WCVB-TV’s Mike Wankum visits MIT to learn about the Solar Electric Vehicle Team. “We are trying to prove that we can move away from cars that rely on gasoline or diesel,” explains undergraduate Salem Ali, “and move towards more electric vehicles, and potentially even vehicles that you don’t have to plug in.”
Prof. David Keith argues in The Boston Globe for implementing congestion pricing to help alleviate traffic congestion in the Greater Boston area. “Pricing access to roads moderates demand for driving at peak times,” writes Keith, “while also generating revenue from drivers that can be reinvested in building a 21st century mobility infrastructure.”
Optimus Ride, a startup founded by MIT alumni, will start a self-driving car shuttle service at an industrial park in New York City, reports the Associated Press. “The free service is expected to transport some 500 passengers daily on the yard’s internal roads,” the AP explains.
MIT startup Optimus Ride is launching a self-driving shuttle service at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, reports Andrew J. Hawkins for The Verge.
Researchers from MIT’s Senseable City Lab have found that taxi cabs equipped with sensors could be used to monitor the condition of cities, reports Jesus Diaz for Fast Company. “Gaining an accurate picture of urban conditions is crucial for city planners and administrators who must decide how to allocate scarce resources,” Diaz explains.
Preliminary research findings from an MIT team suggest that subsidizing subway fares increased usage of the MBTA by low-income riders, reports Michael Norton for State House News. “Low-income riders who received a subsidy, when compared to others who used a non-subsidized CharlieCard, took more MBTA trips, including trips for health care and social services,” writes Norton.
A preliminary report by MIT researchers examines how subway subsidies affect the rates of MBTA ridership among low-income residents, reports Crystal Haynes for Boston 25 News. “Researchers also found low-income riders took more trips to health care and social services than they would without the subsidized Charlie Card,” Haynes explains.
Bloomberg News spotlights how MIT researchers have developed a fleet of autonomous boats that can automatically latch onto one another. Bloomberg notes that the boats will be able to “transport goods and people, collect trash and assemble into floating stages and bridges.”
Boston Globe reporter Martin Finucane writes that MIT researchers have developed an automated latching system that could enable a fleet of autonomous boats to connect to docking stations and other boats. Finucane explains that in turbulent water, “after a missed first attempt, the system can autonomously adapt, repositioning the roboat and latching.”
Popular Mechanics reporter Daisy Hernandez writes that MIT researchers have developed an autonomous aquatic boat that can target and latch onto one another to form new structures. Hernandez writes that the boats were conceived “as a way to explore new modes of transportation and help improve traffic flow.”
TechCrunch reporter Darrell Etherington writes that MIT researchers have developed a new system that enables autonomous boats to latch onto one another to create new structures. Etherington explains that the researchers envision fleets of autonomous boats forming “on-demand urban infrastructure, including stages for concerts, walking bridges or even entire outdoor markets.”
In an article for the Financial Times, research affiliate Ashley Nunes explores how drivers for ride-sharing services are protesting low pay by banding together to temporarily raise prices. Nunes argues that based off the lack of earnings clarity, “company execs shouldn’t be surprised when workers are willing to game the system for a pay hike.”
Wired reporter Aarian Marshall spotlights how Prof. Sarah Williams has been developing digital tools to help map bus routes in areas that lack transportation maps. “The maps show that there is an order,” Williams explains. “There is, in fact, a system, and the system could be used to help plan new transportation initiatives.”
May Mobility, a company founded by MIT alumnus Edwin Olson, will begin offering a free shuttle service on autonomous electric minibuses in Rhode Island, reports Hiawatha Bray for The Boston Globe. Bray explains that the company “mapped the shuttle route with lasers, which are extremely accurate, and uses an onboard laser-based guidance system that constantly confirms the bus is on track.”
Writing for Nature, research affiliate Ashley Nunes cautions that the role of driverless cars in society must be closely investigated before they are integrated into mainstream modes of transportation. “Driverless-car technology might have the potential to improve public health and save lives,” Nunes writes, “but if those who most need it don’t have access, whose lives would we actually be saving?”