LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – An innovative vending machine for HIV tests being piloted in Britain aims to help in the fight to end the epidemic by encouraging more people to find out whether they have contracted the virus as a first step to seek treatment, a doctor said.
TECHNOLOGY
Posts in "Technology"
Hydropower From Water Pipes
Portland can turn on the tap and find both water and an energy source in the same place.
Once the installation is fully operational, it’s expected to generate $2,000,000 worth of renewable energy capacity over twenty years, based on “an average of 1,100 megawatt hours of energy per year, enough electricity to power up to 150 homes.” The money generated will be used for system maintenance, recouping the cost of construction, and split among the project’s investors.
X-ray decks: the lost bone music of the Soviet Union
The music flowing out of the record player sounds distant, muffled, surrounded by whispers. The singer’s voice alternates moments of clarity with crackly sputters – as if coming out of a wormhole from a windy day in the Fifties.
https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music-theatre/2017/08/x-ray-decks-lost-bone-music-soviet-union
How a Free-For-All on patents could help build a sustainable future
To sustain the the population of 9.7 billion expected by 2050 the world is going to need innovations that make careful use of available resources, both human and environmental. Key industry sectors such as energy, water, agriculture and transport are already under pressure to move to more sustainable methods of production and consumption. However, there are barriers in the way.
100x faster, 10x cheaper: 3D metal printing is about to go mainstream
Desktop Metal – remember the name. This Massachussetts company is preparing to turn manufacturing on its head, with a 3D metal printing system that’s so much faster, safer and cheaper than existing systems that it’s going to compete with traditional mass manufacturing processes.
Magfloat and flexup by hankook tires are a realistic alternative to future driving
the hankook design innovation project has proposed a series of innovative tire proposals including the ‘mayfloat’ and ‘flexup’. the initiative is the result of a discussion between creative and realistic alternatives to future driving. combining design and technology in relation to the urban landscape, these mind blowing ideas introduce a whole new driving experience.
https://www.designboom.com/technology/magfloat-flexup-hankook-tires-07-05-2017/
The ‘living concrete’ that can heal itself
(CNN)It’s the world’s most popular building material, and ever since the Romans built the pantheon from it some 2,000 years ago, we’ve been trying to find ways to make concrete more durable.
No matter how carefully it is mixed or reinforced, all concrete eventually cracks, and under some conditions, those cracks can lead to collapse.
https://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/14/tech/bioconcrete-delft-jonkers/index.html
The Big Ideas of Stephen Hawking Explained with Simple Animation
Engineer Mark Rober Creates a Super Friendly Horn for His Car to Use in Non-Emergency Situations
The $12 “Gongkai” Phone
SONY DSC
The $12 “Gongkai” Phone
How cheap can you make a phone?
Recently, I paid $12 at Mingtong Digital Mall for a complete phone, featuring quad-band GSM, Bluetooth, MP3 playback, and an OLED display plus keypad for the UI. Simple, but functional; nothing compared to a smartphone, but useful if you’re going out and worried about getting your primary phone wet or stolen.
Also, it would certainly find an appreciative audience in impoverished and developing nations.
No Longer a Dream: Silicon Valley Takes On the Flying Car
This isn’t science fiction. A number of start-ups as well as big aerospace
firms are trying to build personal aircraft you could fly around town.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — On a recent afternoon, an aerospace engineer working for a small Silicon Valley company called Kitty Hawk piloted a flying car above a scenic lake about 100 miles north of San Francisco.
Kitty Hawk’s flying car, if you insisted on calling it a “car,” looked like something Luke Skywalker would have built out of spare parts. It was an open-seated, 220-pound contraption with room for one person, powered by eight battery-powered propellers that howled as loudly as a speedboat.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/24/technology/flying-car-technology.html
Have you even given up, helplessly, on a Rubik’s Cube? What was meant to be a tool that helped students learn about space and design is now a competition to see who can finish it faster with their eyes closed. Love it or hate it (because you can’t complete it), the cube has become a staple of human culture. This is Erno Rubik, the man behind the legacy.