Prof. Robert Langer talks to Jessica Harris from NPR about his research on tissue engineering and drug delivery, the commercialization of his discoveries, and the many companies he has started. Langer says he started his lab based off his desire to improve people’s lives by conducting research “at the interface of chemical engineering and medicine.”
Michelle Miller reports for CBS This Morning that Rendever, an MIT startup, is developing customized virtual reality experiences for senior citizens. Miller explains that the company is working “towards a future where the physical limitations many seniors face won’t prevent them from attending, say, a granddaughter’s wedding. They’ll be able to travel virtually.”
Brian Fung writes for The Washington Post that MIT spinoff nuTonomy has launched a self-driving car service in Singapore. Following nuTonomy’s pilot program in Singapore “the company may be able to quickly transfer what it learns to other places where it's currently conducting studies, such as London and Michigan,” suggests Fung.
NuTonomy, an MIT spinoff, is testing a self-driving taxi service in Singapore, writes Jeevan Vasagar for the Financial Times. “The trial represents an extraordinary opportunity to collect feedback from riders in a real-world setting,” says MIT research scientist and NuTonomy co-founder Karl Iagnemma.
MIT spinoff Sample6 has raised $12.7 million to create a better system for detecting bacteria in food, writes Luke Timmerman for Forbes. “The company has developed a technology that can target specific bioparticles, light them up and do it without enriching the sample,” explains Timmerman.
Jason Margolis of PRI’s The World chronicles how MIT alumnus Sorin Grama’s first attempt at a startup paved the way for him to found Promethean Power Systems, which produces milk chillers for regions of India with unreliable power. Margolis notes that this fall Grama will serve as an entrepreneur-in-residence at MIT with a focus on the developing world.
David Morris writes for Fortune that researchers at the MIT spinoff SolidEnergy Systems are developing a longer-lasting lithium metal battery for smartphones and wearables. Morris writes that the battery has “about double the energy density of today’s standard lithium-ion battery.”
Hae Young Yoo writes for The Boston Globe about MIT spinoff GRIT (Global Research Innovation and Technology), which creates wheelchairs with hand-operated levers for rough terrain, particularly in developing countries. The founders got the idea for using hand-operated levers after studying research “that showed the bench press motion is very efficient and makes good use of upper body muscles.”
MIT alumna Tish Scolnik speaks with Forbes reporter Susan Adams about her startup, Global Research Innovation and Technology, which develops wheelchairs for rough terrain. Scolnik recalls that she was inspired to develop wheelchairs in an MIT course. “I thought the class would hit my interest and give me an opportunity to understand what engineering was all about.”
Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Robert Litan highlights a paper by MIT researchers that finds the outlook for high-growth startups has improved. “Focusing on 15 states–which include six cities where start-up up activity historically has been high–they found that high-growth startup activity has recovered from the Great Recession.”
In a Boston Globe article about increasing interest in bio-agriculture, Robert Weisman highlights a number of MIT spinoffs, including Grove Labs and Ginkgo Bioworks. Weisman highlights the aquaponics systems Grove Labs is developing “complete with LED lighting, for growing fruit, vegetables, and herbs at home,” and how Ginkgo Bioworks is producing a “roster of ‘bio-products’ that include organic pesticides.”
Scarlett Ho writes for The Huffington Post about an MIT startup, fireflies.ai, aimed at helping people foster and maintain connections. “All you have to do is forward an email from the contact you wish to keep in touch with to Fireflies, set reminders, add notes, and Fireflies will adapt over time, sending meaningful insights for you.”
Hae Young Yoo writes for The Boston Globe that Ori, a spinoff out of the MIT Media Lab’s CityHome research project, “is creating furniture for urban spaces -- not just smaller pieces, but smarter ones, equipped with robotics that move on demand.”
Wired reporter Margaret Rhodes writes that Media Lab spinoff Ori is developing transformable furniture to help maximize living spaces. “With the push of a button—or, with future versions of the software, at the sound of a voice or wave of a hand—pieces of Ori furniture will slide up, down, or over, reconfiguring spaces in mere moments.”
MIT alumnus Jason Strauss’ startup creates and mails postcards based off your smartphone photos, writes Madeline Bilis for Boston Magazine. “Users text a photo to a phone number, include an address and a message, provide payment information for a $2 processing fee, and voilà, a postcard is printed and shipped,” explains Bilis.