Center for Transportation and Logistics

Research scientist Matthias Winkenbach discusses the difficulties posed by massively scaling up capacity to deal with a surge in online shopping caused by the holidays and the Covid-19 pandemic. “I think especially this time of the year and under these circumstances, maybe also the consumers need to reconsider whether everything they order on Amazon or elsewhere needs to be delivered as fast as possible,” says Winkenbach, “or whether there’s certain things to prioritize and other things to deprioritize.”

Writing for The Washington Post, Vice President for Open Learning Sanjay Sarma and research associate Luke Yoquinto explore study habits and the science of learning, emphasizing the importance of spacing out learning, in lieu of cramming. “Introducing a bit of space into one’s study or practice schedule can improve long-term outcomes for just about anyone, at any age, trying to learn almost anything,” they write.

Prof. Yossi Sheffi speaks with Boston 25 reporter Jason Law about how the Covid-19 pandemic is disrupting supply chains. “I don’t think it’s going to be as bad because we are more prepared for this,” says Sheffi of potential impacts caused by the latest rise in Covid-19 cases. “People now in factories and warehouses have dividers that they can work between. Everybody is wearing a mask. People understand the issue better.”

Research affiliate Ashley Nunes writes for the Financial Times about the FAA certifying the Boeing 737 MAX, and the tradeoffs posed by increased automation. “For all their benefits, robots remain — much like humans — imperfect,” writes Nunes.

Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Prof. Yossi Sheffi examines the impact of the presidential election on U.S. – China trade relations. Sheffi notes that “business leaders should keep in mind that the trans-Pacific trade war hasn’t curtailed export shipments to the degree many feared.”

Writing for Forbes, research engineer Bryan Reimer explores the Massachusetts ballot question that would augment the state’s right to repair law. Reimer writes that the question is “a referendum on how traditional independent automotive repair shops and aftermarket part suppliers are going to function as part of tomorrow’s automotive ecosystem.”

Writing for Forbes, research engineer Bryan Reimer explores a question that will be included on election ballots in Massachusetts that “proposes to augment the state’s 2013 Automobile Right to Repair Law with new added vehicle data access requirements.” Reimer argues that the provisions in the ballot initiative are “ripe for cyber terrorism that could quickly place vehicle occupants and other road users at increased risk.”

Writing for Forbes, research engineer Bryan Reimer examines Elon Musk’s recent comments about the future of driverless vehicles. Reimer explains that while there likely won’t be a fully self-driving vehicle system available in the next few years, there will be “an evolution of features that utilize drivers as a backup to the automation in situations requiring intervention.”

Writing for the Financial Times, research scientist Ashley Nunes explores the cost of providing support and safety personnel for Waymo’s driverless taxi service. “Technology does not purge the need for human labour but rather changes the type of labour required,” writes Nunes. “Put another way, unless something changes, driverless will not mean humanless.”

Writing for The Washington Post, research scientist Ashley Nunes examines GM’s announcement that it will eliminate thousands of jobs and halt production at several plants in North America. Nunes writes that, “Given the hurdles, political and otherwise, facing electric and autonomous vehicles, some may question the wisdom of GM’s recent announcement.”

In an article for Wired, research scientist Ashley Nunes writes about the need for legislation that regulates the use of human teleoperators that can assist robotaxis in emergency situations when human judgement is needed. “Self-driving technology can deliver considerable benefits to society, but realizing those benefits will require that safety and profitability go hand-in-hand,” writes Nunes.

Writing for HuffPost, Michael Windle and Tim Russell of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics say the U.S. can better serve survivors of disasters like Hurricane Maria by offering more permanent opportunities to relocate. “Survivors should be able to choose between programs geared to returning and rebuilding, and those providing permanent relocation services,” urge the researchers.

Research engineer Bryan Reimer speaks with Ashley Halsey of The Washington Post about the need for a national conversation to determine how safe driverless cars should be before they become more widely available. “Unless we have defined how safe is safe enough — and we are in agreement — the nature of politics is that fingers will point at each other,” says Reimer.

In an article for The Atlantic, Joe Coughlin, director of the AgeLab, writes that tech companies often mistakenly view older adults “as a singular, homogenous population that depends on the largesse of others to survive because it can’t pro­vide for itself.” If companies treated older adults like they treat other consumers, they could live not only longer lives, but better lives, suggests Coughlin.    

Prof. Yossi Sheffi writes for The Wall Street Journal that students should be learning soft skills such as communications, leadership and teamwork, tools that are necessary for managing organizations and supply-chains successfully. Sheffi writes that, “professionals need to hone their ability to communicate with people working across a wide range of disciplines and a variety of geographies.”