Just in time for Halloween, MIT researchers have launched a website that uses algorithms to generate scary images based off of pictures of popular landmarks and public figures, reports Rebecca Hersher for NPR. The deep-learning algorithm creates “artistic images of high perceptual quality based on examples of images created by humans,” Hersher reports.
Alyssa Newcomb writes for NBC News about the Nightmare Machine, a new system developed by MIT researchers that generates scary images based off of familiar faces and locations. “The Nightmare Machine gets scarier with help from humans, who are asked to vote on which images are the scariest,” Newcomb explains.
In an interview with Wired’s Editor-in-Chief Scott Dadich, President Barack Obama sits down with Joi Ito, director of the MIT Media Lab, to discuss the future of artificial intelligence. “Everybody needs to understand that how AI behaves is important,” says Ito. “Because the question is, how do we build societal values into AI?”
Grace Williams reports for FOX News that CSAIL researchers are 3-D printing shock-absorbing skins to protect robots. “Dubbed the ‘programmable viscoelastic material’ (PVM) technique, MIT’s printing method gives objects the precise stiffness or elasticity they require,” writes Williams.
To develop safer, more durable robots, CSAIL researchers have developed a technique to 3-D print robots with shock-absorbing skins, reports Matt McFarland for CNN. McFarland explains that as the “‘bumpers’ aren't rigid, it's less dangerous for a robot to crash into something.”
Popular Science reporter Mary Beth Griggs writes that researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab have developed a method to 3-D print robots with customized shock absorbers. The researchers hope that the “shock absorbing material could be used to create better shock absorbers for delivery drones, shock-resistant shoe soles, and even helmets.”
Researchers from MIT and IBM are joining forces to develop systems that enable machines to recognize images and sounds as people do, reports Hiawatha Bray for The Boston Globe. James DiCarlo, head of the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, notes that as researchers build systems that can interpret events, “we learn ways our own brains might be doing that.”
MIT researchers are studying the possibility of developing autonomous boats and floating vessels, writes Stephanie Mlot in a Fox News article. The research, which is being conducted in collaboration with the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions, “aims to serve as an inspiration for urban areas around the globe.”
Researchers from MIT and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions are exploring the possibility of self-driving boats. “Imagine a fleet of autonomous boats for the transportation of goods and people,” says Prof. Carlo Ratti. “Also think of dynamic and temporary floating infrastructure like on-demand bridges and stages.”
Writing for Nature, Gary Stager spotlights the work of Prof. Seymour Papert, who dedicated his career to using technology to help children learn. Stager writes that Papert “built a bridge between progressive educational traditions and the Internet age to maintain the viability of schooling, and to ensure the democratization of powerful ideas.”
CSAIL Director Daniela Rus speaks with Peter High of Forbes about the lab’s research, history and mission. Rus notes that CSAIL researchers are focused on "inventing the future of computing. We want to use computer science to tackle major challenges in fields like healthcare and education.”
MIT researchers have developed a new algorithm to create videos from still images, writes G. Clay Whittaker for Popular Science. “The system "learns" types of videos (beach, baby, golf swing...) and, starting from still images, replicates the movements that are most commonly seen in those videos,” Whittaker explains.
MIT researchers have developed a database of annotated English words written by non-native English speakers, reports Kevin Hartnett for The Boston Globe. The database will provide “a platform for the study of learner English and also make it easier to develop technology like better search engines that supports non-native speakers.”
In an article for The Huffington Post about why virtual assistants have trouble understanding accents, Philip Ellis highlights how researchers from MIT have compiled a database of written English composed by non-native speakers. Ellis explains that the aim is "to create a richer context for machine learning” systems.
Gabrielle DiBenedetto writes for Boston Magazine that researchers from MIT CSAIL have developed a robot that can help nurses schedule tasks. DiBenedetto writes that the robot “learns how to perform the scheduling job similarly to how a human would: through observation.”