BetaBoston reporter Nidhi Subbaraman writes that MIT startup LiquiGlide has signed a deal with Orkla ASA to license LiquiGlide’s “slippery coatings for a brand of mayonnaise due to be launched in the next year in northern and central Europe.”
Writing for Fortune, Barb Darrow reports on the Cybersecurity Factory, an eight-week program developed by students from MIT CSAIL and Highland Capital Partners. The program is, “aimed at helping fledging cybersecurity companies get off the ground “The goal is to give these novice entrepreneurs some structure and advice on building and pitching their products,” Darrow explains.
Kelsey D. Atherton writes for Popular Science about Explorer, a camera ball designed by MIT alumnus Francisco Aguilar that can be used by first responders to survey an area. “Rescue workers could drop Explorers into nooks and crannies that are otherwise inaccessible for larger tools."
Andrew Zaleski writes for CNBC about the thriving robotics industry in Massachusetts, highlighting the success of MIT startups like iRobot and Boston Dynamics. "There's a domain expertise in Massachusetts that's around how you make these robots useful, practical and affordable," explains Russ Campanello of iRobot.
Professor Yet-Ming Chiang’s company 24M has devised a manufacturing process that cuts the cost of producing batteries in half using liquid-battery technology, writes Brooks Hays for UPI. “The new method brings the benefits of liquid technology to big batteries—but without the baggage.”
Wall Street Journal reporter Timothy Hay writes about the MIT Hacking Medicine program, a new MIT spin out that aims to examine whether digital technologies have made people healthier. Hay explains that the institute will produce “white papers that offer guidelines on evaluating digital-health programs.”
Scott Kirsner writes for BetaBoston about 24M Technologies, a company co-founded by Professor Yet-Ming Chiang that has produced a safer, cheaper, and more durable lithium-ion battery. “We’re reinventing the lithium ion battery,” says Chiang. “The cost of the product is too high, and the manufacturing process is too complex.”
Scott Kirsner writes for BetaBoston about 24M Technologies, a company co-founded by Professor Yet-Ming Chiang that has produced a safer, cheaper, and more durable lithium-ion battery. “We’re reinventing the lithium ion battery,” says Chiang. “The cost of the product is too high, and the manufacturing process is too complex.”
Senior lecturer Trond Undheim writes for WBUR’s Cognoscenti about how parenting has prepared him for being an entrepreneur. “As a parent, I often find myself laying down rules and setting expectations, only to end up questioning many of my previously held assumptions. I go through the same process as an entrepreneur,” Undheim explains.
Washington Post reporter Matt McFarland writes that researchers in the CityFARM group, which is devoted to developing scalable urban farming systems, hope to start an open-source movement for vertical farming. Caleb Harper, founder of CityFARM, explains that his focus “is on getting the tools out there.”
MIT researchers have developed a USB-powered stethoscope, reports Vijee Venkatraman for BetaBoston. Venkatraman explains that the stethoscope's companion app, "transforms the device into a low-cost diagnostic tool" that can be used to diagnose lung disease.
Graduate student Tristan Swedish has devised a concept for a device that allows patients to photograph their retinas, according to The Economist. Swedish hopes the device could allow, “people to monitor themselves and, if there are any warning signs, to be advised to see a doctor.”
Janelle Nanos reports for BetaBoston about MIT startup Changing Environments and their solar-powered Soofa public benches that can be used to charge phones or other personal electronics. The Soofa team is launching “an early adopter program for cities and municipalities interested in their smart seating,” Nanos explains.
Nico Pitney writes for The Huffington Post about GiveDirectly, a charity founded by MIT graduate students that has found success combating poverty by providing direct cash transfers to low-income households in the developing world: “Supporters believe that cash transfers should now be the standard against which the usefulness of other programs are measured,” Pitney explains.
Cybersecurity Factory, an accelerator founded by two MIT graduate students and Highland Capital, recently announced the winning teams who have been accepted into the pilot program, reports Janelle Nanos for BetaBoston. Nanos explains that the goal of Cybersecurity Factory is to “help founders overcome the myriad challenges they often face as they try to get cybersecurity companies off the ground.”