Workshops: Thursday, May 10
Please note: attendance at this event is by invitation only.
Blockchain Verifiable Records for Supply Chains
Digital Currency Initiative | E14-244
The Digital Currency Initiative is a research community focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. We support Bitcoin core developers, research scientists, and students committed to harnessing these technologies for the public good. In this workshop, DCI researcher Mark Weber gives an overview of DCI's work and a primer on blockchain technology, followed by a presentation and demo of the b_verify project. b_verify is an experimental protocol for the issuance, verification, and transaction of records, focusing on the use case of warehouse receipts on commodities. Warehouse receipts are title documents used to secure inventory as collateral for loans, to facilitate trade, and to settle expiring futures contracts. Research shows these tools improve price discovery and access to credit, and can be a game-changer for small-medium producers. However, many problems ranging from multi-billion dollar frauds to high transaction costs stifle the benefits of these instruments. Mark and company will address these challenges with a presentation and demo of the b_verify prototype, inviting feedback from participants as the team finalizes its academic papers and "pilot kit" for real world experimentation. This research has been supported by the Inter-American Development Bank and the Legatum Center for Entrepreneurship and Development.
Ocean Exploration is for Everyone
Katy Croff Bell | E15-359
In November, the Open Ocean initiative will host the 2018 National Ocean Exploration Forum, in collaboration with the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, to convene leaders in exploration and entertainment and foster relationships between these communities with the aim of developing programs to reach diverse sectors of the public. We welcome all interested member companies to join us as we dive into a design sprint for the Forum and hear from a number of collaborative projects developed recently with Open Ocean. In this workshop, we will share our future plans and open up opportunities for members to participate as speakers, workshop hosts, and sponsors.
Sleep Interfaces: New Tech, New Science, New Opportunities
Pattie Maes, Judith Amores, Adam Haar Horowitz, Oscar Rosello | E14-514B
The past decade has seen an explosion of research on the fundamental importance of sleep for memory, attention, creativity, physical health, motor learning, emotion regulation, and more. As sensor technologies become more abundant and affordable, and as sleep science offers more insight into selective contribution of certain sleep stages to each of the areas listed above, tracking and intervening on sleep stage signatures opens up various opportunities for improving productivity, performance, and health, using both the conscious and unconscious brain. We are building interfaces for sleep, and will go over the recent advancements made here at the Media Lab and more broadly, which will make the upcoming years of sleep research and sleep technology so exciting.
Media Inventions and Aspirations: An Ultimate Media workshop introducing a new research program
Andrew Lippman, Michael Bove, Iyad Rahwan | E15-341
Please note that this workshop will begin at 12:30pm and will include lunch.
The Media Lab’s inventive and exploratory work in media has opened eyes and doors; media’s form, content, and place in society are ever-changing. Technologies of display, interaction, design, and creation are our forte, and machine learning now plays an important role. This workshop will explore the areas where we can invent new systems that benefit society. What will happen when human intelligence meets deep learning in the spaces of news, sports, entertainment, games, and social media?
The Ultimate Media special interest group was predicated on eliminating the boundaries between creators and consumers. Metadata, social engagement, and immersive interfaces have enabled new ways of participating in the new media universe. Now we reboot Ultimate Media to include machine intelligence as an active player. While AI technology is an enabler, it’s up to us to define what will happen. We introduce this new program with examples of current work on understanding, creation, and systems, and we propose an agenda that lets us all learn deeply.