5 Ws

5Ws of BEM-AI

Buildings researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have released Building Energy Model AI (BEM-AI) is an open-source bot that can help energy modelers save time and money.

5Ws of an Ethanol Fuel-Cell Generator

WattAnyWhere’s pollutant-free fuel cell generator converts renewable ethanol into clean electricity, offering businesses and communities a sustainable alternative to traditional grid-based power.

5Ws of the AEON Humanoid Robot

One of the 2026 CES Innovation Awards honorees in the robotics category is AEON — a humanoid robot developed to address labor shortages as industries adapt to ageing populations and shifting workforce demands.

5Ws of Unloading Robots

Founded by MIT alumni, the Pickle Robot Company has built machines that can autonomously load and unload trucks inside warehouses and logistic centers.

5Ws of Dex: A Mobile Humanoid Robot

Richtech Robotics’ Dex is an industrial humanoid robot that learns in simulation and works in reality to elevate productivity and safety on the factory floor.

5Ws of the 3D Ultrasonic Sensor

Norway-based startup Sonair has developed a 3D ultrasonic sensor that uses sound waves in air to give robots a precise, real-time 3D view of their surroundings, helping them operate safely in shared spaces.

5Ws of the Mini Spectrometer

North Carolina State University engineers have built a tiny spectrometer that is orders of magnitude smaller than current technologies and can accurately measure wavelengths of light from ultraviolet to the near infrared.

5Ws of the Ping Pong Bot

MIT engineers have developed a ping-pong-playing robot that quickly estimates the speed and trajectory of an incoming ball and precisely hits it with precision.

5Ws of an All-Electric Delivery Drone

An all-electric drone developed by Blueflite with vertical take-off and landing capabilities and advanced maneuverability for faster and more cost-effective deliveries.

5Ws of the AstroRad

AstroRad, a next-gen radiation vest for astronauts to wear beyond low-Earth orbit, shields their vital organs from dangerous space radiation during missions beyond low-Earth orbit.

5Ws of a Morphing Robot

GOAT (Good Over All Terrains), a bioinspired robot developed at EPFL, can change shape to alter its own physical properties in response to its environment, resulting in a robust and efficient autonomous vehicle.

5Ws of a 3D-Printed Electrospray Engine

With the goal to democratize space research, MIT engineers have demonstrated the first fully 3D-printed, droplet-emitting electrospray engine which can be produced rapidly and for a fraction of the cost of traditional thruster.

5Ws of a Micro-Aerial Robot

MIT researchers are developing robotic insects that could someday swarm out of mechanical hives to rapidly perform precise pollination.

5Ws of a Raven-Inspired Drone

EPFL researchers have built RAVEN, a drone that can walk, hop, and jump into flight with the aid of birdlike legs.

5Ws of the EgoTouch

EgoTouch, a new tool developed by researchers in CMU’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute, could put control for AR/VR environments in the palm of your hand.

5Ws of 3D-Printed Glass Bricks

MIT engineers have 3D printed sturdy glass bricks for building structures. The interlocking bricks, which can be repurposed many times over, can withstand similar pressures as their concrete counterparts.

5Ws of the Smart Mask

Caltech engineers have developed a prototype for a high-tech paper mask that can be used to monitor a range of metabolic and respiratory conditions.

5Ws of Film-Balloon Soft Robots

A novel fabrication approach enables lightweight, untethered operation of soft robots with advanced biomimetic locomotion capabilities.

5Ws of the Mouth-Based Touchpad

A new device developed by MIT engineers allows people living with paralysis to interact with phones and computers using their tongue, mouth, and head gestures.

5Ws of the Neuromorphic AI Drone

A team of researchers at Delft University of Technology has developed a drone that flies autonomously using neuromorphic image processing and control based on the workings of animal brains.

5Ws of the Miniature Brain Stimulator

Rice University engineers have developed the smallest implantable brain stimulator demonstrated in a human patient that could revolutionize treatment for drug-resistant depression and other psychiatric or neurological disorders.

5Ws of the Dressing Robot

A bimanual dressing robot system developed at the University of York uses AI to mimic how caregivers assist humans in dressing.

5Ws of the Light Sail

A light sail developed by Cornell’s Space Systems Design Studio (SSDS) could one day propel small spacecraft through interstellar realms.

5Ws of the Smart Yard Robot

A smart modular yardwork robot that can blow leaves and plow snow as well as achieve reductions in carbon emissions at the same time.

5Ws of the Eye-Safe Laser

There is an urgent need for new technologies to improve the timeliness of traumatic brain injury diagnosis. Researchers from the University of Birmingham have a laser-based solution.

5Ws of the Silk Transistor

Researchers at Tufts University have created microprocessor-scale transistors that can detect and respond to biological states and the environment.

5Ws of the Edible Battery

A team of researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) has created a totally edible and rechargeable battery, starting from materials that are normally consumed as part of our daily diet.

5Ws of the Wingless Transporter

A two-passenger hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) passenger multicopter aircraft with NASA-proven thrusters for advanced air mobility.

5Ws of the ‘Enchilada’ Trap

A new ion trap developed by Sandia National Labs enables scientists to build more powerful machines to advance the experimental but potentially revolutionary field of quantum computing.