Computer science and technology

Newsweek reporter Tom Parrett writes about current advances, and the future of swarm robots, highlighting Professor Daniela Rus’ work with self-assembling robots. 

In a video for BBC News, Spencer Kelly reports on how, “A researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed an algorithm which he says can predict how popular a photograph will be when it is posted online.”

In this Wired piece, Nicholas Tufnell reports on MIT work to analyze animated GIFS in an attempt to create a new language from the animated symbols.  

A new programming language with built-in privacy protocols could help prevent your personal information from being compromised, reports Klint Fliney for Wired. The system, dubbed Jeeves, was developed by MIT PhD student Jean Yang.