MIT researchers have developed a garden filled with origami robots, LED flowers that can bloom on command and mechanical insects, reports Nidhi Subbaraman for BetaBoston. The garden was developed in an effort to make programming more accessible to children.
Liz Stinson reports for Wired on a self-assembling chair designed by researchers in the MIT Self-Assembly Lab. The project “is an investigation into how structures might be able to autonomously assemble in uncontrolled environments like water,” writes Stinson.
Professor Erik Brynjolfsson speaks with Tom Ashbrook of WBUR’s On Point about the future of the American workforce as new technologies automate jobs traditionally performed by people. “People get a lot of value out of work beyond the paycheck,” says Brynjolfsson. “We’re looking at ways to keep people working.”
Gary Beach writes for The Wall Street Journal about Professor Erik Brynjolfsson’s predictions on how technology will change the workforce. “I wouldn’t be surprised if one-third, or more, jobs were eliminated by new technologies in the next decade,” says Brynjolfsson. “Millions of new jobs, however, will be created.”
Professor John Leonard speaks with Cory Johnson of Bloomberg Television about the potential for new developments in the field of robotics in 2015. “This year I think we’ll see some really exciting developments,” says Leonard. “I think it might take a little more than a year to see the real explosion.”
Sarah Kaplan of The Washington Post highlights Prof. Sangbae Kim’s work developing a robot modeled after the cheetah. Kim explains that he took inspiration from the cheetah’s movements to design a robot that could run. “We can steal a lot of ideas from nature that we can apply . . . to speed up our engineering evolution,” he explains.
MIT researchers have designed a robotic cheetah that could possibly be used in search and rescue operations or as inspiration for the design of prosthetics, reports the Associated Press. “Our goal is we are trying to make this robot to save a life,” says Prof. Sangbae Kim.
The result of five years of testing, a robotic cheetah developed by MIT researchers can run at speeds of 10 miles per hour and jump 16 inches high, reports the Associated Press. "In the next 10 years, our goal is we are trying to make this robot to save a life," explains Professor Sangbae Kim.
A system developed by Prof. Alfredo Alexander-Katz allows microscopic devices to navigate a cell’s surface, reports Alissa Zhu for Popular Science. “Doctors could use them to provide real-time updates on internal structures or distribute drugs to specific targets within a body.”
Writing for Smithsonian’s section on the American Ingenuity Award winners, Matthew Shaer examines Professor Hugh Herr’s work developing bionic limbs. “To spend any time with Hugh Herr is to understand that he is already thinking beyond a world where bionics are used only to enable wounded people and toward a future where bionics are an integral part of everyday life.”
Hannah Kulcher writes for The Financial Times about Jibo, a family robot created by Professor Cynthia Breazeal. “We call it the world’s first family robot as it is really about engagement with people; more like a helpful partner, rather than being a tool,” says Breazeal.
Professor Erik Brynjolfsson speaks with Tom Ashbrook of WBUR’s On Point about how automation will impact the labor market. “If you look at wage’s you’ll see they’re falling,” said Brynjolfsson. “That tells us that there is not enough demand for people working in those middle-skilled jobs.”
The Huffington Post reports on how MIT researchers have developed a robotic cheetah that can run and jump, untethered.
“MIT researchers have developed a football-size underwater robot that they say could soon help protect America's ports,” writes Brooks Hays for UPI. While the robot was designed to inspect the water tanks of nuclear reactors, researchers say it could be used to check ships for hidden contraband.
Professor Hugh Herr speaks with NPR about the loss of his legs during a climbing accident almost 30 years ago. The experience inspired Herr, head of the MIT Media Lab's Biomechatronics group, to develop functional prosthetic technology to help other amputees.