‘The Coolest White Paint’ Can Cool Down An Entire City
UNStudio has developed a paint dubbed The Coolest White Paint. By limiting the amount of light and therefore heat a building absorbs, the paint reduces the need for air-conditioning and the impact of urban heat islands.
Ashes To Ashes, Dust To… Compost? An Ecofriendly Burial In Just 4 Weeks
Also known as “natural organic reduction,” composting burial is the brainchild of Katrina Spade, CEO of alternative burial company Recompose. The process involves decomposition of the corpse in soil—but not within a traditional cemetery.
World’s First 360-Degree Infinity Pool Proposed For London Skyline
Compass Pools has unveiled a concept for a four-sided infinity pool atop a London skyscraper, accessed via a submarine-style door. Called Infinity London, the project is described by the swimming pool manufacturer as “only building in the world to incorporate a 360-degree infinity pool”.
Can Tiny Houses Save Detroit?
Detroit is grappling with both devastating poverty and a hot real estate market. But Rev. Faith Fowler of the nonprofit Cass Community Social Services sees a way to remedy both: Develop tiny houses, and create a rent-to-own financing mechanism to help impoverished Detroiters become owners of those homes.
House In Takatsuki By Tato Architects Has 16 Different Floor Levels
A series of triangular and rectangular platforms create numerous floor levels inside this house in Osaka, Japan. Designed by Tato Architects, House in Takatsuki is a three-storey building containing 16 different floor levels.
Russian Startup Wants To Put Huge Ads In Space
The first of StartRocket’s space-based ads could go up by 2021. The ads — a bit like skytyping, only in low-Earth orbit rather than in the atmosphere — would be visible only at night but could be seen from just about anywhere on the planet.
Could This Gorgeous Electric Plane Be The Tesla Of The Skies?
Called the “ZER0”, it’s an electric plane designed for efficiency rather than speed. The vehicle is only a concept, but it’s a compelling case study in how we might reconsider air travel to help the environment, developed by designer Joe Doucet.
iPhones Are Being Turned Into Ultrasound Devices To Diagnose Patients
The world’s first handheld ultrasound device, Butterfly iQ, will give hope to 4.7 billion people who don’t have access to medical imaging, revolutionizing modern medicine. Butterfly Network founder Dr Jonathan Rothberg invented the tool, a battery-operated device the size of an electric shaver that diagnoses abnormalities within seconds.
Concept Tyre Repairs Itself On-The-Go
Goodyear developed the first tubeless tyre around 65 years ago. Now, it is working to develop a tyre that replaces itself when it wears out. The reCharge tyre is designed for a future where driverless cars are the norm – a future that may be fast approaching.
Volkswagen Gives Classic 1972 Type 2 Microbus An Electric Upgrade
Volkswagen has replaced the original internal-combustion engine of this 1972 Type 2 Microbus with an electric powertrain. The German automaker commissioned EV West — a company that specializes in electric conversions on the west coast.
The Ingenious System Bringing Water To The Chinese Desert
The Karez is a modern-day engineering marvel and a prime example of a native people working with, not against, the forces of nature to deliver their needs – in this case, water. Today, this system nourishes an area called Grape Valley, once an oasis for weary travelers along the Silk Road.
How Holograms Are About To Change The World
Holograms have the power to resurrect the dead. Want to see Michael Jackson live in concert? Digital technology can bring him back to life. Within 10 years, DJs will be replaced by holograms, we’ll use them to speak to one another, and they might even take our jobs.
XTU Architects Imagines Offshore Oil Rigs Transformed Into Radical Housing Of The Future
No stranger to an unconventional project, XTU Architects presents their latest fantastical proposal titled ‘x_lands’. The concept looks at life after oil, and in particular, what to do with all the offshore platforms that have been built in the last century to drill for the earth’s natural resources.
The Small Virginia Town Where Drone Deliveries Have Begun For Real
Wing, a subsidiary of Google, chose Christiansburg (population 22,500) as its first launching site for American commercial drone delivery operations — it’s also testing in Australia and Finland — not only because of the relatively flat terrain and low population density, but because of nearby Virginia Tech University.
Teenage Engineering’s 3D Printables Transform IKEA Speakers Into Something Cool
IKEA’s spirited Frekvens collection designed in cooperation with Stockholm-based audio geeks Teenage Engineering was already unlike anything out there in the consumer audio category. Teenage Engineering are now offering 13 additional customization accessories to 3D print gratis, adding an extra level of the practical and occasionally wonderfully weird to the IKEA line.
Los Angeles Roads May Soon Be Paved With Recycled Plastic
The City of Los Angeles has partnered with landscape product company Technisoil on a plan to pave roads with a new material called “plastic asphalt.” It’s a surfacing material that uses oil made from shredded plastic waste as its binder.
McLaren Thinks Synthetic Fuel Could Save The Engine As We Know It
McLaren plans to produce a development car that runs on synthetic fuel to showcase the technology’s potential. The company says the fuel would require minimal tweaks to today’s internal combustion engine, and it’d still be much better for the environment from a CO2 standpoint.
AI Is Dreaming Up New Kinds Of Video Games
Game-making algorithms are almost as old as video games, but their use has typically been limited to generating terrain and other simple digital art. The next frontier is using increasingly sophisticated machine-learning techniques to design entirely new kinds of games that have, to date, evaded the human imagination.
The Rise Of The “Ghost Kitchen” Could Change The Restaurant Delivery Game
Meet the virtual restaurant, or “ghost kitchen,” a business that distributes meals through apps, but has no sit-down, brick and mortar location. Delivery-only restaurants, run out of low-rent kitchens without a storefront, are shifting the landscape of ordering food online.
How The “IKEA Effect” Explains Today’s Startups
Having customers do most of the work, feel great about it, and at the same time perceive they have attained value for their money is the Holy Grail in business. Ikea gets it–and so do many of today’s hottest startups.
Will The Skyscrapers Of The Future Be Made Out Of Wood?
Wood products that are nearly as strong as steel are going into more high-rises, locking up carbon. But can we grow enough trees to keep pace? A paradigm threatened by the very climate crisis that makes carbon-sucking buildings seem appealing.