Project Research

Schnitzer Prize in the Visual Arts Exhibition

Dexter Callender III was awarded the 2024 Schnitzer Prize in the Visual Arts for excellence in his body of work.  
Research
Space Enabled

Advancing justice in Earth's complex systems using designs enabled by space
Post Research

Dexter Callender III awarded 2024 Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize in the Visual Arts

Callender was awarded this prize for his body of work, Light Sculptures, Matters of Impermanence.
Project Research

Light Sculptures

This project transforms light into physical artifacts.  I developed a custom software systems to capture photographs of sunlight …
Research
Conformable Decoders

Converting the patterns of nature and the human body into beneficial signals and energy
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City Science

Looking beyond smart cities
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Lifelong Kindergarten

Engaging people in creative learning experiences
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Biomechatronics

Enhancing human physical capability
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Personal Robots

Building intelligent personified technologies that collaborate with people to help them learn, thrive, and flourish.
Archived
Project Research

A Dream Hotel with Carsten Höller

We are working with MIT CAST Visiting Artist Carsten Höller to build prototypes for a Dream Hotel museum exhibition which will translate ex…
Archived
Research
Human Dynamics

Exploring how social networks can influence our lives in business, health, governance, and technology adoption and diffusion
Project Research

Creative Text-to-Audio Generation via Synthesizer Programming

Neural audio synthesis methods now allow specifying ideas in natural language. However, these methods produce results that cannot be easily…
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Responsive Environments

Augmenting and mediating human experience, interaction, and perception with sensor networks
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Media Lab Research Theme: Decentralized Society

Decentralized Society | Architecting the new internet for the good of the people
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Media Lab Research Theme: Life with AI

Life with AI | Designing the future of smart systems to improve the human experience
Project Research

Conformable Ultrasound Breast Patch (cUSBr-Patch) for Deep Tissue Scanning and Imaging

Ultrasound is widely used for tissue imaging such as breast cancer diagnosis; however, fundamental challenges limit…
Project Research

SkeleText: Skeletonization of Typefaces

Have you ever needed a single-line font rather than an outline of a typeface? For instance in the use of digital fabrication processes such…
Post Research

Illuminate named 2024 Webby Award honoree

Illuminate was featured in the AI, Metaverse + Virtual: Best Installation or Experience category.
Post Research

MIT Arts Startup Incubator finalist: Hex House

Hex House was co-founded by Char Stiles, a master's student in the Future Sketches research group.
Project Research

ColloGraphy

ColloGraphy (colloquy+calligraphy) is a tangible way to interact and communicate with another person from a different time, whether a loved…
Project Research

▓▒░ TeleAbsence

People die twice.First, when they die.Then when they are forgotten.Rokusuke Ei (1933-2016)
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Space Exploration Initiative

Space Exploration Initiative
Article Research

Weaving memory into textiles

For the MIT Visiting Artist Chloé Bensahel, who has collaborated with the Media Lab's Future Sketches group, fabric itself tells the story.
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Media Lab Research Theme: Connected Mind + Body

Connected Mind + Body | Revolutionizing the future of mental and physical wellbeing
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Fluid Interfaces

Designing Systems for Cognitive Support
Article Research

At the Venice Biennale, the German Pavilion Undergoes a Transformation

Nicole L'Huillier, an alum of the Opera of the Future group, is collaborating on a sound installation at this year's Venice Biennale.
Article Research

The creative future of generative AI

Media Lab alumni Ziv Epstein and Alexander Reben joined a panel discussion on the creative future of generative AI.
Article Research

Making art through computation

Master’s student Chelsi Cocking combines her love for computer science and design in her research and outreach efforts at the Media Lab.
Post Research

Illuminate nominated for 2024 SXSW Innovation Award

Illuminate has been nominated for a 2024 SXSW Innovation Award in the Student Innovation category. Illuminate  is an in…
Project Research

Illuminate

What would it be like if we could see our movement? Illuminate (2023, Chelsi Alise Cocking) is an interactive art installation in whic…
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Future Sketches

Exploring the essence of code as a creative medium
Project Research

👋 CoCo — A New Real-Time Co-Creative Platform for Young People

CoCo is a new live co-creative learning platform designed to empower educators to support young people in both physical and remote set…
Post Research

MIT AI for Filmmaking Hackathon 2024: A Leap Forward in Creative Innovation

The second iteration of this hackathon featured 66 films and 400 participants from local institutions, other states, and countries.
Project Research

VALIS: 2023 Production

Tod Machover’s first opera (he has now composed many more groundbreaking ones) was VALIS, and it made history when it premiered for the 10t…
Project Research

Theme | Attention, Memory & Learning

Projects related to the theme of how digital systems may support attention, memory, and learning.
Article Research

Anti-melody, Insurgent Rhythm: Ekene Ijeoma’s “Deconstructed Anthems: Massachusetts”

Read more about the premiere of “Deconstructed Anthems: Massachusetts” in the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts
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Viral Communications

People and intelligent machines in a creative, symbiotic loop
Article Research

Re-imagining the opera of the future

The iconic sci-fi opera VALIS, first composed by Professor Tod Machover in 1987, reboots at MIT for a new generation.
Research
Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek

Inventing disruptive technologies for nanoelectronic devices and creating new paradigms for life-machine symbiosis
Post Research

MIT AI for Filmmaking Hackathon 2023 Brings Dreams to Life

Ruihan Zhang, a student in the Molecular Machines group, was lead organizer of this event in collaboration with MIT Film Makers Association
Publication Research

Exploring the Use of Real-Time Camera Filters on Embodiment and Creativity

Leong, Joanne, et al. "Exploring the Use of Real-Time Camera Filters on Embodiment and Creativity." Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2021.
Project Research

Synthetic Self-Perception

Perceptual illusions have the power to change our abilities and behaviours. Prior research in virtual reality (VR) has shown that transport…
Article Research

Reimagining the Opera of the Future

The iconic sci-fi opera VALIS reboots for a new generation
Post Research

Media Lab research highlighted by MIT News in its wrap-ups of 2023 press coverage

The Media Lab is honored to have had its research and researchers highlighted in two 2023 end-of-year lists prepared by MIT News.
Research
Affective Computing

Advancing human wellbeing by developing new ways to communicate, understand, and respond to emotion
Project Research

Theme | Attention, Memory & Learning (OLD)

Several of our projects aim to support learning and creativity. While some systems focus on a specific skill to be strengthened, e.g.,…
Post Research

Xin Liu wins inaugural K11 Artist Prize

Liu was selected from eight shortlisted artists for her work bridging art and science.
Project Research

Theme | Sleep + Dream Engineering

We  build technologies that interface with the sleeping mind. We track different sleep-stages using brain activity, muscle tensio…
Research
Media Lab Research Theme: Future Worlds

Future Worlds | Design and action for the future we want to live in
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Tangible Media

Invent new tangible and embodied interactions that inspire and engage people
Post Research

Max Addae wins first place in the 2024 Guthman Musical Instrument Competition

Addae received the award for VocalCords, which was developed as part of his master's thesis at the Media Lab.
Article Research

Inside your dreamscape

Dream-hacking techniques can help us create, heal and have fun. They could also become tools of commercial manipulation.
Article Research

Make Magazine: Make Your Own Dream Incubator

First things first. Make sure you have your PCB, solder, soldering iron, flux pen, and electronic components ready to go.
Publication Research

ACM Demo Hour: Dormio

Chang Hee Lee, Dan Lockton, David Verweij, David Kirk, Kay Rogage, Abigail Durrant, Aubree Ball, Audrey Desjardins, Adam Haar Horowitz, Ishaan Grover, Pedro Reynolds-Cuellar, Oscar Rosello, Tomas Vega, Abhinandan Jain, Cynthia Breazeal, and Pattie Maes. 2018. Demo hour. Interactions 25, 6 (October 2018), 10-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3279993
Publication Research

Dormio: Interfacing with Dreams

Haar Horowitz, Adam, Ishaan Grover, Pedro Reynolds-Cuéllar, Cynthia Breazeal, and Pattie Maes. "Dormio: Interfacing with dreams." In Extended Abstracts of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1-10. 2018.
Post Research

Dreaming and Creativity

We investigated how guiding dreaming at sleep onset could enhance creativity.
Thesis Research

Incubating Dreams: Awakening Creativity

Haar Horowitz, Adam. "Incubating Dreams: Awakening Creativity." Program in Media Arts and Sciences, MIT Media Lab. August 2019.
Article Research

That moment when you’re nodding off is a sweet spot for creativity

A new study finds people are more creative after waking from the earliest stage of sleep, especially when guided to dream about a topic.
Article Research

Here's how to use dreams for creative inspiration

Researchers from the Media Lab’s Fluid Interfaces group and Harvard Medical School find that brief naps appear to enhance creativity.
Article Research

Quick catnaps may spark creativity

The NIH reports on research from the Fluid Interfaces group and Harvard Medical School investigating the effect of naps on creativity.
Article Research

Neuroscientists warn advertisers are trying to 'weaponize sleep' by plugging into your dreams

“The potential for misuse of these technologies is as ominous as it is obvious.”
Article Research

"Dream glove" boosts creativity during sleep

In a new study, researchers from the Media Lab’s Fluid Interfaces group & Harvard Medical School find that brief naps can enhance creativity
Article Research

Want to be more creative? Try dream-hacking while you sleep

The Washington Post reports on research from the Media Lab’s Fluid Interfaces group & Harvard Medical School that naps could aid creativity.
Article Research

Behind the veil of hypnagogic sleep

Media Lab postdoc Adam Haar Horowitz discusses using “dream engineering” techniques to give people more control over their dreams.
Publication Research

Targeted dream incubation at sleep onset increases post-sleep creative performance

Horowitz*, A.H., Esfahany*, K., Gálvez, T.V. et al. Targeted dream incubation at sleep onset increases post-sleep creative performance. Sci Rep 13, 7319 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31361-w
Archived
Project Research

Masca

InspirationDreams are fascinating personally, therapeutically, and scientifically. Who hasn't woken up in the morning and wondered how they…
Archived
Archived
Project Research

Cyber Key to Dreams

This project is a pipeline to algorithmically generate visuals of dreams collected from large groups during the COVID pandemic. Dreams…
Archived
Project Research

Dive

Dive is a project to explore and induce lucid dreams using mobile devices.Lucid dreams are dreams in which  you are aware that you're …
Archived
Project Research

Toy Stories

A custom circuit board is embedded into robotic toys which makes them come alive when a sleeper begins to dream. As you slip into REM sleep…
Archived
Project Research

Targeted Dream Incubation

Targeted dream incubation (TDI) is a methodology for guiding (or “incubating”) dreams towards specific themes. Please read the FAQ below to…