Boston.com reporter Hilary Sargent writes that MIT researchers have developed a new device that could help guide the visually impaired. Sargent explains that a prototype system the researchers developed “is about the size of a binoculars case and is designed to be worn around someone’s neck.”
MIT researchers are developing a smart bandage that could monitor and help heal wounds, according to Reuters. Prof. Xuanhe Zhao explains that if sensors in the bandage detected “an abnormal increase in temperature, for example, it will send out a command. Then the controlled drug delivery system can deliver a specific drug to that specific location.”
In this video, Reuters reporter Ben Gruber explores how MIT researchers are using brain scans to identify children at risk of depression. Prof. John Gabrieli explains that the goal of the research is to “ identify early children who are at true risk, help them before they struggle, and learn from those that are resilient.”
Nidhi Subbaraman writes for BetaBoston about “Cambridge 2 Cambridge,” an international cybersecurity challenge that will take place this spring between researchers from MIT CSAIL and the University of Cambridge. Prof. Howard Shrobe explained that the contest will take the form of a virtual “capture the flag” contest.
In an article for The Boston Globe, Hiawatha Bray writes about MIT startup Passport Systems Inc., which is developing new ways to spot atomic hazards. Bray writes that the company is currently working on a scanner that will inspect shipping containers entering the Port of Boston.
MIT has launched a number of new initiatives “to expand and research digital and online education for learners of all ages,” reports Inside Higher Ed.
In an interview with the BBC, Prof. Heidi Williams argues that there should be more incentives for developing cancer prevention techniques and treatments for early-stage cancers. "If you look at drugs that get approved by the FDA, they all tend to be for very late stage cancer patients,” says Williams.
In an article for Fortune, Prof. Deborah Lucas examines how worried investors should be worried about debt-burdened cities in China. Lucas writes that a new MIT study found that “while the massive debt buildup in China presents challenges, the situation is not as dire as a full-blown debt crisis.”
Wired reporter Alex Davies speaks with graduate student Phillipe Kirschen, team captain of the MIT Hyperloop team, about the team’s strategy. Kirschen explains that the team is focused on developing a “pod that is gonna go really fast, that is gonna levitate, that can have good attitude control, and that can brake well.”
Prof. Evan Ziporyn organized and conducted a tribute concert in honor of David Bowie. Boston Globe writer Matthew Guerrieri described the concert as “heartfelt, celebratory, just freewheeling enough.”
Tech reporter Scott Perry writes about the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund program, which aims to support student innovators and entrepreneurs. Dean Ian Waitz explains that the goal of the program is “developing the students, not the ideas,” adding that he hopes Sandbox will become “entrenched in the Institute’s culture much in the way UROP or UPOP has.”
Graduate student Chris Merian, chief engineer for MIT's Hyperloop team, speaks with Radio Boston’s Meghna Chakrabarti about the team’s success in the Hyperloop contest. Merian says the team saw the competition as a, “really cool engineering challenge that we are really passionate about, and seeing our hundreds of hours of work rewarded like that was really, really nice.”
Popular Science’s Priscilla Mosqueda writes about the team of MIT students that won the first round of the SpaceX competition. “We had a clear message: our pod was about making something safe, stable and feasible,” explains team captain and graduate student Philippe Kirschen.
Prof. Anant Agarwal, CEO of edX, writes for U.S. News and World Report about how MOOCs can improve lives around the world. Agarwal writes that MOOCS have, “demonstrated potential benefit as a catalyst for change within universities and all over the world. MOOC platforms have helped entire countries build their labor forces and create conduits for dramatic social change.”
A team of MIT students won the first round of the SpaceX Hyperloop competition for their design of a pod that could transport passengers on a conceptual high-speed transportation system. MIT and other top teams will build and test their designs at the Hyperloop Test Track in California, reports the Associated Press.