Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

If you’re not satisfied with the driving directions you get on Google Maps, a few smart guys at MIT have created an elaborate new toy called CarTel just for you. They’ve equipped a fleet of Boston-area cars with computers that automatically connect to any 802.11 access points detected in transit, then send home data recorded by their on board diagnostic systems, all in just a few hundred milliseconds. The result: a website that gives you directions based on information gathered in real-time so you can avoid high-traffic areas or say, if it’s raining, roads which have historically been congested in adverse weather conditions — no GPS required. The project also keeps a record of all access points detected, so think of it as wardriving for the good of humanity — and you (probably) wouldn’t even get arrested for participating!

[Via PhysOrg]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

If you’re not satisfied with the driving directions you get on Google Maps, a few smart guys at MIT have created an elaborate new toy called CarTel just for you. They’ve equipped a fleet of Boston-area cars with computers that automatically connect to any 802.11 access points detected in transit, then send home data recorded by their on board diagnostic systems, all in just a few hundred milliseconds. The result: a website that gives you directions based on information gathered in real-time so you can avoid high-traffic areas or say, if it’s raining, roads which have historically been congested in adverse weather conditions — no GPS required. The project also keeps a record of all access points detected, so think of it as wardriving for the good of humanity — and you (probably) wouldn’t even get arrested for participating!

[Via PhysOrg]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/general_sciences/Breakthrough_at_MIT_Could_Mean_Artificial_Noses_For_All’; The quest for the ultimate artificial nose is still underway, and thanks to a major breakthrough by the folks over at MIT, it might be sooner than later that we’re all unwrapping stylish sniffers under the Christmas tree. More importantly, the fruits of MIT’s RealNose project could replace drug and explosive-sniffing dogs as well as detect certain medical conditions via the odors emitted. Up to now, the tricky part of studying the sense of smell has been in isolating proteins (olfactory receptors) to get a good look at how they work. But in this latest development, researchers are now able to produce specific receptors using wheat germ. Engineered mammalian cells can be used to the same effect. What makes this so great is, while the human nose is relatively limited in what it can detect, this discovery could unlock the potential to detect an almost infinite range of odors. G.I. Joe with “action nose” here we come.

[Via PhysOrg]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Thanks, MIT. Why don’t you just make the rest of the world feel a little more useless. Every week or so, we’re forced to stare at yet another amazing invention coming from your doors; to be frank, it’s just downright unfair. All childish angst aside, the latest idea to come from the institution is one that could certainly be put to good use: a self-sustaining sensor network that taps into trees for power in order to continuously monitor forests for threats of fire. Moreover, the concept could be applied in other scenarios as well — to detect potential threats such as smuggled contraband along a nation’s borders, perhaps. Testing of the wireless sensor network (developed by the appropriately named Voltree Power) is scheduled to begin next spring, and we’re hearing that pot-sniffing turtles may even be brought in to create a completely natural self-policing environment.

[Via Inhabitat]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Wearables

We’ve seen our fair share of EMF detectors and other tin foil hat apparel, but no endeavor is complete without the MIT stamp of approval. Cati Vaucelle’s EMF sensor bracelet is designed to pick up on any potentially harmful electromagnetic fields, allowing you to dance around the veritable minefield of computers and cell phones in your workplace, unscathed by the — maybe, maybe not — lethal effects of radiation being emitted. Nevermind about looking like a freak — better safe than sorry, right? The bracelet, sensitive up to 14-inches, features an integrated LED that’s illuminated whenever an EMF field over 50kHz is detected. If you’d like to see this prototype in action, a video will be presented today at Ubicomp in Seoul, or save your air miles and see it here after the break.

[Via Make]

Continue reading MIT’s EMF detector bracelet takes all the fun out of radiation poisoning

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Transportation

Oh MIT, do the wonders that come from your halls ever cease? Yet another remarkable development is emerging from the fabled institution, and this time it’s an autonomous wheelchair that can remember important places in a given building (read: the hospital ward, your house, the local arcade, etc.) and then take you there on command. In other words, the voice recognizing chair could understand phrases of direction, such as “head to the kitchen,” and it would take on the burden of navigating the halls while letting the rider chill. The researchers are implementing a system that can learn and adapt to the individual user, and in the future, they’d like to add in a collision-avoidance system and mechanical arms to help patients lift and move objects. Say, can regular joes / janes buy these? We’re totally feeling this over the Segway.

[Via medGadget]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

In the never-ending quest to make even the smallest devices on Earth a touch smaller, a talented team of MIT engineers have developed a method for creating and installing microbatteries, which could eventually power a plethora of diminutive devices including “labs-on-a-chip and implantable medical sensors.” It’s bruited that this is the first time in which “microcontact printing has been used to fabricate and position microbattery electrodes and the first use of virus-based assembly in such a process,” and while you’d likely have to be a colleague to even digest that, the take away is that these gurus are one step closer to generating battery-powered Scrubbing Bubbles. And your shower could use ‘em.

[Via PCMag]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

No surprise here, but the kids from MIT were (presumably) right all along. The three students who were muffled just before presenting their case at Defcon have finally been freed; the now-revoked gag order had prevented them from exposing insecurities in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ticket system, but during the same court setting, the MBTA fessed up and admitted that its current system was indeed vulnerable. Of note, it only confessed that its CharlieTicket system was susceptible to fraud, while simply not acknowledging any flaws in the more popular CharlieCard option. Pish posh — who here believes it doesn’t have dutiful employees working up a fix as we speak?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation, Wireless

Defcon already delivered by exposing California’s FasTrak toll system for the security hole that it is, but that’s not nearly all that’s emerging from the Las Vegas exploitation conference. For starters, a plethora of medical device security researchers have purportedly figured out a way to wirelessly control pacemakers, theoretically allowing those with the proper equipment to “induce the test mode, drain the device battery and turn off therapies.” Of course, it’s not (quite) as simple as just buzzing a remote and putting someone six feet under, but it’s a threat worth paying attention to. In related news, a trio of MIT students who were scheduled to give a speech on how to hack CharlieCards to get free rides on Boston’s T subway were stifled by a temporary restraining order that the university snagged just before the expo. Don’t lie, you’re intrigued — hit up the links below for all the nitty-gritty.

Read - Pacemaker hack
Read - Massachusetts Transit Authority sues MIT hackers
Read - Restraining order on said hackers

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets

2008 has been somewhat of a banner year for 3D, but the brilliant minds at MIT are already working up a system that’ll put U23D to shame. Hailed as a “super-realistic image system,” the invention produces “6D” images that not only have a full three-dimensional appearance, but also “respond to their environment, producing natural shadows and highlights depending on the direction and intensity of the illumination around them.” Without relying on electronics or active control, the process could be used to produce images with an “unprecedented degree of realism” — resulting in something associate professor Ramesh Raskar calls the “ultimate synthetic display.” As expected, initial applications for the ultra-pricey ($30 per pixel, currently) system revolve around digital signage / advertising, but it’s really just a matter of time before Six Dimensions of The Jonas Brothers hits a cinema near you. Save us.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: GPS, Wearables

In no way are we insinuating that farming is ever “easy,” but a new headset designed for cows could make cattle herding a much less stressful experience. The Ear-A-Round headsets are the product of a project involving the USDA and MIT, and essentially, the GPS-infused devices would transmit stereo sounds directly in a bovine’s ears in order to guide and direct his / her movements. Strange though the head-worn gizmos may look, the built-in solar panel should keep it juiced up and ready to dictate on command, giving farmers the ability to track and herd from the comfort of their computer desks. The overriding goal here is to “improve animal distribution on the landscape,” though we can think of quite a few other positives to having such a robust virtual fencing system.

[Via Core77]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Desktops

Alright, so it won’t be a laptop, adorable, or have a cheeky Linux-based OS that’s eventually replaced by Windows, but unlike the OLPC or the too-good-to-be-true $10 laptop, the $12 PC currently being developed at MIT will probably hit its price target. The project, being spearheaded by Derek Lomas and Jesse Austin-Breneman, is centered around cheap Apple II-based machines currently on sale in India and other developing nations that plug into televisions, and the goal is to update the systems with more memory, web access through cellphone tethering and actual storage. Considering we’ve already seen Apple IIs updated with Bluetooth and USB, and the less-powerful Commodore 64 can be used at LAN parties, we’d say all that stands between this project and reality is manpower — any Apple II hackers out there ready to help?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

MIT is in a twisted, propeller-capped knot this morning heralding a new discovery it says will unleash a solar revolution. However, the “revolutionary leap” inspired by photosynthesis is not on the glamorous front-end of energy collection, rather, it’s related to a simple, highly efficient and inexpensive way to store that energy when the sun doesn’t shine. “This is the nirvana of what we’ve been talking about for years,” says Daniel Nocera, MIT neomaxizoomdweebie who with Matthew Kanan developed the unprecedented approach to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases using the sun’s energy. The gases can then be recombined later inside a fuel cell. The key components to the process are a pair of catalysts (one consists of cobalt metal, phosphate, and an electrode; the other, platinum) which produce the O and H gases at room temperature and in neutral pH water (i.e., tap water). While similar solutions exist for industrial use primarily, these are very expensive and require specialized environments.

“This is a major discovery with enormous implications for the future prosperity of humankind,” said James Barber, a leader in the study of photosynthesis at Imperial College in London. “The importance of their discovery cannot be overstated since it opens up the door for developing new technologies for energy production thus reducing our dependence for fossil fuels and addressing the global climate change problem.” Nocera concedes that further engineering is required to commercialize the approach but hopes to see it implemented in household fuel cell systems within the next 10 years. Click through for the video breakdown.

Continue reading Video: MIT develops solar storage “nirvana”: energy crisis solved?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Look out 1366 Technologies, you’ve got yet another solar-based MIT spin-off company vying for business in the alternative energy sector. The company’s name is RawSolar, and in due time it could end up selling solar dish arrangements that could power factories or even heat / cool office buildings. Recently, a team of students and faculty celebrated as a prototype dish proved that it could concentrate sunlight by a factor of 1,000, which obviously bodes well for converting that into useful energy here on Earth. Another standout feature of the dish is its small size, and furthermore, the material required to build it is relatively inexpensive and accessible worldwide. Sounds like all the ingredients for a successful startup are there, now we’ve just got to wait and see if anything becomes of it. We’re watching you, RawSolar — don’t let us down.

[Thanks, Spencer]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

A team of astute MIT researchers have developed a sophisticated new material that could help control, contain and lessen the environmental impact of future oil spills. The creation is a mat of nanowires that actually looks a lot like paper, but unlike the material your paycheck gets printed on, this stuff can “selectively absorb hydrophobic liquids (oil-like liquids) from water.” We’re talking about a membrane that can “absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil, and can be recycled many times for future use.” Outside of this, it could also be used in water filtration processes and for designing the next great wetsuit. Okay, so we’re making that last one up, but don’t dare say it’s beyond the realm of possibility.

[Via NewScientist]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We’ve seen countless attempts to re-invent the Post-It note, but no one’s ever really managed to improve on the basic design — which might be why MIT’s “Quickies” concept doesn’t even try. The electronic note system is instead based around a digital pen and special pad, which saves your notes as you jot them down on RFID-embedded Post-Its. Software on your PC then does some quick OCR and, according to the inventors, “uses its understanding of the user’s intentions, content, and the context of the notes to provide the user with reminders, alerts, messages, and just-in-time information.” Since the database can also store location information, sticking the note on a book or other object allows you to locate it later using the RFID tag, and you can even have notes SMS’d to their recipients. Pretty wild — but we’re more impressed someone finally found a good use for all those digital pens out there. Check a video of the system in action after the break.

Continue reading MIT reinvents the Post-It note… with Post-It notes

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Robots

MIT is really taking its robotics program to a whole new level with its “MDS” platform, which stands for Mobile, Dexterous and Social. The flagship bot so far is Nexi, who certainly fits the bill, albeit with an extra dab of creepy. The bot stands on a Segway-esque wheel base, has articulated arms and hands, and can convey a wide range of emotion with that pasty white face. Nexi has a computer on board to manage sensors and instinctual responses, while it offloads the heavy duty AI work to a stationary computer over the network. MIT’s eventual goal is to have Nexi and others participate in Socially Situated Robot Learning — observing and interacting with humans to figure out how best to integrate with them. Don’t worry Nexi, we like you for you. Video is after the break.

[Via fresh creation]

Continue reading MIT’s Nexi bot wants to be your friend

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

In what’s become an increasingly familiar tune, a startup company has announced that it’s just pulled in a significant haul of funding based on its promises of better, cheaper solar power. In this case, the company in question is 1366 Technologies, which was spun out of research from MIT and is headed by MIT professor Ely Sachs (who is taking a leave of absence to focus on the company). According to the company, it’s found a way to make solar cells from multicrystalline silicon that are just as efficient as ones from single-crystal silicon, which is normally much more expensive to produce. In terms of hard numbers, that translates to solar cells that are 27 percent more efficient than your average solar cell, and (in its current state) a cost a $2.10 per watt. Sachs says that cost will come down to $1.65 per watt when manufacturered on a commercial scale, however, and will eventually drop to $1.30 a watt with some “planned improvements.” That’s still short of the $1 a watt goal they’re aiming for (which is roughly the cost of coal), but the company seems confident they can hit that mark by 2012 with some “anticipated advances.”

[Via Physorg]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Displays, Peripherals

The cats and kittens at the MIT Media Lab are always on some next-level type of wackiness, and the Siftables project doesn’t break from that trend. The concept seems simple enough: a collection of small, self-contained input / display devices wirelessly link together to form an independent mini-network, or a control system for a PC. The cubes feature OLED screens, a 3-axis accelerometer, Bluetooth, flash memory, and a haptic actuation driver, and feature additional ports for attaching other devices. The aim is to create a more natural system for handling and displaying data, though we won’t be surprised if this is somehow incorporated into an even more realistic version of Call of Duty. Check out the video after the break to see the little guys in action.

[Via OhGizmo!]

Continue reading MIT’s Siftables let you juggle your data… for real

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments