Liat Clark reports for Wired on Changing Environments, an MIT Media Lab spinoff that is developing solar-powered smart benches to be placed around Cambridge and Boston. These benches allow users to charge their mobile devices and download environmental data.
The New York Times cites a paper by MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning on placemaking, a term for people’s efforts to shape their environment to improve social interaction and quality of life. The paper finds that these efforts help participants develop new social bonds with one another.
Kris Anderson reports for WHDH on MindRider, a bike helmet developed by a team at MIT that monitors the rider’s stress levels while also tracking location. "By mapping your community, you can really grow the safety and your own ridership in your town," said project leader Arlene Ducao.
“The Media Lab’s Changing Places group has uploaded a video demonstration of CityHome, a transformable multi-purpose piece of furniture they designed to make your 200-square-foot apartment feel three times larger,” writes Eric Randall for Boston Magazine. CityHome responds to touch and voice control and includes appliances, furniture, and storage space.
A. J. McCarthy writes for Slate about the CityHome mechanical closet developed by Media Lab researchers that is designed to save space in small, urban apartments. The CityHome includes a bed, kitchen appliances, and storage compartments that respond to voice and touch.
CNN features a new park bench from the Media Lab designed to use solar energy to charge mobile devices. Researchers hope that technologies like the solar-powered bench will help cities use energy more efficiently.
Reporting for WBZ-TV, David Wade highlights how MIT researchers have a long history of using Legos for solving real-life problems. Researcher Ira Winder is currently using Legos to study the “walkability” of a city, Wade reports.
The Economist reports on two projects started at MIT aimed at improving sustainable agriculture in cities. The CityFARM initiative aims to convert tall buildings into indoor farms; MIT alumni Jamie Byron and Gabe Blanchet are working on technology to produce food in home kitchens.