Rachel Raczka writes for Boston.com about MIT startup MicroCHIPS’ new remote-controlled contraceptive device. The implantable microchip releases levonorgestrel, an active ingredient in certain forms of oral contraception, and can be turned on or off with the flip of a button.
BBC News reporter Dave Lee writes that MIT researchers have developed an implantable contraceptive chip that can be controlled via remote control. "The ability to turn the device on and off provides a certain convenience factor for those who are planning their family," explains Robert Farra.
Callum Borchers of The Boston Globe writes about MIT startup Phoodeez, an online catering service that, “handles just about every aspect of a client’s meal plan. It can supply a smorgasbord of cuisines, keeps track of gluten-free dishes and other dietary needs, and plans a different menu for the office every week.”
“Solar-powered benches, called Soofas, will pop up in Boston parks over the next week,” writes Joey Cosco for Slate about a project by Changing Environments out of the MIT Media Lab. The benches collect environmental data and allow users to charge their mobile devices.
“Soofas are the creation of Changing Environments, an MIT Media Lab spin-out co-founded by three women in their early thirties—a designer, an electrical engineer, and a marketing expert,” writes Caroline Winter of Bloomberg Businessweek about new smart, solar-powered benches in Cambridge and Boston.
ABC News reports on the new smart benches created by Changing Environments, a spinoff from the MIT Media Lab. The ‘Soofas’ will be placed in various locations throughout Boston and Cambridge and allow users to charge phones and download environmental data.
“The high-tech benches were invented by MIT Media Lab spinoff Changing Environments,” writes Meghan Irons of The Boston Globe about new solar-powered “smart benches” coming to Boston. “Your cellphone doesn't just make phone calls, why should our benches just be seats?” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh says of the project.
Steve Lohr writes for The New York Times about Luminoso, a text analysis and artificial intelligence startup out of the MIT Media Lab. Luminoso analyzed social media communications before, during, and after the U.S.-Germany World Cup soccer match to create a minute-by-minute picture of peoples’ emotions.
Alex Davies writes for Wired about Cruise Automotive, a startup out of MIT that plans to make almost every car on the road autonomous. MIT graduate and CEO Kyle Vogt says his company’s RP1 highway car autopilot system offers more autonomy than what is currently available from automakers.
New Scientist reporter Hal Hodson writes about a new algorithm called StreetScore that creates a perceived safety map of a city based off of crowdsourced data. “The idea is not to create no-go areas, but to locate areas of inequality,” Hodson explains.
“Instead of trying to balance output at the panel level, the students looked to balance at the individual cell level,” writes Sami Grover of The Huffington Post about a team of MIT students who developed an integrated chip to solve the problem caused by shade on solar panels. “The result was both better performance and considerably lower cost.”
Callum Borchers of The Boston Globe writes about the Copenhagen Wheel developed by MIT SENSEable City Lab startup, Superpedestrian. The device is designed to replace a bicycle’s rear wheel and kicks in to give the rider a boost when facing higher resistance on inclines.
Michael Farrell of The Boston Globe reports on a robotic ankle created by Professor Hugh Herr’s startup, BiOM. “The BiOM ankle is programmed to replicate all the natural functionality of the foot and ankle,” writes Farrell.
Joel Brown reports for The Boston Globe on the new Innovations of Cambridge tour, which features several research labs at MIT. “It leaves them with the feeling that they’ve experienced MIT in a way that the casual person wandering the streets would not,” explains guide Daniel Berger-Jones.
Teo Kermeliotis and Jessica Ellis write about Sloan alumnus Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, CEO of Wecyclers, a company aimed at solving waste management issues in Lagos, Nigeria. Wecyclers rewards households that participate in recycling with SMS points that can be redeemed for rewards.