Thor Benson writes for United Press International about a new video of MIT’s Atlas robot that shows the robot moving objects of different weights while maintaining balance. A team of MIT researchers is competing with the Atlas robot in the DARPA Robotics Challenge.
Research by James Rice, deputy director of MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics, finds that few companies are actually ‘reshoring’ manufacturing jobs to the U.S., writes Robert Wright of The Financial Times. The study indicates that the trend has had a negligible effect on employment in the U.S.
Henry Grabar of Salon writes about new research by Professor Carlo Ratti on the impacts of taxi sharing. If taxi sharing was implemented in New York City, “the total distance traveled by New York City cabs would fall by 40 percent, relieving traffic, reducing air pollution and speeding up travel for everyone else on the road,” Grabar writes.
In a piece for The Guardian about Apple CEO Tim Cook, Dominic Rushe writes about a new book co-authored by MIT Professor Michael Cusumano that examines what happens to companies after they lose leaders. "There's no reason Apple can't be an extraordinarily successful company but it will be a different one," Cusumano says.
Bill Aulet writes for The Wall Street Journal about how new startups are valued. “Historically the science has been pretty simple: Find comparable companies and do a multiple of earnings or revenue. However, three drivers of startup valuation have emerged that are changing the game,” Aulet writes.
Washington Post reporter Angela Fritz writes that MIT Professor Paul O’Gorman has found that extreme snowfall events will continue despite global warming. Fritz reports that O’Gorman’s models show that in some high-latitude cases, “extreme snowstorms could deposit 10 percent more snow.”
Bloomberg News reports that MIT alumna Megan Smith has been appointed as the White House Chief Technology Officer. In her new role, Smith will serve as a liaison between the White House and Silicon Valley companies, and advise the government on how to better use technology.
Writing for Wired, Issie Lapowsky reports that MIT graduate Megan Smith has been named the White House Chief Technology Officer. “In addition to being a gifted programmer and technologist, Smith has been one of the country’s leading advocates in the movement to get more women into tech jobs,” writes Lapowsky.
BetaBoston reporter Nidhi Subbaraman writes about the new MIT Connect website, the Institute’s social media hub. “It’s trying to give you a feeling like you’re right there on campus,” says Stephanie Leishman.
Madhumita Venkataramanan of Wired writes that MIT researchers have found that Google Glass can be used to detect pulse and respiration rates in real time. "The data from Google Glass is so much richer than a dedicated heart-rate sensor, because people use it in their regular lives," says PhD student Javier Hernandez.
New Scientist reporter Hal Hodson writes about how MIT Media Lab researchers have programmed Google Glass to measure vital signs in an effort to give users a look at their emotional state. "It's always been a challenge to have a computer understand something about your stress but not make it worse in the moment," says Prof. Rosalind Picard.
New Scientist reporter Paul Marks writes about how MIT researchers are developing self-guided robots to help assess the danger posed by space debris. "Aboard the ISS we are now working on cooperative debris inspection, where more than one of the robots has cameras," says Alvar Saenz-Otero.
In a piece for PBS, Jennifer Ouellette writes about Professor John Bush’s work with quantum mechanics, in particular his replication of a quantum corral. “Time will tell whether the quantum-like behavior of the walking [droplets] is mere coincidence,” says Bush.
In a piece published by The Huffington Post about a new time travel simulation, Lee Billings highlights Professor Seth Lloyd’s work developing a new model for a “closed timelike curve,” or a loop that could be traveled back into time.
Amanda Schaffer of The Atlantic writes about OpenBiome, a non-profit stool bank founded by MIT students Mark Smith and James Burgess. “When OpenBiome was established, my quality of life went through the roof,” says Amy Barto, a gastroenterologist at the Lahey Clinic.