The Sorcerers and Their Apprentices: How the Digital Magicians

The Sorcerers and Their Apprentices: How the Digital Magicians of the MIT Media Lab Are Creating the Innovative Technologies That Will Transform Our Lives

If you've ever read a book on an e-reader, unleashed your inner rock star playing Guitar Hero, built a robot with LEGO Mindstorms, or ridden in a vehicle with child-safe air bags, then you've experienced first hand just a few of the astounding innovations that have come out of the Media Lab over the past 25 years. But thatâ€™s old hat for todayâ€™s researchers, who are creating technologies that will have a much deeper impact on the quality of peopleâ€™s lives over the next quarter century.Â
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In this exhilarating tour of the Media Lab's inner sanctums, we'll meet the professors and their students - the Sorcerers and their Apprentices - and witness first hand the creative magic behind inventions such as:
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* Nexi, a mobile humanoid robot with such sophisticated social skills she can serve as a helpful and understanding companion for the sick and elderly.
* CityCar, a foldable, stackable, electric vehicle of the future that will redefine personal transportation in cities and revolutionize urban life.
* Sixth Sense, a compact wearable device that transforms any surface â€“ wall, tabletop or even your hand - into a touch screen computer.
* PowerFoot, a lifelike robotic prosthesis that enables amputees to walk as naturally as if it were a real biological limb.
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Through inspiring stories of people who are using Media Lab innovations to confront personal challenges - like a man with cerebral palsy who is unable to hum a tune or pick up an instrument yet is using an ingenious music composition system to unleash his â€œinner Mozartâ€, and a woman with a rare life-threatening condition who co-invented a revolutionary web service that enables patients to participate in the search for their own cures - weâ€™ll see how the Media Lab is empowering us all with the tools to take control of our health, wealth, and happiness.Â
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Along the way, Moss reveals the highly unorthodox approach to creativity and invention that makes all this possible, explaining how the Media Lab cultivates an open and boundary-less environment where researchers from a broad array of disciplines â€“ from musicians to neuroscientists to visual artists to computer engineers - have the freedom to follow their passions and take bold risks unthinkable elsewhere.
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The Sorcerers and Their Apprentices can serve as a blueprint for how to fix our broken innovation ecosystem and bring about the kind of radical change required to meet the challenges of the 21st century.Â It is a must-read for anyone striving to be more innovative as an individual, as a businessperson, or as a member of society.Â

Also includesÂ 16 pages of color photos highlighting some of the lab's most visually stunning inventions - and the people who make them possible.
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Country USA
Brand Crown Business
Manufacturer Crown Business
Binding Hardcover
ReleaseDate 2011-06-07
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780307589101

Country	USA
Brand	Crown Business
Manufacturer	Crown Business
Binding	Hardcover
ReleaseDate	2011-06-07
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780307589101

The Sorcerers and Their Apprentices: How the Digital Magicians of the MIT Media Lab Are Creating the Innovative Technologies That Will Transform Our Lives

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