Mechanical Engineering

AI Weapons Are the Third Revolution in Warfare

The Atlantic: On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, against the backdrop of the rushed U.S.-allied Afghanistan withdrawal, the grisly reality of armed combat and the challenge posed by asymmetric suicide terror attacks grow harder to ignore. But weapons technology has changed…

“Rocket Woman”: from space shuttle engineer to space historian

Technology Review: Linda (Getch) Dawson ’71 grew up during the height of the space race between the US and the USSR. She recalls driving with her family to an observatory to hear the beeping of the Soviet satellite Sputnik as it…

Inflatable Prosthetic Hand with a Sense of Touch

Medgadget: Researchers at MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University created an inexpensive robotic hand intended for use by upper limb amputees. The device is more like a soft robot than previous robotic prostheses, and includes inflatable components and pneumatics, making…

We could power households from the scraps in our food waste bins – here’s what is stopping us

The Conversation: Imagine if you could power your kettle using the energy generated from the vegetable cuttings quietly breaking down in your kitchen’s compost bin. That reality might not be…