The new research is geared to helping clinicians, not replacing them.

Can Artificial Intelligence Detect Depression in a Person’s Voice?

MIT scientists have trained an AI model to spot the condition through how people speak rather than what they tell a doctor

Leif Asp envisions a car with a body that acts as an energy source.

Let’s Build Cars Out of Batteries

If batteries could make up the very structure of our vehicles and electronics, those products would be far lighter and more efficient

In his 90-minute performance, Leguizamo hurtles through 50 characters—from an Incan emperor to a female Confederate soldier.

2018 Smithsonian Ingenuity Awards

Why John Leguizamo Is So Invested in Telling the Country About Latino History

His uproariously inventive one-man show, soon to be shown on Netflix, puts the story of a neglected culture center stage

The advantages of gear-and-lever voting machine, c. 1898, over the ballot box were many, including that it kept a running count, thus speeding up the reporting of results.

When Pulling a Lever Tallied the Vote

An innovative 1890s gear-and-lever voting machine mechanized the counting of the ballots so they could be tallied in minutes, not hours or days

The dozen or so cameras watching the musicians sent live video from the performance to a rack of computers, which used off-the-shelf artificial intelligence algorithms to create the eerie visuals.

The Musical Performance “Sight Machine” Reveals What Artificial Intelligence Is “Thinking” About Us

Like artist Trevor Paglen’s other work, the show asked viewers to reexamine the human relationship to technology

Freya, a Springer Spaniel, who has been trained to detect malaria parasites in sock samples taken from children in The Gambia. Freya did not participate in the initial study but was trained afterwards to help sniff out malaria in the future.

Good Dogs Could Help Identify Malaria Carriers

In a small proof-of-concept study, trained dogs neared the accuracy rate recommended by the World Health Organization for detecting the malaria parasite

Mario Klingemann’s ‘Neural Glitch Portrait 153552770’ was created using a generative adversarial network.

With AI Art, Process Is More Important Than the Product

Christie’s just auctioned its first piece of AI art—a portrait created via machine learning

People Feared Being Buried Alive So Much They Invented These Special Safety Coffins

For centuries, inventors have been patenting technology to prevent such a nightmare from happening

17 Inventions That Will Put You in the Halloween Mood

Here are some bizarre costume ideas, decorations and supplies culled from the U.S. patent archives

A new Smithsonian Book asks the question: Is there a future for crewed missions to the Moon?

In the Wake of Apollo’s ‘Giant Leap,’ What’s Next for Lunar Exploration?

A new Smithsonian Book unpacks the possible future of missions to the Moon

High school students at the University of Maine Farmington's Upward Bound program play the World Climate simulation.

This Game Is Moving People to Take Action Against Climate Change

In the ‘World Climate’ simulation, people play delegates to UN climate negotiations and work to strike an agreement that meets global climate goals

Anna Du is one of 30 Broadcom Masters finalists.

This 12-Year-Old Girl Built a Robot That Can Find Microplastics In the Ocean

Massachusetts seventh grader Anna Du has developed an ROV that moves through water and detects microplastics on the seafloor

Miami is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to raise roads in response to rising sea levels.

How Cities Are Upgrading Infrastructure to Prepare for Climate Change

The threat of extreme weather and other climate-related events has city planners rethinking the stability of critical infrastructure

WiTricity has partnered with BMW to release the first consumer-ready remote charging system for an electric vehicle.

Is Wireless Charging for Cars Finally Here?

The Massachusetts startup WiTricity has developed a mat that charges electric vehicles using magnetic resonance

A robotic arm performs a transplant operation.

This Robotic Farming System Could Be the Answer to Labor Shortages

Hydroponics startup Iron Ox is automating indoor produce farming

The Woman Who Made a Device to Help Disabled Veterans Feed Themselves—and Gave It Away for Free

World War II nurse Bessie Blount went on to become an inventor and forensic handwriting expert

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The Innovative Spirit

The Innovative Spirit: Changing Our World For the Better

In partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, we look at the innovative spirit within the Smithsonian and beyond

Jason Moore, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State, David Pepley, a doctoral student studying mechanical engineering, and Yichun (Leo) Tang, an undergraduate student studying mechanical engineering, work with the needle simulator training device.

This New Needle Simulator Could Train Medical Students To Have a Steady Hand

Penn State researchers have developed a device that could help future doctors perfect their needle insertion technique—before they start on people

Stanford Ovshinsky, 2008

Stanford Ovshinsky Might Be the Most Prolific Inventor You’ve Never Heard Of

A new book calls attention to the 20th-century genius with more than 400 patents to his name

Plastic Whale organizes boat tours along Amsterdam's canals to collect garbage--in particular plastic--which it then recycles and uses the repurposed material to build boats.

Fishing for Plastic Is the Latest Way to Clean Up Amsterdam’s Canals

Plastic Whale offers visitors an opportunity to see the city by boat while also cleaning up its waterways

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