School of Architecture + Planning

Superpedestrian says its vehicle intelligence system makes its scooters safer, more durable, and easier to maintain.

A more intelligent system for the scooter wars

MIT spinout Superpedestrian has developed a smart electric scooter to improve urban mobility.

August 22, 2019

A battery-free underwater “piezoelectric” sensor invented by MIT researchers transmits data by absorbing or reflecting sound waves back to a receiver, where a reflected wave decodes a 1 bit and an absorbed wave decodes a 0 bit — and simultaneously stores energy.

A battery-free sensor for underwater exploration

Submerged system uses the vibration of “piezoelectric” materials to generate power and send and receive data.

August 20, 2019

Optimus Ride has already deployed its autonomous transportation systems in the Seaport area of Boston, in a mixed-use development in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, and in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 300-acre industrial park.

Optimus Ride’s autonomous system makes self-driving vehicles a reality

MIT startup’s unique approach to improving human mobility is helping it gain traction in a competitive landscape.

August 9, 2019

The MIT Press releases a comprehensive report on open-source publishing software

Report catalogs, analyzes available open-source publishing software; warns open publishing must grapple with siloed development and community-owned ecosystems.

August 8, 2019

At MIT, as globally connected citizens with many opportunities for work- and research-related air travel, many community members contribute more to climate change than the average American.

Air travel in academia

Media Lab designs a pilot carbon-offsets program.

August 7, 2019

A model developed at MIT predicts the cognitive decline of patients at risk for Alzheimer’s disease by forecasting their cognition test scores up to two years in the future, which could help zero in on the right patients to select for clinical trials.

Model predicts cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s, up to two years out

Researchers hope the system can zero in on the right patients to enroll in clinical trials, to speed discovery of drug treatments.

August 1, 2019

MIT spinout Tulip offers customizable manufacturing apps (like the one on the screen) in addition to sensors, gateways, and analytics to improve human-based manufacturing processes.

Software to empower workers on the factory floor

Apps developed by MIT spinout Tulip help manufacturers augment employee production rather than automating it away.

July 31, 2019

The Media Lab is known for fostering a culture that blends future-focused research with current problems to inspire creative solutions. The E14 Fund helps get those solutions out into the world through impactful companies.

E14 Fund helps Media Lab community deploy startups

“First and foremost we’re a community-builder,” says Habib Haddad, a managing partner of the venture fund.

July 25, 2019

Mangroves will protect the shoreline from waves, retain soil, support biodiversity, and help clean the water.

Tekuma Frenchman designs new marine city in China

School of Architecture and Planning alumni and faculty team up to create an ecologically restorative urban waterfront.

July 24, 2019

When religion meets secularism in urban planning

“I’m interested in the peaceful coexistence of communities,” says PhD student Babak Manouchehrifar, who left his home country of Iran to study at MIT.

July 24, 2019