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Audio/PodcastPlastic in our blood? That’s a problem. – Harvard ThinkingOur planet is filled with plastic. On average, we produce 430 million tons every year, most of which is used only for a short period of time and then discarded. But plastic isn’t just in the environment: it’s now in our bodies. Microplastics have been found in our bloodstreams, lungs, and other organs, and we’re... -
Video/AnimationSNIFFIA – Sensory Nature-Inspired Fact Finder for Indoor AirWe are bringing to market an innovative, bioinspired sensor of volatile compounds that gives building operators confidence in the measurement of gasses indoors and provides guidance to achieving healthy indoor air quality (IAQ). SNIFFIA (Sniffing Nose-Inspired Fact Finder of Indoor Air) is affordable, accurate, and highly sensitive thanks to the advanced data collection and processing... -
Video/AnimationArbor Armor: Could FcMBL Save The Peach Industry?Brown rot is one of the most devastating peach diseases, affecting both home and commercial orchards. When a member of the Wyss community discovered the disease on his peach tree, he mentioned his concerns with others in our community. What he didn’t expect was that his colleague potentially had a novel solution using an existing... -
Video/AnimationOur Sustainable FutureThe Wyss Institute is developing sustainable materials and devices to ensure a bright future and a healthy planet for future generations to inherit. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard -
Video/AnimationVesma – Refrigerant-Free, Eco-Friendly Cooling for All ClimatesAn interdisciplinary team from the Wyss Institute, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Harvard Graduate School of Design is continuing to advance global climate solutions for building cooling. By combining the evaporative cooling technology, cSNAP, and vacuum membrane dehumidification, the team has developed a refrigerant-free, eco-friendly cooling solution suitable for all climates. Credit:... -
Video/AnimationPeter Nguyen: Biology Engineering, Bigfoot Hunting, and Better Climate TechnologyWyss Senior Scientist Peter Nguyen received a B.S. in Biochemistry and B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Texas, his M.Bs. from the Keck Graduate Institute, and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Rice University. At the Wyss Institute, Peter currently works on programmable probiotics and freeze-dried cell-free manufacturing technology across multiple platforms. His research interests... -
Video/AnimationNucleoTide – CRISPR-based biosensors for rapidly detecting harmful marine microbesThe warming of the oceans due to climate change has increased the frequency and potency of harmful algal blooms. These algae species produce toxins that can harm or even kill people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds. Researchers at the Wyss Institute are working to develop inexpensive sensors that could detect dangerous algae species earlier... -
Video/AnimationHow can we increase energy efficiency?Inspired by the pitcher plant, researchers at the Wyss Institute, created a non-stick, ultra-repellent, self-healing surface coating called SLIPS (Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces). This example of bioinspired engineering, a hallmark of the Wyss, has numerous applications such as in medical devices, HVAC, refrigeration, marine engineering, aviation, and manufacturing. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationHow can we feed the world?The current agricultural methods of feeding the world are not sustainable and already have dire consequences that will worsen as the Earth’s population continues to grow. Researchers at the Wyss Institute are working on various solutions that could help provide food for our future needs with a lower environmental impact. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard... -
Video/AnimationcSNAP: Reimagining CoolingWe are reimagining air-conditioners to meet increasing global cooling demand while combatting climate change. Our novel evaporative cooling technology, cSNAP, uses advanced materials science and design to make affordable, environmentally-positive eco-friendly air conditioners that work in most climates without the use of synthetic refrigerants. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationEngineering Solutions to Confront the Climate CrisisAt the Wyss Institute, we are committed to tackling this existential climate crisis and are expanding our portfolio of sustainability research projects. Join us in reimagining a more sustainable future, together. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationCirce: Using Microbes to Make Biodegradable ProductsCurrent manufacturing methods release harmful greenhouse gases and pollution, and many of the products produced do not biodegrade, damaging our ecosystems even further. What if we could turn greenhouse gases into biodegradable products? Researchers at the Wyss Institute are using synthetic biology to make this a reality. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationEnzymatic DNA Synthesis (EDS) for Data StoragePostdoctoral Fellow, Henry Lee, presents a Wyss Institute Validation Project that is developing a sustainable, low-cost approach for writing large amounts of digital information in DNA. This could one day replace current data storage methods, which are energy intensive and use large amounts of nonrenewable resources. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationSoft Robotic Gripper for JellyfishIn order to study jellyfish and other fragile marine life without damaging them, researchers at the Wyss Institute and Baruch College developed an ultra-soft gripper to gently grasp jellyfish and release them without harm. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationRomu: A Robot for Environmental ProtectionResearchers at the Wyss Institute have developed a robot designed to drive interlocking sheet piles into the ground to help stabilize soil. Teams of such robots could help combat erosion, restore damaged landscapes, and facilitate sustainable land management in a variety of settings. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard -
Video/AnimationLight-driven fine chemical production in yeast biohybridsWyss Institute Core Faculty member Neel Joshi explains the concept of yeast biohybrids and how they can be used to harvest energy from light to drive the production of fine chemicals. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationSoft Robotic Arms: Giving Biologists a Delicate, Deep-sea ReachWhat good is a soft robotic hand without a soft robotic arm to move it? Wyss researchers have now created a soft, modular underwater arm that can help marine biologists study hard-to-reach organisms in the deep sea. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Audio/PodcastDisruptive: Soft Robotics for Deep Sea ExplorationThe deep ocean is the least explored environment on Earth, and scientists estimate that many thousands of species are yet to be encountered. Marine researchers depend on tools primarily developed for the military or the oil and gas industry to study and capture undersea organisms. Many of them are extremely fragile, some thousands of years... -
Video/Animation3D-Printed Soft GrippersWhat’s the easiest way to pick up soft-bodied sea creatures? 3D-printed soft robots. Watch as an interdisciplinary team of marine biologists, engineers, and roboticists create custom-made soft grippers on-board the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor, allowing them to safely sample many types of delicate sea life in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA). Credit: Wyss Institute... -
Video/AnimationTEDx Beacon Street Salon: Reversing Human AgingWyss Institute Core Faculty member George Church, Ph.D., was the opening speaker at the TEDx Beacon Street saloon event hosted at the Franklin Park Zoo. He presented from inside the tapir cage! Talk summary: Animals can be an extremely useful resource in prolonging human lives and promoting general health. For example, there are organs in... -
Video/AnimationCatalytic Nanoarchitectures for Clean AirThe Wyss Institute is developing a new type of coating for catalytic converters that, inspired by the nanoscale structure of a butterfly’s wing, can dramatically reduce the cost and improve the performance of air purification technologies, making them more accessible to all. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Audio/PodcastDisruptive: Putting Biofilms to WorkBiofilms are commonly known as the slime-producing bacterial communities sitting on stones in streams, dirty pipes and drains, or dental plaque. However, Wyss Core Faculty member Neel Joshi is putting to work the very properties that make biofilms effective nuisances or threats in our daily lives. In this episode of Disruptive, Joshi and postdoctoral fellow... -
Video/AnimationRobobee: Saving Energy While in the AirThe RoboBee, pioneered at the Harvard Microrobotics Lab, uses an electrode patch and a foam mount that absorbs shock to perch on surfaces and conserve energy in flight. Credit: Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) -
Video/AnimationEfficient Recovery of Stem Cell SheetsSee in this video how an intact sheet of mesenchymal stem cells, stained with a violet dye, can be lifted off the infused polymer substrate in the culture dish using a filter paper and transferred to a new surface. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationSoft Robotic Grippers For Deep-Sea ExplorationIn this video, two types of soft robotic grippers are shown successfully collecting coral samples at the bottom of the Red Sea. The first gripper features opposing pairs of bending actuators, while the second gripper – inspired by the coiling action of a boa constrictor – can access tight spaces and clutch small and irregular... -
Video/AnimationCRISPR-Cas9: Safeguarding Gene DrivesIn this animation, learn how effective safeguarding mechanisms developed at the Wyss Institute and Harvard Medical School can be applied to ensure gene drive research is done responsibly in the laboratory. These safeguards enable responsible scientific investigation into how gene drives could one day be leveraged for the greater good of human health, agriculture, and... -
Video/AnimationRoboBee: From Aerial to AquaticThe RoboBee is a miniature robot that has long been able to fly. But what if the RoboBee lands in water? Using a modified flapping technique, researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have demonstrated that the RoboBee... -
Video/AnimationBioinspired Robotics: Softer, Smarter, SaferThe Bioinspired Robotics platform at HarvardÍs Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering looks into Nature to obtain insights for the development of new robotic components that are smarter, softer, and safer than conventional industrial robots. By looking at natural intelligence, collective behavior, biomechanics, and material properties not found in manmade systems, scientists at the Wyss... -
Video/AnimationEnvironmental Impact: Chitin-Inhibiting Pesticides Called into QuestionChitin, a molecule that serves a purpose in the developmental biology of insects, fungi and shrimp, has long been a target of growth-inhibiting pesticides due to the belief that it did not exist in vertebrates. For decades, chitin-inhibiting pesticides have stunted the growth of insects and fungi to protect valuable crops. Now, research from the... -
Video/AnimationFluid GateIn this video, the fluid-based gating mechanism separates gas and water. The fluid-filled pores system leverages pressurization to control the opening and closing of its liquid gates, making it extremely precise at separating mixed materials. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationBIND BiofilmIn this video Wyss Institute Core Faculty member Neel Joshi and Postdoctoral Fellow Peter Nguyen describe how their protein engineering system called BIND (Biofilm-Integrated Nanofiber Display) could be used to redefine biofilms as large-scale production platforms for biomaterials that can be programmed to provide functions not possible with existing materials. An animation depicts how it... -
Video/AnimationKilobots: A Thousand-Robot SwarmIn this video, Kilobots self-assemble in a thousand-robot swarm. The algorithm developed by Wyss Institute Core Faculty member Radhika Nagpal that enables the swarm provides a valuable platform for testing future collective Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms. Credit: Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. -
Video/AnimationDynamic Daylight Redirection SystemThis video shows Keojin Jin conducting a shoebox test that shows the light reflection effect to the top surface of the box as well as the reduction of direct light to the bottom surface of the box. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationSelf-Folding RobotsIn this video, Wyss Institute Core Faculty member Rob Wood, who is also the Charles River Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and SEAS Ph.D. student Sam Felton discuss their landmark achievement in robotics – getting a robot to assemble itself and walk away autonomously –... -
Video/AnimationCRISPR-Cas9: Gene DrivesThis animation explains how an emerging technology called “gene drives” may be used to potentially spread particular genomic alterations through targeted wild populations over many generations. It uses mosquitoes as an example of a target species – and illustrates how the versatile genome editing tool called CRISPR makes it possible. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard... -
Video/Animation3D Printing: Cellular CompositesMaterials scientists at Harvard University have created lightweight cellular composites via 3D printing. These fiber-reinforced epoxy composites mimic the structure and performance of balsa wood. Because the fiber fillers align along the printing direction, their local orientation can be exquisitely controlled. These 3D composites may be useful for wind turbine, automotive and aerospace applications, where... -
Audio/PodcastShrimp Shells Could Make the Green Plastic of the FutureUnlike other forms of bioplastic, like those made from potatoes or corn, chitin plastic does not simply replace the carbon source for the polymer, it actually replaces the carbon-based plastic polymer, making it a totally biodegradable and sustainable material. Researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute used chitin from discarded shrimp shells from a shrimp processing plant... -
Video/AnimationSustainability: The Ultimate ChallengeIn the past century plastic has transformed modern-day life on our planet, but is it sustainable? We produce 300 million tons of plastic per year* and recycle only 3%**. Are we content that the other 97% collects in oceans, landfills and the food chain? The challenge is clear: we will drown in plastic if we... -
Video/AnimationChitosan BioplasticIn this video, the team grew a California Blackeye pea plant in soil enriched with its chitosan bioplastic over a three-week period – demonstrating the material’s potential to encourage plant growth once it is returned to the environment. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationTERMESInspired by termites, the TERMES robots act independently but collectively. They can carry bricks, build staircases, and then climb them to add bricks to a structure. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationNew coating turns glass into superglassA transparent new coating makes ordinary glass tough, ultraslippery, and self-cleaning. The coating is based on SLIPS — the world’s slipperiest synthetic substance. Here, a droplet of dyed octane quickly beads up and rolls off a watch glass with the new coating. To learn more, go to Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationRoboBee: Controlled flight of a robotic insectInspired by the biology of a fly, with submillimeter-scale anatomy and two wafer-thin wings that flap at 120 times per second, robotic insects, or RoboBees, achieve vertical takeoff, hovering, and steering. The tiny robots flap their wings using piezoelectric actuators — strips of ceramic that expand and contract when an electric field is applied. Thin... -
Video/AnimationSLIPS‘SLIPS’ technology, inspired by the slippery pitcher plant that repels almost every type of liquid and solid, is a unique approach to coating industrial and medical surfaces that is based on nano/microstructured porous material infused with a lubricating fluid. By locking in water and other fluids, SLIPS technology creates slick, exceptionally repellent and robust self-cleaning... -
Video/AnimationMagnetic YeastIn this video, Wyss Core Faculty member Pamela Silver describes how her team at the Wyss Institute and Harvard Medical School induced magnetic sensitivity in a non-magnetic organism. This technology could potentially be used to magnetize a variety of different cell types in medical, industrial and research applications. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationTermite-inspired robotsInspired by termites and their building activities, the TERMES project is working toward developing a swarm construction system in which robots cooperate to build 3D structures much larger than themselves. The current system consists of simple but autonomous mobile robots and specialized passive blocks; the robot is able to manipulate blocks to build tall structures,... -
Video/AnimationSLIPS: Keeping Ice AwayWhat if we could design surfaces that prevent ice formation? ‘SLIPS’ technology, inspired by the slippery pitcher plant that repels almost every type of liquid and solid, is a unique approach to coating industrial and medical surfaces that is based on nano/microstructured porous material infused with a lubricating fluid. By locking in water and other...