Luna Wash
It doesn’t matter if you live in a sprawling mansion or a tiny apartment, one thing is for sure, you know laundry day will be a long and laborious task. But a new concept washing machine, developed for this year’s Electrolux Design Challenge, aims to change that. This is the Luna Wash, the in-hamper washing machine.
Continue reading… “Luna Wash cleans dirty clothes right in the hamper”
The newly-developed self-healing plastic can take rather extensive damage and heal it through a process of regeneration.
There are several self-healing substances in the world, ranging from the LG G Flex’s scratch-healing casing to Stanford’s synthetic self-healing skin. A plastic developed by the University of Illinois is one of the latest plastics developed that regenerates when damaged.
Continue reading… “Self-healing plastic grows back after damage”
High Concentration Photo Voltaic Thermal (HCPVT)
IBM, the American multinational technology and consulting corporation are renowned the world over for being technology leaders and innovators with an aim to ‘shape the future of society and make the world work better and build a smarter planet.’ Their latest creation is being considered as one of their best projects yet.
Continue reading… “IBM creates a solar magnifying glass that could power the Earth”
A nanophotonic solar thermophotovoltaic device.
Traditional photovoltaic solar cells have an inherent limit on the efficiency at which they can convert sunlight into energy. This limit—based on the bandgap of the material used and known as the Shockley-Queisser limit—is about 33.7 percent for standard solar cells. It is essentially due to any material’s inability to respond to all wavelengths of sunlight; so what if there was a way to change the wavelengths that actually reach the cell to those it converts best? MIT researchers have unveiled the best-yet version of that idea, known as solar thermophotovoltaics.
Researchers have created a glass fabric-based thermoelectric generator wearable technology.
A team of South Korean researchers have developed technology that could one day power your smartphone using just body heat.
Continue reading… “Wearable technology that could one day power your smartphone using body heat”
The Mi.Mu Glove
Imogen Heap’s state-of-the-art wearable tech lets you control sounds with your hands. The Mi.Mu Glove for Music will change the way we make music. (Videos)
FingerReader
Louis Braille, in 1829, developed a tactile system that would allow those with vision impairment to read books. Braille uses a series of raised dots and the finger trails over a line of braille text and the reader interprets it, much like we do with standard letters of the alphabet that form words. Braille, however, does require some training to understand, and even now, most books, magazines, and newspapers are unavailable in braille format. MIT researchers have changed that problem with a new piece of wearable technology that reads books out loud to those with vision problems. (Video)
Continue reading… “FingerReader enables visually impaired to read any printed or digital book”
Osteoid cast
Old-fashioned casts for broken bones can smell and cause itching. But 3D printed casts can take care of those issues. Deniz Karasahin has designed the next step: a custom cast with an ultrasound device to speed up bone healing.
Continue reading… “3D printed Osteoid cast with built-in ultrasound helps bones heal faster”
Mark Cuban invests in PowerPot.
The PowerPot is an awesome device that charges your phone by boiling water in a pot. The device has just become the next hot thing, thanks to its appearance on ABC’s hit reality show, “Shark Tank.” (Video)
Pocket Printer
Most pocket-sized printers are really just smaller versions of what you’d see on your desk. But, Zuta Labs’ upcoming Pocket Printer robot may liven things up a little. Instead of using an old-fashioned paper feed, it runs over the page laying grayscale ink. This Roomba-like approach isn’t just a party trick, though. Besides leading to a very portable design, it lets you print on any size page you like — if you need to get a legal form while you’re at the coffee shop, you can. (Video)
Continue reading… “Mini mobile robotic printer roams around the page laying down ink”
Dolphins are believed to be one of the most intelligent animal species on the planet.
Scientists have developed a working translator that can take dolphin sounds and turn them into spoken English. The translator called CHAT (Cetacean Hearing and Telemeintry), takes the whistling sounds that dolphins make to communicate, and matches them to a known database of meanings.
Continue reading… “CHAT – a translator that turns dolphin sounds into English”
Yan Qu and Clement Cid spend a lot more time thinking about poop than your average academics. The pair, both at Caltech, are part of a team working on what could be the future of bathrooms: a self-cleaning, solar-powered toilet that turns human waste into hydrogen and fertilizer.
Continue reading… “This Gates-funded toilet will change how we think about poop”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.