Writing for Scientific American, Prof. Bob Langer examines how breakthroughs in biotechnology and materials science are enabling more personalized and effective treatments for patients. Langer highlights how by “engineering polymers that offer smart delivery systems, we can target specific parts of the body. This limits exposure and therefore adverse effects, offering more effective and precise treatment.”
Gizmodo reporter Andrew Liszewski writes that MIT researchers have created an algorithm that can automatically fix warped faces in wide-angle shots without impacting the rest of the photo. Liszewski writes that the tool could “be integrated into a camera app and applied to wide angle photos on the fly as the algorithm is fast enough on modern smartphones to provide almost immediate results.”
TechCrunch reporter Darrell Etherington writes that MIT researchers have developed a system that can predict a perso's trajectory. The tool could allow “robots that typically freeze in the face of anything even vaguely resembling a person walking in their path to continue to operate and move around the flow of human foot traffic."
Writing for Fast Company, Charles Fishman explores how MIT researchers developed the computer that helped enable the Apollo 11 moon landing. Fishman notes that the computer was “the smallest, fastest, most nimble, and most reliable computer ever created,” adding that it became “so indispensable that some at MIT and NASA called it ‘the fourth crew member.’”
Preliminary research findings from an MIT team suggest that subsidizing subway fares increased usage of the MBTA by low-income riders, reports Michael Norton for State House News. “Low-income riders who received a subsidy, when compared to others who used a non-subsidized CharlieCard, took more MBTA trips, including trips for health care and social services,” writes Norton.
Prof. Muriel Médard speaks with WCAI’s Living Lab Radio about the potential impact of 5G technologies on a number of industries. “If one can count on reliable services that allow remote operation of certain aspects of our work lives,” Médard explains, “that's where you change the way people work quite a bit.”
A preliminary report by MIT researchers examines how subway subsidies affect the rates of MBTA ridership among low-income residents, reports Crystal Haynes for Boston 25 News. “Researchers also found low-income riders took more trips to health care and social services than they would without the subsidized Charlie Card,” Haynes explains.
Bloomberg News spotlights how MIT researchers have developed a fleet of autonomous boats that can automatically latch onto one another. Bloomberg notes that the boats will be able to “transport goods and people, collect trash and assemble into floating stages and bridges.”
Writing for Forbes, Joseph Coughlin, director of the AgeLab, explores how services such as meal kits and delivery apps appeal to younger and older consumers. “Innovations developed to respond to the demands of what, on the surface, appears to be distinctly younger lifestyles may, in fact, be both a market opportunity for business and an emerging critical resource to support older consumers,” writes Coughlin.
Graduate student Michael Freedman writes for The Washington Post about how growing religious polarization in Israel contributes to an unstable political environment. “Growing polarization in Israel may lead to electoral instability as it becomes harder to make political coalitions in Israel,” posits Freedman.
Boston Globe reporter Alison Kuznitz writes that during MIT’s Commencement, former mayor Michael Bloomberg detailed plans for a new initiative aimed at tackling climate change. “This has gone from a scientific challenge to a political problem,” said Bloomberg, “and it’s time for everyone to recognize that climate change is the challenge of our time.”
Researchers from a number of institutions, including MIT, are exploring the feasibility of cold fusion, reports Steven Salzberg for Forbes. The researchers explained that while they were unable to successfully produce cold fusion, their exploration of this topic “is likely to have a substantial impact on future energy technologies.”
Boston Globe reporter Martin Finucane writes that MIT researchers have developed an automated latching system that could enable a fleet of autonomous boats to connect to docking stations and other boats. Finucane explains that in turbulent water, “after a missed first attempt, the system can autonomously adapt, repositioning the roboat and latching.”
Boston Magazine reporter Asia Bradlee spotlights Maelove, a beauty company founded by two MIT graduates that is aimed at providing luxury skincare products at affordable prices. Bradlee writes that the Maelove team “used clinical research, collaborated with dermatologists and medical researchers, and analyzed over three million product reviews to get a better idea of what ingredients made consumers the happiest.”
Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Prof. Stuart Madnick examines the security vulnerabilities in blockchain systems. Madnick writes that his research is intended to dispel the notion that “blockchain technology can protect data from misuse. In fact, human actions or inactions still have significant consequences for blockchain security.”