MIT creates soft-fingered robot that could sew stitches, tie knots

MIT creates soft-fingered robot that could sew stitches, tie knots

MIT has created a soft-fingered robotic gripper for dedicated and fine manipulation of objects like cables and sheets.

The two-fingered robotic gripper, which has soft pads for dedicated and fine manipulation of objects like cables, sheets and more. It is equipped with fingertips that have embedded sensors that help it detect the position of a cable between the grippers.

The sensors provide data on how the cable is situated between the two ‘fingers’ of the gripper and the force exerted.The robot’s design is based on how humans use their fingers to do things like untangle wires and tie knots.

The technology could one day be used by robots to perform household tasks such as folding clothes, or for more technical purposes like wire shaping.

MIT researchers translated the Covid-19 virus into music to offer a new perspective

MIT researchers translated the Covid-19 virus into music to offer a new perspective

Researchers and scientist all over the world are trying to figure out the new found virus. Now, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are looking at the virus with a new perspective, they are hearing it in musical form.

Markus Buehler, material scientist and professor of engineering at MIT, translated the structure of the coronavirus protein into a musical composition.

Using machine learning and AI technology Buehler and his team were able to calculate the vibrational spectrum and make that audible, creating overlapping melodies that would create a composition or audible representation of the protein.

Buehler said, “When we translate the protein into sound and music, we basically follow the sequence by which these proteins are constructed, you can imagine this being a piano with 20 keys. Each key has a unique sound, but this sound isn’t a sound that comes from a string or a drum membrane or a trumpet. It’s a sound that actually comes from the real vibrations off of chemical building blocks”.

The researchers claim that it is easier to hear abnormalities in the structure of a protein rather than scrutinizing data and looking at it under a microscope at the nano-level.

MIT develops washable sensors that embed in fabric for constant vital sign monitoring

MIT develops washable sensors that embed in fabric for constant vital sign monitoring

MIT experts have developed a new sensor that is waterproof and can be embedded in an 

individual’s clothes. It is a lightweight sensor that can be integrated into flexible fabrics, including 

the kinds of polyesters often used in athletic wear.

The newly developed sensor can monitor the wearer’s vital signs, including his or her respiratory rate, heart rate, and body temperature. These sensors are machine-washable and can be integrated into clothing that appears totally normal.

Sources claim that research was conducted by MIT to design a prototype that can communicate with a smartphone. The prototype has potential applications across the sports industry, health industry.

Also, the sensors can be used even in space to monitor the vital signs of an astronaut during a space mission and on patients who have underlying chronic conditions that require regular check-ups and monitoring. Several companies are already experimenting with washable-sensors.