Design
A solar-powered soccer pitch in Lagos uses players’ footfall to keep the lights on
Here’s another reason to love the game of soccer (football). In Lagos, Nigeria, a solar-powered football pitch which also uses kinetic energy generated by players running around to help power streetlights and other low voltage systems. While the game being played on the field may be interesting, Read More...
Fuel cell breakthrough: Expensive platinum catalysts replaced with cheaper nickel ones
Most electric cars are powered by rechargeable batteries. That comes with challenges like driving range, long charging times and even environmental issues. Fuel cells offer an efficient and clean alternative. They can be charged in less than 5 minutes and be driven for more than 300 miles in one Read More...
A tale of new cities: How automated driving will shape urban life
How will automated driving change our cities? Urban planner Jonathan Levine is determined to find out. He sees a unique chance to improve all our lives in urban jungles – if only we make the right decisions. Blog 5 How will automated driving change our cities? Urban planner Jonathan Levine is Read More...
Apple buys a startup that may help it read your facial expressions
The Emotient software could be used to make Siri more aware of the moods of her human masters. Apple wants its devices to understand the emotional states of human beings. At least its recent acquisitions and patents suggest so. The company today acquired a small firm called Emotient, whose software Read More...
The toilet you only clean once a year
An "intelligent" toilet that opens when you approach it and self-cleans with every flush is on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It also cleans the user with an aerated wand, which delivers warm water and warm air "from a seated position", a spokeswoman said. Despite a $9,800 Read More...
Let's hide wind turbines under bridges
The spaces under our highway infrastructure are the perfect place to gather extra wind power. As wind power quickly spreads—thanks to the fact that it's now cheaper than coal in some places—it usually ends up in sprawling wind farms. But some designers are hoping that it will start to Read More...
The nature lover’s guide to cyber security
Biomimicry is catching on in the cyber security field as engineers take inspiration from nature to develop improved technologies for protecting data and thwarting cyber crime. Imitation is readily acknowledged as the sincerest form of flattery—except among innovation purists. No one wants to Read More...
Airbus and Qatar Airways debut a carbon fiber plane that curbs jet lag
From labyrinthine security checkpoints to cramped seats and scant overhead storage space, air travel ranks among the most grueling experiences out there (unless you're one of the rarefied few who spring for first class). With its A350 XWB jet, Airbus integrates the latest design and engineering Read More...
Revolutionary rear-access 'shell' design could make motorcycles far safer
Motorcycle helmets have been around for almost a century, yet their design never deviated from the pull on-pull off type with a chinstrap to secure in place. Australian Vozz Helmets introduces a revolutionary design that renders straps obsolete – and has a few more tricks up its sleeve as Read More...
Reengineered brick can keep buildings cool
This clay brick from a pair of Colombian architects shows that material innovation doesn't always have to be high-tech. When Colombian architects Miguel Niño and Johanna Navarro set out to re-engineer the brick, they did so through the lens of sustainability. They wanted to create a mass Read More...