{
  "id": 16105189,
  "title": "This design software reimagines everyday objects as self-aware devices",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/this-design-software-reimagines-everyday-objects-as-self-aware-devices-16105189",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-22T20:45:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MIT News Research",
    "slug": "mit-news-research",
    "url": "https://news.mit.edu/2026/design-software-reimagines-everyday-objects-as-self-aware-devices-1022"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a way to transform everyday objects into self-aware devices that can perceive and respond to human motion. The researchers 3D-print these items using conductive materials for sensors and traces, which prevent signal interference. With their \"X-Hinges\" software, users can customize designs and embed two different materials: sensors and wire-like elements that don't interfere. This allows objects to move in three axes and respond dynamically to human touch. Researchers created a glove that teaches a robot how to grasp objects, an origami-style lamp that adjusts brightness, and a device that recognizes which objects have been placed on it. X-Hinges offers a more versatile approach to 3D-printing interactive objects compared to previous methods that only allowed for one axis of motion. However, calibration remains a challenge as slight variations in the electrical elements can lead to different sensor readings. Despite this, X-Hinges could enable everyday objects to become interactive, giving them a form of physical intelligence to execute tasks when users interact with them.",
  "summary": "“X-Hinges” helps design and 3D print items like lamps and gloves with an interactive twist: automatically embedded sensors that perceive and adaptively respond to human contact.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}