Using high-speed cameras and fluorescent dye, MIT researchers have uncovered how rain drops can spread soil bacteria, reports Rae Ellen Bichell for NPR. The researchers found that in a few microseconds “a single raindrop can create hundreds of tiny airborne droplets, each one carrying as many as several thousand live bacteria.”
Prof. Stephen Ross, a prize-winning professor known for his work developing the arbitrage pricing theory, died on March 3, reports Stephen Miller for Bloomberg News. Miller writes that Ross’ “work in the field of financial economics provided powerful contributions to both investment management and academic research.”
Popular Science reporter Kendra Pierre-Louis writes about a new study by MIT researchers that examines how rain drops help spread soil bacteria. The researchers found that “a single rain drop can transfer 0.01 percent of bacteria on the soil surface to the atmosphere.”
A study co-authored by Prof. Carlo Ratti finds ride-sharing is feasible in different cities around the world, reports Eleanor Cummins for Popular Science. “The key thing is how this can transform our cities. Every car you remove from the road, you are removing pollution and traffic,” explains Ratti.
CSAIL researchers have developed a system that allows robots to correct their mistakes based on input from the brainwaves of human operators, reports Wired’s Matt Simon. “It’s a new way of controlling the robot,” explains Prof. Daniela Rus, “in the sense that we aim to have the robot adapt to what the human would like to do.”
Anthony Cuthbertson of Newsweek writes that CSAIL researchers have developed a system that allows robots to change their actions based on feedback from the brain waves of a human operator. “Imagine robots or smartphones that could immediately correct themselves when you realize they’re making a mistake,” says PhD candidate Joseph DelPreto.
CSAIL researchers have developed a system that allows robots to detect brain signals generated by human operators, writes Oscar Williams of Huffington Post. The researchers hope the new system could “pave the way for more seamless interactions between robots and humans.”
A feedback system developed by CSAIL researchers allows humans to correct a robot’s mistakes using brain signals, writes Janet Burns for Forbes. The system could be used as a “communication method for those who can't use verbal means, such as immobilized or even 'locked in' victims of paralysis,” explains Burns.
MIT researchers have developed a device that allows humans to guide robots using brainwaves, reports Clive Cookson for the Financial Times. The prototype brain-computer interface “enables a human observer to transmit an immediate error message to a robot, telling it to fix a mistake when it does something wrong.”
MIT researchers have estimated that 1,200 people in Europe could die prematurely due to excess emissions from Volkswagen vehicles sold in Germany, reports Steph Yin for The New York Times. Research assistant Guillaume Chossière says that the study demonstrates why manufacturers should make nitrogen oxides emissions “as low as possible by allowing emissions-control devices to work properly.”
New Scientist reporter Matt Reynolds writes that MIT researchers have developed a new brain-computer interface that enables people to correct robots’ mistakes using brain signals. “We’re taking baby steps towards having machines learn about us, and having them adjust to what we think,” explains Prof. Daniela Rus, director of CSAIL.
Boston Globe reporter Felice Freyer writes that a study by MIT and Harvard researchers examines how an executive order on immigration could impact the number of doctors in Appalachia and the Rust Belt. Doctors from the countries included in the order “handle about 14 million patient visits a year…often settling in areas where American doctors are reluctant to work.”
In this video, Channel 7 spotlights Girls Day, an MIT Museum event aimed at encouraging girls to explore STEM fields. Attendees were able to meet the women’s basketball team “and learn the science behind making the perfect shot. Other activities included learning math through dance and the physics of pitching, hosted by the school’s softball team.”
Media Lab researchers have developed an autonomous tricycle that could decrease commuting times by 10 percent, writes Meghan Ottolini for The Boston Herald. Principal research scientist Kent Larson explains that the tricycles could be used to “meet the demand at rush hour, and at off-peak, you have excess vehicles that can move packages autonomously.”
Boston Globe reporter Marc Hirsh writes about a performance of David Bowie’s final album “Blackstar” at Kresge Auditorium, conducted by Prof. Evan Ziporyn. Hirsch notes that the “orchestra’s approach took advantage of the rich, jazz-infused harmonic palette of ‘Blackstar.’”