MIT’s ridesharing network is learning to dodge pedestrians

Posted on 27/07/2016 by Engadget RSS Feed

Lyft and Uber already operate in and around Boston, but students on MIT's campus in Cambridge, MA also have a new, research-oriented option for on-demand ridesharing. Ford and MIT announced today a new project that will shuttle students around on bot...

MIT exploited heat to make the most efficient solar cell yet

Posted on 26/05/2016 by Timothy J. Seppala

Sorry, University of New South Wales: Your efforts at shattering the efficiency record for solar cells earlier this month have been, ahem, eclipsed. A group of researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a way to possibly brea...

Puma’s robotic running companion can keep pace with Usain Bolt

Posted on 30/04/2016 by Timothy J. Seppala

For some people, the RunKeeper coach's voice is enough to keep them motivated during a jog. Others need something physical to keep pace with. That's where Puma's BeatBot comes in. Developed by a NASA robotics engineer, a trio of MIT students and Puma...

MIT has a way to speed up web browsing by 34 percent

Posted on 10/03/2016 by Timothy J. Seppala

Sure, Google has a way to reduce page load speeds, but that's limited to mobile for now. From the sounds of it, the venerable Massachusetts Institute of Technology has other plans that could make mobile and desktop web browsing about 34 percent faste...

Marvin Minsky, A.I. pioneer, dies of brain hemorrhage at 88

Posted on 26/01/2016 by Timothy J. Seppala

The world lost one of its brightest minds to a brain hemorrhage recently; Marvin Minsky was 88 when he passed on Sunday night. A World War II veteran, his life's work was essentially creating and advancing the field of artificial intelligence. The Ne...

Scientists create false memories in mice, cause rodent-style Inception

Posted on 25/07/2013 by Melissa Grey

A group of MIT researchers (we assume they're all Philip K. Dick fans) have successfully implanted false memories in the minds of mice, according to a study published in the journal Science. This "mouseception" experiment was designed to examine the phenomenon called false memory syndrome, in which the brain concocts recollections of events that have never happened. By manipulating the memory engram-bearing cells in the hippocampus, the research team convinced a few unsuspecting mice that they had experienced a shock to their feet when one had never actually occurred. One can only assume that after finessing this false memory implantation, the next logical step is going into the mice's dreams and stealing all their secrets. Christopher Nolan would be so proud. Or horrified. Jury's still out.

Filed under: Science, Alt

Comments

Via: MIT Technology Review

Source: Science

PSA: Watch the AMS dark matter results announcement at 1:30PM ET (video)

Posted on 03/04/2013 by Jamie Rigg

The universe is thought to be composed of stuff, non-stuff and maybe some other stuff. We're referring, of course, to matter, anti-matter and as-yet illusive dark matter. While we know a fair amount about matter and its opposite, dark matter is still largely theoretical. That might change in around half an hour, though, as folks from NASA, MIT and the US Department of Energy hold a press conference to explain exactly what the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) strapped to the ISS has been seeing during almost two years of space-scanning. Samuel Ting from MIT, who will be on the panel, implied back in February that today's results will provide the first evidence of dark matter's existence -- if that's the right term. The press conference is due to start at 1:30PM EDT, so make sure to tune in to the NASA TV livestream embedded below for what could be the biggest scientific news since Higgs and his boson.

[Image Credit: NASA]

Filed under: Announcements, Science, Alt

Comments

Via: Space.com

Source: NASA

MIT prof and student discover algorithm for predicting trending Twitter topics

Posted on 02/11/2012 by Ben Gilbert

Predicting the future of Twitter's trending topics is, as of right now, an impossibility. But two folks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may have cracked the code with an algorithm they're saying predicts -- with 95 percent accuracy -- the topics that will trend in the next hour and a half. The prediction has even been calculated as high as four to five hours ahead of time with the same level of accuracy. Not too bad!

Of course, beyond impressing friends with the predictions, the algorithm has direct implications for the likes of Twitter itself -- being able to sell ads against trending topics could benefit the social media company enormously in its ongoing quest to monetize. At any rate, it's distinctly less dangerous sounding than the last idea we heard involving Twitter and predictions. The algorithm will be presented next week at MIT's Interdisciplinary Workshop on Information and Decision in Social Networks, should you wish to dig into the nitty gritty of the math behind the madness.

Filed under: Misc, Science, Software, Alt

MIT prof and student discover algorithm for predicting trending Twitter topics originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

SlashGear |

MIT | Email this | Comments

The future of higher education: reshaping universities through 3D printing

Posted on 19/10/2012 by Jason Hidalgo

Featuring four towering limestone columns and classic Flemish-bond brickwork, the century-old Mackay School of Mines Building at the University of Nevada, Reno, has long served as a bastion of Silver State history. Named after Irish immigrant and "Comstock Lode King" John Mackay, notable touches such as a cast bronze statue designed by Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum just outside the building helped it earn a spot in the National Register of Historic Places. Within its oak doors, however, are the makings of an intriguing experiment that's decidedly more new school. Like a mini museum, a collection of 3D-printed models are displayed within the building's sunlit, three-story atrium -- attracting a mix of students and teachers. Even more popular than the displays of plastic gears and molecule models, however, are the two 3D printers that made them: a professional-grade Stratasys uPrint SE Plus and a hobbyist 3DTouch machine.

Gallery: The Future of Higher Education: Reshaping Universities through 3D Printing

Continue reading The future of higher education: reshaping universities through 3D printing

Filed under: Misc, Science

The future of higher education: reshaping universities through 3D printing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

MIT pencils in carbon nanotube gas sensor that’s cheaper, less hazardous (video)

Posted on 10/10/2012 by Steve Dent

Carbon nanotube-based sensors are good at sniffing out all kinds of things, but applying the cylindrical molecules to a substrate has traditionally been a dangerous and unreliable process. Now, researchers at MIT have found a way to avoid the hazardous solvents that are currently used, by compressing commercially available nanotube powders into a pencil lead-shaped material. That allowed them to sketch the material directly onto paper imprinted with gold electrodes (as shown above), then measure the current flowing through the resisting carbon nanotubes -- allowing detection of any gases that stick to the material. It works even if the marks aren't uniform, according to the team, and the tech would open up new avenues to cheaper sensors that would be particularly adroit at detecting rotten fruit or natural gas leaks. For more info, sniff out the video after the break.

Continue reading MIT pencils in carbon nanotube gas sensor that's cheaper, less hazardous (video)