Tag: #133

Some solar panels follow the sun, while surplus energy can be stored in sand. Now a Boston-based research team has developed a battery-free, solar-powered desalination system for remote areas. The system utilises salt-heavy brackish groundwater and pumps it through a live membrane, meaning salt ions are drawn out as the water flows through. The novelty? An ingenious sensor system,...

Thanks to a special headset, people with limited visibility could get around more easily. Meanwhile, a British organisation has launched a new funding programme aimed specifically at the disabled community. Targeting startups with or without seed funding, the programme supports founders with a disability, or entrepreneurs seeking to remove barriers for people with limited mobility, low vision, or those...

A smart app is targeting overfishing while illuminated nets could help reduce bycatch. Now a Hamburg-based startup is hoping to provide fresh fish outside the ocean using cells from salmon or rainbow trout from a controlled aquaculture. The cells are cultivated in steel tanks with nutrients, vitamins and minerals from plants such as beans and sugarcane, but also yeast,...

Technological advancements mean donor blood could soon be more widely used. But injuries involving heavy bleeding must be treated immediately on-site. Cue a Florida-based research team and its newly created foam, which acts like a pressure bandage. Using a two-chamber syringe, a silicon gel comprising anti-bacterial silver oxide and oxygen are simultaneously injected into the wound. The oxygen inflates...

Robot boats are clearing Hong Kong’s waters, while intelligent bins monitor their own fill levels. For better recycling, a startup from Würzburg has created an analysis system used during waste sorting. It combines digital cameras and near-infrared sensors with artificial intelligence. Parsing images of the material flow, the AI detects both individual objects and additional properties such as weight,...

Algae and robots can combine to reduce CO2 in our oceans. A New York-based research team is deploying algae-like bacteria’s photosynthesis capabilities to lower carbon dioxide levels indoors. A cyanobacteria-infused anode is embedded in a bio-based solar cell. Five of these solar cells are attached as leaves to an artificial plant structure which is placed in a pot. Capillary...