Media Lab

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.

In a piece for Slate about using smart phone to diagnose medical conditions, Aimee Swartz writes about work by MIT Media Lab Fellow Max Little on algorithms that could help smart phones diagnose Parkinson’s disease. The algorithm “will detect specific variations in voice quality, such as tremors, breathlessness, and vocal weakness,” writes Swartz.

Wired reporter Katie Collins examines the new display technology developed by MIT researchers that automatically corrects for visual defects, allowing individuals to watch TV or use their iPhone without their glasses. 

Marcus Wohlsen of Wired reports on ScratchJr, a new iPad application created by MIT researchers to teach kids how to code. “We wanted to make sure young people aren’t just using tablet for browsing and consuming,” says Prof. Mitchel Resnick. 

Forbes reporter Jay McGregor writes that researchers at MIT have developed a new vision-correcting display that automatically adjusts for people with visual impairments. “The idea is that the technology will predict how the users’ eyes will distort whatever is on screen and correct it beforehand,” McGregor explains. 

“The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has released a new iPad app that aims to help 5-7 year-old children take their first steps in programming,” writes Stuart Dredge for The Guardian. “ScratchJr is a free app based on MIT’s existing Scratch programming language.”

BBC News reports on a new vision-correcting display developed by MIT researchers that automatically corrects to allow individuals with vision problems to use the technology without glasses. The technology operates by altering the light from individual pictures on the display based on a person’s prescription. 

Dr. Andrew Lippman of the MIT Media Lab writes for The Boston Globe about the importance of developing policies that allow open and affordable Internet access. Lippman outlines five principles that he argues adhering to will help to achieve this goal.

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. 

David Rose of the MIT Media Lab speaks at the Harvard Book Store to discuss his book “Enchanted Objects: Design, Human Desire, and the Internet of Things” in this WGBH video. Future “smart objects” will be developed not only for utility, but for attributes that make them feel “friendly,” says Rose.

Liat Clark reports on Jibo, the family friendly robot developed by Professor Cynthia Breazeal, in a piece for Wired. "Jibo is a very different concept of a personal robot where the focus is on human engagement and bringing content, apps, services 'to life' beyond flat screens," Breazeal explains. 

Penelope Green writes for The New York Times about “Enchanted Objects: Design, Human Desire and the Internet of Things” by David Rose of the MIT Media Lab. Rose proposes that new technologies in the home actually mimic the qualities found in magical tools in fantasy and folklore. 

“The robot, which is a stack of three components allowing the display to swivel freely in any direction, is intended to be a family companion performing a variety of interactive tasks,” writes John Markoff for The New York Times about Jibo, a robot created by MIT Media Lab Professor, Cynthia Breazeal.

Boston Globe reporter Scott Kirsner writes about David Rose’s new book “Enchanted Objects: Design, Human Desire and the Internet of Things” and his vision for the future. Rose believes that as the cost of building smart devices drops, there will be an increase in their production and application to all sorts of objects. 

In a piece for Forbes, Federico Guerrini writes about the FingerReader, a device designed to help visually impaired people read. Guerrini writes that the device, which allows users to scan a line of text and receive an audio feedback, has the potential to be a, “real game changer.”