New research enables a robot to chart a better course
By rapidly generating a smooth path plan that cuts travel time and avoids obstacles, the open-source “MIGHTY” system could streamline disaster recovery and parcel delivery.
Department
Aeronautics and Astronautics
MIT School of Engineering faculty receive awards in winter 2026
Faculty members and researchers were honored in recognition of their scholarship, service, and overall excellence.
MIT affiliates awarded 2026 Guggenheim Fellowships
Afreen Siddiqi, Kathleen Thelen, and Vinod Vaikuntanathan, along with alumna Kate Manne, are appointed to the 2026 class of “trail-blazing fellows.”
Tackling the housing shortage with robotic microfactories
Reframe Systems, co-founded by Vikas Enti SM '20, creates microfactories for modular home construction, reducing carbon emissions and costs.
Managing traffic in space
Associate Professor Richard Linares is helping satellites safely navigate in increasingly congested orbits.
Built to fly
MIT senior, master's candidate, and airman Brian Robinson lives and works at the intersection of aviation, politics, and technology.
Flying at the edge of the stratosphere
MIT students see the Earth's curvature in reborn AeroAstro intro course.
Bridging space research and policy
PhD student Carissma McGee studies exoplanets and examines intellectual property frameworks for space collaborations.
MIT graduate engineering and business programs ranked highly by U.S. News for 2026-27
Graduate engineering program is No. 1 in the nation; MIT Sloan is No. 6.
Toward cheaper, cleaner hydrogen production
Co-founded by Dan Sobek ’88, SM ’92, PhD ’97, 1s1 Energy has developed electrochemical cell materials for hydrogen electrolyzers that it says reduces energy use by 30 percent.
Evaluating the ethics of autonomous systems
MIT researchers developed a testing framework that pinpoints situations where AI decision-support systems are not treating people and communities fairly.
QS World University Rankings rates MIT No. 1 in 12 subjects for 2026
The Institute also ranks second in seven subject areas.
MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab seed to signal: Amplifying early-career faculty impact
Academia-industry relationship is an early-stage accelerator, supporting professional progress and research.
A better method for planning complex visual tasks
A new hybrid system could help robots navigate in changing environments or increase the efficiency of multirobot assembly teams.
Finding a nanoscale solution to safer spaceflight
Using boron nitride nanotubes, mechanical engineering doctoral student Palak Patel develops materials for space that block dangerous ionizing radiation.