Cookie Control

This site uses cookies to store information on your computer.

Some cookies on this site are essential, and the site won't work as expected without them. These cookies are set when you submit a form, login or interact with the site by doing something that goes beyond clicking on simple links.

We also use some non-essential cookies to anonymously track visitors or enhance your experience of the site. If you're not happy with this, we won't set these cookies but some nice features of the site may be unavailable.

By using our site you accept the terms of our Privacy Policy.

(One cookie will be set to store your preference)
(Ticking this sets a cookie to hide this popup if you then hit close. This will not store any personal information)

MIT Researchers Send Robots Into Sewers To Monitor City Dwellers’ Waste

"Beneath the streets of Boston, two robots named Mario and Luigi inspect the flow of human waste, collecting data on city residents.

The robots are part of the new MIT Underworlds project, which mines urban sewage for information about human health and behavior—a previously untapped resource that could shape the future of epidemiology, say researchers.

Launched by the Senseable City Lab last July, Underworlds could help scientists predict outbreaks, understand causes of chronic diseases and, in mapping the health of different socio-economic brackets in cities, contribute to solution-development and policy-making."

Livia Albeck-Ripka reports for Quartz July 30, 2016.

Source: Quartz, 08/01/2016