BostInno’s Karis Hustad spotlights how Solve tackles some of the world’s most pressing challenges. “You need a different type of innovation or technology or adaptation and affordability of technology for some of the big challenges of today,” explains Alexandra Amouyel, Solve's executive director. “To do that, you need a much more bottom up, grassroots innovation process.”
Researchers from MIT and Lamborghini have unveiled a new concept supercar incorporating futuristic design elements and new technologies, writes Nicole Wakelin for Boston.com. Led by Profs. Mircea Dinca and Anastasios John Hart, the teams are “focused on the development of energy storage systems and the use of innovative materials,” writes Wakelin.
In an article for USA Today, Nick Som highlights six must-see, mid-century college campus buildings, including the MIT Chapel. Som writes that the chapel is “stunning. The undulating walls of the chapel’s interior are devoid of windows, save for a single domed skylight on the ceiling.”
CNN reporter Peter Valdes-Dapena writes that MIT researchers are working with Lamborghini to develop a battery-free, electric supercar. Valdes-Dapena explains that instead of running on batteries, the body of the car, which would be made from exotic carbon nanotubes, would be used as a supercapacitor.
According to Prof. Robert Merton, wealth advisors are unlikely to be replaced by robots, writes Stacey Yuen for CNBC. Merton explains that the problem with replacing wealth managers with robo-advisors is a lack of trust. “What you need to make technology work is to create trust. Technology doesn't create trust on its own,” he notes.
Graduate student Anish Athalye speaks with the BBC about his work examining how image recognitions systems can be fooled. "More and more real-world systems are starting to incorporate neural networks, and it's a big concern that these systems may be possible to subvert or attack using adversarial examples,” Athalye explains.
In an article for The Washington Post, Prof. Marcia Bartusiak writes about Scott Kelly’s new memoir of his record-setting year on the International Space Station. Bartusiak writes that the book, “offers Earthlings an informative and gripping look at both the adventures and day-by-day experiences of living in a metal container that is orbiting Earth at 17,500 mph.”
New Scientist reporter Abigail Beale writes that MIT researchers have been able to trick an AI system into thinking an image of a turtle is a rifle. Beale writes that the results, “raise concerns about the accuracy of face recognition systems and the safety of driverless cars, for example.”
In an article published by The Wall Street Journal about the future of programmable materials, Kelly and Zach Weinersmith highlight Prof. Daniela Rus’ work developing “origami bots that can shape themselves into tools to perform medical procedures or deliver drugs inside the body.”
Guardian reporter Alex Hern writes that in a new paper MIT researchers demonstrated the concept of adversarial images, describing how they tricked an AI system into thinking an image of a turtle was an image of a gun. The researchers explained that their work “demonstrates that adversarial examples are a significantly larger problem in real world systems than previously thought.”
MIT Sloan Senior lecturer Neal Hartman writes for HuffPost about whether it’s possible to prevent election interference via social media. “We can blunt their attempts at manipulation by common-sense corporate, media, government and individual citizen actions, exposing untruths and speaking truths when we can,” writes Hartman.
In an article for The New York Times, graduate student Yonah Freemark writes that making city streets safer can help protect pedestrians and cyclists from careless and malicious drivers. “The side effects of a pedestrian-focused strategy are overwhelmingly positive, even setting aside the lowered potential for death. Air quality improves, people exercise more, neighborhood business expands.”
WGBH’s Craig LeMoult reports on the future of work conference held at MIT this week, which examined how automation may impact the labor market. Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson explained that, “we're using technologies to augment not just our muscles but our brains, allowing us to control the world and make them figure things out more effectively.”
John Tirman, executive director of the MIT Center for International Studies, contributes to a HuffPost article regarding Kurdistan’s attempt to gain independence. Tirman writes that independence “is not only the right thing to do for the Kurdish people, but could provide several possibilities for a stabilizing U.S. presence in the region.”
Inside Higher Ed reporter Jean Dimeo writes that select MIT courses will be offered in Latin America. Dimeo explains that the courses will “be taught in Portuguese and Spanish, will be offered fully online with technology provided by Ilumno and with support from MIT teaching assistants.”