The Optimist Daily has written about many winners of the James Dyson Award. This is an international design award that celebrates, encourages, and inspires the next generation of design engineers. It is open to current and recent design engineering students and is run by the … [Read more...] about The James Dyson Award: a call to young inventors
Oil spills
This initiative collects waste from hairdressers and puts it to good use
From improving the efficacy of perovskite solar cells to cleaning up oil spills, hair clippings from salons can definitely be put to better use than ending up in a landfill. The Green Salon Collective (GSC) in the UK is well aware of that, which is why it is collecting hair … [Read more...] about This initiative collects waste from hairdressers and puts it to good use
This reusable and biodegradable sponge can help clean up oil spills
Most of the materials designed for removing oil spills from water are single-use, meaning that they’re bound to eventually end up in landfills. We've written about the potential to use shed dog fur for oil spill cleanups, and now, scientists have developed an oil-absorbing sponge … [Read more...] about This reusable and biodegradable sponge can help clean up oil spills
Graduate students design little robot that cleans up oil spills
A decade after a BP drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, sending an estimated 168 million gallons of oil gushing into the water over the course of months, local wildlife is still struggling to recover. Many of the people who worked to clean up the spill are still … [Read more...] about Graduate students design little robot that cleans up oil spills
Autonomous oil spill boat can aid disaster mitigation without human crew onboard
Oil spills can spell big trouble for the environment, and efficient and swift response is critical in trying to contain the problem. In the not-too-distant future, folks dealing with such incidents may have a robotic helper to call on, with Boston’s Sea Machines Robotics … [Read more...] about Autonomous oil spill boat can aid disaster mitigation without human crew onboard