Tag: #85

New machines can filter miniscule smog particles from the air; an attachment catches lead in tap water. Now a Bristol-based startup is aiming to remove microplastics from washing machines before the artificial fibres wind up in the ocean. All that’s required is an easy-to-use attachment which can be placed on top of the washing machine, connected to the waste...

People with Down’s Syndrome can play golf and older women can work as models. Just as a double amputee ex-paralympian can shine on Broadway. The female athlete in question is currently realising her dream on the stage in New York by starring in the play “Cost of Living.” Her role? A woman who is confined to a wheelchair following...

Dragonfly wings have served as inspiration for flexible splints. And it seems we could learn a thing or two from grizzly bears. Despite consuming up to 20,000 calories per day and hibernating for long periods, the animals are able to regulate their blood sugar levels. A US research team fed honey water to six hibernating grizzly bears during wake...

Sand retains its warmth for months, just as white-hot heat can generate electricity. Now a venue manager from Glasgow has discovered another means of producing energy, providing climate control by using the body heat of venue-goers. To cool rooms, special ceiling-mounted devices collect heat from the air and transfuse it into fluid. Using boreholes, this, in turn, is funnelled...

Implants can be nourished by the body's store of glucose, while batteries can be powered by air moisture. Now, using an A5-sized device, a research team from Singapore has managed to generate electricity from a light breeze. A long plate with a cube on its end is fixed to one side of a small base body. The plate vibrates...

A stroll in the woods can help reduce stress levels; so too words of encouragement from nursery children. Now a Belgian sound designer is lifting people’s moods with the noise of cats purring. Visitors to his website include those without cats of their own who nevertheless enjoy the soothing strain. With the help of a generator, purring can be...