Ira is a researcher, educator, and practitioner who specializes in end-to-end design, development, and implementation of interactive simulations for solving complex problems in industry, academia, and public agencies. Ira's range of expertise includes Computer Science, Mathematical Modeling, City Planning, and Architectural Design. He is currently a Researcher with dual appointments at the MIT Engineering Systems Laboratory (ESL) and the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Frontier Sciences (GSFS). He holds a Master of City Planning (MIT, 2013) and Bachelor of Science and Design (MIT, 2010).

Last Mile Logistics - an implementation of the tactile matrix with mit center for transportation and logistics and walmart.

Last Mile Logistics - an implementation of the tactile matrix with mit center for transportation and logistics and walmart.

iSoftStone collaboration - Ira teaches a development team in china how to integrate intervention simulation tools for their "cityfusion" platform

iSoftStone collaboration - Ira teaches a development team in china how to integrate intervention simulation tools for their "cityfusion" platform

Hamburg Solutions Conference - Hacking the Tactile Matrix with Hafencity University Students. Photo by Benno Tobler Ziemer

Hamburg Solutions Conference - Hacking the Tactile Matrix with Hafencity University Students. Photo by Benno Tobler Ziemer

As a Technical Instructor at MIT, Ira has taught Computational Urban Science at the undergraduate and graduate levels. As a Research Scientist at MIT Media Lab, Ira invented the tangible interactive matrix (TIM), an integrated hardware and software platform that merges parametric, voxelized simulations with user-friendly tangible interfaces. His work is now a platform for interdisciplinary research, most notably the CityScope Project at the MIT Media Lab's City Science Group. Ira has spoken and exhibited at venues including Autodesk University, TEDx Boston, US Chamber of Commerce, APA Planning Conference, Singapore World Cities Summit, Big Data Analytics Tokyo, Edinburgh Culture Summit, Guiyang Big Data Expo, and The G7 Conference for ICT. He made an appearance in "A Lego Brickumentary," and his work has been featured on CBS, Financial Times Magazine, The Atlantic's CityLab, and a White House report to the President on "Technology and the Future of Cities."

 

Selected Work

MIT Researcher Nina Lutz Presents Tangible Interactive Matrix Prototype at FTC 2017

MIT Researcher Nina Lutz Presents Tangible Interactive Matrix Prototype at FTC 2017

Winder, Ira. Bits and Bricks: Tangible Interactive Matrix for Real-time Computation and 3D Projection Mapping. Future Technologies Conference, Nov 2017.

President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. "Technology and the Future of Cities Report to the President." p 73-75, Feb 2015.

Winder, Ira. "Lego Scanning Technology Invented by MIT." Video Media. Youtube, Oct 2015.

Winder, Ira. "System for Real-time Digital Reconstruction and 3D Projection-Mapping of Arbitrarily Many Tagged Physical Objects." US Provisional Patent, April 2015.

Winder, J.I., & Fabian, J. "City Planning Technology Invented by MIT - CityScope." Video Media. YouTube, January 2014.

Winder, J. Ira. "MIT Commuter Common: Measuring and Improving the Transportation Footprint of an Urban Institution." Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013.

Winder, J. Ira. "Complete Drawing Prototypes for Urban Complete Streets." Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010.

 

In the News

For more than 30 years, MIT has been recruiting people with crazy ideas to work in their Media Lab, where life-changing inventions are created. 60 Minutes got a peek at what they're working on now

For more than 30 years, MIT has been recruiting people with crazy ideas to work in their Media Lab, where life-changing inventions are created. 60 Minutes got a peek at what they're working on now

"Making Ideas into Reality at MIT's 'Future Factory.'" 60 Minutes, Apr 22, 2018.

Best Project Demonstration. Future Technologies Conference, Nov 2017.  Vancouver, CA.

Poon, Linda. "Using Legos as a Legitimate Urban Planning Tool." CityLab from The Atlantic, 16 Oct 2015.

Department of Urban Studies and Planning & MIT Media Lab. "New interactive platform for the design of bus rapid transit systems." MIT News, 7 Oct 2015.

"MIT Uses Big Data to Model Cities" [2015数博会：麻省理工运用大数据建造城市模型]. Ira Winder at Guiyang, China, 27 May 2015.

Wade, David (May 2014). "MIT Researchers Use Legos to Solve Real-Life Problems." Television Interview. WBZ-TV, CBS Boston.

Cookson, Clive (May 2013). "Inside the MIT Media Lab." Financial Times Magazine.

 

Speaking

Winder, Ira. “Interactive Simulation: Novel Interfaces for Collaborative Decision-Making.” Keynote at MIT World Real Estate Forum, 22 May 2018.

Winder, Ira. “Bits and Bricks: Tactile Matrix Interface for Collaborative Decision Making.” Speaker. Future Technology Conference, Vancouver, Canada, 28 Nov 2017.

Winder, Ira. “Urban95 Expert Assembly: From Ideas to Action for Young Kids.” Panelist. Bernard Van Leer Foundation. Amsterdam, Netherlands, 3-4 May 2017.

Winder, Ira. “AR Simulation Systems To Predict And Quantify The Impact Of Disruptive Interventions Within New And Existing Cities.” Speaker. Boston Properties University. Cambridge, MA, 14 Sep 2016.

Winder, Ira. “Tangible Matrix for Walkable Cities.” Exhibitor. World Cities Summit, Singapore, 8-9 July 2016.

Winder, Ira. “Encoding Discourse.” Panelist. G7 ICT Forum. Takamatsu, Japan, 21 Apr 2016.

Winder, Ira. “Changing Reality.” Invited Speaker at American Planning Association Conference. Phoenix, AZ, 4 April 2016.

Winder, Ira. “Towards High-Performing, Liveable, Entrepreneurial Cities.” Keynote. US Chamber of Commerce Foundation Board Member Meeting. Washington, DC, 5 Nov 2015.

Winder, Ira. "CityScope Urban Analytics Platform" Keynote. [运用大数据建造模型改善城市功能] Guiyang Big Data Expo via GYWB.cn, 27 May 2015.

Winder, Ira. "Innovation Forum: The Future of How Infrastructure is Made: Systems That Serve an Evolving Society." Speaker. Autodesk University. Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV, 3 Dec 2014.

Chin, Harper, Larson, Winder. "Updates from Our Future City." Speaker. TEDxBoston. Faneuil Hall, Boston, MA, 2 Oct 2014.