Research
Tangible Media

Seamlessly coupling the worlds of bits and atoms by giving dynamic physical form to digital information and computation
Project Research

SpaceSkin: Aerospace-grade electronic textiles for distributed sensing on persistent orbital structures

The outermost skin of a space-based structure is designed using materials known to protect against the harsh elements of space. Simultane...
Project Research

Spatial Flux: Body and architecture in space

Structurally, zero gravity means that we do not have to contend with architecture's greatest arch-nemesis, gravity. This opens up a new w...
Project Research

Liquid resin fabrication in microgravity

The future of human life outside of Earth will heavily depend on the ability to fabricate and manufacture things. Yet fabrication in spac...
Research
Open Ocean

Open Ocean
Research
Space Enabled

Advancing justice in Earth's complex systems using designs enabled by space
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 ...
Archived
Article Research

Space is poised for explosive growth. Let’s get it right.

Before low-earth orbit is clogged with hotels, satellite traffic, and debris, we should plan for the extra-planetary community we want.
Publication Research

Self-Assembling Space Habitats: TESSERAE design and mission architecture

Ekblaw, Ariel, and Joseph Paradiso. “ Self-Assembling Space Habitats:TESSERAE Technology and Mission Architecture for Zero-g Construction ” To appear in the Proceedings of the IEEE Aerospace Conference (2019).
Project Research

TESSERAE: Self-Assembling Space Architecture

The future of human habitation in space, from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to planetary systems far beyond, lies in self-assembling, adaptive, a...
Project Research

Grappler: Arrays of bistable elements for landing distributed sensor networks on low gravity bodies

Can a modified snap bracelet be used to land infrastructure on an asteroid? It is notoriously difficult to stick a landing on a low ...
Research
Space Exploration Initiative

Space Exploration Initiative
Project Research

Space Food & Sensory Experiences

The human experience of food extends far beyond that of mere nourishment. Debriefs with astronauts tell us that food is a key creature co...
Article Research

The Future's Coming: Why we need to prepare for sci-fi tomorrows today

Teleportation may have to wait.
Project Research

Zero Gravity Cookbook

The human experience of food extends far beyond that of mere nourishment. Debriefs with astronauts tell us that food is a key, creat...
Article Research

Microgravity research after the International Space Station

Researchers say new facilities in space should be available to scientists from any country.
Project Research

Accessibility of the microgravity research ecosystem

For decades, the International Space Station (ISS) has operated as a bastion of international cooperation and a unique testbed for microg...
Project Research

Orbit Weaver

Gravity anchors all existence on Earth.It pulls a chaotic world to one single point in every moment of life. Even though gravity is every...
Research
ML Learning

ML Learning
Project Research

Public Library Innovation Exchange

Public libraries are one of most trusted public institutions in the US and increasingly provide a broad range of education services, rang...
Research
Responsive Environments

Augmenting and mediating human experience, interaction, and perception with sensor networks
Post Research

Neil Gaikwad chosen as a 2019 Facebook Fellow

Neil Gaikwad, a third-year PhD student in the Space Enabled research group, has been selected as one of the 2019 Facebook Fellows.
Article Research

The architect designing self-assembling habitats for space

Tomorrow’s space explorers won’t be able to pack traditional, heavy building materials for their missions.
Article Research

Changing how we build satellites could do more than reduce space junk

Earth is surrounded by a cloud of defunct satellites that can be hazardous to working spacecraft—but it doesn't have to be that way.
Article Research

Uncharted worlds

Descending into the dark sea is like exploring deep space.
Project Research

Big Ocean, Big Data

More ocean data has been collected in the last two years than in all previous years combined, and we are on a path to continue to break t...
Publication Research

Self-Assembling Space Architecture: tessellated shell structures for space habitats

Ekblaw, A. and Paradiso, J.A., "Self-assembling Space Architecture: tessellated shell structures for space habitats," In AIAA Scitech 2019 Forum, Smart/Adaptable Deployable Structures (p. 0481).
Article Research

MIT’s zero-gravity musical instrument provides a soundtrack for space travel

The Telemetron was created in response to a call from the MIT Media Lab’s Space Exploration Initiative.
Article Research

A musical instrument for astronauts and other news

BBC Click's Nick Kwek looks at some of the best technology stories of the week.
Post Research

Earthrise, 50 years later

Thoughts from the Media Lab's Space Enabled group and Space Exploration Initiative
Publication Research

TESSERAE: Self-Assembling Shell Structures for Space Exploration

Ekblaw, Ariel and Joseph Paradiso. "TESSERAE: self-assembling shell structures for space exploration." In Proceedings of the Annual Symposium of the International Association of Shell and Spatial Structures: Extra Planetary Architecture, p. 317 (2018).
Project Research

Candlewax Rockets: A green alternative for in-space propulsion

Paraffin wax shows promise as a high-performing hybrid rocket propellant for chemical propulsion systems. Its inherent safety and simplic...
Project Research

Physio FreeFall

This project seeks to examine the effects of altered gravity on an individual’s physiology during parabolic flight. Specifically, we will...
Post Research

Curating the human experience of space—present, future, and fiction

Xin Liu discusses the Space Exploration Initiative's upcoming arts exhibition at Ars Electronica
Article Research

Science Fiction for tomorrow's day to day

Ariel Ekblaw speaks at Sónar+D
Article Research

Making Music in Space

Nicole L'Huillier speaks at Sónar+D
Article Research

The Telemetron is a post-Earth musical instrument designed for zero gravity

The Telemetron generates musical compositions using gyroscopic “chimes.”
Project Research

The Telemetron

Today, the environments that humans occupy in space are designed for survival. Humans are carefully shuttled to and from space, and durin...
Article Research

Project TESSERAE, a Self-Assembling Space Architecture

The TESSERAE project is a design experiment in imagining how to bring the concept of geodesic domes from Earth into orbit.
Article Research

MIT's 'Orbit Weaver' turns astronauts into spiders

A new MIT Media Lab device takes a page from Spiderman to help astronauts navigate while weightless.
Post Research

Rhapsody in Zero G

Reimagining research for life in space
Publication Research

Vomit Comet Physiology: Autonomic Changes in Novice Flyers

Johnson, K.T., Taylor, S., Fedor, S., Jaques, N., Chen, W., Picard, R.W. "Vomit Comet Physiology: Autonomic Changes in Novice Flyers." Proceedings of the International Conference of IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), Honolulu, Hawaii, July 2018.
Post Research

TNW 2018: Designing Our Sci-Fi Space Future

For more on the Space Exploration Initiative @TNW2018, you can read the full article, "Making Star Wars a Reality through Design Thinking...
Article Research

"Life, uh, finds a way"

Biomimicry looks to living organisms to create the future of sustainable engineering.
Post Research

Inventing Smells for Space: A chemistry, design, and R&D collaboration with IFF

A chemistry, design, and R&D collaboration with International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc.
Article Research

A guide to daily life on Mars

What would daily life be like on the Red Planet?
Post Research

Six space technologies we can use to improve life on Earth

Danielle Wood's TED Talk
Article Research

“Life, uh, finds a way”—Applying lessons from evolution to go to Mars

Biomimicry looks to living organisms to create the future of sustainable engineering.
Publication Research

Self-Assembling Space Structures: buckminsterfullerene sensor nodes

Ekblaw, Ariel, and Joseph Paradiso. "Self-assembling Space Structures: Buckminsterfullerene Sensor Nodes." In 2018 AIAA SciTech / AHS Adaptive Structures Conference, p. 0565. 2018.
Project Research

Scratch in Space

The Scratch Team invited young people from around the world to create Scratch projects designed specifically to be played in zero gr...
Project Research

Search for Extra-Terrestrial Genomes (SETG)

The widespread synthesis of common organic building blocks in space could have biased life beyond Earth towards chemical similarities to ...
Project Research

Social Robots in Space: Initial Explorations

Can we enable social connectivity between astronauts and people on Earth through an embodied agent?Astronauts actively communicate with t...
Project Research

Orbit Weaver Suit

​​​​​​​​​The Orbit Weaver Suit for zero gravity was designed by Media Lab Director's Fellow Andrea Lauer in collaboration with ...
Project Research

Smells for Space: Olfactory Timecapsule for Earthly Memories

Each new technology forces us to confront who we are as humans.  As technological innovations in deep space exploration keep advanci...
Project Research

Nanoscale Imaging of Biomolecules in Zero G

Expansion microscopy (ExM) is a new imaging modality developed by MIT Media Lab's Synthetic Neurobiology group. ExM allows biomolecules t...
Project Research

VR Maze in Zero Gravity

The brain uses space to index, organize, and retrieve memories. However, our sense of space depends on our perception of gravity. We...
Article Research

Surface to Unlimited

There will be space makers and tinkerers, space theorists and humanists, space artists and athletes.
Post Research

How humans could evolve to survive in space

Lisa Nip's TED Talk