Tag: #73

Office noise can be soothing and silence liberating. Now, thanks to a New York startup’s new app, users can search for venues according to internal noise levels. Meaning our ears can be protected from undue strain or harm. Places are graded in four categories with anything under 70 decibels designated ‘quiet’ and anything over 81 as ‘very loud’. Data...

An attractive brand image is important when it comes to product sales - and to certifying venture capital firms. With their new platform, a startup from Seattle is helping businesses keep an eye on employee diversity. Demographic data such as gender and ethnic background are obtained from candidate applications and analysed by an artificial intelligence. Throughout the recruiting process,...

Seawater provides for nomads and makes lamps shine bright. Miniature wind turbines in the ocean are equally productive. A Swedish company is using waves of 50 cm and higher to generate electricity. For environmental reasons, floating elements are attached to old jetties or breakwaters, and then connected with hydraulic pistons. The biodegradable liquid in the pistons is compressed by...

Sugar kelp supports weight loss; edible spoons help the environment. Sugar also supplies our body with energy. Engineers from Munich’s Technical University and MIT have developed an energy source for implants, which can be 'nourished' by the body's store of glucose. Glucose contains electrically-charged particles, and chemical conversion processes in their new sterile fuel cells set these free. The...

Soon we could be flying electrically. Yet, with the use of electronics increasing, the need for precious metals is also on the rise. This approach could be helpful, but environmentally-friendly recycling is equally important. An American startup is using cold gases with free electrons, so-called low-temperature plasmas, to recover the desired materials from used lithium-ion batteries. Because lithium is...

Cycling, running and playing tennis are not just beneficial for our health. A new portable wind turbine designed by a Canadian startup, which focuses on sustainable research and development, also supplies electricity. Depending on the strength of the wind, the 1.3kg turbine can generate up to 40 watts. An aluminium tripod with tensioning cables keeps it firmly planted in...