CSAIL researchers have developed a new system that can predict how selfless or selfish a driver’s behavior might be, writes Charles Towers-Clark for Forbes. “Predicting how humans might behave, and adjusting an algorithm’s reasoning based on how selfish or selfless their behavior might be, could dramatically reduce accidents between AI-enabled vehicles and humans,” Towers-Clark notes.
CSAIL researchers have developed a new system that can predict how selfless or selfish a driver’s behavior might be, writes Charles Towers-Clark for Forbes. “Predicting how humans might behave, and adjusting an algorithm’s reasoning based on how selfish or selfless their behavior might be, could dramatically reduce accidents between AI-enabled vehicles and humans,” Towers-Clark notes.
MIT researchers have developed microparticles that could be used to fortify foods with essential nutrients, reports Tim McDonnell for NPR. The microparticles “could be added into flour, salt, dehydrated soup stock cubes or any mass-produced, granular food as it's being processed in a factory. Each might contain up to four different kinds of nutrients.”
MIT researchers have developed a device that can remove carbon dioxide from the air, reports Nsikan Akpan for the PBS NewsHour. “I realized there was a gap in the spectrum of solutions,” says postdoc Sahag Voskian. “Many current systems, for instance, are very bulky and can only be used for large-scale power plants or industrial applications.”
Boston Globe reporter Scott Kirsner spotlights De-Ice, an MIT startup that is developing a new system to defrost planes. MIT graduate and De-Ice co-founder and CEO Alex Bratianu was inspired by wondering if he could “build something similar to your car’s rear-window defroster, where you press a button, and any frost would go away.”
Prof. Hugh Herr speaks with WGBH reporter Cristina Quinn about a new surgical technique that allows prosthetics to be controlled like human limbs. “The brain gets information about how muscles are moving, but the brain doesn’t get information about skin contact,” says Herr. “So what we are doing now, is we are putting skin cells next to the nerve.”
Wall Street Journal reporters Melissa Korn and Valerie Bauerlein write that MIT will receive more than $260 million from the Lord Foundation of Massachusetts. President L. Rafael Reif explains that the funds, which come with minimal restrictions, offer “the nimbleness to seize opportunities and address needs that can be hard to cover through traditional philanthropy.”
Washington Post reporter Susan Svrluga writes that MIT, Duke, USC and Cleveland Clinic will each receive $260 million from the Lord foundations. The funds will enable the institutions to “target priorities and needs that are pressing but may not be appealing to donors – whether that’s basic research, graduate-student scholarships, upgrades to outdated buildings or an ambitious drive to solve a global problem.”
AP writers Jeff Amy and Kantele Franko report that MIT is among four institutions that will each receive more than $260 million to support teaching and research. The more than $1 billion distribution to MIT, Duke, USC and Cleveland Clinic is one of the largest in the history of higher education.
Marissa Fernandez of Axios reports that MIT and three other institutions are each set to receive funds due to the sale of global technology and manufacturing company, Lord Corp.
New Scientist reporter Layal Liverpool writes that MIT researchers have developed a technique to fortify foods by encapsulating micronutrients in small protective particles. “The microparticles are made of a material that is resistant to heat, light and moisture, but which disintegrates when exposed to the acidic environment of the stomach."
Smithsonian reporter Emily Matchar writes that MIT researchers have developed a new navigation system that could be used to help delivery robots find their destination. “My vision there is that all our robots are going to be able to just understand really casual human instructions like, ‘hey, robot, go grab a coffee for me,’” explains graduate student Michael Everett.
New research by graduate student David Robinson finds that evictions are occurring at much higher rates in low-income, majority nonwhite neighborhood in Boston, reports Simón Rios for WBUR. In Roxbury,” one in 10 private market units had an eviction filing over three years,” explains Robinson. “That's a difference of 10 orders of magnitude between Roxbury and Beacon Hill.”
Writing for The Boston Globe, Prof. Paul Osterman examines how to improve low-wage jobs, underscoring the importance of effective job training programs and raising wages. “There is no single solution to the challenge of low wages and job quality,” writes Osterman. “We need a tool kit and a desire to invest in people, to set and enforce standards, and to work constructively with employers.”
Profs. Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee speak with Mark Whitehouse of Bloomberg about their new book, “Good Economics for Hard Times.” Banerjee notes that the book was written for, “people who feel they want a reasoned resolution to the conflicts of today but do not see how to get there.”