Graduate student Sampriti Bhattacharyya speaks with Boston Herald reporter Jordan Graham about her startup Hydroswarm, which is developing teams of underwater drones to map the ocean. “There is so much potential out there. We had a space era. With all the subsea robotics, it could be a new era in ocean exploration,” says Bhattacharyya.
Dan Morrell of The Boston Globe writes about Humanyze, a company founded by visiting scientist Ben Waber, that helps companies gather data about their employees and workspaces to improve efficiency. “Humanyze was founded on the idea that smart management decisions require hundreds of (data-points), if not millions,” Morrell explains.
Richard Waters of the Financial Times writes about Prof. David Mindell’s new book, “Our Robots, Ourselves,” which examines robotics and automation. Waters writes that, “Mindell brings an altogether refreshing perspective to a field that can sometimes get lost in the ‘what if.’”
Washington Post reporter Rachel Feltman writes that MIT researchers have uncovered how seals use their whiskers to sense their surroundings. The findings could “help aquatic vehicles track schools of fish or sources of pollution.”
Forbes reporter Bruce Dorminey writes about a new MIT study showing that refueling at the moon would make Mars missions more efficient. Prof. Olivier de Weck explains that this strategy could “represent a savings of $5.8 billion per mission.”
In an article for Wired, Cara McGoogan writes about Prof. Hiroshi Ishii’s vision for the future of technology. We need to "envision what kind of future we want to create," explains Ishii. "To inspire people, to make them think differently. Art is so important as a driving force."
Liz Stinson reports for Wired on Kinetic Blocks, a shape-shifting display developed by MIT researchers that uses 900 computer-controlled pins to manipulate objects. “Hopefully in the future this can be a big versatile engine you can use to control whatever you like,” explains paper co-author Philipp Schoessler.
MIT researchers have engineered viruses that take advantage of quantum physics, mimicking the process of photosynthesis, to enhance energy transfer, reports Alexandra Ossola for Popular Science. The work could result in “solar panels that transmit energy with unprecedented efficiency,” writes Ossola.
In an effort to help students master physics, postdoc Zhongzhou Chen is developing teaching techniques that break down physics concepts into specific skills, reports Jill Barshay for U.S. News & World Report. Chen tested his approach in one of MIT’s physics MOOCs. "If we're going to find ways to use technology to have breakthroughs in learning, it's probably going to come from educators like Chen,” says Barshay.
Robert McMillan writes for Wired about Margaret Hamilton, whose work as an MIT computer scientist on the Apollo program helped to lay the foundations for modern software. “Software engineering, a concept Hamilton pioneered, has found its way from the moon landing to nearly every human endeavor,” McMillan explains.
In an article for New Scientist, Lisa Grossman writes that Prof. Paulo Lozano is developing a miniature propulsion system for steering CubeSats, a type of tiny satellite, around in space. “We want to offer space access to people who don’t currently have space access,” explains Lozano.
MIT researchers have developed an algorithm that detects tax evasion, writes Lynnley Browning for The New York Times. “The goal is to give the I.R.S. a better way to investigate sophisticated tax shelters that strip tens of billions of dollars from federal coffers each year,” writes Browning.
Kyle Clauss reports for Boston Magazine on an algorithm, created by MIT researchers, which can detect efforts by corporations to evade taxes. “The findings are a promising development in the ongoing struggle against tax evasion of the most sophisticated sort,” writes Clauss.
In an article for The Huffington Post, Kristie Wang writes that a new study by MIT researchers finds that “cotton clothing is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to driving to the sun and back more than 1,000 times, or removing about 10% of the US's passenger vehicles off the road.”
Prof. Heidi Williams speaks with Callie Crossley as part of WGBH’s “Genius Next Door” series, which features local winners of the MacArthur “genius grant.” Williams explains that her work focuses on “whether we're getting the right kinds of medical technologies developed.”