Kevin Fu named Technology Review's 2009 Innovator of the Year

Kevin Fu, assistant professor of Computer Science, has been recognized by Technology Review magazine as the 2009 Innovator of the Year for his cutting-edge research to improve computer security and privacy for such applications as implantable medical devices and contactless credit cards without compromising safety or effectiveness.

Fu, a member of the faculty since 2005, also is named to the magazine’s prestigious TR35, an elite group of accomplished young innovators who exemplify the spirit of innovation. Selected from more than 300 nominees by a panel of expert judges and the Technology Review editorial staff, their work in medicine, computing, communications, nanotechnology and other fields is changing our world. Fu is the first researcher from the University system to be honored by the technology magazine, which calls itself the authority on the future of technology.

In 2008, Fu’s research team showed that implantable heart defibrillators and similar devices are vulnerable to hacking, which led the encryption expert to begin designing and testing, both in laboratory and clinical settings, zero-power technology and low-power cryptographic protocols for implantable medical devices such as heart defibrillators and pacemakers. Zero-power means the tiny chips will run without draining the device’s batteries, making devices more effective and secure.

Modern implantable medical devices rely on radio communication for diagnostic and therapeutic functions, allowing healthcare providers to remotely care for patients. However, using radio communication and the Internet in a medical setting comes with more significant security and privacy risk than desktop computing, for example. Further, it’s more difficult to protect the privacy of sensitive information on implantable medical devices than it is for electronic health records or pharmacy databases, Fu says.

This work comes at a critical time because emerging medical devices will share sensitive data beyond the trusted borders of a clinic or physician’s office. Fu says that preventing unauthorized re-programming has proven difficult to guarantee. Observers point out, however, that because Fu had the foresight to stress security from the outset, during design, to safeguard cyber trust, patient data and privacy are on track to being secure. As Fu explained last year, “With medical devices, we don’t have the luxury to fix security after the fact. This is where our research comes in.”

Jason Pontin, editor in chief and publisher of Technology Review, said, “The TR35 honors young innovators for accomplishments that are poised to have a dramatic impact on the world as we know it. We celebrate their success and look forward to their continued advancement of technology in their respective fields.”

Fu and the other TR35 winners for 2009 will be featured in the September/October issue of Technology Review magazine and will also be honored at the EMTech@MIT 2009 Conference in Cambridge from Sept. 22-24.

Andrew Barto, chair of the Computer Science Department, says of Fu’s accomplishment, “We are absolutely delighted that Kevin is being honored so visibly for this innovative research. Kevin’s focus on the security and privacy issues being raised by pervasive computing not only illustrates his talent for anticipating technological trends, it also demonstrates his concern for the impact of this technology on our everyday lives. He is a wonderful model of the socially engaged computer scientist.”

According to the magazine, previous Innovators of the Year include: JB Straubel, CTO of Tesla Motors; David Berry, principle, Flagship Ventures; Joshua Schachter, founder, del.icio.us; Scott Heiferman, co-founder, meetup.com; and Max Levchin, co-founder, PayPal and Slide.

Technology Review, Inc. is an independent media company owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Technology Review’s media properties include Technology Review magazine, the oldest technology magazine in the world (founded in 1899), the daily news website TechnologyReview.com and events such as the annual EmTech@MIT Conference.

August 20, 2009.

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