Meg Tirrell of CNBC spotlights research by Prof. Li-Huei Tsai that shows that flashing lights could be used as a non-invasive treatment method for Alzheimer’s disease. Tsai and her colleagues found that flashing light could potentially be used to restore gamma rhythms in the brain, which are often impaired in people with Alzheimer’s.
Prof. Canan Dagdeviren and her “Comfortable Decoders” group are developing a new device aimed at deciphering the body’s vital signs and delivering medication, writes Hilary Brueck for Forbes. The device will use “body movement as a powerhouse to monitor and record what's happening inside us,” explains Brueck.
In an article for The Wall Street Journal about creating complementary work teams, Stu Woo highlights how Prof. Alex “Sandy” Pentland’s research group is trying to improve workplace relations by gathering data on how people interact. “Simply seeing the data encourages employees to adapt their behavior, such as trying to boost engagement among the more silent members,” Woo explains.
Media Lab researchers have developed an autonomous tricycle that could decrease commuting times by 10 percent, writes Meghan Ottolini for The Boston Herald. Principal research scientist Kent Larson explains that the tricycles could be used to “meet the demand at rush hour, and at off-peak, you have excess vehicles that can move packages autonomously.”
Steven Rosenbaum of Forbes writes about the Media Lab’s MisInfoCon, which was aimed at using technology to find a solution for fake news. “MisInfoCon set out with high expectations - to gather, share ideas, brainstorm and then engage in a marathon two-day hackathon,” writes Rosebaum. “The goal was to do more than talk, but rather to build things.”
Linda Poon of CityLab writes about Prof. Tod Machover’s latest project turning the sounds of Miami and Philadelphia into symphonies, using audio and video captured by local residents. “There's an incredible kind of liveliness, a combination of restaurants and people talking with the open ocean on one side and streets on the other,” says Machover of Miami’s sounds.
Financial Times reporter Tim Harford writes that a study by MIT researchers explores how a country's exports can influence income inequality. The study shows “a relationship between inequality and lack of economic complexity. Holding other things constant, the simplest economies tend to be the most unequal.”
Boston Herald reporter Lindsay Kalter writes that Prof. Ed Boyden is working on a new effort to develop technologies that would allow doctors to explore tumors using virtual reality. Boyden explains that he and his colleagues hope to use virtual reality to explore “what a tumor’s weaknesses are, and what makes it thrive.”
In an article for Slate, Prof. Kevin Esvelt argues for the importance of keeping scientific research open and publically accessible, in particular when it comes to gene editing. “Scientific journals, funders, policymakers, and intellectual property holders should change the incentives to ensure that all proposed gene drive experiments are open and responsive,” writes Esvelt.
In a video for Wired, Prof. Alex “Sandy” Pentland and Principal Research Scientist Kent Larson describe the collaborative interdisciplinary environment of the MIT Media Lab. Pentland explains that people “have to become more innovative to deal with big challenges like pollution and global warming.”
Joshua Kim of Inside Higher Ed writes about “Whiplash,” a book co-written by Media Lab Director Joi Ito. Kim writes that the book gives the reader, “a positive vision for a new kind of organizational…without ever falling victim to the techno-utopian blather of much of technology journalism.”
Prof. Iyad Rahwan speaks with the AP about the moral dilemmas posed by driverless cars. "There is a real risk that if we don't understand those psychological barriers and address them through regulation and public outreach, we may undermine the entire enterprise," Rahwan explains. “It would stifle what I think will be a very good thing for humanity."
Joi Ito, director of the Media Lab, discusses his new book, which examines how to cope with technological change, with Meghna Chakrabarti of Radio Boston. Ito stresses the importance of agility, explaining “you have to spend that energy that you used to spend planning and learning and knowing everything in completeness to developing an ability to know what’s going on.”
The Media Lab will serve as one of the first anchor institutions for a new initiative, the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund, which will “support research and development to make AI beneficial for humans,” reports Jordan Graham for the Boston Herald.
The Media Lab will serve as a founding institution for a new effort focused on advancing artificial intelligence research for the public good, reports April Glaser for CNBC. Research will focus on everything from investigating how” socially responsible artificially intelligent systems can be designed” to fostering “understanding of the complexities of artificial intelligence.”