“MIT PhD student Abe Davis has developed video technology that reveals an object’s hidden properties,” writes Joanna Goodman for The Guardian. “Davis uses high-speed silent video to capture and reproduce sound, including music and intelligible speech, from the vibrations it makes on inanimate objects.”
Dave Gershgorn writes for Popular Science about an algorithm created by MIT and Google researchers that can remove obstructions from photos: “[T]he algorithm detects what obstruction is in the foreground,” writes Gershgorn, “then replaces the space that would be missing, when the foreground and backgrounds layers are separated, with pixels from the other photos.”
“Researchers at MIT and Google have created an algorithm that uses multiple images taken from different angles to separate foreground obstacles from the subject that's in the background,” writes Lucy Perkins for NPR. The algorithm can be used to remove unwanted reflections from photos.
Rob Britton writes for The Huffington Post about a new paper by Professor Bill Swelbar on the high subsidies provided to several Gulf airlines by their governments: Swelbar argues that “massive subsidies provided to Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways, are harming airline service to and from small and medium-sized communities.”
“Researchers at the Camera Culture Group, headed by Ramesh Raskar at the MIT Media Lab, have designed the eyeSelfie, an inexpensive hand-held device for taking a photograph of the retina,” writes Vijee Venkatraman for BetaBoston. Retinal monitoring has been shown to help identify a variety of diseases and risk factors.
Stephanie McFeeters writes for The Boston Globe about the social media campaign #ILookLikeAnEngineer, highlighting the MIT students, faculty and alumni who participated in the trend by posting their photos. The campaign stemmed from the negative response one female engineer received after appearing in an ad campaign for her IT company.
Graduate students Sydney Do and Andrew Owens will debate Mars One co-founder Bas Lansdorp at a convention celebrating the red planet this month, writes Steve Annear for The Boston Globe: “Do, Owens, and other MIT researchers released a paper in October questioning the Mars One mission design and practicality.”
In an article for Wired about desalination technologies, Eric Niiler features Prof. Rohit Karnik’s work developing single-layer membranes from graphene that could make desalination more efficient. “If we want quantum leaps in performance, we have to look for other materials,” says Karnik.
Jamie Ducharme of Boston Magazine writes about a polymer gel being developed by researchers from MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital that could allow for swallowable medical devices. “Improving slow-release safety could open the door for devices that control hunger in obese patients, diagnose gastrointestinal issues, extend the effects of drugs, and more,” Ducharme explains.
Pheobe Gavin reports for Slate on self-assembling origami robots developed by Professor Daniela Rus’ team that could one day be refined for use in surgery or other medical applications: “The origami robot can walk, swim, push objects, climb inclines, and carry objects twice its weight.”
Barb Darrow reports for Fortune that MIT researchers have discovered a vulnerability in Tor, a network known for cloaking user identities and locations, as well as a way to fix the problem. It’s estimated that 2.5 million people use Tor daily, Darrow explains.
Popular Science reporter Levi Sharpe writes that MIT researchers have developed an object recognition system that can accurately identify and distinguish items. “This system could help future robots interact with objects more efficiently while they navigate our complex world,” Sharpe explains.
MIT researchers have “developed a new ring-like device made of a polymer that can deliver drugs to the stomach over the course of a week,” writes Alexandra Ossola for Popular Science. The team anticipates that the technology could be used for a variety of medical applications.
Justine Hofherr writes for Boston.com about Prof. Dava Newman, highlighting her new role as deputy administrator of NASA, her work planning for a manned mission to Mars and her goal to encourage more young girls to pursue careers in STEM. “I’m motivated every single day because my passion is exploration,” says Newman.
New York Times reporter Eduardo Porter writes about the lack of investment in developing technologies to combat climate change, highlighting a recent MIT report on the future of solar power. In the report, MIT researchers examined the challenges to making solar a bigger share of the world’s energy.