Mit

MIT Develops "Quickies": Post-it Notes For The 21st Century

There have been a number of attempts to modernize the much beloved Post-it note, but the "Quickies" concept developed by MITs Ambient Intelligence Group may be the most viable to date. Using RFID technology, AI and ink recognition, Quickies relay written information to our computers and cellphones—making the notes more effective as reminders, and much easier to archive. To get an idea of the possible applications, hit the jump to check out the system in action. More »

4:30 PM on Thu Apr 24 2008
By Sean Fallon
10,760 views, 28 comments

Latest by Buttermaker: Better be careful MIT. 3M owns a trademark on "canary yellow" notes. I'm not kidding about this. [products3.3m.com] FWIW... this idea is clever but useless. more »

exclusive

Mystery of Pentagon DARPA Cars Revealed, Deep Throat Spills

Our Deep Throat at the Pentagon's parking lot has sent us an update with new pictures and the reason why the DARPA Challenge cars have taken over the military installation today: "they are showing off." After all, the men with the funny hats pay the bills. You can check his complete explanation here.

3:55 PM on Fri Apr 11 2008
By Jesus Diaz
5,679 views, 5 comments

exclusive

DARPA Urban Challenge Cars Invading Pentagon Parking Lot

Gizmodo reader Andrew Friend was strolling yesterday through the Pentagon's North Parking back to the office when he noticed the car above, MIT's entry in the DARPA Urban Challenge, which aims to produce a car that can run completely automated in any conditions, without human intervention. He reported today that all the challenge cars arrived today—"they must be doing something on the weekend when the parking lot clears out," he said. With no notice of a new challenge, what are all those cars doing there? Some possible answers, Google Maps location and a video showing how good these cars are, right after the jump. Updated: check the extra images from different cars and all the details about what is going on from another reader at the Pentagon right now.
More »

9:30 AM on Fri Apr 11 2008
By Jesus Diaz
10,798 views, 23 comments

Latest by BiggerGeek: CMU's computer was actually called skynet. If you ask me those dudes are just asking for trouble. Not only that, their bot runs on windows...asking for trouble more »

robots

Nexi, The Social Robot From MIT Goes For the Emo Look

She may look miles away from crossing uncanny valley, but Nexi from MIT's Personal Robots Group is at least on the way. She's designed to be a "Mobile Social Dextrous" machine that moves like we do when we express emotions. So, she's got fully articulated arms and a head with features that can be motored around to form expressions. Acting out emotions, she's actually rather amazing, in a slightly sad robot kinda way: the video may send a few chills down your spine, no matter how "artificial" Nexi looks now. More »

9:50 AM on Thu Apr 3 2008
By Kit Eaton
6,553 views, 36 comments

Latest by IndecisiveMoment: A look at Nexi's page over at the MIT site is much more revealing. This particular robotics group clearly states that they aren't interested in attempting direct realism and about one of their other robots stated, "This follows from our more »

space

Google, MIT Team Up to Search for Planets with Extraterrestrial Life

MIT and Google are teaming up to help find planets that may be suitable for supporting life, getting us closer to getting in touch with some friendly/not friendly aliens. Google is paying for MIT's development of "six high-res, wide-field digital cameras with a 192-megapixel resolution for TESS - the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite." The goal? To find Earth-like planets that are suitable for life, and to do it soon. More »

2:30 PM on Fri Mar 21 2008
By Adam Frucci
5,559 views, 27 comments

Latest by icelight: We should start getting results much sooner than that: NASA's Kepler mission is doing the same thing, and should launch Feb '09. more »

mit media lab

MIT Media Lab's Siftables Are Cool, But Ultimately Useless

These Siftables from MIT Media Labs are small Post It-sized displays with processing power built in, allowing it to communicate with other Siftables as well as detect motion and proximity. You'll have to see what that means in the video, as they have different examples of shaking these Siftables, connecting them together, and having each respond accordingly to the one next to it. In its current form it's just a neat toy that doesn't really do much, but if you can adapt this to say, cellphones or MP3 players—stuff people actually carry around with them every day—it might make for some neat interactivity when you and your friends meet up and make your iPhones kiss. [MIT via OhGizmo]

8:30 PM on Sat Mar 15 2008
By Jason Chen
2,152 views, 15 comments

Latest by iSee: Now that's what I call a revolutionary new interface that changes the way we interact with our computing systems, granted it's theory more than anything prepackaged into tomorrow's application of the day, but this is the type of thing I more »

perpetual motion

Perepiteia Perpetual-Motion Machine May Actually Do...Something

The difference between Thane Heins' perpetual-motion invention Perepiteia and last year's flop Steorn Orbo is that when it was demonstrated last week—to scientists at MIT, no less—it appeared to really work. The result of more than 20 years tinkering, Perepiteia defies conventional thought, apparently using magnets to accelerate a turning electrical motor, as the video shows. More »

9:45 AM on Thu Feb 7 2008
By Kit Eaton
47,898 views, 120 comments

media

MIT's 3D Installation Pwns Roger Rabbit

Given that we've covered the topic of real-time 3D animation in 2D video signals before, we must be fairly obsessed with the topic. But placing a 3D CG image into a video signal and manipulating said signal is still, in our book, pretty freakin' cool. Here's a tech demo of 'Installation' by MIT Media Labs. After you are done drooling over their hot camera/display, watch as they place 3D objects into the image and pan around the room. We can't wait until the technology serves its ultimate purpose and Madden places a leaner version of himself on the football field to show "what he would have done" during that last play. [MIT]

8:18 PM on Sun Jan 27 2008
By Mark Wilson
9,854 views, 25 comments

practical invention

SmartSink Uses Height-Calculating Software to Save Your Back

MIT student Leonardo B has come up with an idea for a sink that positions itself depending on the height of the user and adjusts its temperature depending on what you are putting in it. (This is useful when you are nudging 6'0", while your husband struggles to hit the 3'6" mark*, even when he is wearing what he refers to as "gypsy shoes.") Video, plus explanation of how the sink works, below. More »

7:45 AM on Fri Dec 28 2007
By Addy Dugdale
2,213 views, 10 comments

playstation 3

MIT, Sony Turn Hand Sketches Into Physics-ready Systems (With Videos)

We're pretty sure these two pieces of software were developed separately, but both MIT and Sony have come up with a way to take hand-drawn sketches and turn them into little worlds with embedded physics engines. Sony's uses their PS Eye to take either hand-drawn objects or just stuff they have laying on top of a paper and animating it into a little world. One awesome example is scanning in a hand-drawn tank and putting it into a tank battle game (which another Sony employee messes up by bringing in a real tank). Check out these three videos after the jump. More »

4:30 PM on Wed Dec 26 2007
By Jason Chen
7,156 views, 20 comments

Latest by berky93: @dcartist: its called crayon physics, and it doesnt come with it. Its available online. I use it on my computer (not a tablet) and theres one for iphone/itouch (that one is really fun!) more »

pedal power

MIT Cyclists Set Record for Pedal-Powered Supercomputing

A team of 10 cyclists from MIT have set a new world record in the field of Human Powered Computation (HPC) by drawing 1.2 kilowatts of electricity and powering a a SiCortex SC648 supercomputer over the course of a 20 minute nonstop ride. If you recall, SiCortex pulled a similar stunt with another group of bikers at this year's NextFest. The original idea came in response to Google's "Innovate or Die" contest that challenges contestants to use pedal power to develop a "zero emission invention." More info and a video after the break. More »

5:30 PM on Mon Dec 17 2007
By Sean Fallon
3,980 views, 19 comments

Latest by GregCo3000: You forgot to mention Specialized bicycle company in regards to the "innovate or die" competition - After all, that's their corporate logo, and thats why the whole thing has to do with bicycles... And seriously, how is it that some of more »

rent-a-scooter

MIT Designs Electro-Scooter That Folds Up into Tiny, Wheeled Package

Those eggheads at the Smart Cities group at MIT are a clever bunch, coming up with a design concept for an electric scooter that folds up into a package scarcely larger than a wheeled carry-on suitcase. In the Utopian vision for such bikes, you'd ride one to work, then fold it up and roll it right into the office, where it will take up very little space. But wait. This idea gets even more appealing: More »

11:10 AM on Wed Nov 28 2007
By Charlie White
8,351 views, 21 comments

Latest by ajile: @Pope John Peeps II: following his story Scootie: You dont understand the pain Prime.... Prime:Why ?? what so bad son?? Scootie: No one has been this close to his own crotch...oh the humanity. Prime: Oh the horror. more »

multipurpose prototype

Bar Of Soap Is Multi-Talented Gadget That Susses Out What It Is Just By the Way You Hold It

Researchers at MIT's Media Lab have come up with the Bar of Soap, a gadget that works out exactly what it is depending on how it is held. So, hold it like a camera, and you can take pics, hold it like a cellphone, and it makes calls. Basically developed as a prototype to test the grasp classification concept, the technology behind the Bar of Soap is expected to trickle down into future gizmos. More »

8:20 AM on Wed Nov 28 2007
By Addy Dugdale
1,969 views, 10 comments

blenders

Blendie 2000 Voice-Controlled Blender Does In Fact Blend (Video)

The geeks at MIT modded a blender so that it's controlled by the pitch and the intensity of your voice. Judging from the video, the louder and higher you growl, the faster the Blendie 2000 will whir. (We're not certain if other less freakish sounds will work.) Though I can't really see this taking off in most home kitchens, and a Martha Stewart personal demo is probably out of the question, it would make an interesting addition to frat houses all across America. Video after the jump... [TechEBlog] More »

11:53 AM on Tue Nov 20 2007
By hook
4,027 views, 16 comments

Latest by simo: Don't think "geeks" should be plural here, as it looks like Blendie was created by Kelly Dobson as part of her Machine Therapy series in 2004 at MIT. [web.media.mit.edu] more »

tractor beams

MIT Researchers Develop Tractor Beam For Microchip Manufacturing

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a method of arranging cells on a microchip using what they call "optical tweezers." These optical tweezers consist of a fine tuned beam of laser light, which moves cells around on the chip. More »

2:50 PM on Sat Nov 3 2007
By Adrian Covert
3,212 views, 12 comments

cars

Stackable Cars Solve Urban Transportation Problems By Sharing

The City Car, a design from the MIT Media Lab, is a stackable, foldable car concept that hopes to alleviate the urban traffic jams we waste so much of our lives in. These cars—which are supposed to be rentable near major transportation hubs such as airports and train stations—solve the last mile of public transportation by giving folks a small, low-cost way to drop their vehicles altogether. The cars themselves are supposed to be incredibly agile, being able to turn on the spot and drive sideways to parallel park. Only time can tell whether this will be more or less successful than the Segway. [Technology Review via CarLounge]

5:50 PM on Fri Nov 2 2007
By Jason Chen
3,656 views, 27 comments

Latest by yougottabekidding: @Kim98: I can agree with you only in the sense that yes we (the world, not just americans)need to look into ways of reducing overall pollution. The problem with using cars like these for city travel, and trains or planes more »

cellphones

Bacteria Powered Cell Phones Could Be a Disgusting Reality

People in developing countries may lack luxuries like electricity, but what they lack in modern conveniences they more than make up for in bacteria. Fortunately, a team of students from MIT has put two and two together and developed a microbial fuel cell (MFC) that harnesses electrons released by bacteria feeding on sugars, starches and other organic material. As you might have guessed, the output generated from these "BioVolt" batteries is less than ideal. In fact, you could probably charge your phone faster by shuffling your feet across the carpet. In it's current state it would take 6 months to charge a phone's battery, but developers insist that further refinements should increase the output 100 fold. [New Scientist]

9:40 PM on Thu Oct 4 2007
By Sean Fallon
2,604 views, 12 comments

Latest by Neil.Will: "Nuclear power!? Why my boy, thats FAR too dangerous! The car now runs on organic matter to produce the necessary 6 Jigga-watts of power." Also, "Roads? My boy, where we're going, we don't need roads." more »

hacks

MIT Hackers Prank Harvard Statue With Master Chief Helmet, Assault Rifle

MIT's known for pranks, or hacks, against rival school Harvard (and sometimes even on their own campus). Their latest hack today enhances the John P. Harvard statue with a battle-ready Master Chief Spartan helmet and assault rifle (with a bullet count of 2E) in honor of Halo day. Other notable, and perhaps more difficult, hacks include assembling a painted MIT Campus Police car on top of their great dome, assembling a MIT Fire Department truck on their great dome, and a gigantic Triforce on top of the great dome. If they somehow got the Harvard Master Chief statue on top of their great dome, we'd declare this the best hack ever. [MIT]

3:50 PM on Tue Sep 25 2007
By Jason Chen
43,006 views, 27 comments

Latest by whiskey: by the way, in the end... Harvard dies! more »

Gizmodo

Rumor Smashed: AT&T's iPhone Black Reference Just Placeholder Text

Gizmodo Team

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