Multifunctional Fiber

A multifunctional tool for cognitive neuroscience

A team of researchers at MIT’s McGovern and Picower Institutes has advanced the clinical potential of a thin, flexible fiber designed to simultaneously monitor and manipulate neural activity at targeted sites in the brain.

Soft optical fibers block pain while moving and stretching with the body

The fibers could help with testing treatments for nerve-related pain.

Magnetic robots walk, crawl, and swim

New soft-bodied robots that can be controlled by a simple magnetic field are well suited to work in confined spaces.

Unraveling connections between the brain and gut

MIT engineers’ new technology can probe the neural circuits that influence hunger, mood, and a variety of diseases.