The strength of bricks and concrete with half the carbon footprint
Sand is the hidden ingredient of design. It’s used to make glass and computer chips, and to bulk and strengthen the concrete used in many of the buildings around us. Though it seems like an abundant resource, sand miners are depleting the gritty, building-grade sand faster than it can be replenished, which has led to a shortage that puts both the environment and industry at risk.
One of the less obvious products being unveiled this week at SXSW is a small concrete house. On the outside, it doesn’t look like anything particularly special, although the covered patio and spacious windows are less common on tiny poured-concrete buildings.
That’s because the innovation isn’t in the structure or materials — it’s in the design and building. ICON, the company that builds the 650-square-foot house, claims it costs just $10,000 to build, and can be 3-D printed by a Vulcan printer in 12 to 24 hours using the most common building material on Earth.
Peter Diamandis is the founder and executive chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, which designs and operates large-scale incentive competitions to, in essence, change the world.
In the words of its own criteria, an Xprize must be bold, audacious, and achievable. It must target market failure, drive investment, and give birth to a new industry. And, of course, it must give other innovators hope.
A 29-minute trip from D.C. to New York may seem too good to be true. And it very well may be. But that isn’t stopping Elon Musk from pushing forward with plans to build a Hyperloop along the eastern corridor.
Continue reading… “Elon Musk’s Boring Company gets preliminary permit for NYC-DC Hyperloop”
Cheers to life – seriously.
When it comes to making it into your 90s, booze actually beats exercise, according to a long-term study led by University of California neurologist Claudia Kawas.
Continue reading… “Study: For those over 90, alcohol better than exercise for longevity”
The development of organic circuits that can be transferred onto food and pills paves the way for a new era of biomonitoring.
Continue reading… “Edible electronics tattooed on your food could help track your health”
Revolve was invented and designed by Andrea Mocellin with the aim to be the first modular wheel, which in turn will open new frontiers for the present and future of foldable vehicles.
Continue reading… “Revolve: The wheel in foldable form”
When Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press, he changed the course of history. You could say the same about Thomas Edison’s light bulb, Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine, and Grace Hopper’s compiler. What will be the next great invention to transform history? Here are a few innovations that I think are worth watching.
Continue reading… “Bill Gates thinks these six innovations could change the world”
Unique and powerful methods designed for investors, advisors, planners, and strategists.
To be an influential and effective leader, strategist, or investor, you first have to think like a futurist. The forces of technology-driven- change are sweeping across every industry, disrupting cities, businesses, products, and professions. Advisors, investors, planners, and strategists can no longer make decisions by projecting current trends forward.
Continue reading… “Strategic Futurism: Get ahead of the future”
Virtual reality allows scientists to walk inside cancer cells. Imagine being able to walk around inside a virtual replica of your own cells.
The Army is testing an exoskeleton technology which uses AI to analyze and replicate individual walk patterns, provide additional torque, power and mobility for combat infantry and enable heavier load-carrying, industry officials said.
Continue reading… “Army tests new super-soldier exoskeleton”
Its government is virtual, borderless, blockchained, and secure. Has this tiny post-Soviet nation found the way of the future?
Continue reading… “Estonia, the digital republic”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.