Tag: #39

A baby can respond to touch in the womb. It’s the first sense to develop, and for blind people it is particularly important. Now, a bioengineering graduate from Boston is developing a robotic hand that will enable deaf-blind people to communicate without the need for an interpreter. Her hand is computer-controlled and designed to produce tactile sign language. The...

Listening to music whenever we want is something we take for granted. Like having sufficient light to work. But for almost 800 million people the reality is different. Light is in short supply, expensive and potentially dangerous, like kerosene lamps. A not-for-profit organization from Australia is changing all that with its portable solar light - perfect for young people...

Feel crumbs under the soles of your shoes? Get the hoover out and they’re gone. All over the world people are working on new ways to reduce CO2. On Caribbean beaches, for example. Now a startup from London is supporting firms aiming to reduce or offset their carbon footprints. Innovative software helps companies break down their emissions into categories....

Growing your own food sustainably so that you are not reliant on foreign supply has its advantages. As we have seen in Los Angeles, for example. Now a research team based at Shanghai Jiao Tong University has developed a pacemaker that can be powered by the heart itself. Estimates place the output power of the heart at 192 microwatts....

Magnets can help sort rubbish by attracting different metals. Heavy metals also find their way into our water supply. Luckily, an international research team has developed a new method for extracting radioactive uranium from drinking water. Even in small quantities this can be damaging to our health. The team’s system uses foam from graphene oxide, a two-dimensional nanomaterial with...

Insects are crucial for maintaining a natural equilibrium. Indeed, many larger animals consume them on a daily basis. Now, a Danish startup is bringing sustainable meat to the table. It’s made from buffalo beetles and pea protein, and was inspired by the founder’s trip to Tanzania. The goal is to make insects more palatable to Europeans. Not only are...