MIT Tech Talk: Mar 2, 2005

Volume 49 – Number 19 Wednesday – March 2, 2005 TechTalk S ERVING T HE M I T C OMMUNITY Bob Langer Robot’s gait mimics toddlers’ Elizabeth Thomson named an News Office Three independent research teams, including one from Institute MIT, have built walking robots that mimic humans in terms of their gait, energy-efficiency and control. The MIT robot also demonstrates a new learning system that allows it to Professor continually adapt to the terrain as it walks. Elizabeth Thomson The work, which is described in the Feb. 18 issue of the News Office journal Science, could change the way humanoid robots are designed and controlled. It also has potential applications for robotic prostheses and it could aid scientists’ understanding of the human motor system. Robert S. Langer, the Germe- Developed at MIT, Cornell and Holland’s Delft University shausen Professor of Chemical and of Technology, the three robots are all based on the same Biomedical Engineering, has been principle—they are an extension of several years of research named Institute Professor, the highest into “passive-dynamic walkers” that walk down a shallow honor awarded by the MIT faculty and slope without any motors. Passive-dynamic walkers were administration. inspired by walking toys that have been around since the “Bob Langer is an extraordinary 1800s. colleague and an extraordinary engi- neer-scientist,” said Rafael Bras, the Robotic toddler Bacardi and Stockholm Water Founda- Control programs in the Cornell and Delft robots are tions Professor and chair of the faculty. extremely simple, because a large portion of the control “His work on drug delivery systems problem is solved in the mechanical design. The MIT robot and tissue engineering has literally uses customized learning software that exploits this design, saved many lives. As an author and allowing the robot to teach itself to walk in less than 20 min- inventor he has no peer, anywhere. utes, or about 600 steps. Yet, Bob always finds the time to gen- Dubbed “Toddler” because it learns to walk and because erously serve MIT and the nation. He it toddles when it does so, the robot “is one of the first walk- always has the time for students and ing robots to use a learning program, and it is the first to to excel as a teacher. Those extraor- learn to walk without any prior information built into the dinary talents make him the obvious controller,” said Russ Tedrake, a postdoctoral associate in choice for Institute Professor. The fac- MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. ulty is thrilled to honor Bob Langer in Among other things, the learning program allows the this manner.” robot to navigate efficiently over a variety of walking sur- “Bob Langer’s appointment as Insti- faces; it may eventually allow robots to navigate very rough PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY See LANGER terrain. That’s because the program works so quickly that Page 3 See TODDLER Postdoctoral associate Russ Tedrake and alumna Teresa Weirui Zang watch their robotic toddler navigate the medical building foyer. Page 4 Groundbreaking new major Drinking education program established, first in 29 years proves highly effective at MIT Denise Brehm “MIT’s program is pioneering the prem- Sasha Brown percent—is similar to that of MIT’s peer News Office ise of doing engineering analysis, design News Office institutions, which average about 30 per- and synthesis based in modern molecular cent. The rates at state schools nationally life sciences with the aim of impacting a tend to run much higher, 50 percent or The Massachusetts Institute of Tech- diverse set of application areas and indus- The “tyranny of the minority” is how more. nology faculty approved a new course of tries ranging from microelectronic materi- Associate Dean Danny Trujillo refers to Trujillo came to MIT three years ago study for undergraduates, in Biological als to ocean ecology,” said Linda Griffith, alcohol abuse on college campuses. The following a national search for an associ- Engineering, the first entirely new curricu- professor of mechanical and biological few students who do engage in dangerous ate dean for alcohol education and com- lum established at the Institute in 29 years. engineering and chair of the biological drinking have a negative impact on the munity development. Since then, he has MIT is the first university in the nation engineering undergraduate program com- lives of the majority—the students who worked in collaboration with the Mental to take the step of fusing molecular and mittee at MIT. choose to abstain or drink moderately. Health Department of MIT Medical to pre- cellular bioscience with engineering to The MIT program is different because In a 2003 survey of MIT undergradu- vent alcohol abuse on campus through the create a new biological engineering disci- the engineering will be taught from the ates, only one in four students reported adoption of a screening and intervention pline. Many other universities and medical beginning entirely in the context of biol- ever having engaged in binge drinking. program known as SBI (Screening and schools offer biomedical engineering (or ogy, rather than in the context of machines But 42 percent of MIT students reported Brief Intervention.) bioengineering) programs aimed at apply- or chemistry or materials. By contrast, the feeling the secondhand effects—interrupt- His work is paying off. The rate of ing engineering to medicine, and there curricula in biomedical engineering pro- ed study or sleep time—of others’ alcohol binge drinking decreased by 40 percent are biological engineering programs that grams typically have students take their consumption. Additionally, that minority for MIT students who entered the MIT- have an entirely different focus—generally engineering courses in various other engi- accounts for 73 percent of alcohol-related SBI program. mainly on agriculture. But an engineering neering departments, then learn to apply injuries, vandalism and police infractions, At the end of last year, the program discipline grounded in molecular and cel- engineering to medicine and physiology. Trujillo said. was recognized by the U.S. Department lular biology, enabling a broad spectrum of Nine new subjects at MIT have been Binge drinking among MIT students of Education as one of three model alcohol applications, including but not focused on developed for the course of biological is low compared to universities nationally and drug prevention programs in higher medicine, has not been established before and slightly less than at its peer institu- now. Other universities are expected to be See MAJOR tions. The rate of heavy episodic drinking See ALCOHOL influenced by MIT’s approach. Page 5 at MIT reported in the 2003 survey—28 Page 5 NEWS RESEARCH ARTS GOOD VIBRATIONS IT TAKES ALL KINDS THE CHANGING FIELD MIT collaborates with Cambridge on EPA grant MIT-created robots help humans in out-of-the-way Dean of Architecture Adele Santos gives a brief proposal. PILOT agreement boosts city’s bond rating. places. history of women in the field. Page 2 Page 4 Page 7 TOP SCHOLAR TRAINING THE BRAIN PAIRING OFF Laurel Yong-Hwa Lee was named to the All-USA Primitive part of the brain may be smarter than we Performance pairs words of Paul Auster with music Collegiate Academic Team by USA Today. think. of Don Byron and others. Page 3 Page 4 Page 7 PAGE 2 March 2, 2005 NEWS MIT Tech Talk Cambridge, MIT win EPA grant The City of Cambridge and MIT will technologies that drive excellent envi- collaborate to significantly reduce diesel ronmental performance on campus and pollution from their respective vehicle throughout the city. MIT is extremely fleets over the next two years, thanks to a grateful to the EPA for selecting our joint grant from the U.S. Environmental Protec- proposal with the city,” Keith said. tion Agency announced Feb. 23. The grant “We intend to use this collaborative is one of 18 awarded nationwide from a project not only to make significant reduc- pool of 83 applicants. tions in our own emissions, but also to Through the Clean Diesel Collaborative share our experience and demonstrate for a Healthy Cambridge, MIT and the city to others the feasibility of the technology will retrofit 34 medium- and heavy-duty so that it can be more widely adopted,” vehicles with advanced pollution control said Steven Lanou of MIT’s Environmen- equipment (including catalyzing equip- tal Programs Office, who is spearheading ment and filters). The goal is to reduce the effort for MIT. “The more we can dif- emissions per vehicle 40 to nearly 70 per- fuse the technology across diesel fleets, cent for some pollutants. the greater the environmental benefits we Like many cities, Cambridge has a can achieve.” large population of people who are espe- Laxmi Rao and Norm Magnuson of cially vulnerable to air pollution, particu- MIT’s Department of Facilities are lead- larly diesel emissions. Exposure to die- ing the implementation. They worked with sel pollution has been linked to numer- Lanou to develop MIT’s proposal. ous health conditions, including asthma, The EPA grant of $83,467 through the PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY heart disease and cancer. The Cambridge agency’s Voluntary Diesel Retrofit Grant Health Alliance identified childhood Program will launch the new initiative The need for Speedo asthma as a priority health concern in its and cover the implementation costs. The The men’s swimming and diving team made its annual run through the Infinite 2004 Cambridge Public Health Assess- Massachusetts Port Authority (Mass- Corridor last week before finishing third at the New England conference champion- ment. port) also received a grant through this ships in the Zesiger Center last weekend. In the 400 medley relay, MIT sophomore “Partnering with the City of Cambridge program.

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