Research

You’ll Never Look at Bananas the Same Way Again

by Amy Marcott on May 21, 2012

in Arts,Design,Media,Modern Geekhood

The back of the Makey Makey board.

The back of the Makey Makey board. Click to enlarge.

Bored with your conventional keyboard? Sick of joysticks? Tired of waiting for the bananas to ripen? Use Makey Makey and turn ordinary objects, even yourself, into touchpads and keyboard keys. No programming or software required. Makey Makey, dubbed “an invention kit for everyone,” is the brainchild of Jay Silver SM ’08 and Eric Rosenbaum SM ’09, both PhD students in the Media Lab. Silver works for Intel Labs’ Interaction Experience Research group, Rosenbaum for the Lifelong Kindergarten group.

At the most basic level, Makey Makey plugs into a computer via USB and lets users reassign the arrow keys, space bar, and left mouse click to objects by attaching alligator clips to the board and any material that can conduct at least a tiny bit of electricity. Turn Makey Makey over to access keyboard keys, the mouse, and more. Watch the video below for all sorts of inspired uses.

Makey Makey kits, which come with alligator clips and USB cable, are $35 (including shipping) and currently available on the Kickstarter website, though the cocreators have far surpassed their fundraising goals. Later this year, the kit will be available on Sparkfun’s website and other select retailers.

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Obesity? Doing the Math Generates New Answers

by Nancy DuVergne Smith on May 18, 2012

in Health,In the News

Overproduction of food is a factor in nation-wide obesity, Chow says.

Overproduction of food is a factor in nation-wide obesity, Chow says.

The New York Times recently featured new work on obesity by Carson Chow PhD ’92, an investigator at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Chow argued in an American Association for the Advancement of Science presentation this spring that mathematics can unravel the mystery of why two-thirds of Americans are overweight.

Why use mathematics? The MIT-trained physicist and mathematician says it’s a lot faster than human trials that take years.

What are his findings? First, he challenges the conventional wisdom that 3,500 calories always creates a pound of fat on a human body. Sometimes that may be true, but bodies change as a person loses weight, he says.

“Interestingly, we also found that the fatter you get, the easier it is to gain weight. An extra 10 calories a day puts more weight onto an obese person than on a thinner one,” Chow told the Times.

He and his colleagues also found that slow weight loss is most likely to succeed: In fact, it takes about three years for a dieter to reach a new equilibrium.

And why are Americans fat? Chow says over U.S. overproduction of food is a major factor. Learn more in the New York Times interview.

What can you do with these new findings? To calculate your potential weight loss, use the NIDDK’s free, interactive Body Weight Simulator to see how much you need to adjust intake and activity.

Other MIT work on obesity:

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Where the Wild Chairs Are

by Jay London on May 17, 2012

in Arts,Design,Events,Learning,Modern Geekhood,Science

The Wild Chair. Image: MIT Media Lab

According to the MIT Media Lab, we’ve been sitting on chairs for 27,000 years. And some chairs are sick of being taken for granted.

The result: Rebellious Chairs, a collaboration between the Media Lab’s High-Low Tech group and France’s École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (National School of Decorative Arts) that seeks to “rethink the relationship between people and chairs” and design chairs with distinct, interactive personalities, ranging from warm and cuddly to dangerous and territorial.

The video below highlights The Wild Chair–a defensive beast with porcupine-like wooden quills–created by Paris designers J.C. Karich and Pauline Jamilloux.


Other, slightly less dangerous chairs include:

  • The Baptism Chair, a pew-like chair with a money slot for donation and pours “holy water” on the kneeler
  • Cocooning, a chair-blanket hybrid that simulates the sounds, ambiance, and coziness of sitting by a fireplace
  • DIKTATÖR, which dictates head movement according to the direction of sounds around it
  • Lucien, a solar-loving chair that rotates and turns toward the light or sun
  • Vincent, a verbally-interacting chair that communicates with humans through a language of real chair sounds

Cocooning chair. Image: MIT Media Lab

The five-day workshop–held in France earlier this year–was organized by Dana Gordon, a former design researcher for the Interrogative Design Group at MIT’s Center for Advanced Visual Studies, and workshop advisors included High-Low Tech research assistants Jennifer Jacobs and Sam Jacoby.

For more information, check out a photo gallery of the research and design process and view photos and video from the final presentation.

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The Other 2.007: Electric Vehicles, Not Robots [Video]

by Amy Marcott on May 16, 2012

in Classroom,Design,Engineering,Modern Geekhood,Student Life,Transportation

For a few years, the now-famous 2.007 robot contest has included an optional electric vechicle section for students who favored crafting an experimental ride to a robot. But this year, EVs got an official final event all their own, with two parts: a 50-meter drag race and a hill climb up a four-story parking garage.

Chibikart, designed by grad student Charles Guan '11.

Chibikart, designed by grad student Charles Guan '11.

Charles Guan ’11, a grad student in mechanical engineering, taught this special 2.007 EV section, which students affectionately named 2.00gokart.

Guan has made a name for himself lately on the Interwebs for video of his own three-week CAD-to-completion project, Chibikart, an “ultra-small four-hub motor drive go-kart designed to test out the ability of the 100mm size hub motors to move a person without assistance,” according to Guan’s blog, Equals Zero. Chibikart exceeded his expectations in efficiency and power use at speed, even when climbing the parking-garage course. It’s also his first use of 80/20 slotted framing which is very popular for prototyping machines quickly. Read his entries about building the machine, and watch it in action in the video below.

As for the 2.007 section Guan taught, he details the semester and the student projects on his blog. A123Systems donated batteries. Here are the rules, as Charles posts on his website. Read through his post for his analysis of what he’d do differently next time:

“You had to use 1 to 3 of the A123 12V7 bricks in your design, or else if you do want a custom battery solution a charger must be included in the budget. You got one 8″ pneumatic tire for free, choice between one with a sprocket, one with a belt pulley, and a ‘front’ wheel i.e. no  attached drive parts. You didn’t have to use it—this was a last minute pre-term rule change, because I was about to make everyone use an 8″ drive wheel. This was to encourage some more diversity in design…and in the end, I’m glad it happened. There were just some seriously creative efforts that would have been hampered by a wheel requirement. Major components, including motor, controller, frame materials, power transmission components, and any other vital parts (such as the deck, for the only skateboard-style project) must be under $300 not including shipping costs. Hardware and some small incidental metal stock was [sic] not included.”

The drag race was held in a relatively smoothly paved back alley under the Brain & Cognitive Sciences complex. Securing a parking garage for the hill climb was more challenging. But Guan and others convinced campus officials they had taken appropriate safety precautions for the narrow turns at the ends of the garage—by setting up literal safety nets—and MIT Parking and MIT Police closed off an entire parking facility on a Sunday for the event.

Check out the highlight footage below. Scooters averaged 9 to 11 seconds, and Melonkart hit an 8.28 second run. Instructors also got in on the fun. Chibikart managed an 8.26 second run. “The cool part about it,” say Guan on his blog, “is now that there exists an official activity safety process for this kind of event, we could throw a go-kart race almost whenever.”

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Understanding Childhood Stresses That Lead to Mental Illness

by Nancy DuVergne Smith on May 14, 2012

in Health

Learn more about the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory

Click the image to learn more about the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory

MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory tackled a tough subject in its spring symposium: New Insights on Early Life Stress and Mental Health.

Picower scientists have moved beyond the understanding that children who experience neglect, abuse, and deprivation are prone to depression, anxiety, and addiction as adults. They are focusing basic research tools on understanding environmental, genetic, and developmental factors that can lead to potential interventions.

“Our society wounds children,” said Dr. Robert Anda, “it’s really sad and dark. When I got into this work, I had no idea how violent our culture is, how neglectful, and how systemic through all segments of society adversity is. If you look for it, you will find it.”

Dr. Anda described studies on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) that show how having a battered mother or incarcerated father, or experiencing sexual abuse or neglect leads to lifelong problems. According to the ACE study, about two-thirds of the population has at least one of these experiences. The greater number of ACEs, the more likely individuals will have disrupted relationships, become victims of domestic violence, abuse alcohol or drugs, or suffer from mental illnesses. “The good news is that these things are highly preventable,” he said.

“Genes load the gun, and environment pulls the trigger,” said Andrew Garner, a pediatrician who spoke on Translating Developmental Science into Healthy Lives. Increasing the number of chronic or traumatic stresses changes the biology of an individual. “The ecology becomes biology and together they drive development across the lifespan.”

Understanding the biological impact of ACEs can help researchers develop potential interventions, said Picower Associate Director Matt Wilson in opening remarks.

“When we think about stress and how it impacts society, we can also think about the intersection of these environment factors with developmental and genetic factors. Unfortunately those vectors point to a vulnerable population—children.” Wilson said. “We also see the impact of early intervention and how this can translate into lifelong benefits and changes not just to individuals but to society.”

Watch videos of the April 18, 2012, talks – just click the program topics.

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Why Write Your Dissertation When You Can DANCE It? [Video]

by Amy Marcott on May 11, 2012

in Arts,Learning,Modern Geekhood,Research,Science

Post-doc Stephen Steiner SM '06, PhD '12 dances his PhD thesis, “Carbon Nanotube Growth on Challenging Substrates: Applications for Carbon-Fiber Composites.

Post-doc Stephen Steiner SM '06, PhD '12 dances his PhD thesis, “Carbon Nanotube Growth on Challenging Substrates: Applications for Carbon-Fiber Composites. Watch below.

How many times as a PhD student did you wish you could just bust a move and show people what your research was about instead of launching into some boring elevator pitch?

What? Never? Well, maybe you should try it. Enter the Dance Your PhD Contest, open to anyone who has ever completed a science-related PhD or who is a student pursuing a PhD.

The contest is the brainchild of John Bohannon, a writer and visiting scientist at Harvard who seeks to make science more accessible. Watch a TedxBrussels Talk…er…Tedx Dance by Bohannon called Dance vs. PowerPoint, a Modest Proposal, in which he (with help from performers from the Black Label Movement) practices what he preaches.

The 2012 contest just opened up a few weeks ago. Each category winner—physics, chemistry, biology, and social sciences—receives $500 and recognition by Science magazine. Grand prize is $1K and free travel and accommodation to attend TEDxBrussels in November. Entries are due Oct. 1, 2012.

Videos are judged by a group of scientists and artists on scientific merit, artistic merit, and creative combination of the science and art. Dances have to convey something essential about one’s PhD research so that the judges “get it.”

If you need inspiration, check out last year’s videos. Two of the record 53 entries were created by MITers. Though they did not win prizes, they both deserve huge props for heeding the contest website’s advice: “You’re a scientist. With your superpowers comes the responsibility to communicate the thrill of science to the public. Yes, sometimes in dance form. So dance like you mean it.” Oh, they mean it. Enjoy. Both entered in the chemistry category.

Post-doc Stephen Steiner SM ’06, PhD ’12 dances his PhD thesis, “Carbon Nanotube Growth on Challenging Substrates: Applications for Carbon-Fiber Composites.” Learn more about his research.

Current student Hoda Eydgahi SM ’08 dances her thesis, “Development and Application of an MCMC Algorithm for Obtaining the Joint Parameter Distribution in Biochemical Networks.” Learn more about her research.

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Watch the Oceans Van Gogh

by Amy Marcott on May 10, 2012

in Arts,Research,Science

Take a look at NASA’s Perpetual Ocean, a stunning visualization of worldwide ocean surface currents between June 2005 and December 2007. It stems from model output from the joint project between MIT and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab at Caltech called Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean, Phase II or ECCO2.

Here are the details, as noted on NASA’s Perpetual Ocean website:

ECCO2 uses the MIT general circulation model (MITgcm) to synthesize satellite and in-situ data of the global ocean and sea-ice at resolutions that begin to resolve ocean eddies and other narrow current systems, which transport heat and carbon in the oceans. ECCO2 provides ocean flows at all depths, but only surface flows are used in this visualization. The dark patterns under the ocean represent the undersea bathymetry. Topographic land exaggeration is 20x and bathymetric exaggeration is 40x.

Is it me or is there a little post-Impressionism going on here?

Left: NASA's Perpetual Ocean. Right: The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Left: NASA's Perpetual Ocean; right: The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.

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If You’re Not Sure It Exists, Check With MIT

by Jay London on May 9, 2012

in In the News,Modern Geekhood,Research,Uncategorized

Photo: Fluid Interface Group at MIT Media Lab

On May 2, a blog post on Fast Company lamented the lack of an interface that allows a user to drag files from a computer  to a smart phone with the swipe of a finger, eliminating the sometimes-convoluted process of transferring data between devices.

The story highlights a conceptualized interface developed by designer Ishac Bertran, but ultimately concludes that, for the idea to become reality, major developers like Amazon and Apple would have to seriously revise their devices. Not long after being posted, the story caught the eye of a surprised doctoral student in the MIT Media Lab.

From Fast Company:

Last week, we reported on a cool, if seemingly far-fetched, UI concept that’d let you drag files from your phone to your computer with a swipe of the finger. The idea is “so simple and clever, you wonder why it doesn’t exist already,” we wrote. Hours later, an email appeared in our inbox, subject line: “it exists!” The message came courtesy of Natan Linder, a PhD student in the Fluid Interfaces group at the MIT Media Lab.

The “it” referenced by Linder is Swÿp, an open-source software device created by Alexander List ’15 that facilitates a cross-app, cross-device data exchange using physical “swipe” gestures.

The Fluid Interfaces group exploited each device’s existing capabilities (no hacking) and used information such as the devices’s approximate  WiFi location and social media and email account details. The information is then tied to a real-time gesture, in this case a swipe.

From Fast Company:

Hold up two Swÿp-enabled devices next to each other, and they’re able to communicate in a language both understand: a hybrid of the digital and physical worlds.

Swÿp, which is still in its early research phase and not yet available as an app, could have potential applications ranging from photo swapping to sharing large files previously available via Dropbox or YouSendIt.

So, if you’re not sure a technical interface has been developed yet, check with MIT.

Would a device like this be valuable in your everyday professional or personal life? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook.

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What Will the World Be Like in 2112?

by Jay London on May 4, 2012

in In the News,Modern Geekhood,Research

Daron Acemoglu

What will life be like in 100 years? Daron Acemoglu, an Elizabeth and James Killian Professor in the Department of Economics, pondered this question as he awaited the birth of his son.

Over time, Acemoglu’s contemplation led him to wonder what kind of world his potential grandchildren would inherit, and how recent political, social, and economic trends would shape this future society.

Acemoglu tackles this question in “The World our Grandchildren Will Inherit: The Rights Revolution and Beyond,” published earlier this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research. The paper outlines what Acemoglu believes are the 10 most important trends since the early twentieth century, and Acemoglu makes 10 predictions on the next 100 years.

Outlook-wise, Acemoglu’s predictions are a mixed bag. On the positive side, he believes people will live longer, healthier lives and an end to war is possible. On the other hand, he sees uneven economic growth and climate change worsening.

Business Insider created a slideshow of Acemoglu’s predictions.

  1. Global pollution will get much worse.
  2. Islamic regimes will fall.
  3. War could go away.
  4. The rebirth of US manufacturing.
  5. People will have longer and healthier lives.
  6. Robots will replace manufacturers and farmers.
  7. The middle class will continue to diminish.
  8. The global economy will prosper.
  9. We’ll have automated cars.
  10. Democracy will recede.

What’s your take? Do you agree or disagree with Acemoglu? Or, as past predictions have shown, it’s impossible to accurately conjecture what life will be like in 100 years. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on Facebook.

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Your Own Personal Robot, Straight from the Printer

by Jay London on May 2, 2012

in Engineering,Health,In the News,Media,Modern Geekhood,Research

Most office supply stores charge about 10 cents to make a paper copy. But how much to print a robot? That request could come in the not too distant future. MIT is part of a research team developing technology that would—at the cost of about $100—allow people to build a functioning robot.

Through a $10 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the five-year project, “An Expedition in Computing for Compiling Printable Programmable Machines,” aims to develop a desktop technology that would make it possible to design, customize, and print a specialized robot.  The project is spearheaded by Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Professor Daniela Rus and unites researchers from MIT, Penn, and Harvard.

From MIT News:

Researchers hope to create a platform that would allow an individual to identify a household problem that needs assistance; then head to a local printing store to select a blueprint from a library of robotic designs; and then customize an easy-to-use robotic device that could solve the problem. Within 24 hours, the robot would be printed, assembled, fully programmed and ready for action.


Robotic creation is typically an expensive and complicated technical process.  An inexpensive, functioning 3-D robot could have potential applications in areas ranging from cleaning behind a refrigerator to exploring a contaminated area. Two prototype machines have already been designed: an insect-like robot that could aid emergency workers and a gripping robot that could assist people with limited mobility.

From Wired:

A robot would come pre-programmed to perform a set of tasks, but if a user wanted more advanced actions, he or she could build up those actions using the bot’s basic capabilities. That advanced set of commands could be programmed in a computer and beamed wirelessly to the robot. And as voice parsing systems get better, Rus thinks you might be able to simply tell your robot to do your bidding.

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