• Search Search
  • User Login
  • Nav Nav
Search
  • News + Updates
  • Research
  • About
  • Graduate Program
  • People
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Member Portal
We are an interdisciplinary research lab working to invent the future of
  • health

  • art

  • human-machine interaction

  • learning

  • artificial intelligence

  • robotics

  • architecture

  • consumer electronics

  • design

  • technology

  • kids

  • music

  • wearable computing

  • networks

  • politics

  • entertainment

  • bioengineering

  • economy

  • cognition

  • history

  • human-computer interaction

  • data

  • archives

  • machine learning

  • social science

  • storytelling

  • sensors

  • interfaces

  • space

  • environment

  • wellbeing

  • covid19

  • computer science

  • developing countries

  • prosthetics

  • engineering

  • privacy

  • social robotics

  • ethics

  • civic technology

  • social media

  • civic media

  • imaging

  • synthetic biology

  • communications

  • neurobiology

  • urban planning

  • public health

  • augmented reality

  • affective computing

  • virtual reality

  • biology

  • transportation

  • energy

  • community

  • biomechanics

  • data visualization

  • social change

  • biotechnology

  • computer vision

  • industry

  • ocean

  • 3d printing

  • zero gravity

  • alumni

  • food

  • government

  • genetics

  • blockchain

  • racial justice

  • agriculture

  • manufacturing

  • medicine

  • gaming

  • data science

  • women

  • prosthetic design

  • construction

  • creativity

  • materials

  • social networks

  • fashion

  • open source

  • behavioral science

  • banking and finance

  • security

  • crowdsourcing

  • cryptocurrency

  • systems

  • collective intelligence

  • climate change

  • makers

  • wiesner

  • fabrication

  • internet of things

  • language learning

  • performance

  • neural interfacing and control

  • cognitive science

  • bionics

  • interactive

  • ecology

  • autonomous vehicles

  • perception

  • human augmentation

  • civic action

  • nonverbal behavior

  • mapping

  • extended intelligence

  • physiology

  • visualization

  • startup

  • diversity

  • physics

  • clinical science

  • holography

  • long-term interaction

  • gesture interface

  • networking

  • point of care

  • sports and fitness

  • autism research

  • orthotic design

  • marginalized communities

  • water

  • trust

  • natural language processing

  • electrical engineering

  • voice

  • microfabrication

  • hacking

  • mechanical engineering

  • nanoscience

  • pharmaceuticals

  • member company

  • primary healthcare

  • mechatronics

  • clinical trials

  • trade

  • academia

  • member event

  • open access

  • microbiology

  • gender studies

  • rfid

  • soft-tissue biomechanics

  • chemistry

  • real estate

  • randomized experiment

  • publishing

  • biomedical imaging

  • gis

  • event

  • exhibit

  • cartography

  • metamaterials

  • installation

  • Groups
  • Projects
  • Publications
  • Centers
  • Initiatives
More Close
Project Research

Space Sustainability Rating

​Special Announcement: Call for Letters of Intent to Operate the Space Sustainability RatingThe Consortium Designing the Space Sustainabi...

in Space Enabled
Danielle Wood · Minoo Rathnasabapathy
#environment #health #sensors +5 more
Project Research

SpaceSkin: Resilient electronic textiles for distributed sensing on protective fabrics in low Earth orbit

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

in Responsive Environments · Space Exploration Initiative
Juliana Cherston
#environment #health #sensors +7 more
Project Research

Lunar Open Architecture

Building an open, shared, and collaborative future of lunar exploration.Explore the Lunar Open Architecture (LOA) at loa.mit.edu.&nb...

in Space Exploration Initiative
Mehak Sarang · Ariel Ekblaw
#architecture #environment #health +6 more
Project Research

Personalized Performance-Optimization Platform (P-POP)

The environmental conditions of prolonged spaceflight pose significant psychological risks for astronauts. In particular, crews of future...

in Fluid Interfaces
Nataliya Kos'myna · Pattie Maes
#environment #health #sensors +6 more
Project Research

Space Health

The MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative is pushing the boundaries of space exploration innovation across the Media Lab’s many heal...

in Space Exploration Initiative
Ariel Ekblaw
#space
Project Research

Earthrise | A 50 Year Contemplation

In December of 1968, the first human voyage to the moon catapulted the population of Earth into a new era of space exploration and self-r...

in Space Enabled
Rachael Petersen · Danielle Wood +1 more
#space
Project Research

ZG Stardust

How might zero gravity space affect silk spinning, and what benefits might such material properties provide for digital fabrication and a...

in Mediated Matter · Space Exploration Initiative
Neri Oxman · Felix Kraemer +2 more
#space #zero gravity
Project Research

Climate CubeSat Co-Building Outreach Program (C3)

Climate CubeSat Co-Building (C3) The Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative is driven by an effort to democratize the futu...

in ML Learning · Space Exploration Initiative
Ariel Ekblaw · Katherine McConachie +2 more
#space
Project Research

Candlewax Rockets: A Green Alternative for In-Space Propulsion

Wax-based hybrid rocket propellants, including paraffin (common candlewax) and beeswax show promise as high-performing hybrid rocket prop...

in Space Enabled
Javier Stober
#environment #health #sensors +5 more
Project Research

Microgravity Research Flights with the Space Exploration Intiative

The Space Exploration Initiative charters an annual ZERO-G parabolic flight for 14-15 projects and 25 researchers across MIT Media Lab, s...

in Space Exploration Initiative
#space #zero gravity
Project Research

The EBIFA robot (Everything Beautiful Is Far Away)

EBIFA (Everything Beautiful Is Far Away) is a crystalline robotic device that carried a tooth to outer space. EBIFA's form and ...

in Space Exploration Initiative
Gershon Dublon · Xin Liu
#robotics #architecture #art +6 more
Project Research

Floral Cosmonauts: Self-assembling silver dendrite networks in microgravity

Biological neuronal networks are highly complex and interconnected with superior information processing capabilities. Such networks have ...

in Space Exploration Initiative
Harpreet Sareen
#design #manufacturing #space +3 more
Project Research

Lunar Sensor Net

We are leveraging current Wireless Sensor Network technology to develop an easily deployable, and inexpensive wireless sensor (LunarWSN) ...

in Responsive Environments
Joseph A. Paradiso · Fangzheng Liu
#robotics #design #environment +3 more
Project Research

Public Library Innovation Exchange

Public libraries are one of most trusted public institutions in the U.S. and increasingly provide a broad range of education services, ra...

in ML Learning · Digital Learning + Collaboration Studio
Katherine McConachie · Michelle Hlubinka +5 more
#data #learning #makers +2 more
Project Research

TESSERAE: Self-Assembling Space Architecture

Overview: How will we build the coming generations of Space Architecture—the modules, space ships, and space stations that will ensc...

Ariel Ekblaw
#robotics #design #agriculture +11 more
Project Research

The Telemetron Orchestra

When contemplating the future of life in space, we dream not only of rockets and off-world societies, but also of art, of leisure, and fr...

in Space Exploration Initiative
Thomas Sanchez Lengeling · Nicole L'Huillier +1 more
#design #music #interfaces +3 more
Project Research

Space Webs as Infrastructure for distributed sensor networks and other infrastructure on low gravity bodies

We study textiles and nets as a base form for growing infrastructure and allowing reconfigurable sensing on low gravity bodies (for insta...

in Responsive Environments · Space Exploration Initiative
Juliana Cherston · Paul Strohmeier
#design #art #sensors +2 more
Project Research

SpaceHuman

SpaceHuman is a soft robotics device designed to facilitate the exploration of environments with reduced gravity in a view of democratiza...

in Responsive Environments · Space Exploration Initiative
Valentina Sumini · Manuel Muccillo +2 more
#robotics #design #human-computer interaction +6 more
Project Research

SpaceTouch

An astronaut's ability to leverage the sense of touch is substantially reduced when wearing a protective, pressurized spacesuit. We imagi...

in Responsive Environments · Space Exploration Initiative
Juliana Cherston
#environment #sensors #space
Project Research

Interplanetary Gastronomy

Maggie Coblentz leads research and design on interplanetary gastronomy at the Space Exploration Initiative, where she is developing ...

in Space Exploration Initiative
Maggie Coblentz
#design #food #space +3 more
Project Research

The Interplanetary Cookbook

Maggie Coblentz is developing “The Interplanetary Cookbook”—a collection of speculative recipes, tools for eating, and sensory experience...

in Space Exploration Initiative
Maggie Coblentz
#design #food #health +2 more
Project Research

Wanderers

The Wanderers were unveiled as part of the exhibition: ‘The Sixth Element: Exploring the Natural Beauty of 3D Printing' on display ...

in Mediated Matter
Christoph Bader · Dominik Kolb +1 more
#design #architecture #art +3 more
Project Research

Living Mushtari

How can we design relationships between the most primitive and the most sophisticated life forms? Can we design wearables embedded with ...

in Mediated Matter
Christoph Bader · Dominik Kolb +4 more
#design #architecture #art +3 more
Project Research

Radiofungi: Biological Pigments for Radioprotection

A major concern for manned missions is space radiation. Ionizing radiation is known to pose both acute and chronic risks to many organism...

in Mediated Matter · Space Exploration Initiative
Sunanda Sharma · Nicolas Hogan +2 more
#space #biology #zero gravity
Project Research

Molecular Gastronomy in Zero G

A molecular gastronomy experiment was flown on a zero gravity flight in August 2019, using spherification techniques to create recipes in...

in Space Exploration Initiative
Maggie Coblentz
#space #technology #zero gravity
Project Research

Space/Craft

Space/Craft explores sculpting in zero gravity. Making artistic works by hand is a fundamentally human act, but how will it transfor...

in Space Exploration Initiative · Civic Media
Alexis Hope · Tim Savas
#art #space #technology +1 more
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 ...

in Space Exploration Initiative · Director's Fellows
Andrea Lauer · Xin Liu
#design #art #fashion +3 more
Project Research

Moon Village

In 2015, the director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), Jan Wörner, introduced the concept of the “Moon Village.” Inspired by t...

in Responsive Environments · Space Exploration Initiative
Valentina Sumini · Joseph A. Paradiso
#design #architecture #construction +1 more
Project Research

Persian Domes for Human Space Exploration on Mars

The Lut Desert of Iran is one of the most similar regions to Mars. Close to that area, there are vernacular adobe architectures that are ...

in Responsive Environments · Space Exploration Initiative
Valentina Sumini · Joseph A. Paradiso
#design #architecture #construction +1 more
Project Research

Theme | Wearable Biotech Enhancement

Lab on Body, Synthetic Biology, and Bio-Digital Systems for Health and Human Enhancement

in Fluid Interfaces
Oscar Rosello · Pat Pataranutaporn +5 more
#health #synthetic biology #wearable computing +3 more
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...

in Opera of the Future · Space Exploration Initiative
Nicole L'Huillier · Sands Fish +1 more
#design #art #music +3 more
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...

in Space Enabled
Danielle Wood · Christine Joseph
#environment #health #politics +8 more
Project Research

Maiden Flight

Maiden Flight is an autonomous biological laboratory environment designed for studying the impact of space flight on the sole reproductiv...

in Mediated Matter · Space Exploration Initiative
Felix Kraemer · Ri Ren +2 more
#robotics #design #agriculture +9 more
Project Research

Telepresent Drawings in Space

This project asks, how can we transmit experiences across space and time? The launching point of the project is to create a drawing that ...

in Space Exploration Initiative
Anne Liu
#agriculture #architecture #art +4 more
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...

in Open Ocean
Katy Croff Bell · Neil Gaikwad
#data #environment #machine learning +3 more
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...

in City Science · Space Exploration Initiative
Carson Smuts · Chrisoula Kapelonis
#design #architecture #art +4 more
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...

in Space Exploration Initiative
Xin Liu
#design #agriculture #architecture +8 more
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...

in Affective Computing · Space Exploration Initiative
Kristy Johnson · Rosalind W. Picard +3 more
#bioengineering #consumer electronics #health +5 more
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...

in Lifelong Kindergarten · Space Exploration Initiative
Christan Balch · Eric Schilling
#computer science #space #zero gravity
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 ...

in Space Exploration Initiative
#genetics #space #zero gravity
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...

in Space Exploration Initiative
Anne Liu
#design #art #space +1 more
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...

in Space Exploration Initiative
Jeong Seuk Kang
#imaging #space #biotechnology +1 more
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...

in Fluid Interfaces · Space Exploration Initiative
Neo (Mostafa) Mohsenvand
#space #zero gravity

  • News + Updates
  • Research
  • About
  • Graduate Program
  • People
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Member Portal

More ways to explore

  • Videos
  • Publications
  • Job Opportunities
  • Contact

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
School of Architecture + Planning

Accessibility
Donate to the Lab