Research — MIT Media Lab

We are an interdisciplinary research lab working to invent the future of

artificial intelligence
art
health
design
human-machine interaction
robotics
technology
learning + teaching
human-computer interaction
architecture
consumer electronics
music
wearable computing
kids
data
sensors
bioengineering
environment
machine learning
politics
space
networks
cognition
wellbeing
social science
entertainment
economy
computer science
creativity
history
storytelling
alumni
interfaces
covid19
ethics
engineering
civic technology
developing countries
prosthetics
community
privacy
communications
biology
virtual reality
computer vision
augmented reality
social robotics
imaging
neurobiology
social media
urban planning
public health
industry
biotechnology
climate change
synthetic biology
social networks
energy
medicine
food
affective computing
transportation
biomechanics
data visualization
fabrication
government
behavioral science
social change
materials
cognitive science
women
ocean
sustainability
data science
startup
zero gravity
agriculture
manufacturing
blockchain
gaming
healthcare
human augmentation
genetics
diversity
prosthetic design
banking and finance
ecology
electrical engineering
racial justice
neural interfacing and control
3d printing
cryptocurrency
mental health
fashion
civic action
sleep
bionics
security
microfabrication
member company
natural language processing
construction
language learning
performance
autonomous vehicles
open source
social justice
systems
visualization
mechanical engineering
interactive
microbiology
nanoscience
marginalized communities
perception
internet of things
cities
water
textiles
collective intelligence
womens health
chemistry
code
mapping
clinical science
physiology
physics
nonverbal behavior
voice
algorithms
biomedical imaging
assistive technology
culture
law
wireless
sports and fitness
rfid
long-term interaction
hacking
trust
gender studies
cells
orthotic design
networking
pharmaceuticals
digital currency
mechatronics
soft-tissue biomechanics
open access
autism research
business
science
exhibit
news
real estate
internet
decision-making
misinformation
journalism
asl

Advancing human wellbeing by developing new ways to communicate, understand, and respond to emotion

inFORM

Shape displays can be used to render both 3D physical content and user interface elements. We propose to use shape displays in three differ…

Archived

Research

Object-Based Media

Changing storytelling, communication, and everyday life through sensing, understanding, and new interface technologies

Project Research

SoapCam

SoapCam is a WIP Human Computer Interaction system that motivates proper hand washing routines."Hand hygiene is the most important measure …

Archived

Project Research

LUI: Large User Interface with Gesture and Voice Feedback

LUI is a scalable, multimodal web-interface that uses a custom framework of nondiscrete, free-handed gestures and voice to control modular …

Archived

Article Research

Touchless gesture controls on phones? Think bigger

Vik Parthiban and other AR/VR researchers talk to Wired about the future potential of gesture control for interaction design.

Archived

Project Research

ZeroN: Levitated Tangible Interface

Imagine a physical object that floats through the air, unconstrained by gravity, which can move freely to display the motion of a planet in…

Archived

Research

Living Mobile

Enhancing mobile life through improved user interactions

Archived

Project Research

Intrepid

Every 98 seconds, a person in the United States is sexually abused. Every 16 hours, a woman in the United States is murdered by her ro…

Archived

Project Research

FaceSense: Affective-Cognitive State Inference from Facial Video

People express and communicate their mental states–such as emotions, thoughts, and desires–through facial expressions, vocal nuances, gestu…

Archived

Project Research

The "Bar of Soap": Grasp-Based Interfaces

We have built several handheld devices that combine grasp and orientation sensing with pattern recognition in order to provide highly intel…

Archived