MIT alumnus Robert R. Morris writes about his work developing a crowdsourcing application to help individuals cope with depression. Users can post descriptions of their troubles and within minutes, “a crowd of helpers sends you anonymous feedback. The responses are often very short, but guided by techniques used in many modern therapies,” Morris explains.
Heather Kelly of CNN writes about the breast pump hackathon hosted at MIT recently. The winning design, the Mighty Mom utility belt, turned a “pump into a hands-free portable device that is worn discreetly under clothes and can work while the wearer goes about her regular routine,” writes Kelly.
“Nestled in the heart of MIT’s campus, the MIT Media Lab is one of the most important storehouses of invention — developing imaginative technologies that might one day have common, everyday uses for all of us,” writes BetaBoston reporter Dennis Keohane in a piece about the MIT Media Lab.
Professor Hugh Herr speaks with NPR about the loss of his legs during a climbing accident almost 30 years ago. The experience inspired Herr, head of the MIT Media Lab's Biomechatronics group, to develop functional prosthetic technology to help other amputees.
Boston Globe reporter Chris Reify writes that Professor Sangeeta Bhatia has been awarded the 2014 $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize. “Dr. Bhatia is a wonderful example of a woman who has used her brilliance, skill and creativity to radically improve the detection and treatment of serious global health issues,” says Dorothy Lemelson, Lemelson Foundation chair.
NBC News reports that MIT Prof. Sangeeta Bhatia has been awarded the Lemelson-MIT prize for her work designing miniaturized biomedical tools. "As innovations emerge, we're constantly asking whether they can be repurposed for one of the two diseases we concentrate on: liver disease and cancer,” says Bhatia.
Bill Aulet writes for The Wall Street Journal about how new startups are valued. “Historically the science has been pretty simple: Find comparable companies and do a multiple of earnings or revenue. However, three drivers of startup valuation have emerged that are changing the game,” Aulet writes.
Wired reporter Katie Collins writes about how MIT student Ben Harvatine designed a sensor to help detect potential concussions in athletes. The ‘Jolt’ device can be clipped to head-worn athletic equipment and vibrates to warn the athlete when a dangerous impact is detected.
Laura Baverman of USA Today writes about the MIT Media Lab’s record as a launch pad for innovators and entrepreneurs. “More than 100 companies have sprung from the lab since its founding in 1985,” writes Baverman.
Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Danielle Muoio writes about the FingerReader, a ring developed by researchers from the MIT Media Lab to help people with visual impairment read. “The ring’s webcam takes pictures of a group of words and then funnels the images into a companion app on a computer, which then reads the text out loud,” Muoio reports.
Jane Porter writes for Fortune about WiTricity, an MIT spinout focused on the development of wireless power-transfer technology. By using vibrational frequencies, electricity can be transferred over distances of up to four feet.
Colleen DeBaise writes for The Huffington Post about a week-long summer program hosted by the MIT Enterprise Forum that introduces high school girls to tech entrepreneurship. "I love promoting women entrepreneurs,” says Lori Hoberman, the chair of the Enterprise Forum’s New York chapter. “We don't have enough of them.”
In a piece published on Slate, Aaron Taube reports on MIT startup ULTRA Testing, which was created by MIT graduates, “with the specific intention of hiring people on the autism spectrum.”
“I think this kind of technology could have a major effect and revolutionize various aspects of medicine, including birth control,” Professor Bob Langer says in an interview with Mallika Marshall of WBZ about technology from the biotech firm MicroCHIPS that could allow for implantable, remote-controlled, birth control.
“A new diode laser that can cut metal may soon find its way onto the market, thanks to a few former MIT scientists looking to commercialize their research,” writes Brooke Hays for UPI about Lincoln Laboratory spinout TeraDiode’s multi-kilowatt diode laser system.