ABC News reporter Catherine Thorbecke writes that a new video showcases the robotic mini cheetahs developed by Prof. Sangbae Kim’s research lab performing “some synchronized turns, flips and more impressive gymnastics -- including their famous 360-degree backflips.”
Verge reporter James Vincent spotlights a new video from the MIT Biomimetic Robotics Lab, which showcases the group’s robotic mini cheetahs performing technical feats. Vincent explains that the robots are being used to explore “various problems that require a bit of ruggedness and flexibility. Their modular design lets scientists swap in new parts if they break, and their tough build can survive crashes and bangs.”
CNN’s Bronte Lord spotlights the robotic mini cheetahs developed by Prof. Sangbae Kim’s research group that can run untethered, perform backflips and kick a soccer ball. Kim explains that his ultimate goal is to "achieve the same level of mobility as animals... as good as a dog following you around."
Prof. Dennis Whyte, director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT, writes for The Washington Post that the U.S. has the opportunity to help lead the development of fusion energy technologies. “Strategic, innovation-aligned U.S. investment would help ensure that this country becomes the home of a world-changing — and potentially world-saving — technology,” Whyte.
Graduate student Joy Buolamwini has been named to the Financial Times’ list of change-makers, which highlights “30 of the planet’s most exciting young people.” Financial Times reporter India Ross notes that Buolamwini, “identified gender and racial biases in artificial intelligence, and her efforts have prompted technology companies such as IBM to upgrade their software accordingly.”
Prof. Larry Susskind speaks with WGBH’s Arun Rath about how public agencies can prepare for ransomware attacks. “When Microsoft sends your city agency a patch on your operating system, you should install it,” says Susskind, “because not installing it means that one place of vulnerability is known by all the hackers everywhere.”
MIT researchers have developed a robot with an extendible appendage that grows like a plant, reports Darrell Etherington for TechCrunch. The robot can “extend itself to reach up to a previously unreachable height, or through a gap to a hard-to-get-at area."
CNN reporter Peter Valdes-Dapena writes that researchers from MIT and Lamborghini have created a new material that could allow the “creation of supercapacitors capable of holding two to three times as much energy as the supercapacitors now being produced.”
Financial Times reporter Charlotte Middlehurst spotlights how a team of engineers, including researchers from MIT, have found “AI can be used to measure the useful lifetime of lithium-ion battery-powered devices.” Middlehurst explains that this could “spur improved battery design and reduce production costs.”
Houston Chronicle reporter James Orborne writes that MIT researchers have found that decarbonizing the power grid would be less costly if nuclear power, along with renewable sources, could be expanded. The researchers note that, "Continued focus on lowering the cost of baseload generation from low-carbon sources such as nuclear would make achieving deep reductions in carbon emissions much less costly."
Prof. Danielle Wood speaks with Living Lab Radio about the need to treat space as a national park or world heritage site so that it can be used for the benefit of all. “Space is truly a global location,” says Wood. “Ideally, you could see distributions of benefit to people around the world--benefiting from both the services of space and activities in space.”
Writing for The Wall Street Journal, William Meyers explores the new exhibition exploring the history of Polaroid photography at the MIT Museum. Meyers writes that the exhibit “shows us just how fertile Edwin Land’s invention proved to be for decades of artists.”
In this video, USA Today spotlights how CSAIL researchers have developed a set of robotic cubes that are able to jump in the air and climb over and around each other. The researchers hope that in the future the cubes could be used in disaster-response situations, such as to “build a temporary staircase in a burning building.”
Researchers from MIT’s Senseable City Lab have developed an index measuring tree cover in a number of cities around the world, reports Oliver Balch for The Guardian. Balch notes that, “one of the main motivations behind the MIT ranking was to ascertain how trees help mitigate the so-called heat island effect in cities.”
A new FRONTLINE documentary spotlights Prof. Regina Barzilay’s work developing an AI system that can aid the detection of breast cancer. “A technology that had not yet penetrated the hospital setting now has the potential to save many thousands of lives each year,” writes Patrice Taddonio for PBS.