Design
MIT creates windows that change color to save energy
A team of MIT researchers has created windows that instantly change color when the sun’s too strong in order to save energy. It’s not magic, it’s a technique that uses electrochromic materials that can go from transparent to nearly black by applying a bit of electricity. Color-changing Read More...
Drones save lives and limbs by detecting and detonating landmines
Before IS retreated from the historic city of Palmyra, the extremist group left the area littered with landmines. The dangers of such an act are obvious, which is why Massoud Hassani of Afghanistan created the Mine Kafon Drone. The drone flies low to the ground over mined areas to locate mines Read More...
Imagine a hyperloop that uses underwater tunnels to replace cargo ships
Before you ever board a hyperloop for a half-hour trip from San Francisco to L.A., it's possible that the ultra-fast transit system might help deliver the things you buy. Hyperloop One, the Los Angeles-based startup that ran a demo near Las Vegas earlier this year, is working on cargo Read More...
Building materials that tap into nature's elegant, and harmless, designs
Wednesday, August 10, 2016 - 12:59amThis article orignially appeared in the Verdical Group blog. Every year, about 15 billion tons of carbon dioxide are emitted into the atmosphere from concrete production alone. As cities continue to grow (according to the U.N., world urban populations Read More...
Could the building block of the future be compressed recycled plastic?
A new startup by the name of ByFusion has a novel solution for tackling the growing problem of ocean plastic: turn it into construction material. The U.S-based startup has a patented process where they collect plastic trash from the ocean and compress it into sturdy, construction-quality bricks. Read More...
Man hand-builds awesome amusement park that's inspired by nature
Kids are spending less time outdoors than prison inmates, and it's leading to a whole host of problems like obesity, nature deficit disorder and lower levels of what could be called "ecological literacy". But how do you get screen-addled kids excited to go outdoors? Perhaps we could learn from Read More...
Solar cell efficiency smackdown: Eye of moth vs. petal of rose
Moth eyes were last year’s big thing in solar cell biomimicry, and now it looks like a new challenger has stepped into the ring. A research team from Germany’s Karlsruher Institut für Technologie has zeroed in on the nanoscale structure of rose petals — specifically, the El Read More...
How an artificial leaf could one day power your car
Harvard University researchers say they've created a half-chemical, half-biological system to generate liquid fuel, using air, water, and sunlight. As if that weren't enough, it takes climate-changing carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere in the process.A study published on Thursday in the journal Read More...
Mobile saunas made from old ski gondolas
A sauna in the snow is about as good as it gets. The saunagondel is a creative innovation that enables a mobile electric sauna in below-zero landscapes. The saunagondel is housed inside an old Swiss ski gondola and can accommodate up to four adults. The saunas is fitted with silver fir wood Read More...
Designers use discarded life jackets to make mattresses for refugees arriving in Greece
All refugees traveling from Syria, via Turkey to Greece by boat wear life jackets that they discard once on shore. So the Greek islands that they arrive at have become huge cemeteries of life jackets. At the same time there’s a shortage of places to sleep on the islands and most refuges are Read More...