MIT Media Lab

Watch: AHA at MIT Media Lab hosted guest speaker Albrecht Schmidt, Professor of Computer Science at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, for a seminar earlier this month. The conversation was moderated by Media Lab Professor Pattie Maes.

On Bloomberg’s “The Close,” Media Lab Professor Danielle Wood talks to host Romaine Bostick, CFA about the future of space exploration, NASA’s evolving role, public-private collaboration, and how the next generation of scientists is advancing a more equitable and sustainable vision for space. "[My students] give me hope every day,” she says. “They have high standards about what the future looks like. They believe in a more equitable society. They want to protect the planet. They want to make sure that things we invest our time in are good for today and good for the long term. They see a need to collaborate across different boundaries."

Last month, AHA at MIT Media Lab hosted guest speaker Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture and Design at The Museum of Modern Art. Professor Zach Lieberman moderated the discussion. Watch the archived video: https://lnkd.in/eYZWhQuy

The Aurelia Institute, a nonprofit Media Lab spinoff, serves as a research lab for space technology and architecture, a center for education and outreach, and a policy hub dedicated to inspiring more people to work in the space industry. Its mission is driven by the desire to ensure that the future of human life in space benefits everyone—whether in space or here on Earth.

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“We live in a world where measurement, efficiency, and optimization are too often valued above human needs, interests, and experiences,” writes Professor Mitch Resnick, who leads the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the Media Lab. To promote the creation of a more human-centered society, he says, we also need “a more human-centered approach to education, providing students with opportunities to set their own goals, build on their own interests, express their own ideas, develop their own strategies, and feel a sense of control and ownership over their own learning.”

Co-founded by former Labber Cayden Pierce 凯登, Mentra has just raised $8 million to support its mission to build an operating system for smart glasses, with an open SDK (software development kit). Pierce, who studied with Professor Pattie Maes at the Media Lab, also spent time with alum Steve Mann at the University of Toronto.

MIT researchers have developed a conformable ultrasound patch that adheres seamlessly to curved areas of the body—like the breast, knee, or shoulder—enabling detailed, volumetric imaging without gels or adhesives. Built with phased arrays of piezoelectric transducers embedded in a flexible elastomeric substrate, this innovation offers improved imaging for complex anatomical regions and expands the possibilities for noninvasive diagnostics. Learn more about this technology: https://bit.ly/3TsuPPf Canan Dagdeviren MIT Media Lab

A new imaging technique developed by researchers in the Signal Kinetics group at the Media Lab uses millimeter wave (mmWave) signals—the same type of signals used in Wi-Fi—to create accurate 3D reconstructions of objects that are blocked from view. The waves can travel through common obstacles like plastic containers or interior walls, and reflect off hidden objects. The system, called mmNorm, collects those reflections and feeds them into an algorithm that estimates the shape of the object’s surface. It could be used to help quality-control robots in warehouses detect damaged merchandise without opening boxes, or to find tools in closed drawers. The team presented a paper demonstrating the system at the Annual International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications and Services. Authors: Laura Dodds, Tara Boroushaki, Kaichen Z., and Professor Fadel Adib.

Media Lab Professor Zach Lieberman talks to Archinect about his approach to integrating art with technology, which was honored with a 2025 MIT Teaching With Digital Technology Award.