Washington Post reporter Matt McFarland writes that MIT researchers have developed a device that tracks human movement through walls and could be used to monitor children or the elderly. “We want to provide peace of mind without intruding too much on lives or taking independence away,” explains Prof. Dina Katabi.
MIT researchers have developed a device that can trace the movement of a person’s silhouette through a wall using wireless signals, reports Robert Ferris for CNBC. The device can "distinguish up to 15 different individuals with 90 percent accuracy,” Ferris explains.
Hiawatha Bray writes for BetaBoston about Emerald, a new device created by MIT researchers that can track a person’s movements using wireless signals. “Our main interest is really elderly care,” explains Prof. Dina Katabi.
Forbes reporter Jennifer Hicks writes about MIT spinoff EyeNetra, which is developing a self-diagnostic eye test could lead to customized, virtual-reality screens. “EyeNetra’s technology measures how a user’s optical refractive errors will affect how they see patterns on a digital display, just like a VR headset,” Hicks explains.
Graduate student Sampriti Bhattacharyya speaks with Boston Herald reporter Jordan Graham about her startup Hydroswarm, which is developing teams of underwater drones to map the ocean. “There is so much potential out there. We had a space era. With all the subsea robotics, it could be a new era in ocean exploration,” says Bhattacharyya.
MIT graduate Christine Marcus and Senior Lecturer Bill Aulet speak with Ian Wylie of the Financial Times about entrepreneurship education. Marcus explains that while taking courses at MIT Sloan, she realized that “entrepreneurship is a part of my soul and a very exciting way to impact the world.”
Dan Morrell of The Boston Globe writes about Humanyze, a company founded by visiting scientist Ben Waber, that helps companies gather data about their employees and workspaces to improve efficiency. “Humanyze was founded on the idea that smart management decisions require hundreds of (data-points), if not millions,” Morrell explains.
Vijee Venkatraman writes for BetaBoston about Cake, a startup founded by MIT alumnus Suelin Chen that aims to simplify end-of-life planning. “We wanted to focus on the fact that the only reason to plan for end of life is to make living better,” says Chen.
In an article for New Scientist, Lisa Grossman writes that Prof. Paulo Lozano is developing a miniature propulsion system for steering CubeSats, a type of tiny satellite, around in space. “We want to offer space access to people who don’t currently have space access,” explains Lozano.
Wired reporter Margaret Rhodes writes about Transatomic Power, an energy company founded by MIT alumnae Mark Massie and Leslie Dewan. Rhodes explains that, “The two MIT nuclear science graduates have sweeping ambitions—to bring back a nuclear reactor design first prototyped in the 1960s, and in doing so, change the landscape of clean energy in the 21st century.”
Senior Lecturer Phil Budden writes for Fortune about how the Greek financial crisis also presents an opportunity. Budden recommends that Greece, “shift its focus away from its macroeconomic problems and toward the task of creating an innovation ecosystem.”
Nihdi Subbaraman reports for BetaBoston on the legal clinics MIT and BU have started providing to student entrepreneurs. “The Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property Clinic is intended to serve as a place where startup founders can seek basic advice about how to register their company or how to distribute ownership to multiple founders,” writes Subbaraman.
MIT and BU have joined forces to offer students entrepreneurs legal advice, the Associated Press reports. "It's almost like a godsend," says MIT sophomore Isaiah Udotong, who is starting his own company. "We were looking for legal advice and wondering how we were going to make sure everything is legitimate."
Nidhi Subbaraman writes for BetaBoston about Innovation Teams (“iTeams”), an MIT program that helps students commercialize products out of lab technologies. “When it comes to emerging tech — the brand-new stuff that’s published in journals… sometimes the path to market isn’t what the researchers envisioned when they built it. iTeams wants to give the hard stuff a chance,” explains Subbaraman.
During a visit to MIT, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker stressed the need for government investment in research, reports Jeff Engels for Xconomy. “Our investment in R&D in this country is flat since, I think, 1980. It’s actually quite concerning at a time when the rest of the world, as you said, is not standing still,” said Pritzker.