the “milli-motein” is the world’s smallest chain robot. Operating under the theory that any three-dimensional shape can be made by folding a long enough string of identical subunits, the small motorized contraption can fashion itself into almost any configuration.

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Post tags: ara knaian, chain, electro-permanent motor, electromagnet, kenneth cheung, milli-motein, MIT, motor, neil gershenfeld, robot, string, three-dimensional

Porcupine quills might seem more hurtful than helpful – but researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital are examining the structure of the spines for use in the medical field. For the first time, scientists have characterized the forces needed for the quills to enter and exit the skin and have created devices mimicking their characteristics. The designs are the first steps towards less painful needles and stronger adhesives. This will particularly benefit patients who have undergone such delicate internal surgeries as most of their wounds are currently held together with sutures or staples that can leak, or adhesives that can cause adverse reactions.

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Post tags: adhesives, barbs, Brigham and Women's Hospital, jeffrey karp, MIT, needles, north american porcupine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, quills, robert langer, woo kyung cho

Researchers at MIT recently announced plans to create a “solar energy funnel” that could harvest energy from a much broader spectrum of sunlight than silicon photovoltaics are currently able to achieve. Ju Li, an MIT professor, and Xiaoteng Qian, a postdoc student, published a paper this week in Nature Photonics describing the funnel, which is made from a vanishingly thin material called Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2).

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Post tags: converting a broader spectrum of sunlight into electricity, elastic strain, harnessing different wavelengths of sunlight, Ju Li, MIT, molybdenum disulfide, more efficient material than silicon, Nature Photonics, Nuclear Science and Engineering Department at MIT, solar energy funnel, solar funnel, solar funnel effect, Xiaoteng Qian

Motorists and cyclists may not always understand one another, but with the help of the MindRider, they’ll at least have one more avenue of communication. Developed by MIT student Arlene Ducao, the mind-controlled helmet flashes different colored lights depending on the rider’s stress levels. Using a NeuroSky Mindset, the MIT animator and computer programmer has developed a more elegant way to communicate on the road than flipping someone the bird.

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Post tags: arduino, arlene ducao, bluetooth, cyclist, eeg, electroencephalogram, helmet, LED, mindrider, MIT, neurosky mindset, RGB

As much as we love Smartphones, they are a pretty inefficient technology. We typically focus on charging as the main point of energy consumption, but new research from MIT suggests the real inefficiencies happen far from your outlet. Cellular base stations, the facilities where electricity is turned into radio signals, suck up an astounding $36 billion worth of electrical energy a year. You may think that all that juice helps to make your phone blazing fast, but it doesn’t. According to researchers at MIT much of this is wasted by a single inefficient piece of hardware – and they may have finally cracked the problem with a new design.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", Energy Consumption, MIT, power amplifier, smartphones, Technology

When it comes to protecting the Earth from potentially devastating asteroids, scientists have discussed using everything from nuclear weapons to spacecraft armed with solar-powered lasers. However, an MIT scientist has proposed that should an asteroid approach the Earth less-harmful weapons should be implemented – paintballs.

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Post tags: armageddon, asteroids, meteor, MIT, nasa, NASA’s Near Earth Objects Observation Program, Near Earth Objects, paintballs, spacecraft, Sung Wook Paek

Carbon nanotube sensors are a new must-have in contaminated areas, providing the ability to detect harmful gases and warn of danger. But the volatile nature of the sensors makes large-scale production a difficult task. Scientists at MIT however, have developed a new solution—a carbon nanotube mechanical pencil which with just a stroke of the point transfers a nanotube sensor onto a sheet of paper.

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Post tags: Carbon nanotube pencil, carbon nanotube sensors, Disaster-proof design, eco design, electrical engineering, green design, Katherine Mirica, massachusetts institute of technology, MIT, sustainable design

The art of origami is serious business, especially when involves folding over 49,000 business cards as part of a three-dimensional representation of an enormously complex mathematical object. On September 20, USC Libraries unveiled an enormously intricate model of a newly discovered fractal called the Mosely Snowflake Sponge, designed by MIT-trained engineer Jeannine Mosely. At an enormous six feet tall, the thousands of cards making up the Sponge have been fashioned into cubes and paneled with USC’s red and gold school colors. This marks the first time that this object has been represented into the real world as an actual physical piece.

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Post tags: 3D, business cards, fractal, jeannine mosely, margaret wertheim, MIT, mosely snowlfake sponge, origami, usc doheny memorial library, usc library, Wired