Mike Wankum from WCVB visits Prof. Evelyn Wang in her lab to learn about a device that can extract water from the air in dry climates. To test the device, the research team will put “a water harvester on the roof of a building at the University of Arizona,” explains Wankum.
Writing for Wired, Prof. Ethan Zuckerman and Chelsea Barabas and Neha Narula of the Digital Currency Initiative address the difficulties in creating decentralized social media networks. “If users have more control of their data, including the right to export and reuse content they’ve created and friends they follow, they’ll be more willing to experiment with new platforms,” the researchers suggest.
In an article for Popular Science, Kate Baggaley highlights Prof. Markus Buehler’s work developing materials that mimic a conch shell’s armor. “The actual material doesn’t matter—it’s the way the material is built together in forming these architectures,” explains Buehler.
Popular Science reporter Kendra Pierre-Louis writes about Prof. Kerry Emanuel’s research showing that climate change could make it harder to predict the intensity of hurricanes. “Storm intensity matters, because a weak storm might just mean staying home for the day, while a strong storm may require evacuation,” Pierre-Louis explains.
In an article for Forbes, Amy Castor writes that researchers from MIT and BU have uncovered critical security flaws in IOTA, a cryptocurrency. “When we took a look at their system, we found a serious vulnerability and textbook insecure code,” explains Neha Narula, director of the MIT Digital Currency Initiative.
IBM is joining forces with MIT to establish a new lab dedicated to fundamental AI research, reports the AP. The new lab will focus on, “advancing the hardware, software and algorithms used for artificial intelligence. It also will tackle some of the economic and ethical implications of intelligent machines and look at its commercial application.”
IBM has invested $240 million to develop a new AI research lab with MIT, reports Jing Cao for Bloomberg News. “The MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab will fund projects in four broad areas, including creating better hardware to handle complex computations and figuring out applications of AI in specific industries,” Cao explains.
CNBC reporter Jordan Novet writes that MIT and IBM have established a new lab to pursue fundamental AI research. Novet notes that MIT, “was home to one of the first AI labs and continues to be well regarded as a place to do work in the sector.”
Boston Globe reporter Andy Rosen writes that MIT and IBM have established a new AI research lab. “It’s amazing that we have a company that’s also interested in the fundamental research,” explains Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of the School of Engineering. “That’s very basic research that may not be in a product next year, but provides very important insights.”
Writing for Fortune, Barb Darrow highlights how IBM has committed $240 million to establish a new joint AI lab with MIT. Darrow explains that, “the resulting MIT–IBM Watson AI Lab will focus on a handful of key AI areas including the development of new 'deep learning' algorithms.”
Miro Kazakoff and Kara Blackburn, lecturers in the Sloan School of Management, have surveyed incoming MBA students for a glimpse at future workplace communication trends, reports Sophia Eppolito for The Boston Globe. “What we wanted to do in creating the survey was to get a sense of people who are just coming out of the workplace right now and seeking further training,” Kazakoff explains.
New Scientist reporter Matt Reynolds writes that MIT researchers have developed a new system that can determine how much pain a patient is experiencing. “By examining tiny facial expressions and calibrating the system to each person, it provides a level of objectivity in an area where that’s normally hard to come by,” explains Reynolds.
In an article for HuffPost highlighting new developments in AI research, Jovan Kurbalija and Sorina Teleanu feature how MIT researchers, “are one step closer to finding a way to determine why an AI system makes one decision over another.”
MIT researchers have developed a new “socially aware” robot that can follow the rules of pedestrian conduct, reports Ben Thompson for The Boston Globe. Thompson explains that the robot, “can seamlessly move with people in public spaces. The technology could eventually lead to robots that perform a variety of delivery and transportation tasks.”
New York Times reporter Eduardo Porter speaks with Prof. Paul Osterman about his new book, which examines the need for better home health care in the U.S. Porter writes that in his book, Osterman suggests that improving home health care jobs, “could actually improve the quality and efficiency of the entire health care system.”