Design
See-through solar cells will enable office buildings to produce their own energy
Houses and office buildings account for 75 percent of electricity use in the United States, and 40 percent of its energy use overall. The perfect solution for buildings would be to use their windows for the generation of the energy they need. That would require the “miracle” of see-through Read More...
Looking at shrimp for more durable industrial design
Biomimicry is the art of creating better and more sustainable materials copying nature. Many conventional manmade materials come with flaws. Take concrete. It’s very strong and can be used to construct large buildings and skyscrapers. But it’s also quite brittle. A bad winter can open a massive Read More...
Looking to mosquitos for a way to develop painless microneedles
A mosquito can insert a needle-like probe into your skin and draw blood for several minutes without you even noticing. Researchers at The Ohio State University believe we can learn from nature's design of the mosquito to create a painless microneedle for medical Read More...
A new robotic gripper inspired by geckos and pioneered by NASA
Hands are hot items in the world of robots. That's one of the biggest trends out of the Automatica conference, one of the world's premier showcases of robot technology, which recently wrapped up in Germany. Among this year's dexterous, grippy offerings is a robotic end effector inspired by a Read More...
Where to move for... eco-living in the UK
‘Sustainability’ and ‘environmental’ are slippery terms but there are some places that are much greener than Read More...
Coal plant waste helps build environmentally-friendly, cementless concrete
Concrete production is one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions in the world, after transportation and energy. To make the ubiquitous building material more environmentally friendly, the industry has been adding by-products from coal-fired power plants, but doing so had its own Read More...
Ford aims to revive a Detroit train station, and itself
For the past year, Ford Motor has been working on a plan to reinvigorate its operations and jump-start profit growth. Now, as that strategy is just being put into place, the automaker is taking on another big renovation project: the city of Detroit and the hulking remains of its dilapidated train Read More...
Scientists find that natural fibers make materials stronger, more sustainable
Materials-science researchers are discovering that they can make many man-made materials stronger and more sustainable with the addition of plant fibers. Carrots can be used to improve concrete and wood can be turned into plastic. These innovations can impact the construction of buildings as well Read More...
Seasonal window glass directs light and heat
Swiss researchers have developed seasonal window glass that could make certain soft furnishings redundant. Office workers and homeowners no longer have to block their own view in order to keep indoor space cool. Now, during the summer months, treated windows covered in a film containing micro Read More...
This French village could inspire a whole new form of Alzheimer’s treatment
A Danish design studio is constructing a little village in France specially made to host people with Alzheimer’s. The goal of the village, which will be reminiscent of the medieval fortresses located nearby, is to create a sense of community and familiarity for the patients by orienting them with Read More...