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Coastal desalination plants are a source of drinking water for an increasing number of people around the world. But their proximity to the ocean can cause disruptions from events like riptides and oil spills. Such disruptions reduce the productivity, lifespan, and sustainability of desalination plants.
The winner of this year’s MIT Water Innovation Prize, Bloom Alert, is seeking to improve desalination plant operations with a new kind of data monitoring platform. The platform tracks ocean and desalination plant activity and provides early warnings about events that could interrupt clean water production or lead to coastal pollution.
Credits: Photo: John Freidah Caption: Jessica Xu and fellow mechanical engineering senior Smita Bhattacharjee (right) with an early prototype of the TILT wheelchair attachment at the MIT Legatum Center Travel Grant Presentations in fall 2019. Credits: Photo: TILT Caption: A prolific artist, Xu co-led virtual “Chalk of the Day Workshops” in MIT’s Independent Activities Period to provide students with an artistic outlet during quarantine. Credits: Photo: Jessica Xu
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Everything is a canvas for senior Jessica Xu. A prolific artist, Xu has explored a number of media including pen and ink, colored pencil, and watercolor. In her time at MIT, she has expanded her horizon beyond traditional media turning places on campus into works of art.
Point, donât click: Pison Technologyâs system allows the control of robots and devices by gestures alone
By Hiawatha Bray Globe Staff,Updated January 26, 2021, 3:45 p.m.
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Engineer David Alfonso demonstrates gesture-control technology that his company, Pison, has developed to send commands by hand motions to electronic devices and machines, such as this four-legged robot from Boston Dynamics.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff
Senior software engineer David Alfonso of Boston-based Pison Technology doesnât resemble the sorcerorâs apprentice from the old Walt Disney cartoon âFantasia.â But with a wave of his hand, he seemed almost as powerful.