Startups

In an article about new technologies that read people’s desires, Colin Barras of BBC News highlights MIT startup Affectiva, which uses computer programs to judge people’s reactions. 

Sacha Pfeiffer and Lynn Jolicoeur of WBUR report on Cambridge Mobile Telematics, a company founded by MIT Professor Hari Balakrishnan to help improve driver safety. The company developed an app that “automatically detects when you’re in the car and driving, it detects when you’ve stopped driving, and then it provides feedback to you,” Pfeiffer and Jolicoeur report. 

Founded by MIT alumnus Sidhant Pai and winner of the MIT IDEAS Global Challenge, Indian startup Protoprint compensates waste pickers in the Indian city of Pune for collecting the raw materials used for 3D-printing filament, writes Dhanya Ann Thoppil for The Wall Street Journal. “The point is to create employment and value add opportunities for the waste pickers,” says Pai.

Bill Aulet writes for The Wall Street Journal about how new startups are valued. “Historically the science has been pretty simple: Find comparable companies and do a multiple of earnings or revenue. However, three drivers of startup valuation have emerged that are changing the game,” Aulet writes. 

Laura Baverman of USA Today writes about the MIT Media Lab’s record as a launch pad for innovators and entrepreneurs. “More than 100 companies have sprung from the lab since its founding in 1985,” writes Baverman.

Jane Porter writes for Fortune about WiTricity, an MIT spinout focused on the development of wireless power-transfer technology. By using vibrational frequencies, electricity can be transferred over distances of up to four feet.

In a piece published on Slate, Aaron Taube reports on MIT startup ULTRA Testing, which was created by MIT graduates, “with the specific intention of hiring people on the autism spectrum.” 

“I think this kind of technology could have a major effect and revolutionize various aspects of medicine, including birth control,” Professor Bob Langer says in an interview with Mallika Marshall of WBZ about technology from the biotech firm MicroCHIPS that could allow for implantable, remote-controlled, birth control.

“A new diode laser that can cut metal may soon find its way onto the market, thanks to a few former MIT scientists looking to commercialize their research,” writes Brooke Hays for UPI about Lincoln Laboratory spinout TeraDiode’s multi-kilowatt diode laser system.

Liat Clark reports on Jibo, the family friendly robot developed by Professor Cynthia Breazeal, in a piece for Wired. "Jibo is a very different concept of a personal robot where the focus is on human engagement and bringing content, apps, services 'to life' beyond flat screens," Breazeal explains. 

Steve Annear of Boston Magazine writes about ‘Sesame Rings’ first developed by a group including MIT undergraduates. The ring acts as a stored-value MBTA pass for using public transportation in and around Boston.

“The robot, which is a stack of three components allowing the display to swivel freely in any direction, is intended to be a family companion performing a variety of interactive tasks,” writes John Markoff for The New York Times about Jibo, a robot created by MIT Media Lab Professor, Cynthia Breazeal.

Paul Marks writes for The New Scientist about Protoprint, a company founded by MIT alumnus Sidhant Pai that strives to get decent prices for pickers collecting plastic by repurposing plastic waste for 3D printing. "Our waste-pickers will earn 15 to 20 times more for the same amount of plastic," says Pai.

Martin LaMonica writes for The Guardian about Grove Labs, a company founded by MIT graduates looking to develop a new way to help people grow fresh food at home. Grove Labs aims to, “help people grow food productively at home using sensor-controlled gardens and smart phone apps.”

Klint Finley reports for Wired on Inbox, a software creation designed by MIT alumni Christine Spang and Michael Grinich to make it easier for developers to create email-centric applications. The technology aims to overcome the challenge of working with email technology that is old and limited.