Fundamental Architects in the The Netherlands offers a rather unusual take on the high-rise with its Tower of the Sun concept. The eye-catching design is defined by a large circular hole at its center and would feature significant sustainable technology, drawing energy from the river it bridges. If built – and, to be clear, there are no immediate plans to […]
Harvesting Energy From The River That Spans It
Amphi Turn Swimmers Into Bionic Mermaids
We’ve seen mermaid-type monofins before, and we’ve also seen so-called underwater scooters. A group of US/UK entrepreneurs has gone and combined the two, in the form of a monofin that gives swimmers an electric boost with each kick. Known as the Amphi, the prototype device was initially developed by Dr. Marek Swoboda, a Polish biomedical engineer now living in the […]
Theft Proof Backpack
In 2014, UK designer Sarah Giblin launched a new secure backpack on Kickstarter called the RiutBag, which deterred would-be contents thieves by placing all storage access points against the wearer’s back. Now Riut is back with another secure backpack that can increase its available storage in seconds. The RiutBag X35 starts off as a 21-inch (55 cm) high, 10-liter capacity […]
Earbud Sensor Helps In Family Planning
Identifying one’s fertility window is critical for many women trying to get pregnant – or for those wanting to avoid pregnancy – but it can be a complex, inconvenient and often inaccurate process. Inspired by personal experience, Vanessa Xi, founder of Silicon Valley-based Yono Labs, has developed a hearing-aid-like wearable which takes the data collection and analysis off your hands, […]
Jyroball’s Monowheel
Weighing just 20 lb (9 kg) and folding into a 10-inch-diameter (25-cm) ball for transport, the Jyroball is a super-compact self-balancing urban monowheel that its creators say is one of the easiest yet to learn to ride. And at US$395 on Indiegogo, it’s less than half the price of most competitors. In function, it’s much the same as other monowheels, […]
Music Helps Build Brains Of Premature Baby
The vast majority of neural growth for a baby occurs during the last trimester of a pregnancy. When this process is disrupted, due to premature birth, neural networks can be impaired and the baby can ultimately develop neurodevelopmental disorders such as learning difficulties. An exciting new study has demonstrated how specially composed music can aid brain growth in premature babies, […]
Old Glass To Be Use To Make Better Concrete
Although glass is thought of as being relatively eco-friendly because it’s recyclable, the fact is that a lot of it doesn’t get recycled – this is particularly true of small fragments, that are too fiddly to sort. Now, however, scientists are suggesting that glass waste could be used to make concrete that’s stronger and cheaper than ever. Led by Dr. […]
Flying Car Concept In Israel
While we’ve seen some “flying cars” that require a runway, there’s no doubt that what most people really want is a vehicle that takes off and lands more like a helicopter. Well, the Aska may be the answer … when and if it reaches production. Being developed by American/Israeli startup NFT, the Aska is classified as an eVTOL vehicle – […]
Floating Forest Could Protect Shorelines
Wind storms can cause a great deal of damage to coastal areas, producing waves that erode the shoreline and destroy facilities such as marinas. A newly-proposed “floating forest” could help, however, by blocking both the wind and the waves. Designed by the University of Queensland’s Prof. Chien Ming Wang, the curved floating structure would measure approximately one kilometer in length […]
De-Orbiting Satellites
In order to at least begin addressing the growing problem of space debris, numerous groups are now looking into methods of de-orbiting satellitesonce their operational lives have ended. One of the latest approaches involves getting the spacecraft to dispense a long strip of sunlight-catching tape, instead of using their own propellant. The technology is being developed via the three-year European […]