Research
Conformable Decoders

Converting the patterns of nature and the human body into beneficial signals and energy
Article Research

Neural hand prosthesis control test

Watch: Tech Briefs Magazine features a video of Dave Burke working with Media Lab Biomechatronics researcher Michael Fernandez.
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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.
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Human Dynamics

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

The Sierra Leone Orthotics & Prosthetics Program

We've designed a health system strengthening model  to support and expand the prosthetic and orthotic sector that cares for people wit…
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Responsive Environments

Augmenting and mediating human experience, interaction, and perception with sensor networks
Project Research

Neural Control of Upper Extremity Prostheses

Existing upper extremity prosthesis controllers have limited functionality and place high cognitive demands on users, both of which contrib…
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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
Article Research

Video Friday: Robot, make me coffee

For Video Friday, IEEE Spectrum highlights a clip of Media Lab Biomechatronics researcher Michael Fernandez working with Dave Burke.
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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
Project Research

Design and Clinical Evaluation of a Digital Transtibial Prosthetic Interface

The prosthetic interface consists of a compliant liner and rigid socket, and conventionally has been made through a very hands-on artisinal…
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Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek

Inventing disruptive technologies for nanoelectronic devices and creating new paradigms for life-machine symbiosis
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Media Lab Research Theme: Future Worlds

Future Worlds | Design and action for the future we want to live in
Publication Research

Electronic Textile Sensors for Decoding Vital Body Signals: State-of-the-Art Review on Characterizations and Recommendations

Shuvo, I. I., Shah, A., Dagdeviren, C.†, “Electronic Textile Sensors for Decoding Vital Body Signals: State-of-the-art Review on Characterizations and Recommendations”, https://doi.org/10.1002/aisy.202100223, Advanced Intelligent Systems, 4, 2100223, 2022.
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Tangible Media

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

conformable Facial Code Extrapolation Sensor (cFaCES)

AbstractDevices that facilitate nonverbal communication typically require high computational loads or have rigid and bulky form factors&nbs…
Publication Research

Mechanoneural interfaces for bionic integration

Shu, T., Herrera-Arcos, G., Taylor, C.R. et al. Mechanoneural interfaces for bionic integration. Nat Rev Bioeng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-024-00151-y
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Media Lab Research Theme: Cultivating Creativity

Cultivating Creativity | Catalyzing a global movement enabling everyone to unlock and unleash their individual and collective creativity
Archived
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Mediated Matter

Designing for, with, and by nature
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Camera Culture

Making the invisible visible–inside our bodies, around us, and beyond–for health, work, and connection
Project Research

How to Grow (Almost) Anything - A New Model for Global Synthetic Biology Education

A Distance Learning Model for Global Laboratory-Based Synthetic Biology Education Synthetic Biology ( SynBio) tools hold the…
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Community Biotechnology

Community Biotechnology
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Molecular Machines

Engineering at the limits of complexity with molecular-scale parts
Project Research

3DKnITS: Three-dimensional Knitted Intelligent Textile Sensor

Three-dimensional Digital Knitting of Intelligent Textile Sensor for Activity Recognition and Biomechanical MonitoringWe present an ap…
Article Research

Hugh Herr talks to the Boston Globe about the collaboration that led to a new amputation procedure

A team of Boston surgeons and scientists has developed a new approach to amputation.
Article Research

The six dimensions of caring for patients with disabilities: a journey from the US to Sierra Leone

The journey to equitable access to bionic technology in Sierra Leone.
Archived
Research
Social Machines

Promoting deeper learning and understanding in human networks
Article Research

Meet mouthpad^, a mouthpiece with trackpad that fully controls devices using tongue

Spinoff Augmental announces The MouthPad^, a custom-fit 3D-printed mouthpiece that lets users control digital devices hands-free.
Article Research

Labbers Shriya Srinivasan and Irmandy Wicaksono featured in docuseries The Road to 2050

The Road to 2050, a six-part docuseries from The Franklin Institute, examines the ways that today's technology will shape the future.
Project Research

Design of a 2-Degree-of-Freedom Powered Ankle-Foot Prosthesis for Rock Climbing

Lower extremity amputation leads to limitations of biological function of individuals, which leads to challenges remaining physically activ…
Article Research

A global lab for teaching and practicing synthetic biology

A pandemic-fueled transformation of the MIT course "How to Grow (Almost) Anything" leads to next steps in democratizing synthetic biology
Article Research

The future of ALS devices: Next gen assistive technology aims to give patients a voice

Brain-computer interfaces, IoT and AI to fuel the advancement of assistive technology devices for ALS patients.
Article Research

Summer at MIT Media Lab yields 'community of purpose'

The Panther network was instrumental in helping Lina Henriquez obtain and thrive in the MIT summer program.
Publication Research

Flexible Dry Electrodes for EMG Acquisition within Lower Extremity Prosthetic Sockets

Yeon, Seong Ho, et al. "Flexible Dry Electrodes for EMG Acquisition within Lower Extremity Prosthetic Sockets." 2020 8th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference for Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob). IEEE.
Article Research

Smart textiles sense how their users are moving

Researchers develop a comfortable, form-fitting fabric that recognizes its wearer’s activities, like walking, running, and jumping.
Article Research

Virtual Event – ‘Augmented’: The future of brain-controlled prosthetic limbs

Alum Shriya Srinivasan, Dr. Matthew Carty, climber Jim Ewing, and others join STAT and Nova PBS for a conversation about the Augmented film.
Post Research

Augmented | Nova PBS episode featuring Hugh Herr

"Augmented" is a Nova PBS documentary episode that premiers Wednesday, 2/23, featuring Biomechatronics group head Hugh Herr.
Article Research

‘Augmented’ documentary charts what is gained from a reimagined amputation

Augmented is a Nova PBS documentary produced by STAT News, which follows the development of a new amputation procedure and bionic prostheses
Publication Research

Ubiquitous Conformable Systems for Imperceptible Computing

Fernandez, S. V., Sadat, D., Tasnim, F., Acosta, D., Schwendeman, L., Shahsavari, S., Dagdeviren, C.†, “Ubiquitous Conformable Systems for Imperceptible Computing”, Foresight, 24, 1, 75-98, 2021.
Article Research

Hunting for the Next Moderna

Boston Magazine looks at 10 recent biomedical innovations created by local researchers, including the AMI procedure.
Article Research

Making her way through MIT

Graduate student Lucy Du designs novel prosthetics and seeks to inspire others to pursue engineering.
Publication Research

On-Body Energy Harvesters through Innovative Designs and Conformable Structures

Fernandez, S. V., Cai, F., Chen, S., Suh, E., Tiepelt, J., McIntosh, R., Marcus, C., Acosta, D., Mejorado, D., Dagdeviren, C.†, “On-Body Energy Harvesters Through Innovative Designs and Conformable Structures”, ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c00800, 2021. [Invited Review Paper for Special Issue].
Publication Research

Magnetomicrometry

C. R. Taylor, S. S. Srinivasan, S. H. Yeon, M. K. O'Donnell, T. J. Roberts, H. M. Herr, Magnetomicrometry, Sci.Robot. 6, eabg0656 (2021), DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.abg0656
Project Research

Agonist-antagonist Myoneural Interface (AMI)

Humans can accurately sense the position, speed, and torque of their limbs, even with their eyes shut. This sense, known as proprioception,…
Project Research

3D neuromuscular model of the human ankle-foot complex

During the gait cycle, the human ankle complex serves as a primary power generator while simultaneously stabilizing the entire limb. These …
Project Research

Computational Biomechanics

This research track focuses on the use of computational (and experimental) techniques to understand the biomechanical behavior of human tis…
Project Research

Personalized Bionics for Dynamic Gait

The design of next-generation bionic ankles and knees aims to improve bionic actuators on all metrics: range of motion, power density, band…
Project Research

Mechatronic Systems

Mechanical, electrical, and dynamic control systems recreate biological behavior with synthetic hardware.

Project Research

An osseointegrated prosthesis with bi-directional neural communication

Recent advancements in orthopedic implants have made way for a new generation of bionic limbs that attach directly to the skeleton. Leverag…
Project Research

Powered Ankle-Foot Prosthesis

The human ankle provides a significant amount of net positive work during the stance period of walking, especially at moderate to fast walk…
Project Research

Neural interface technology for advanced prosthetic limbs

Recent advances in artificial limbs have resulted in the provision of powered ankle and knee function for lower extremity amputees and powe…
Article Research

Surgical technique improves sensation, control of prosthetic limb

New study describes first human implementation of novel approach to limb amputation.
Article Research

‘I can still feel it’: Groundbreaking arm amputation surgery makes a ‘phantom’ hand seem real

Read about the first upper-limb amputation performed using the AMI procedure created by Media Lab researchers + Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Article Research

Magnets can make prosthetic limbs more versatile and easier to control

A whole new mode of communication between prosthesis and user.
Project Research

Magnetomicrometry: Tissue Tracking via Implanted Magnetic Beads

Amputation, muscle weakness, and nerve damage can make it difficult to perform simple daily tasks. In this project, we are developing a mi…
Article Research

Magnets could offer better control of prosthetic limbs

System uses tiny magnetic beads to rapidly measure the position of muscles and relay that information to a bionic prosthesis.
Article Research

35 Innovators Under 35 | Humanitarians | Shriya Srinivasan

Srinivasan hopes her work will help make using a prosthetic limb far more like the real thing.
Article Research

Bionics: The Future of Prosthetics

Hugh Herr discusses the implications of the technology behind his work, from regenerative medicine and surgery to elderly mobility.
Article Research

Meditations on the intersection of humanity and technology

Olivia Arthur explores the ways technology can transform the human body, and vice-versa, from robotics to work in the Biomechatronics group.
Article Research

New surgery may enable better control of prosthetic limbs

Reconnecting muscle pairs during amputation gives patients more sensory feedback from the limb.
Project Research

Flexible dry electrodes for EMG acquisition within prosthetic sockets

Acquisition of surface electromyography (sEMG) from a person with an amputated lower extremity (LE) during prosthesis-assisted walking rema…
Publication Research

Electric-Energetic Consequences of Springs in Lower-Extremity Powered Prostheses on Varied Terrain

M. E. Carney and H. Herr, "Electric-Energetic Consequences of Springs in Lower-Extremity Powered Prostheses on Varied Terrain," 2020 8th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference for Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob), New York City, NY, USA, 2020, pp. 989-996, doi: 10.1109/BioRob49111.2020.9224458.
Project Research

dementAI

 dementAI is an open-source platform for modeling risk stratification of Alzheimer's dementia using spontaneous speech through a …
Archived
Project Research

SeqCLR: Self-supervised learning of features for time-series data

Interpreting human electroencephalogram (EEG) is a challenging task and requires years of medical training. We present a framework for lear…
Archived
Project Research

DAMS: Differentially Private Sketching Data Structures

We propose an improved private count-mean-sketch data structure and show its applicability to differentially private contact trac…
Article Research

Algorithm may improve brain-controlled prostheses and exoskeletons

An improved method for magnet tracking enables high-speed wireless tracking through various materials.
Archived
Research
Synthetic Neurobiology

Revealing insights into the human condition and repairing brain disorders via novel tools for mapping and fixing brain computations
Archived
Project Research

Tools for mapping the molecular architecture and wiring of the brain

Complex biological systems such as brain circuits are extended 3-D structures made out of nanoscale building blocks such as proteins, RNAs,…
Archived