Research

Wired reporter Liat Clark writes that researchers at the MIT Media Lab have developed a 3-D printed biological wearable that “could theoretically generate drugs, fuel and food when exposed to sunlight.”

In an article for Fortune, Katie Fehrenbacher writes about how startups such as Transatomic Power, which was founded by MIT nuclear scientists Leslie Dewan and Mark Massie, could revive the field of nuclear technology. Fehrenbacher writes that companies like Transatomic “are passionate about how tech innovation can lift the industry out of its nuclear stalemate.”

New research by Prof. Susumu Tonegawa presents the possibility that depression can be alleviated by recalling happy memories, reports Clive Cookson for The Financial Times. The findings suggest, "new ways to treat depression by manipulating memory neurons.”

Financial Times reporter Richard Waters writes about how graduate student Abe Davis’ motion magnification research could be used to create more realistic virtual worlds. Waters writes that Davis’ work presents the “possibility of capturing and manipulating real-world objects in virtual space.”

MIT startup LiquiGlide has announced that they are partnering with the international food packaging company Orkla to use their non-stick coating inside mayonnaise bottles, reports Katie Palmer for Wired. Palmer explains that LiquiGlide has “created an algorithm to optimize the thermodynamic relationships between a textured solid on the inside of the bottle, its liquid 'lubricant,' and the product in question.”

Wired reporter James Temperton writes that MIT researchers have created a portable spectrometer that is small enough to fit inside a smartphone. The spectrometer could be used to diagnose diseases, “analyse urine samples, check pulse and oxygen levels and measure environmental pollutants,” Temperton explains. 

MIT researchers have developed a quantum-dot spectrometer that is small enough to fit into a smartphone, reports Alexandra Ossola for Popular Science. “Having all that computational power in the palms of their hands could help scientists diagnose of diseases (especially skin conditions), test urine samples, or identify food contaminants,” Ossola writes. 

MIT spinout LiquiGlide has signed a deal with Orkla that will allow the company to use LiquiGlide’s non-stick coating in their mayonnaise bottles, reports Chris Foxx for the BBC. Foxx explains that a customized version of the LiquiGlide “coating is created for each product, resulting in a "permanently wet" surface inside containers that helps the product slip out.”

Professor César Hidalgo discusses his new book “Why Information Grows” with James Ball of The Guardian. “Most people think of information as messages that communicate the state of a system,” says Hidalgo. “Information actually is physical and it is not only involved in messages but is also involved in objects.”

In an article for The Guardian, Purvi Thacker writes about how researchers from MIT are examining the Kumbh Mela festival, one of the largest public gatherings in the world, to find solutions to problems often found in cities. Prof. Ramesh Raskar explains his goal “to create a prototype ecosystem with the broader vision of game-changing innovation at its core.”

Washington Post reporter Dominic Basulto features Professor César Hidalgo’s book, “Why Information Grows” on his recommended summer reading list for “innovation junkies.” Basulto writes that in his book Hidalgo explains that, “there’s an important correlation between information growth and economic growth, and between economic complexity and national competitiveness.”

In this video, BBC Click’s LJ Rich explores how researchers at MIT CSAIL have devised a system that can reconstruct sound from a video recording. “I think what’s really different about this technology is that it provides you with a way to image this information,” says graduate student Abe Davis.

BetaBoston reporter Nidhi Subbaraman writes that MIT startup LiquiGlide has signed a deal with Orkla ASA to license LiquiGlide’s “slippery coatings for a brand of mayonnaise due to be launched in the next year in northern and central Europe.”

Andy Greenberg of Wired writes that researchers from the MIT Media Lab have developed a system called “Enigma” designed to achieve “homomorphic” encryption. “You can see it as a black box,” says Guy Zyskind, one of Enigma’s creators. “You send whatever data you want, and it runs in the black box and only returns the result.”

MIT researchers have devised a system that repairs software bugs similar to the way a surgeon applies skin grafts, writes Jonathan Vanian for Fortune. “The new system detects bugs, takes healthy code from a publicly available source, and then grafts it onto the sick software,” Vanian explains.