3D printers give hardware designers a way to convert their computer models into objects they can see and feel. A Boston-area startup has made a desktop printer that goes one step further: by printing wires, it allows designers to make working prototypes of their electronic creations. Voxel8 today launched its website and has begun to … Continue reading “Harvard Spin-off Voxel8 Takes 3D Printing Into Electronics”
Author: Martin LaMonica
Martin is a veteran journalist covering science, technology, and business from Cambridge, MA. He writes about energy and technology for Xconomy, MIT Technology Review, the Boston Globe, the Guardian, Scientific American, IEEE Spectrum, and others. For ten years, he was senior editor at CNET where he covered clean tech, the Web, and tech companies. During the dotcom boom and bust, he was executive editor at enterprise IT publication InfoWorld and previously was the Paris correspondent for the IDG News Service. He graduated from Cornell University.
Startups Race to Solve Looming Medical Radioisotope Crisis
There’s a shortage of radioactive material that few people outside the medical community know about. And the best hope for solving the problem—and reduce nuclear proliferation risks linked to it—rests in the hands of a handful of startups operating on a mix of government and private money. The medical isotope technetium-99 is injected into tens … Continue reading “Startups Race to Solve Looming Medical Radioisotope Crisis”
CAMX Power Quietly Develops 200-Mile Electric Car Battery
Claims of a breakthrough in battery performance are fairly commonplace—and often disappointing. A little-known startup has been toiling on a material that isn’t a radical break with today’s batteries. But by improving on materials that are already widely used, it could be a commercial success nonetheless. CAMX Power, based in Lexington, MA, has only existed … Continue reading “CAMX Power Quietly Develops 200-Mile Electric Car Battery”
Developers, Get Ready: 3D Images Are Coming to Mobile Devices
Showing snapshots from vacations is nice, but what if you could use a phone or tablet to walk your friends through a three-dimensional reconstruction of Notre Dame or Angkor Wat, based on your photos? That’s just one application of “immersive” 3D imaging technology, which is coming to smartphones and tablets. The biggest names in computing, … Continue reading “Developers, Get Ready: 3D Images Are Coming to Mobile Devices”
First Solar Buys Into Clean Energy Collective’s Community Solar
If you live in an apartment and don’t have roof space, you can still buy into solar power through shared ownership programs—a niche market that a number of solar startups are trying to open up. Louisville, CO-based Clean Energy Collective said today that solar panel maker First Solar has invested an undisclosed sum in the … Continue reading “First Solar Buys Into Clean Energy Collective’s Community Solar”
With Funding from Samsung, Battery Startup Seeo Advances
Material science typically moves slowly, so companies developing better batteries need investors able to stick around for more than just a few years. Seeo has found that some corporate investors are willing to bet on next-generation batteries. The Hayward, CA-based company, which was founded in 2007, today said that the venture arm of Korean tech … Continue reading “With Funding from Samsung, Battery Startup Seeo Advances”
Small Wind Company Altaeros Snags $7M from SoftBank
It’s not every day that a wind energy startup attracts investment from a telecom company, but that’s exactly how Altaeros Energies financed its Series A round. Altaeros said today that Japan-based telecom company SoftBank invested $7 million in the Somerville, MA-based wind company. The money, the startup’s first institutional round, will be used to bring … Continue reading “Small Wind Company Altaeros Snags $7M from SoftBank”
Drone Makers Worry FAA Rules Will Quash Industry
Having a drone deliver a package to your doorstep minutes after ordering it online would bring instant gratification to a new level. But there’s a problem: that and many other commercial uses of drones are illegal in the U.S. under current regulations. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working on rules to govern the use … Continue reading “Drone Makers Worry FAA Rules Will Quash Industry”
Desalitech Builds on Boston-Area Water Tech Cluster With $11M Funding
When Governor Deval Patrick leaves office at the end of the year, he will be remembered for fostering the growth of Massachusetts’ life sciences and energy technology industries. Less known is a fledgling water technology cluster, which also received a hand from the Patrick administration. One company in the state’s water cluster—Newton, MA-based Desalitech—today announced … Continue reading “Desalitech Builds on Boston-Area Water Tech Cluster With $11M Funding”
Veniam Wants to Build a Smart City One WiFi Bus at a Time
What if municipal WiFi wasn’t provided by the Googles of the world, but by the city transit authority? Using technology from startup Veniam, city-wide WiFi could come from a fleet of moving vehicles. Mountain View, CA-based Veniam on Monday is announcing a $4.9 million Series A round to fund its expansion in the U.S. The … Continue reading “Veniam Wants to Build a Smart City One WiFi Bus at a Time”
Big Data’s Cousin—Artificial Intelligence—Is Growing Up
In a not-so-quiet way, the tech industry is placing new bets on artificial intelligence, reviving a long-sought technology by using massive data sets and powerful computers. San Francisco-based Sentient Technologies on Monday said it raised a $103.5 million Series C round, bringing its total financing to $143 million. The funding came from Access Industries and … Continue reading “Big Data’s Cousin—Artificial Intelligence—Is Growing Up”
Symbiota Maps Plant Microbiome to Boost Crop Yields
The role of the trillions of microbes in the human body is poorly understood—and that’s even more so in plants. A growing number of companies are trying to harness the power of microscopic bugs that live in and around plants to reinvent how agriculture is done. Last week, I visited a greenhouse where scientists are … Continue reading “Symbiota Maps Plant Microbiome to Boost Crop Yields”
Vecna CTO Builds Solar-Powered Volkswagen Bus—And it Actually Works
Trying to run an electric car from solar cells on the car’s roof makes no sense—or so I thought. Earlier this week, I met with Daniel Theobald, the CTO of healthcare company Vecna, who has been driving a solar-powered Volkswagen bus for a year. His project won’t transform the auto industry overnight. But by taking … Continue reading “Vecna CTO Builds Solar-Powered Volkswagen Bus—And it Actually Works”
Biofuel Survivor Joule Lands New CEO, Plans Larger CO2-to-Fuel Plants
The list of advanced biofuel companies that failed to live up to their ambitions is long and discouraging. Joule Unlimited, though, appears to be making progress despite the headwinds of skeptical investors and, more recently, falling oil prices. The Bedford, MA-based company last week said that Serge Tchuruk joined as CEO. He was the chairman … Continue reading “Biofuel Survivor Joule Lands New CEO, Plans Larger CO2-to-Fuel Plants”
Using Big Data, Smart Grid Startups Itemize Utility Bills
Many smart-grid entrepreneurs have recognized that utilities could make better use of the reams of smart-meter data they produce every day. At the same time, entrepreneurs have learned that selling to utilities can be slow and frustrating. But after a number of stalled efforts, it seems that a growing cadre of companies can claim success … Continue reading “Using Big Data, Smart Grid Startups Itemize Utility Bills”
Inside QD Vision’s Quantum Dot Factory For Making Vivid TV Colors
In an unassuming two-story building in a bland office park in suburban Boston, an MIT spinout is producing material to make beautiful TV images. On Tuesday, QD Vision received the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award from EPA officials for the company’s environmentally benign process of making a type of crystal semiconductor called quantum dots. Its … Continue reading “Inside QD Vision’s Quantum Dot Factory For Making Vivid TV Colors”
Rosie the Maid 2.0: Savioke Builds a Hotel Delivery Robot
Robots have long been cast as human helpers in movies and the public imagination. Now delivery robots are becoming a reality—so long as the robots stay indoors. The Aloft Hotel in Palo Alto, CA, is now employing a robot from Silicon Valley startup Savioke to deliver small items from the front desk to rooms. By … Continue reading “Rosie the Maid 2.0: Savioke Builds a Hotel Delivery Robot”
Ballmer Pumps Life into Boston Tech Ecosystem with Harvard Grant
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, only months after becoming an NBA owner, is further flexing his philanthropic muscles. On Thursday, he said he will bankroll a 50 percent increase in computer science faculty at Harvard University. Ballmer, who graduated from Harvard in 1977, is announcing the initiative today at Harvard’s Innovation Lab (iLab), a three-year … Continue reading “Ballmer Pumps Life into Boston Tech Ecosystem with Harvard Grant”
Brain Corporation Builds BrainOS to Train and Democratize Robots
If you took apart a smartphone, you’d have many of the components needed to build a consumer robot: a low-power processor, software to run it, and an array of sensors. Qualcomm-backed Brain Corporation has turned the electronic guts of a phone into a foundation for making consumer robots, adding brain-inspired software to quickly program them. The … Continue reading “Brain Corporation Builds BrainOS to Train and Democratize Robots”
NV Bots Bets on Schools for Sales of Cloud-Connected 3D Printer
AJ Perez is a young startup executive who thinks about the long term. As the CEO of New Valence Robotics (NVBots), he’s targeting the company’s 3D printers at schools—not known as big spenders on emerging technology—with an eye towards the next generation of designers. It’s an unconventional approach, but it could help the year-old company … Continue reading “NV Bots Bets on Schools for Sales of Cloud-Connected 3D Printer”
How States Can Build a Cleantech Funding Pipeline
Research universities across the country regularly turn out science and technology that could be kernels for jobs-creating businesses. But many of those ideas have trouble finding bankers or venture investors willing to finance the slow, expensive development of a new company based on science. Massachusetts has developed one response to the problem of funding hard … Continue reading “How States Can Build a Cleantech Funding Pipeline”
How to Replace a Nuke Plant? One Utility Leans on Energy Storage
Energy storage technology from a few California startups will help fill a gap left by the closing of the San Onofre nuclear power plant in southern California. It’s a sign of the dramatic changes happening in some pockets of the U.S. electric grid. Southern California Edison today detailed how it intends to generate enough power … Continue reading “How to Replace a Nuke Plant? One Utility Leans on Energy Storage”
Urban Agriculture Takes Root on a Roof in Boston
Can cities grow their own food? That’s the premise behind urban agriculture, a movement to convert urban spaces into growing spaces. An experiment in urban agriculture is taking place at the Boston Design Center, a huge building in a formerly industrial space in South Boston. I visited Higher Ground farms and talked with one of … Continue reading “Urban Agriculture Takes Root on a Roof in Boston”
Butterfly Network Seeks to Slash Price of 3-D Medical Imaging
Entrepreneur Jonathan Rothberg, who led sequencing startups 545 Life Sciences and Ion Torrent before they were acquired, has a new venture that also applies the power of Moore’s Law to medicine. The Rothberg-founded Butterfly Network on Monday said it has raised $80 million from investors that include several family offices and Stanford University. It’s the … Continue reading “Butterfly Network Seeks to Slash Price of 3-D Medical Imaging”
The Future of Cleantech Is Here—It’s Just Not Evenly Distributed
[Updated on Nov. 4] Entrepreneurs and investors in the U.S. are facing dueling narratives about cleantech: either it’s a failed experiment, or it’s central to our future economy. Which one is closer to the truth really depends on where you operate. Venture capitalists—and their fund investors–have figured out that expensive, multi-year investments in solar, biofuels, and … Continue reading “The Future of Cleantech Is Here—It’s Just Not Evenly Distributed”
Taking the Copenhagen Wheel for a Spin in Cambridge
I’ve long been a bicycle commuter. And with the rise of urban bike-share programs, many more people are finding the benefits of biking, both for individuals and cities. More bikes on the road means less car congestion and less pollution, and it’s a good way to get exercise. But what if biking to work or … Continue reading “Taking the Copenhagen Wheel for a Spin in Cambridge”
Digital Lumens Bags Growth Capital Buoyed by Internet of Things Buzz
Digital Lumens is showing that an unlikely industry—industrial lighting—can be a high-tech business with room for growth. The Boston-based company today announced that it’s raised $23 million in a Series C round to fuel its growth geographically and into new product areas. The round brought in three new investors: Nokia’s venture arm Nokia Growth Partners, … Continue reading “Digital Lumens Bags Growth Capital Buoyed by Internet of Things Buzz”
Tech Heritage in Ireland Spawns Internet of Things Activity
The tech industry first took root in Ireland in the 1980s, a time when the word “computer” typically meant a refrigerator-size office machine or a boxy home PC. Now Irish companies are building tools and services for a new era, in which computing is spread throughout the physical world. They’re betting that the emerging Internet … Continue reading “Tech Heritage in Ireland Spawns Internet of Things Activity”
Another Mega Battery Factory in U.S., This One For the Grid
A stealth Swiss startup called Alevo plans to make the equivalent of Tesla Motors’ “gigafactory” in North Carolina. The main difference: its batteries will be as big as shipping containers and connect to power plants, rather than electric cars. These new batteries, designed to store energy for use in the power grid, would be built … Continue reading “Another Mega Battery Factory in U.S., This One For the Grid”
Grid-Scale Energy Storage: Is the Price Finally Right?
The high cost of batteries has made them impractical for storing energy from wind and solar or providing back-up power on the electricity grid. Now, though, several battery startups are claiming price reductions that make energy storage on the grid look more feasible. Fremont, CA-based Imergy Power Systems today said it’s developed a shipping container-size … Continue reading “Grid-Scale Energy Storage: Is the Price Finally Right?”
Why Cleantech Investing Has Morphed Into Energy and Sustainability
Advocates of cleantech investing often make the case that there are enormous opportunities to make the world cleaner and more sustainable. But what if labeling yourself a cleantech investor or entrepreneur is actually limiting? That’s the question I walked away with after a panel of venture investors at the Energy Symposium at the Harvard Business … Continue reading “Why Cleantech Investing Has Morphed Into Energy and Sustainability”
In Wake of Dot-com Bust, Blueport Commerce Makes Furniture.com Work
[Updated at 3:10 with a correction to revenue numbers provided.] Carl Prindle’s mission during the dot-com boom was to disrupt furniture companies. Now, he’s trying to help them sell their goods online. As the CEO of Boston-based Blueport Commerce, Prindle has launched an e-commerce software company and revived the Furniture.com website by melding e-commerce with brick-and-mortar … Continue reading “In Wake of Dot-com Bust, Blueport Commerce Makes Furniture.com Work”
Robots That Are Ready to Work, in Pictures
Even roboticists still debate exactly what a robot is. Is it a computer that moves, or a machine that can operate autonomously in reaction to its environment? What can be said for sure is that robotics is a set of technologies, often used for automation, and that humanoid robots are just one of many forms … Continue reading “Robots That Are Ready to Work, in Pictures”
RoboBusiness: Workhorse Robots, Starter Kits, and Internet of Bots
Roboticists who attend business conferences don’t always have kind words for humanoid robots. It’s not that walking, talking androids aren’t cool, particularly if one could take the trash out for you. But entrepreneurs and investors in robotics are looking for something far more practical—and profitable—in the near term. Commercial viability and pragmatism was one of the … Continue reading “RoboBusiness: Workhorse Robots, Starter Kits, and Internet of Bots”
Coalition Aims to Fortify MA Robotics Cluster, Turn Town into Test Bed
Massachusetts wants your robots. Local companies and universities are organizing an “innovation hub” that includes a startup incubator, educational programs, and potentially a whole town to test self-driving cars and drone package delivery in real-world conditions. Central to the effort is MassRobotics, a non-profit designed to grow the robotics industry by fostering collaboration between academia, … Continue reading “Coalition Aims to Fortify MA Robotics Cluster, Turn Town into Test Bed”
Is Clean Energy the Sleeper Tech Industry in Boston?
When I step out of the Kendall Square subway stop in Cambridge, MA, on my way to work, it’s hard not to be reminded what a hub for innovation it is. During a short walk, I pass dozens of tech and life sciences companies packed into what’s become the midtown Manhattan of Cambridge. Having covered … Continue reading “Is Clean Energy the Sleeper Tech Industry in Boston?”
Why It Requires Rocket Engineers to Make Your House Comfortable
There are dozens of startups building various pieces of the “smart home,” but Boston-based Ecovent is starting in unusual place: heating and cooling vents. The company today said it raised $2.2 million from angel investors to speed up production of sensors and vents that make homes more comfortable and energy efficient. The year-old company was … Continue reading “Why It Requires Rocket Engineers to Make Your House Comfortable”
GE to Startups: Write Apps for our Industrial Internet Platform
General Electric’s Silicon Valley lab may be making a key operating platform for the next generation of computing. Next year, the industrial giant today said it plans to allow third-party software developers to write applications for Predix, its software for collecting and analyzing data from industrial equipment. GE has already made $1 billion on what … Continue reading “GE to Startups: Write Apps for our Industrial Internet Platform”
After Going Dark, GMZ Energy Plots a Comeback on Waste Heat
GMZ Energy made a bet on solar energy and lost. Now, its fortunes lie in convincing industrial companies to put its power-producing devices into their products. The Waltham, MA-based company traces its roots back to the labs of MIT and Boston College where researchers developed ways to improve the performance of thermoelectrics—materials that produce electricity … Continue reading “After Going Dark, GMZ Energy Plots a Comeback on Waste Heat”
Food Tech Startup Pantry Labs Taps RFID for Smart Vending Machine
Anybody who has searched for dinner in a vending machine at work or in a hospital knows how unappealing the typical choices of candy bars and snack foods can be. Using hyped-then-forgotten RFID technology, Pantry Labs has developed a smart refrigerator that makes fresh food available to consumers who can’t get to a restaurant or … Continue reading “Food Tech Startup Pantry Labs Taps RFID for Smart Vending Machine”
Grove Labs Builds a High-Tech Indoor Gardening Box
If you’re into locally grown organic food and it’s January in Boston, your options are pretty limited. Startup Grove Labs wants to bring the farm to you, using technology to make indoor gardening more productive. The Somerville, MA-based company recently began testing prototypes of its “groves,” or indoor growing boxes, and is currently working on … Continue reading “Grove Labs Builds a High-Tech Indoor Gardening Box”
Why This Tesla Motors Co-founder Loves Electric Garbage Trucks
Ian Wright designed what may be one of the coolest street-legal cars of all time: the electric X1 looked like a Formula 1 racecar and went from zero to 60 in a breathtaking 2.9 seconds. Now, though, all Wright wants to talk about is trucks, especially the workaday delivery trucks and garbage trucks that ply city … Continue reading “Why This Tesla Motors Co-founder Loves Electric Garbage Trucks”
“Downstream Solar” Heats up, Consolidates with Pure Energies Buy
Power company NRG Energy acquired startup Pure Energies today to accelerate its push into residential solar, a sign of how software is becoming increasingly important to the solar industry. Princeton, NJ-based NRG Energy today announced it bought Toronto-based Pure Energies for an undisclosed price to get access to its Web-based system for determining whether a … Continue reading ““Downstream Solar” Heats up, Consolidates with Pure Energies Buy”
Sourcewater Builds an eBay for Recycling Fracking Water
Entrepreneur Josh Adler was attending a lecture on fracking at MIT’s Sloan School of Management when the magnitude of the domestic oil and gas boom hit him. Like many Americans, he had no idea that fracking had exploded—there’s on the order of 20 times more drilling with fracking—in just the last six years. “I just … Continue reading “Sourcewater Builds an eBay for Recycling Fracking Water”
Software, More than New Batteries, Unlocks Energy Storage on Grid
It’s tempting to believe a battery breakthrough is just around the corner, enabling electric cars that drive hundreds of miles on a charge and `round-the-clock solar power. But some of the most tangible advances in energy storage on the grid are coming from digital technologies, rather than material science. Greensmith, an Emeryville, CA-based company that … Continue reading “Software, More than New Batteries, Unlocks Energy Storage on Grid”
Baidu’s Push into AI Hints at Why Google Loves Robots
One of the big mysteries in the tech industry is why Google has acquired eight robot companies. The activity of Baidu—Google’s main rival in China—in artificial intelligence suggests that tech companies’ interest in robotics could be motivated as much by software as hardware. Baidu believes that in five years, half of all Internet searches will … Continue reading “Baidu’s Push into AI Hints at Why Google Loves Robots”
Peter Thiel to Harvard MBAs: Value Mission Over Money
Investor Peter Thiel took his book promotion tour to Harvard Business School last week, predicting the university will be safe from online college degrees and advising entrepreneurs to drive toward a goal besides making money. In an on-stage interview, Thiel recapped some of the arguments in his book Zero to One: the most successful businesses … Continue reading “Peter Thiel to Harvard MBAs: Value Mission Over Money”
How the Google X Moonshot Idea Factory Works
It’s not often that a company actively seeks out new problems. But that’s exactly the purpose of Google X, the secretive lab that’s hatched Google Glass, package-delivering drones, and high-altitude balloons that beam Internet service to people not yet online. Astro Teller, the captain of moonshots at Google X, says the company created the research … Continue reading “How the Google X Moonshot Idea Factory Works”
Cleantech Incubator Greentown Labs Makes Friends With Big Companies
If there’s one thing that many cleantech startups have come to realize, it’s the importance of having access to companies with deep pockets. In energy and water, big corporations, or “strategic partners,” can provide the funding and expertise that’s often needed to push a startup’s prototype closer to production—and sales. The cleantech incubator Greentown Labs … Continue reading “Cleantech Incubator Greentown Labs Makes Friends With Big Companies”
CyPhy Works Lands Military Deal For “Pocket Drone”
CyPhy Works has been awarded a contract with the Air Force to build a small drone for search-and-rescue operations, its second military contract. The Danvers, MA-based company said today that it will design and test the Extreme Access Pocket Flyer, a drone that’s about 7 inches by 7 inches wide and few inches thick. That … Continue reading “CyPhy Works Lands Military Deal For “Pocket Drone””