Ideas – Page 3 – Impact Lab

Big Problems, Engineering, Ideas, Inventions, Nanotechnology

How long before we have self-healing smartphone screens?

April 30, 2017

“When I was young, my idol was Wolverine from the X-Men…He could save the world, but only because he could heal himself,” researcher Chao Wang recently said in a press release from the American Chemical Society (ACS). Wang began working on a self-healing material that could stitch itself back together after damage, and came up with a game-changing polymer.

The key to the the material’s crucial new powers? Chemical bonds. Check out this video.

Continue reading… “How long before we have self-healing smartphone screens?”

Airbus, Alternative Transportation, Automobiles, Aviation, Electric Automobile, Electric Vehicles, Future, Ideas

Airbus’ Pop.Up concept may be the best “flying car” proposal to date

March 20, 2017

One of the biggest obstacles keeping flying cars grounded isn’t necessarily figuring out how to make a vehicle capable of flight (hello, helicopters) but rather, designing something that can both fly and drive on the streets.

The flexibility of being able to do both is incredibly appealing but physical limitations on both sides of the spectrum impact the ability to efficiently accomplish the other task.

That’s where Airbus’ latest concept changes things up.

Continue reading… “Airbus’ Pop.Up concept may be the best “flying car” proposal to date”

Big Problems, brain hacking, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Future, Hot Issues, Human Behavior, Ideas, Latest News, Legal Issues, Memory, New Viewpoints, Science & Technology News

Technology is now forcing us to confront the ethics of bringing people back from the dead

February 22, 2017

Imagine you have a close friend you frequently communicate with via text. One day, they suddenly die. You reel, you cry, you attend their funeral. Then you decide to pick up your phone and send them a message, just like old times. “I miss you,” you type. A little response bubble appears at the bottom of the screen. “I miss you too,” comes the reply. You keep texting back and forth. It’s just like they never left.

Continue reading… “Technology is now forcing us to confront the ethics of bringing people back from the dead”

Analysis, Children, Corporate Manipulation, Culture, Current Events, Dating, Economy, Employment, Future, Hot Issues, Ideas, Latest News, Latest Trend, Parenting, Science & Technology News, women

How Japan can solve its huge sex problem

February 21, 2017

It’s the kind of stat you might casually tell a friend at a bar: For the last six years, Japan has sold more adult diapers than baby diapers. But Japan’s fertility problems are far more grave than toilet-related trivia. Over the last decade, Japan has seen its elderly population swell, new family-planning stall, and its economy shrink because of persistently low spending. Economists are now calling the situation a “demographic time bomb,” and some Japanese researchers have even created a doomsday clock that ticks off the seconds until Japan’s population extinction.

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Breakthrough Thinking, Children, Current Events, Education, Future, Hot Issues, Ideas, Latest News, Latest Trend, Life Skills, New Viewpoints, Parenting, Science & Technology News

Americans reject the ‘homeschool myth’ — experts say it might be better than public or charter schools

February 7, 2017

During Betsy DeVos’ recent three-hour confirmation hearing to become President Donald Trump’s education secretary, charter schools came up no fewer than 60 times. Homeschooling was mentioned once. Charter schools have become a significant part of the US public-education system and now educate 2.5 million kids. But homeschooling has quietly experienced a surge in recent years too. Brian Ray, a homeschooling researcher at the National Home Education Research Institute, estimates the number of kids taught at home is growing by as much as 8% a year since the total hovered around 2 million in 2010, according to US Census figures.

Continue reading… “Americans reject the ‘homeschool myth’ — experts say it might be better than public or charter schools”

App, Breakthrough Thinking, Current Events, Education, Future, Globalism, Healthcare, Home Technology, Hot Issues, Human Behavior, Ideas, Internet, Latest News, Latest Trend, mobile apps, mobile technology, New Viewpoints, People Making a Difference, privacy, Science & Technology News

Volunteering from home will soon be as common as working from home

January 27, 2017

We’re all familiar with the concept of working from home—and in 2017 volunteering from home will become just as ubiquitous. A busy life, working two jobs, unsociable working hours, and living in a remote location can all make it difficult for people to give time or money to good causes in their community. But technology now makes it possible to give your time and energy from the comfort of your own sofa, whether it’s to answer advice lines or support peers one-on-one.

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Animals, Crazy Stuff, Future, Ideas, Latest News, Latest Trend, Robotics, Robots, Science & Technology News, Sealife

Robots are transforming how we see wildlife

January 24, 2017

Wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas had long wanted to add up-close-and-personal images of iconic African animals to his portfolio. But to get those intimate shot of lions and leopards, he would need to crawl up right next to their sharp-toothed faces. So Burrard-Lucas devised a far less deadly alternative.

Continue reading… “Robots are transforming how we see wildlife”

Analysis, Big Problems, Business, Current Events, Economy, Future, Hot Issues, Housing, Ideas, Latest News, Science & Technology News

The patent bubble is ready to pop

January 18, 2017

I’m certainly not going to win any popularity contests for writing this article. The last thing anybody wants to talk about after a presidential election is a patent bubble. After all, most of us took a nice stock market beat down during the recent housing bubble and mortgage crisis.

Continue reading… “The patent bubble is ready to pop”

AI, Analysis, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Big Problems, Biotech, cutting edge, Energy, Engineering, Environment, Future, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Home Technology, IBM, Ideas, Latest News, Latest Trend, Machine Learning, Medicine, Nanotechnology, Science & Technology News

IBM releases the annual five innovations that will change our lives within five years

January 11, 2017

Imagine that you could have superhero vision, seeing in not only what we know as the visible spectrum, but using wavelengths that allow you to see through fog, and detect black ice. Or imagine a Star Trek-like medical tricorder that could take a tiny bit of body fluid and determine what was ailing you.

Continue reading… “IBM releases the annual five innovations that will change our lives within five years”

Big Problems, Breakthrough Thinking, Children, Future, Hot Issues, Human Behavior, Ideas, Latest News, Latest Trend, Life Skills, Parenting, People Making a Difference, Science & Technology News

The collapse of parenting and why parents need to grow up

January 6, 2017

For modern families, the adage “food is love” might well be more true put another way: food is power. Not long ago, Dr. Leonard Sax was at a restaurant and overheard a father say to his daughter, “Honey, could you please do me a favour? Could you please just try one bite of your green peas?” To many people, this would have sounded like decent or maybe even sophisticated parenting—gentle coaxing formed as a question to get the child to co-operate without threatening her autonomy or creating a scene.

Continue reading… “The collapse of parenting and why parents need to grow up”

Big Problems, Business, Culture, Employment, Future, Human Behavior, Ideas, Latest News, Latest Trend, People Making a Difference, Science & Technology News

Five questions to help you become a better manager

January 5, 2017

Shay Howe and Darby Frey believe the path to better management starts with a question. Howe, former VP of product at Belly, and Frey, former head of engineering at Belly (both recently left Belly for new, undisclosed jobs starting in 2017) just launched Lead Honestly, a weekly email product that sends managers five questions, and one management tip, per week. The service is aimed at creating better communication and trust between managers and employees, particularly as employees transition into leadership roles, which require a new skillset that can be tough to learn on the job.

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Breakthrough Thinking, Children, cutting edge, DaVinci Institute, Education, Future, Futurist, Ideas, Latest News, Latest Trend, People Making a Difference, Science & Technology News

Top futurist predicts largest internet company of 2030 to be an online school

January 4, 2017

Thirty years ago, it was a big deal when schools got their first computers. Today, it’s a big deal when students get their own laptops. According to futurist Thomas Frey, in 14 years it’ll be a big deal when students learn from robot teachers over the internet.

NOTE: To learn more about Futurist Thomas Frey, visit FuturistSpeaker.com.

Continue reading… “Top futurist predicts largest internet company of 2030 to be an online school”