Fast Company reporter KC Ifeanyi writes about “Coded Bias,” which explores how graduate student Joy Buolamwini’s “groundbreaking discovery and subsequent studies on the biases in facial recognition software against darker-skinned individuals and women led to some of the biggest companies including Amazon and IBM rethinking their practices.”
New York Times reporter Devika Girish reviews “Coded Bias,” a new documentary that chronicles graduate student Joy Buolamwini’s work uncovering how many AI systems can perpetuate race and gender-based inequities. “When you think of A.I., it’s forward-looking,” says Buolamwini. “But A.I. is based on data, and data is a reflection of our history.”
Writing for Scientific American, Prof. Carlo Ratti explores the “transformative” potential of quantum sensors. Ratti writes that quantum sensors could enable autonomous vehicles to “‘see’ around corners, underwater navigation systems, early-warning systems for volcanic activity and earthquakes, and portable scanners that monitor a person's brain activity during daily life.”
Prof. Kevin Esvelt writes for The Boston Globe about the need for transparency surrounding gene-editing research. “We should establish transparent, publicly accessible standards to help determine whether, when, and how research that could impact everyone should proceed,” Esvelt explains.
MIT researchers have developed a new battery-free, underwater navigation system, reports Darrell Etherington for TechCrunch. “Ultimately, the system and future versions that are based on the same technology could enable future robotic submarine explorers to better map the ocean floor,” writes Etherington, “and perform all kinds of automated monitoring and sub-sea navigation.”
MIT researchers have unveiled a new autonomous modular boat, called the Roboat II, which that uses lidar, GPS and other sensors to navigate its surroundings, reports Kyro Mitchell for Popular Mechanics. The Roboat II “can attach itself to other Roboat II’s to form one large vessel, which is then controlled by a main ‘leader’ boat.”
7 News spotlights how MIT researchers have developed a new wearable sensor that can be used to help people with ALS communicate. “The wearable technology, known as Comfortable Decoders, recognizes tiny facial movements that can help patients communicate simple statements, like ‘I’m hungry’ or ‘I love you.’”
Writing for the Financial Times, Prof. Carlo Ratti and Anna König Jerlmyr, the mayor of Stockholm, explore how to reduce demand on urban infrastructure and make cities more efficient. “Covid-19 has proved that changing routines is possible, so we can decide how our cities function,” they write. “Flattening the curve has been a painful response to a crisis but, in cities, it can be used as a strategy to bring greater wellbeing to our everyday lives.”
Mashable reporter Emmet Smith spotlights how researchers from the MIT Media Matter Group have demonstrated how “silk can be harvested sustainably, using silkworms as active designers in the spinning of complex structures.”
Verge reporter Kim Lyons writes that a new analysis co-authored by graduate student Dan Calacci finds that an algorithm for a shipping delivery platform has led to reduced payment for workers. The researchers found that “the workers who reported lower wages were making 11 percent less than they did under the previous pay structure.”
Prof. Fadel Adib has created a new underwater device that not only broadcasts and receives sound, but is also powered by sound, reports The Economist. In the future, Adib and his colleagues hope the device could be used to “transmit information about water temperature, acidity and salinity.”
NBC News reporters Lindsay Hoffman and Caroline Kim spotlight graduate student Joy Buolamwini’s work uncovering racial and gender bias in AI systems in a piece highlighting women who are “shattering ceilings, making groundbreaking discoveries, and spreading public awareness during the global pandemic.” Hoffman and Kim note that Buolamwini’s research "helped persuade these companies to put a hold on facial recognition technology until federal regulations were passed.”
Third-year student Casey Johnson speaks with Washington Post reporter Luz Lazo about his work exploring the feasibility of using GPS technology to determine when a scooter is on the sidewalk. Lazo explains that Johnson wrote a “surface categorization algorithm to detect the periodic cracks in a sidewalk. He then added an accelerator sensor — which costs less than $1 — to detect when the scooter is being used on an asphalt road versus a concrete sidewalk.”
Writing for the Financial Times, research affiliate Ashley Nunes explores Vice President Joe Biden’s climate change policy. “If Americans are serious about addressing climate change, it’s time we accept a seldom-discussed truth,” writes Nunes. “Doing more for the planet starts with having less.”
Guardian reporter Rhi Storer spotlights how researchers from the MIT Senseable City Lab developed a self-driving and navigating robot that could be used to help clean up oil spills. “This technology was conceived to be deployed anywhere it was needed – in oceans, rivers, or seas,” explains Prof. Carlo Ratti. “We all need to be accountable for the environment. Some accidents are still bound to occur, so we still need to develop mitigation or cleaning strategies.”