MIT’s fleet of robotic boats has been updated with new capabilities to “shapeshift,” by autonomously disconnecting and reassembling into a variety of configurations, to form floating structures in Amsterdam’s many canals.

A few years ago, the idea of tricking a computer vision system by subtly altering pixels in an image or hacking a street sign seemed like more of a hypothetical threat than anything to seriously worry about.

A novel system developed by MIT researchers automatically “learns” how to schedule data-processing operations across thousands of servers — a task traditionally reserved for imprecise, human-designed algorithms. Doing so could help today’s power-hungry data centers run far more efficiently.

From 3-D printing to 3-D knitting, CSAIL researchers venture to streamline design technology through AI. The computer-aided design tool allows for customization of patterns based on user preferences with minimal programming knowledge needed.

A new machine learning model allows for increased predictive analytics and a higher accuracy for diagnosing and treating patients with vocal cord disorders.

An automated system developed by MIT researchers designs and 3-D prints complex robotic parts called actuators that are optimized according to an enormous number of specifications. In short, the system does automatically what is virtually impossible for humans to do by hand.

In the Iron Man movies, Tony Stark uses a holographic computer to project 3D data into thin air, manipulate them with his hands, and find fixes to his superhero troubles. In the same vein, researchers from MIT and Brown University have now developed a system for interactive data analytics that runs on touchscreens and lets everyone — not just billionaire tech geniuses — tackle real-world issues.