Innovating Design At MIT

MIT is advancing AI and scientific research through projects that focus on design, awards, and professional training. Engineers at MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, including Hermano Krebs, have developed intuitive AI-powered controls for excavators that mimic an operator’s “mental mapping” to translate actions in world space. The team is also looking to add more haptics to improve the system. Anthea Coster of the MIT Haystack Observatory received the Appleton Prize for pioneering ionospheric and GNSS research, boosting space weather monitoring. MIT’s CSAIL is also launching a new agentic AI course led by Daniela Rus, covering fit, risk, and compliance.