The Daily Edition

Artificial intelligence has revolutionized software engineering, but its impact on designing and manufacturing complex physical systems, like jet engines, remains uncertain. The JARVIS Challenge, a recent competition at MIT, strove to answer this question by giving undergraduate students four weeks to design, fabricate, assemble, and test a small gas turbine aero engine. The objective was to build a small jet engine capable of producing 50-100 pounds of thrust and completing five 60-second runs using Jet-A fuel.

In the pursuit of upgrading college dorms with smart devices, several affordable options have emerged that are both stylish and functional. One such device is a spiraling table lamp that uses AI prompts to suggest various light patterns and colors. By simply describing the desired mood, users can generate light schemes ranging from soothing glows to dancing party swirls. This versatile lamp can sync to music, creating an ambiance suitable for studying or cozy evenings.

Neural pathways in the brain constantly change as we learn and interact with our surroundings. Scientists at MIT’s McGovern Institute and York University are studying this brain plasticity using detailed brain activity analysis and computational modeling. The researchers trained an artificial neural network with brain-like architecture to identify objects, similar to animals being trained.