Robotics

MIT researchers have created a self-driving scooter that can be used both indoors and outdoors, reports Siyi Chen for Quartz. The scooter will “slow down or stop in order to calibrate a new route” when faced with an obstacle, explains Chen.

CNN’s Jessica Ravitz describes how MIT researchers are working with surgeons from Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital to outfit a patient with a prosthetic limb that can be controlled by the brain. The patient will have “wireless sensors implanted in his muscles, which will integrate with the robotic prosthetic being created for him.”

Reuters reporter Yiming Woo highlights a new autonomous scooter developed by researchers from MIT, the National University of Singapore and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART). The scooter should be able to help “improve mobility for all ages, cut down on the need for cars and also lower accident rates.”

MIT researchers are developing a bionic prosthesis that can be controlled by the wearer’s brain waves, reports Marie Szaniszlo for The Boston Herald. Graduate student Tyler Clites explains that the limb’s “versatility goes far beyond the technology that is currently available.”

Wall Street Journal reporter Tim Higgins writes that nuTonomy, an MIT startup, will begin testing driverless cars in Boston by the end of the year.  The tests in Boston will help the company “sharpen its software’s ability to recognize signage and road markings and gain experience with the complexities of urban driving,” Higgins explains. 

Boston Globe reporter Eric Moskowitz writes that MIT researchers are developing a prosthetic limb that can be controlled by the user’s brain waves. Researchers in Prof. High Herr’s lab collaborated with surgeons at Brigham and Women’s Hospital to “devise an amputation surgery that could prepare a limb for a brain-controlled prosthetic.” 

In an article for The New Yorker, Nathan Heller highlights research specialist Kate Darling’s work examining how humans interact with robots. Darlings’ research suggests that “our aversion to abusing lifelike machines comes from “‘societal values.’”

MIT researchers have developed a software system that allows scooters, cars and golf carts to operate autonomously, writes Dyllan Furness of Digital Trends. Prof. Daniela Rus explains that the system works both indoors and outdoors and “provides an end-to-end solution starting with the home or hospital room all the way to the destination.”

Writing for The Huffington Post, Adi Gaskell highlights how CSAIL researchers have developed system to help robots work together successfully. Gaskell explains that the system allows three robots to “work successfully together to ensure items are delivered accurately in an unpredictable environment.”

In an interview with Wired’s Editor-in-Chief Scott Dadich, President Barack Obama sits down with Joi Ito, director of the MIT Media Lab, to discuss the future of artificial intelligence. “Everybody needs to understand that how AI behaves is important,” says Ito. “Because the question is, how do we build societal values into AI?”

Grace Williams reports for FOX News that CSAIL researchers are 3-D printing shock-absorbing skins to protect robots. “Dubbed the ‘programmable viscoelastic material’ (PVM) technique, MIT’s printing method gives objects the precise stiffness or elasticity they require,” writes Williams.

To develop safer, more durable robots, CSAIL researchers have developed a technique to 3-D print robots with shock-absorbing skins, reports Matt McFarland for CNN. McFarland explains that as the “‘bumpers’ aren't rigid, it's less dangerous for a robot to crash into something.”

Popular Science reporter Mary Beth Griggs writes that researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab have developed a method to 3-D print robots with customized shock absorbers. The researchers hope that the “shock absorbing material could be used to create better shock absorbers for delivery drones, shock-resistant shoe soles, and even helmets.”

Dr. Mallika Marshall reports for CBS Boston that MIT researchers have created a robot that helps maternity nurses make scheduling and placement decisions. “What we found was that the suggestions of the robot were accepted 90 percent of the time, which was very exciting for us,” explains Prof. Julie Shah.

Prof. Emeritus Rodney Brooks and Prof. Michael Stonebraker are featured in Boston Magazine’s list of the 30 most influential people in the local technology scene. Brooks was honored for his work in the field of robotics, and Stonebraker for his work developing new ways for data to be stored and analyzed.