art
artificial intelligence
health
human-machine interaction
learning + teaching
design
robotics
technology
architecture
consumer electronics
human-computer interaction
music
kids
wearable computing
bioengineering
data
politics
sensors
machine learning
networks
environment
social science
entertainment
cognition
space
economy
wellbeing
history
computer science
storytelling
interfaces
creativity
covid19
ethics
engineering
prosthetics
alumni
developing countries
civic technology
community
biology
privacy
social media
social robotics
communications
computer vision
augmented reality
public health
urban planning
neurobiology
imaging
virtual reality
industry
synthetic biology
biotechnology
affective computing
social networks
climate change
food
energy
biomechanics
transportation
government
social change
data visualization
fabrication
behavioral science
ocean
medicine
data science
cognitive science
materials
startup
zero gravity
women
blockchain
agriculture
prosthetic design
diversity
genetics
manufacturing
racial justice
gaming
neural interfacing and control
3d printing
banking and finance
sustainability
electrical engineering
cryptocurrency
ecology
fashion
human augmentation
civic action
bionics
construction
microfabrication
security
performance
healthcare
sleep
open source
systems
language learning
marginalized communities
natural language processing
microbiology
social justice
internet of things
autonomous vehicles
perception
mental health
collective intelligence
interactive
visualization
mechanical engineering
clinical science
water
code
nanoscience
cities
mapping
physiology
physics
nonverbal behavior
chemistry
voice
textiles
rfid
hacking
long-term interaction
trust
sports and fitness
biomedical imaging
algorithms
orthotic design
gender studies
networking
pharmaceuticals
culture
mechatronics
soft-tissue biomechanics
law
open access
autism research
assistive technology
member company
business
real estate
internet
science
digital currency
exhibit
wireless
womens health
news
cells
decision-making
asl
Under Dr. Wood's leadership, the program will move forward with the NASA Astrobee robotic system as its new in-space robotic platform.
Our journeys off-world have taught us just as much about humanity as the harsh environment of space. For the past 20 years, we have had a c…
Liu, Fangzheng. (2021). LunarWSN: A Wireless Sensor Network for In-Situ Lunar Water Ice Detection.
Explore Moon ArchitectureWorkshop @Digital FUTURESNASA’s Artemis Program is envisioning a plan to drive humanity to live on our closest cel…
The Space Exploration Initiative supports research across and beyond MIT in two microgravity flights this spring.
Danielle Wood talks about the key role space technologies can play in advancing equity on Earth, if we design for sustainability.
Space Enabled director Danielle Wood talks about applying space technologies to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Ariel Ekblaw spoke at the Chautauqua Institution about her novel space architecture ideas and a call for more dialogue on space ethics.
Ekblaw, Ariel. "Into the Anthropocosmos: A Whole Space Catalog from the MIT Space Exploration Initiative." MIT Press, September 2021. ISBN: 9780262046374
MIT researchers are co-leading the design of a global Space Sustainability Rating system that will soon be operational.
The projects on board the Media Lab's first suborbital rocket flight
This mission included participation from several departments at MIT and outside collaborators from across the globe.
A team led by the Space Enabled group, ESA, and the World Economic Forum will address waste in Earth’s orbit
How might zero gravity space affect silk spinning, and what benefits might such material properties provide for digital fabrication and add…
Maiden Flight is an autonomous biological laboratory environment designed for studying the impact of space flight on the sole reproductive …
How can we design relationships between the most primitive and the most sophisticated life forms? Can we design wearables embedded with s…
The Interplanetary Cookbook, developed by Maggie Coblentz, presents thought-provoking recipes and zero-g kitchenware for the future of life…
The Space Exploration Initiative and Space Enabled research group are participating in this year's Virtual MIT Space Week.
Researchers + artists reflect on the partnerships that have created career opportunities and forged a deeper public understanding of science
Prof Dava Newman fields listeners' questions about climate change and introduces EarthDNA, a platform for climate advocacy and action.
Read the new MIT Space Policy Compendium led by Dava Newman with co-authors including Ariel Ekblaw and Danielle Wood.
Taking a taste of the sensory research of Space Exploration Initiative’s Maggie Coblentz
Ovienmhada, U (2020). Earth Observation Technology Applied to Environmental Management: A Case Study in Benin, Thesis for Master of Science in Media Arts & Sciences. MIT, Cambridge, MA.
Fabric samples are headed to the ISS for resiliency testing; possible applications include cosmic dust detectors or spacesuit smart skins.
Space research, led by a diverse team of women scientists, will be presented at this year's AIAA Ascend Conference.
The MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative is pushing the boundaries of space exploration innovation across the Media Lab’s many health…
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-ref…
Innovation dynamics of emerging co-creation practices: What are the impacts on inclusion?
Tom Standage and Seth Stevenson talk to a range of experts about what Victorian-era polar exploration can teach us about space travel.
A collaboration between CAST visiting artist Thom Kubli, Hiroshi Ishii, and members of the Tangible Media group.
Listen to Danielle Wood speak in a new episode of the Stories of Transformation podcast.
If the space industry wants to become more diverse, it must come to terms with how racially motivated decisions shape the country, Wood said
The United Arab Emirates’ Hope orbiter is the Arab world’s first interplanetary spacecraft — and has jump-started science in the country.
Artists and scientists from MIT united to create "Orbiting," an aerial archive of objects that trace the history of humanity.
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 freq…
Like too many science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, the aerospace sector in the US is populated mainly by white people.
The future of human life outside of Earth will heavily depend on the ability to fabricate and manufacture things. Yet fabrication in space …
Developed by a team of Media Lab researchers, SpaceHuman is a seahorse-inspired additive prosthetic for use in microgravity environments.
Sumini, V., Muccillo, M., Milliken, J., Ekblaw, A. and Paradiso, J., 2020. SpaceHuman: A Soft Robotic Prosthetic For Space Exploration. [online] Dl.acm.org. Available at: <https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3334480.3383087> [Accessed: 11 May 2020]
"We, as architects of the built environment, are entering an era where we’re designing for survival.”
"Space belongs to all countries—every country deserves equal opportunities to pursue scientific achievement for societal benefit."
A cohort of transdisciplinary researchers will study effects of sustained microgravity
The Space Exploration Initiative’s latest research flight explores work and play in zero gravity
When we say we’re “democratizing access to space exploration,” what do we mean?
On an upcoming SpaceX launch (CRS-20), we are launching seven TESSERAE v3 hardware tiles to the International Space Station.
At Sundance New Frontiers 2020, Xin Liu and Qinya (Jenny) Guo debuted Living Distance, a VR piece about the journey of Liu’s wisdom tooth.
Humans are headed for the cosmos, and we’re taking our appetites with us. What will fill the void when we leave Earth behind?
Danielle Wood's official testimony from the congressional hearing for the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics.
Ariel Ekblaw and Charles Bolden consider the future of human spaceflight.
A consortium established last year to develop a rating to measure how well satellites comply with space sustainability guidelines expects to
Mechanical actuators for deployable systems on satellites are often complex, expensive, only designed for a single use, and too large or he…
In microgravity, the removal of constant loading on the skeleton leads to loss of bone density and muscle mass. In order to counteract this…
Danielle Wood discusses the satellite technology research and other work underway in her Space Enabled research group.
Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellow Prathima Muniyappa uses the transformative power of design to empower marginalized indigenous communities.
Lab on Body, Synthetic Biology, and Bio-Digital Systems for Health and Human Enhancement
Humanity is facing thorny problems on all fronts. These folks are working to solve them—and trying to avoid the unintended consequences.
Hairstyles, musical instruments and gardening all change in zero gravity, scientist Sands Fish says.
Ariel Ekblaw presented designs for self-assembling architecture to create habitats for people living and working in low-gravity environments
Greater Boston’s annual festival of ideas finds new avenues for celebrating and connecting innovators.
Media Lab spinoff company Figur8 has developed a cost-effective, portable system to measure and track human motion.
An underwater internet of things monitoring the effects of climate change or sampling waters on distant planets
Submerged system uses the vibration of “piezoelectric” materials to generate power and send and receive data.
For decades, the International Space Station (ISS) has operated as a bastion of international cooperation and a unique testbed for microgra…
Researchers at the MIT Media Lab are developing technology for a day when amateur astronauts travel into orbit.
Innovation knows no geographic bounds in this collaboration, including research by Labber Valentina Sumini.