“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.
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.
John Naughton includes research by Professors Eric Brynjolfsson and Sandy Pentland for this Guardian article on Big Data. Both Brynjolfsson and Pentland acknowledge that Big Data analytics provide a great deal of information about individuals and organizations.
Joshua Rothman writes for The New Yorker about Professor Alex "Sandy" Pentland’s book, Social Physics. “In fact, part of what makes the book so interesting is that Pentland has figured out how to capture, in numerical form, the intimate social vibrations of office life,” writes Rothman.
David Szondy reports on how the MIT Camera Culture Group has developed a new 3-D project system that doesn’t require glasses. Szondy writes that the team sees their system, “as a transitional system that sits between current technologies and true holographic video.”