Aerobotics, a startup by MIT alumnus James Paterson ’14 aims to optimize crop yields and reduce costs for farmers by using an app to analyze images of the land. “Satellite footage is used to highlight longer-term trends, while drones are flown at specific points during the season to get more detailed information,” write Eleni Giokos and Mary McDougall for CNN Tech.
Empatica, a startup founded by Prof. Rosalind Picard, makes a wearable sensor that detects a person’s seizures, as well as certain physiological factors. Picard discussed the potential benefits of her work with Co.Design’s Katherine Schwab: “[W]hen you get personalized, long-term data from a watch or a phone, we can start to help an individual learn [their] patterns, not on average for some group you may be an outlier in.”
On WGBH’s Under The Radar, Amy Traverso, food editor at Yankee Magazine, speaks with host Callie Crossley about Spyce, the robotic kitchen developed by MIT students that will soon become an actual restaurant in Boston. “It’s going to be a fast-casual chain in Downtown Crossing and the consulting chef is Daniel Boulud,” explains Traverso.
Aerobotics, a startup by MIT alumnus James Paterson ’14 aims to optimize crop yields and reduce costs for farmers by using an app to analyze images of the land. “Satellite footage is used to highlight longer-term trends, while drones are flown at specific points during the season to get more detailed information,” write Eleni Giokos and Mary McDougall for CNN Tech.
Kopin, an Augmented Reality company originally founded at Lincoln Lab, revealed its first AR product developed for the consumer market. SOLOS smart glasses, designed for athletes, provides a hands-free communication interface, “which enables a ‘heads-up’ see-through experience, enabling athletes to safely access their data in real-time,” writes Charlie Fink, for Forbes.
Skydio, an autonomous drone startup founded by a group of MIT alumni, has showcased a new drone that can lock-on, follow and record its subject, writes Lucas Matney of TechCrunch. One possible use for the device is to “launch the drone, lock onto yourself, and ski down a mountain while the R1 tracked you to the bottom while capturing 4K footage,” Matney explains.
Skydio, a startup founded by MIT alumni, will soon begin shipping its new autonomous drone, the R1, which has the ability to lock-in and record a subject in 4K video while avoiding obstacles. “Drones that fly themselves — whether following people for outdoor self-photography, which is Skydio’s intended use, or for longer-range applications like delivery, monitoring and surveillance — are coming faster than you think,” writes Farhad Manjoo for the New York Times.
Co-founded by three alumni and a former professor, startup Ginkgo Bioworks uses genetic engineering to create an array of consumer and corporate products – all relying on socially conscious GMOs. The company, which is now partnering with Bayer, is “trying to reset the conversation around biotechnology: by foregrounding the benefits to consumers and advocating for transparency,” writes Sarah Zhang for The Atlantic.
Scott Kirsner of The Boston Globe outlines the three factors that have created a strong foundation for local startups that are focused on buildings. He highlights MIT’s designX accelerator program as one factor that has helped “would-be student entrepreneurs explore ideas tied to the built environment, and to potentially launch for-profit companies or nonprofit organizations.”
In an article for Fortune, writer Larissa Zimberoff highlights Wise Systems, a startup launched out of a graduate entrepreneurship class. With machine learning, Wise creates algorithms for more efficient delivery routes, which “translates into fuel savings, lower wear and tear on trucks, and, for the driver, improved earnings based on higher productivity,” writes Zimberoff.
MIT spinout Lightmatter, which makes photonic chips that allow AI to perform calculations at the speed of light, has secured $11 million in funding, reports Devin Coldewey of TechCrunch.
When computing, the chip solves problems “by running a beam of light through a gauntlet of tiny, configurable lenses and sensors” instead of in a series of basic operations, explains Coldewey.
In an article for Science, Vijaysree Venkatraman highlights MIT’s Translational Fellows Program, which helps “postdocs go from being job seekers to job creators.” Founded by Yoel Fink, the program allows students to evaluate business ventures for real-world sustainability.
Writing for Forbes, Frederick Daso describes how MIT’s entrepreneurial ecosystem helped four students in the Sloan School of Management – Devin Basinger, Yishi Zuo, Derek Hans, and Nikhil Punwaney – launch their startup, DeepBench. MIT Sandbox, The Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, and The Legatum Center at MIT are among those programs that “provided critical resources they needed to work.”
Ripple Foods, co-founded by MIT alumnus Neil Renninger, produces pea-based milks with the same amount of protein as cow milk, Whitney Pipkin reports for NPR. Renninger notes the milk requires fewer natural resources to produce than cow's milk, as “anywhere from 20 to 40 percent of carbon emissions globally come from the food system — and a quarter of all food emissions come from the dairy industry.”
WCVB reporter Mike Wankum visits Embr Labs, an MIT spinoff that has developed a wristband that can make wearers feel warmer or colder. Wankum explains that after a few minutes of wearing the wristband, “you feel more comfortable. Much like holding a warm cup of coffee to take the chill off a winter morning.”