Miscellaneous
Design and then “print” your own clothes
3D printers are revolutionizing the way we make goods, now clothes printers might revolutionize how we make garments. OpenKnit offers a device capable of printing (it’s really knitting) clothes. The machine hooks up to a computer where you can print preexisting patterns or make your own Read More...
Cracking the sight code to cure blindness
Our eyes function in marvelous ways. A basic description of how the eye works is photons (light particles) fall into the receptors in the retina; the retina then transmits this information to the eye in a type of code, made out of firing electrons. Many people who are blind cannot see because the Read More...
Electric car breakthrough: High speed charging for batteries
Electric cars are great and clean. But here’s the problem: When you go and meet your friends for dinner and arrive with an almost empty battery, you need to stay the night to be able to come home again. It takes minutes to fill up your tank and about 8 hours to charge up your battery. Now Korean Read More...
Earthquake detector
Another way to save lives with technology is in the news: An earthquake-predictive app. The app, developed by the Early Warning Labs in cooperation with the United States Government, warns of an earthquake half a minute before it starts. In an earthquake 30 seconds can make the difference between Read More...
A way to donate leftover subway fares
If you live in a metropolitan area chances are you have at least one leftover transit pass with some-odd amount of dollars and cents left on it. Instead of having the change on your transit card fall into the pockets of your local transportation authority, wouldn’t it be nice if you could donate Read More...
Inflatable incubator saving lives in poor countries
Giving birth in developing countries is dangerous. A costly and clunky incubator— basically a box that blows in hot air and regulates temperature—could save countless lives but is almost never available. A UK graduate student has designed an inflatable incubator, MOM, which is small, portable, Read More...
Coloring clothes with algae
The clothing industry is going green, slowly but surely. The use of organic cotton has been growing over the past years. But it’s still a dirty business due to the chemicals needed for the dye. A German-based design agency, Blond & Bieber, has found a way to use algae to color textiles. These Read More...
First 3D printed laptop
PiTop is going to be the first 3D printed laptop. The brainchild of two friends, PiTop just finished a wildly successful Indiegogo campaign where they raised $36,000 more than their $80,000 goal. The PiTop is completely open source and is designed to be a type of starter kit to get people Read More...
Eco-friendly packaging for oily products
Plastic is everywhere and is a horrid reminder of our throw away lifestyles. One of the big reasons we keep using plastics is because of the versatility of the material. Now scientists have invented a new biodegradable material that can be used for packing both liquid and solid oily products, the Read More...
Mid-term elections and the promise of a non-functioning democracy
America proudly sees herself as the leader of the democratic world. Democracy is on the rise around the globe. Forty years ago, think tank Freedom House published its first annual report ranking the world based on democratic freedoms. A mere 40 countries had free elections. Back then, Spain and Read More...