Amsterdam – Impact Lab

Alternative Transportation, Elon Musk, Hyperloop, Science & Technology News, Travel

Dutch study shows hyperloop may be substitute to short-haul flights

June 23, 2020

An artist’s impression of a proposal by Dutch company Hardt Hyperloop to build a hyperloop system linking Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to major European cities is seen in this handout image obtained by Reuters on June 10, 2020.

LONDON (Reuters) – Passenger-packed pods speeding through vacuum tubes linking Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to European cities could prove a viable low-carbon alternative to short-haul flights, according to a study published on Wednesday.

Although hyperloop technology, which uses magnetic levitation to allow near-silent travel at airline speeds, has not yet proven feasible in large-scale operations, the airport said it was seriously exploring it as a potential form of sustainable transport.

“We are genuinely interested in where hyperloop could go,” said Hassan Charaf, head of innovation at Royal Schiphol Group, which owns and operates the airport, one of Europe’s busiest.

Continue reading… “Dutch study shows hyperloop may be substitute to short-haul flights”

Architecture, City Planning, Environment, Science & Technology News

5 bold urban design projects that made cities more fun, clean, and accessible in 2019

January 3, 2020

Cities can get rid of cars—and build urban ski slopes.

You may think the only changes to cities have been negative ones, and yes, urban areas have certainly seen increased traffic and heightened housing problems, but plenty of places have also debuted new features that aim to make a positive impact. Whether adapting to climate change, trying to be more inclusive to underserved populations, or updating their infrastructure with new technology, cities around the world are serving as laboratories to test bold ideas.

Here’s a look at some of the most fun and interesting urban innovations of 2019, proving that some cities are already in the future and are using their corners of the world to make our planet a little bit better.

Continue reading… “5 bold urban design projects that made cities more fun, clean, and accessible in 2019”

Agriculture, Animals, Farms, Green Friendly, Inventions

World’s first floating dairy farm could be wave of the future

September 4, 2018

Floating farm project leader Mink van Wingerden beside the floating dairy farm plaform being built at Merwehaven in the Dutch city of Rotterdam.

“It’s a logical step to produce fresh food on the water.”

You’ve heard of offshore drilling platforms and offshore wind farms. Now a Dutch company is developing what’s being called the world’s first offshore dairy farm. Plans call for the high-tech, multilevel facility to open this fall in Rotterdam, a port city about 50 miles southwest of Amsterdam.

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3D Printer, Driverless vehicles, Electric Vehicles

3D-printed, driverless boats developed

May 28, 2018

The autonomous boats offer high maneuverability and precise control. They can be built using low-cost printer, making mass manufacturing more feasible.

MIT scientists have designed a fleet of 3D-printed, driverless boats that could ferry goods and people, helping clear up road congestion in waterway-rich cities such as Amsterdam, Bangkok and Venice – where canals run alongside and under bustling streets and bridges.

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3D Printer, Architecture, Engineering, Latest Trend

The world’s first 3D-printed steel bridge looks like it came from another planet

April 5, 2018

Dutch technology company MX3D just officially unveiled the world’s first 3D-printed stainless steel bridge. It took four robots, nearly 10,000 pounds of stainless steel, about 684 miles of wire, and six months of printing to build the sinuous, undulating structure, which looks like it’s straight out of a science-fiction movie.

The MX3D Bridge, designed by Joris Laarman Lab, is around 41 feet by 20 feet, and it’s made from a new kind of steel. 3D-printing created a ribbed surface as robots added layers upon layers; Gizmodo said it could be buffed out, but MX3D plans to keep the unique, rough look.

Continue reading… “The world’s first 3D-printed steel bridge looks like it came from another planet”

3D Printer, Breakthrough Thinking, Engineering, Great Videos, New Inventions, Robotics, Robots, Science & Technology News

Dutch designer plans to 3-D print a steel bridge in mid-air

June 16, 2015

Dutch designer Joris Laarman will build a bridge in 2017 by wheeling a robot to the brink of a canal in Amsterdam. He will push an “on” button and then walk away. When he returns in two months, the Netherlands will have a new, one-of-a-kind bridge, 3-D printed in a steel arc over the waters. This isn’t some proof-of-concept, either: when it’s done, it will be as strong and as any other bridge. People will be able to walk back and forth over it for decades.

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Architecture, Photo Perspectives, Science & Technology News

World’s first 3D printed canal house in Amsterdam

March 20, 2013

Amsterdam’s canal house will be the first 3D printed house in the world.

The Dutch studio DUS Architects is planning on developing the first 3D-printed house which is meant to become a full-size canal house in Amsterdam, alongside the Buiksloter-canal. The process will be made possible by employing a special printer called the KamerMaker. “This year we want to print the entire facade and the first room bit by bit. Then in the following months and years we will print other rooms.”-architect Hedwig Heinsman explained. (Pics)

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