In a BBC News article about the resurgence of bicycling, Kent Larson, director of the Changing Places group, describes the bicycle his group is developing. “You think of the demographic profile of [a] bike rider now as quite limited,” says Larson. “We are working on an electric vehicle that we think of as democratising bike lanes."
Ian Sample of The Guardian writes that a new study co-authored by Prof. Iyad Rahwan highlights forthcoming issues for autonomous vehicles. “[D]riverless cars that occasionally sacrificed their drivers for the greater good were a fine idea, but only for other people,” says Sample.
John Markoff writes for The New York Times that a new study co-authored by MIT Prof. Iyad Rahwan finds that drivers are conflicted when it comes to the ethics of autonomous vehicles. Prof. Rahwan and his colleagues found that “what people really want to ride in is an autonomous vehicle that puts its passengers first.”
A study by Prof. Iyad Rahwan of the Media Lab finds that while people want autonomous vehicles that minimize casualties, they ultimately want the car they’re driving in to prioritize passengers over pedestrians, writes Amy Dockser Marcus of The Wall Street Journal.
A new study co-authored by Prof. Iyad Rahwan grapples with the ethics of autonomous vehicles, writes Hal Hodson for New Scientist. When it comes to saving passengers versus pedestrians, researcher worry the findings will “[limit] the promise of this technology to dramatically cut road deaths.”
MIT will be offering employees free MBTA passes for local bus and subway service to encourage more people to use public transportation and reduce the environmental impact of commuting, Inside Higher Ed reports.
In an article for The Boston Globe, Steve Annear writes that MIT is rolling out several new benefits for faculty and staff commuting to campus, including free, unlimited subway and local bus usage. “By providing employees with the pass, the school hopes to ease the demand for parking near campus and help reduce carbon emissions,” Annear writes.
Boston.com reporter Bill Griffith spotlights the 6th Annual Automotive Technology conference at MIT, which is focused on the future of automotive technology and driving.
Popular Science reporter Christine Jun writes that the MIT team has unveiled the pod they developed to compete in the SpaceX Hyperloop competition. Jun explains that the MIT team’s pod is “8 feet long, weighs 500 pounds, and is expected to reach speeds up to 230 miles per hour with an acceleration of 2.4 Gs.”
Writing for Scientific American, Larry Greenemeier explores the pod the MIT Hyperloop team developed to compete in the upcoming SpaceX Hyperloop competition. “One of the most interesting parts of the Hyperloop is the attempt to go significantly faster than any other type of land travel,” says MIT team member and graduate student Greg Monahan.
In this video, Dave Lee reports for the BBC News from the MIT Hyperloop team’s unveiling event, during which the team revealed the prototype pod they designed for the SpaceX Hyperloop competition. Lee explains that the MIT team developed a “droplet-shaped pod [that] uses magnets to lift itself off the aluminum track, reducing friction.”
PBS NewsHour correspondent Miles O’Brien visits MIT to see the Hyperloop team in action as they work on building a prototype pod that would travel on a high-speed transportation system. O’Brien explains that the MIT team is “testing arrays of common magnets that would levitate the pod over an aluminum track.”
Boston Globe reporter Nicole Fleming recounts MIT’s Moving Day celebrations, which featured a parade to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Institute’s move from Boston to Cambridge. “From rafts and fantastical wheeled contraptions to salsa dancers and puppets, a colorful array of MIT creations crossed the Charles River -- by land and by water."
Mina Corpuz writes for The Boston Globe that the MBTA is releasing a new app, developed by MIT researchers, called QualiT that will provide passengers with an opportunity to anonymously rate their bus trips and give feedback. Corpuz explains that the app will, “allow riders to see their travel on a map and rate their trips after getting off the bus.”
WBUR’s Bruce Gellerman speaks with Prof. Carlo Ratti and research scientist Bryan Reimer about the potential impact of driverless cars on everything from traffic to the economy. Reimer says using autonomous vehicles will change, “how we move. It changes how packages are moved. It changes how we behave. It changes the future of old age. It changes everything.”