Alexandra Ossola of Popular Science reports on an ingestible sensor that allows doctors to monitor vital signs by listening to the body’s gastrointestinal tract. The device could help treat “chronic illnesses, monitor soldiers in battle, or even help athletes train more effectively,” writes Ossola.
MIT researchers have developed an ingestible sensor that can monitor vital signs, reports Rae Ellen Bichell for NPR. "Trauma patients are a really clear winner here, because we can do vital sign monitoring without touching the skin," says Albert Swiston of Lincoln Laboratory.
A glass time capsule from 1957 has been unearthed during excavation for MIT.nano, reports Steve Annear for The Boston Globe. Deborah Douglas, director of collections for the MIT Museum, says that the capsule is “a wonderful gesture, executed MIT-style.”
Popular Science reporter Mary Beth Griggs writes about the discovery of a time capsule from 1957 during excavation for MIT.nano. Griggs writes that the capsule had “been in the ground for 58 years, but it was supposed to be in place for much longer.”
Katie Peek revisits an article from the March 1949 edition of Popular Science about a solar-powered house developed by MIT researchers. The house was designed to channel the “sun’s warmth to the sodium-sulfate tanks, which meted out heat on cold or overcast days.”
Olga Khvan reports for Boston Magazine that a team from MIT has been awarded a humanoid robot for research and development. “The R5—nicknamed Valkyrie—is a humanoid robot designed to assist during human missions to Mars by completing disaster-relief maneuvers,” writes Khvan.
Prof. John Gabrieli speaks with WGBH’s Arun Rath about the effectiveness of standardized testing in the U.S. Gabrieli explains that researchers have, “consistently found academic achievement tests of the kind given by states in the United States correlate considerably with other independent measures of cognitive ability.”
A team led by Prof. Russ Tedrake has been awarded a humanoid robot from NASA to develop software for future space missions, reports Hiawatha Bray for BetaBoston. NASA is “interested in modifications that would let the machines assist human astronauts during long-duration space missions,” writes Bray.
In an op-ed for The New York Times, Prof. Roger Petersen argues that the U.S. should use political leverage to pressure regional actors to combat ISIS. “Playing politics entails costs, but bombing only promises stalemate and 'boots on the ground' involves untenable risks,” writes Petersen.
Karen Weintraub writes for The New York Times about Professor Rosalind Picard’s work developing wearable, stress-measuring devices. “If you want to learn about human variability, measure stress,” says Picard.
Writing for The Boston Globe, Karen Weintraub spotlights Prof. Rosalind Picard’s work examining college stress. Research scientist Akane Sano explains that they have been using machine learning techniques to identify the differences in “behaviors between high-stress and low-stress people.”
Senior Lecturer Peter Senge speaks with C. M. Rubin of The Huffington Post about learning systems in business and education. Senge says that what connects “business and education is the need to grow an organizational climate or culture that supports ongoing collaboration, risk-taking, and a deep sense of purpose and commitment.”
CNBC reporter Robert Ferris writes that MIT researchers are developing a fabric that acts as a “second skin” and has vents that open when a person begins sweating. Ferris explains that, “the vents open and close by means of tiny bacteria borrowed from an unlikely place — Japanese cooking.”
Nidhi Subbaraman reports for BetaBoston on new jetpack technology being developed by a team from MIT, Draper, and NASA. “The team has tested the technology in a virtual reality simulator, where astronauts were challenged to tackle a Martian landscape obstacle course dotted with orange pylons while wearing jetpacks,” writes Subbaraman.
MIT researchers have devised a technique for desalinating water, reports Nina Godlewski for Boston.com. “The process, called shock electrodialysis, filters water through a material made of small glass particles,” writes Godlewski. “When an electric current is introduced to the system, the water divides into areas of high or low salt concentration.”