Wall Street Journal reporter Alexandra Wolfe profiles Prof. Cynthia Breazeal and examines her latest work developing a robot, dubbed Jibo, that can assist humans with daily tasks and serve as a companion. “I’m really thinking about social robots as an extender of our human capacity,” Breazeal explains.
Alumnus Anmol Madan, co-founder and CEO of MIT startup Ginger.io, writes for The Huffington Post about how to improve mental health care in the U.S. In his piece, Madan highlights how MIT researchers have found “vast potential for the application of mobile sensing to mental health.”
The Economist highlights an MIT study that shows Massachusetts is outperforming Silicon Valley in creating life sciences startups, and credits MIT for its role in driving innovation in Kendall Square. “The Boston metropolitan area...seems to be holding its own as the world’s pre-eminent biotech hub.”
In an article for Boston Magazine about Massachusetts being named the most innovative state in the country, Garrett Quinn highlights MIT’s role in the state’s success. Quinn writes that Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS Inc., credited MIT as being “one of the main drivers of innovation in Massachusetts.”
A number of MIT students, researchers and alumni have been named to Forbes’ annual “30 Under 30” list, which honors rising stars in 20 different sectors.
In an article for Boston Magazine, Lauren Landry writes about MIT startup TVision, which has developed a secure, anonymous device to track how viewers watch programming. “Television and the way we consume video content is shifting,” explains co-founder Dan Schiffman. “And the way we measure that is shifting.”
Prof. Carlo Ratti writes about the proliferation of startup hubs around the world in this piece for Project Syndicate. “Before long, the digital world and the physical world will be indistinguishable,” writes Ratti. “The era of ‘Silicon Everywhere’ is upon us – and it is taking shape in the world’s cities.”
Senior lecturer Sharmilia Chatterjee writes for Fortune about the growth in box-delivery subscription services and how large retailors may end up edging them out of the market. “Before entrepreneurs rush into the subscription box space, they should take heed of a number of factors including…the entry of big players,” Chatterjee writes.
Boston Herald reporter Jessica Van Sack writes that Grove, an MIT startup dedicated to enabling people to grow their own produce, will award five of its indoor garden/fish tank systems to local schools. “When you have a full ecological system, it becomes more than just planting seeds and watching them grow,” explains co-founder Gabe Blanchet.
Lauren Landry writes for Boston Magazine about MIT startup Lumii, which is developing glasses-free 3-D technology. Our vision is that, one day, you will take out your phone and you’ll see a 3-D, interactive hologram popping out of it,” says co-founder Tom Baran. “You won’t need to wear those goofy glasses.”
A new study from MIT’s Industrial Performance Center finds that while Massachusetts is successfully launching and growing new startups, the state has a shortage of “super-scale” companies, reports Hiawatha Bray for BetaBoston. Bray explains that the report “calls for public- and private-sector efforts to foster the development of bigger businesses in the Bay State.”
A new report details the entrepreneurial impact of MIT’s alumni entrepreneurs, reports Hiawatha Bray for BetaBoston. “We’re seeing a more rapid rate of growth than we have ever seen before,” explains Prof. Edward Roberts, in the “growth in the formation and startup of new companies by MIT alumni.”
In this video, CBS Boston’s Bree Sison reports on MIT startup Affectiva, which is developing technology that can identify human emotions and could help with mental health. Rana el Kaliouby, Affectiva CSO and co-founder, explains that the technology could “tell you something is off, or flag it to a friend or doctor. Or maybe it could customize a digit experience to help you.”
Los Angeles Times reporter Evan Halper speaks with MIT Corporation member and alumna Leslie Dewan, co-founder of Transatomic Power, about nuclear energy and climate change. “I became a nuclear engineer because I am an environmentalist,” said Dewan. “The world needs a cheap source of carbon-free power.”
Paula Ebben of WBZ News reports on Testive, an MIT startup that helps students prepare for the SAT and ACT through free online materials. “Making educational resources freely available is really important because that levels the playing field,” explains co-founder and MIT alumnus Tom Rose.