ABC News reporter Layne Winn spotlights MIT alumna Payal Kadakia’s company ClassPass, which streamlines the process of finding and booking fitness classes. Kadakia, a lifelong dancer, was inspired to start the platform when searching for a new ballet class. Kadakia says she, “fought for a way to keep dance in my life and with ClassPass I believe I'm fighting for everyone else to keep their passion in their life.”
Former postdoctoral associate Pinar Yanardag speaks with STAT reporter Elizabeth Preston about her work developing an immersive virtual reality app that aims to make it easier to pump breast milk. With virtual reality, “you can basically teleport yourself into a nice baby nursery,” says Yanardag. “You don’t need to see this environment, see all these pumps and wires and everything.”
Fast Company reporter Katharine Schwab writes that MIT startup Ministry of Supply worked with researchers at the MIT Self-Assembly Lab to develop a new sweater that can be adjusted for an individual’s specific size using heat. “The fabric shrinks when exposed to heat, thanks to both the structure of the knit and the combination of materials used,” explains Schwab.
In an article for The Wall Street Journal, Benjamin Powers highlights Affectiva and Koko, two MIT startups developing AI systems that respond to human emotions.
Wall Street Journal reporter Christopher Mims writes about graduate student J. Daniel Kim’s research on the economics of entrepreneurship, specifically what happened to 4,400 high-tech startups acquired by large companies. Kim found that, “within the first three years after an acquisition, 60% of employees at a startup have left.”
Washington Post reporter Peter Holley highlights MIT startup Superpedestrian, which is developing an electric scooter that is “capable of operating on a single charge for several days, self-diagnosing mechanical problems and removing itself from circulation using ‘vehicle intelligence.’”
Forbes reporter Samar Marwan speaks with Rana el Kaliouby, CEO and cofounder of the MIT startup Affectiva, about her work developing new technology that can read human facial expressions. Marwan explains that el Kaliouby and Prof. Rosalind Picard started developing the technology at MIT, “to focus on helping children on the autism spectrum better understand how other people were feeling.”
The Today Show highlights Spyce, a restaurant started by four MIT alumni where “robots prep and cook the meal and a team member completes it,” explains Sheinelle Jones. “What we are automating are the tough, repetitive monotonous jobs,” says co-founder Michael Farid, “to allow people to focus on what people are really good at - customer service, creativity, the presentation of your bowl.”
MIT startup Rivian has announced they are planning to bring two new electric vehicles to the market in 2020: an SUV and pickup truck with four motors, reports Russ Mitchell for the Los Angeles Times.
AP reporter Tom Krisher writes that MIT startup Rivian has debuted an all-electric pickup truck and SUV. Kishner writes that Rivian's goal is to have “the top version of its R1T pickup will have more than 400 miles (644 kilometers) of battery range per charge when it goes on sale in late 2020.”
Boston Herald reporter Jordan Graham writes that an MIT startup, Accion Systems, is developing a new satellite propulsion technology that could make engines significantly cheaper and more efficient. Graham explains that, “Accion uses a propulsion system called ion electrospray, which shoots ions through holes in the thruster, sending the device in the opposite direction in space.”
STAT reporter Kate Sheridan writes about MIT startup SQZ Biotech, which is developing a “technology that will squeeze cells to open up tiny pores in their membranes to deliver gene therapies or medicines straight into the cell.”
MIT startup Lyndra has found that an ingestible device originally developed by researchers from MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital can help tackle the problem of medication adherence, reports Kate Sheridan for STAT. The new technology could make it possible for patients to take “one pill a week for conditions as varied as Alzheimer’s, addiction, allergies, malaria, schizophrenia, high cholesterol, and HIV.”
Boston Globe reporter Amy Crawford highlights MIT startup Spoiler Alert, which “helps food businesses manage surplus inventory (its customers include Sysco, the world’s largest food wholesaler) and runs an online marketplace for discounted food sales and tax-deductible donations throughout New England.”
Washington Post reporter Andrew Van Dam spotlights graduate student Hyejun Kim’s work analyzing data on knitters who used a popular pattern-sharing website to better understand how people are inspired to transform a hobby into a job. Kim found that “offline encouragement and feedback helped most talented hobbyists recognize their ability and take the first steps toward monetizing it.”