Posts Tagged ‘Massachusetts Institute of Technology’
Jun09
Animated characters help teach piano
2016 at 04:22 pm by admin | Comments Off
Researchers at MIT’s Tangible Media Lab have developed an alternative to traditional piano teachers and tutorials with their newly developed interactive musical score, titled “Andante”. This program, which uses a reflective keyboard cover and an automated system for the keys, projects tiny animated characters onto the screen above the keys, who press the keys on the piano as they walk along. These characters are meant to help teach the basics of music composition by walking in certain steps to certain chords and rhythms. By following along and learning the notes through the animated characters’ movements, users are encouraged to test and expand their learning and understanding of music composition, and even add on themselves with a little improvisation! Check out the video below to see Andante in action!
Andante from Tangible Media Group on Vimeo.
Oct05
MIT creates “soft” 3D-printed robot arm
2015 at 01:27 pm by admin | Comments Off
Researchers and engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT for short, are often striving to enhance technology and robotics for future use in everyday life, and their latest creation brings the future of robotics closer than ever. The new robot arm, designed by MIT’s internal research team, is made of 3D-printed silicone rubber that is soft to the touch. The arm is also equipped with a number of state-of-the art “bend sensors”, which allow the robotic arm to analyze the durability of the item in question and alter its grip strength in response. In other words, MIT’s newest robot arm has the finger strength to lift hefty objects, and at the same time is able to provide a delicate grip to firmly lift fragile objects like eggs and discs without dropping or crushing them. This advancement opens a huge number of possibilities for the arm’s application in the future, from helping out the disabled to working in dangerous situations without harm. Check out the robot’s power in the video below!
Aug25
MIT unveils revolutionary 10-material 3D printer
2015 at 10:53 am by admin | Comments Off
In a first for the still-growing world of 3D printing, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have unveiled their newest 3D printer, capable of printing with 10 separate materials at once! The new MultiFab printer takes advantage of a new photopolymer mixing system and fine printheads in order to accomplish this feat, giving the printer a huge range of versatility and possibilities that did not exist previously in modern 3D printers. The printer is also able to 3D-scan objects and then print around them, enabling the printer to quickly and accurate create solid cases and designs around pre-existing objects! On top of that, the printer is extremely affordable, coming in at only $7,000 as opposed to the $250,000 asking price for similar multi-material industrial printers. MIT scientists hope that their new printer will one day lead to an easy-to-use, practical solution for customers who wish to create complex 3D-printed designs at reasonable prices. Until then, check out the video below to see the MultiFab in action!