Kate Tuttle of The Boston Globe reviews “Enchanted Objects: Design, Human Desire, and the Internet of Things,” by David Rose of the MIT Media Lab. The book focuses on how we will interact with technology in the future. “As inventors we should take a lesson from the magicians of the world,” says Rose.
Ashley Esqueda and Tom Merritt discuss the FingerReader audio reading device developed by researchers at the MIT Media Lab on the CNET show “Tomorrow Daily”. The device could be used by people who are visually impaired or for translating foreign languages.
"You're going to swallow a pill and know English,” said Nicholas Negroponte of the MIT Media Lab in a TedTalk video reviewed by Sara Gates of The Huffington Post. Negroponte discussed the possibility of being able to learn information by ingesting pills in the future.
Katie Collins writes for Wired that MIT researchers have developed a system that allows people to choose exactly what information they share online. “The primary benefit of this is that you as an individual would not be able to be identified from an anonymised dataset,” writes Collins.
Liat Clark reports for Wired on Changing Environments, an MIT Media Lab spinoff that is developing solar-powered smart benches to be placed around Cambridge and Boston. These benches allow users to charge their mobile devices and download environmental data.
Liat Clark writes for Wired about the FingerReader, a 3-D printed device developed at the MIT Media Lab that can translate text from printed materials into a robotic voice for the visually impaired. The device has been in development for three years.
“Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a ring-shaped device that slips around a user’s pointer finger, scans any text above the fingertip, and reads it aloud in a robotic voice,” writes Dan Kedmey for Time.
“Lexington-based MicroCHIPS, a developer of implantable drug delivery devices, has been quietly working on a birth control product that can be embedded in a woman’s body,” writes Steve Annear of Boston Magazine. The technology was originally developed in Professor Robert Langer’s lab.
Associated Press reporter Rodrique Ngowi writes about how researchers at the MIT Media Lab have developed a prototype of an audio reading device for the blind. The device, which is in the early stages of development, is produced by a 3-D printer and is equipped with a small camera that scans text.
Washington Post reporter Emily Badger writes about the Social Computing Group’s transportation visualization maps showing which mode of transportation is the most efficient between two points in a city.
Steve Lohr of The New York Times writes about the Sociometric Solutions, a startup out of the Media Lab that creates technology for monitoring employees in the workplace. Workers must opt in to have their data collected, which is then used to increase office efficiency.
Steve Annear writes for Boston Magazine about FOLD, a platform created by Media Lab researchers Kevin Hu and Alexis Hope designed to add elements that enhance news story narratives. FOLD is designed to keep readers on the same page, eliminating the hassle of needing to visit additional sites for information.
Kris Anderson reports for WHDH on MindRider, a bike helmet developed by a team at MIT that monitors the rider’s stress levels while also tracking location. "By mapping your community, you can really grow the safety and your own ridership in your town," said project leader Arlene Ducao.
The Wall Street Journal covers the White House Maker Faire, including President Obama’s look at inventions created by the MIT Mobile Fab Lab. “Mr. Obama viewed electric guitars, a skateboard, a toy robot, and a large bicycle,” all created using the Fab Lab’s fabrication devices, the Journal reports.
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.