A machine-learning model can identify all the pixels in an image that represent a given material. Developed at MIT, the technique could someday be used in computer vision systems that help robots interact with objects in the real world. Pictured is an artist’s interpretation of the new system. Image: MIT News with iStock

This machine-learning method could assist with robotic scene understanding, image editing, or online recommendation systems.

Researchers use AI to identify similar materials in images

Computer scientists at MIT joined forces with oceanographers to develop a machine-learning model that incorporates knowledge from fluid dynamics to generate more accurate predictions about the velocities of ocean currents. This figure shows drifting buoy trajectories in the Gulf of Mexico superimposed on surface currents. The red dots mark the buoys’ positions on March 9, 2016, and the tails are 14 days long. Image: Edward Ryan and Tamay Özgökmen from the University of Miami.

A new machine-learning model makes more accurate predictions about ocean currents, which could help with tracking plastic pollution and oil spills, and aid in search and rescue.

A better way to study ocean currents

Researchers from MIT and Rice University have created a computer vision technique that leverages reflections to image the world by using them to turn glossy objects into “cameras,” enabling a user to see the world as if they were looking through the “lenses” of everyday objects like a ceramic coffee mug or a metallic paper weight. Credit: Courtesy of the researchers

A new computer vision system turns any shiny object into a camera of sorts, enabling an observer to see around corners or beyond obstructions.

Using reflections to see the world from new points of view

Graduate student Jiadi Zhu holding an 8-inch CMOS wafer with molybdenum disulfide thin film. On the right is the furnace the researchers developed, which enabled them to "grow" a layer of molybdenum disulfide onto the wafer using a low-temperature process that did not damage the wafer. Image: Courtesy of the researchers

A new low-temperature growth and fabrication technology allows the integration of 2D materials directly onto a silicon circuit, which could lead to denser and more powerful chips.

Engineers "grow" atomically thin transistors on top of computer chips

Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have built a wake-up receiver that communicates using terahertz waves, which enabled them to produce a chip more than 10 times smaller than similar devices. Their receiver, which also includes authentication to protect it from a certain type of attack, could help preserve the battery life of tiny sensors or robots. Image: Jose-Luis Olivares/MIT with figure courtesy of the researchers