Tag: var-title

Rubbery coating prevents machines from freezing over

Add / Remove Winter weather can wreak havoc with flight schedules. We recently wrote about a de-icing concrete that could be used at airports to prevent cancellations, and now researchers at the University of Michigan have developed an ice-repellent spray , which could be applied to airplanes — and other machinery — to prevent them from freezing over. The “icephobic” coating is made of common synthetic rubbers and could provide a green alternative to chemical melting agents or costly defrosting systems. When sprayed onto a solid surface, the substance, because of its rubbery texture, uses interfacial cavitation to repel the ice. As a result, it is significantly easier to remove ice that forms on the surface because the two materials do not bond to each other. The researchers envision the spray being used on freezers, wind turbines or oil rigs. What other applications are there for the “icephobic” coating? Website: www.ns.umich.edu Contact: gcherry@umich.edu The post Rubbery coating prevents machines from freezing over appeared first on Springwise .

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Rubbery coating prevents machines from freezing over

Name-your-price hotel rooms

Add / Remove Hotels are often left with unfilled rooms, which is why we have seen websites offering to cancel and rebook rooms for customers, and make the most of fluctuating room prices. Polish startup Findbed reverses the booking process by enabling customers to name their ideal price, leaving the hoteliers to decide whether or not to accept their offers. We have already seen taxi and private jet services use the ‘name-your-price’ business model. Now, FindBed enables customers to book a room at a rate of their choice. To begin, customers declare their desired price and the platform sends out the offer to all appropriate venues. Then, the manager of the hotel has three hours to decide whether or not to accept the offer. Finally, the customer is sent a list of all the places that will offer a room at that price and the user chooses their favorite. What other industries could integrate this model? Website: www.findbed.pl Contact: rafal@findbed.pl The post Name-your-price hotel rooms appeared first on Springwise .

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Name-your-price hotel rooms

Recycled plastic denim line could help clean up the oceans

Add / Remove The vast amount of plastic in our oceans is a man-made environmental catastrophe, damaging ecosystems and coastal economies. We have seen a number of companies tackling the issue with recycling schemes and products . Now, clothing brand G-Star is doing the same on a huge scale, through its G-Star Raw for the Oceans clothing line. The project, launched in collaboration with pop star Pharrell Williams’ Bionic Yarn, includes a documentary, a game and a collection of denim clothes made from recycled ocean plastic. The Raw for the Oceans collection includes jeans, jackets, sweatshirts and other clothing for men and women. All the denim products are made from plastic retrieved from the shorelines. The discarded products are first broken down into chips and shredded into fibre, before being spun into a yarn that is combined with cotton. The yarn is then knitted or weaved into fabrics. Some of the garments include provocative slogans such as “WTF are you doing to my oceans?”, while others have the octopus emblem used in the marketing campaign. Could other clothing companies be doing more to help with environmental issues? Website: www.rawfortheoceans.g-star.com Contact: www.g-star.com/contact The post Recycled plastic denim line could help clean up the oceans appeared first on Springwise .

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Recycled plastic denim line could help clean up the oceans

Soft thermometer sticker monitors temperatures remotely

Add / Remove The digital thermometer market is worth USD 800 million, so it is no wonder we have seen devices such as the Kinsa Smart Ear Thermometer trying to break into it. However, while most offerings simply rework the classic thermometer design for the smart era, Fever Scout from VivaLnk is an innovative new product that offers continuous temperature monitoring for parents of sick babies. Fever Scout is a wearable thermometer in the form of a soft patch. It is reusable, rechargeable and connects to a companion smartphone app via Bluetooth. To begin, parents attach the patch to their poorly child and launch the app. Then they can monitor their child’s temperature on their smartphone and receive customized notifications if they develop a high fever. The device is particularly useful during the night, when checking the child’s temperature is likely to disturb them and do more harm than good. Fever Scout is currently available to preorder for USD 59, it is expected to ship in early 2016. How else could health monitors be adapted to be more child-friendly? Website: www.vivalnk.com/feverscout Contact: inquiries@vivalnk.com The post Soft thermometer sticker monitors temperatures remotely appeared first on Springwise .

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Soft thermometer sticker monitors temperatures remotely

Formula E announce first driverless car championship

Add / Remove There has been much talk about driverless cars, and we’re seeing an abundance of assistive driving technology, such as this software for car-to-car communication . To demonstrate just what driverless cars are capable of, electric vehicle racing series Formula E have partnered with Kinetik to announce the world’s first driverless car race. The Roborace, scheduled for the 2016/17 season, will involve ten teams using the same basic driverless vehicles — the challenge will be in developing the competitive software. Teams will develop artificial intelligence that must be capable of dealing with real-time obstacles, overtaking maneuvers, and weighing up risk and reward scenarios. The races will take place on Formula E circuits (which host e-vehicle races) in major cities around the world, with the aim of showcasing the performance and ability of driverless technology in the extremes of speed and risk. Besides the professional teams, at least one team is to be crowdsourced. Further details are set to be announced in early 2016. First person drone racing has already been around for over a year. How else can autonomous robotics be applied to sports? Website: www.roborace.com Contact: hello@roborace.com The post Formula E announce first driverless car championship appeared first on Springwise .

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Formula E announce first driverless car championship

Bacteria powered breathable clothing

Add / Remove From probiotic yoghurt to a lightbulb powered by bacterial bioluminescence, the large diversity of microorgamisms in the natural world have had huge benefits for humans. Researchers at MIT’s Tangible Media Group have now found a way to use bacteria in clothing. The team used Bacillus Subtilis Natto — the same cultures used to ferment the Japanese soybean breakfast dish — to create electronics-free ‘smart’ fabrics. The clothing, called bioLogic, looks like sportswear with vents spread across the back. These vents contain layers of the bacteria spread across the body’s natural heat and sweat points. The bacteria naturally swell in the presence of humidity, so that when the wearer begins to sweat, the vents open up, allowing heat to escape naturally. With the ability to grow huge amounts of useful bacteria in labs relatively cheaply, what other industries could benefit from bacterial design? Website: www.tangible.media.mit.edu Contact: tangible-admin@media.mit.edu The post Bacteria powered breathable clothing appeared first on Springwise .

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Police support via Skype

Add / Remove Police forces are often overstretched and have to balance neighborhood patrols with emergency situations and ongoing investigations. Now, officers of Peterborough in the UK are trialling a Skype service that enables members of the public to speak to the police remotely through video chat, rather than arranging a home visit, which can be very time consuming. The service will be offered to those who dial 101 rather than the emergency number 999. It provides another communication option for victims of crimes and exists alongside other emergency response procedures. Police officers will still visit people’s homes if that is necessary, but it is hoped the Skype option will improve response times and enhance communication between law enforcement and the public. Telephone and Skype appointments will provide flexibility for victims, with appointments available seven days a week from 8am-10pm. The initiative echoes similar movements in the health service, which enable patients access to health professionals via Skype and telemedicine platforms. What other public services could be enhanced through remote video technology? Website: www.cambs.police.uk/Peterborough Contact: www.twitter.com/PboroCops The post Police support via Skype appeared first on Springwise .

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Police support via Skype

Fluorescent dressing glows to detect infections

Add / Remove There’s a huge demand for engineering materials that detect dangerous substances invisible to the naked eye, such as these gloves that change color in the presence of hazardous substances. Similarly, researchers at the University of Bath have been developing a material to detect potentially deadly bacteria on open wounds. Using a hydrogel containing fluorescent dye, the prototype wound-dressing glows in the presence of bacterial ‘biofilms’ — a state bacteria exist in that’s difficult for drugs to penetrate. Treating open wounds can be complicated by the presence of certain bacteria, which can lead to infections, prolonging treatment and making the situation potentially fatal. These infections can currently only be detected after they’ve taken hold, so standard medical practice requires removing and replacing the dressing, leading to patient distress. This new solution is capable of detecting a number of infectious bacterial species, and organisms normally present on human skin don’t trigger the color change. Whilst a long way from the clinical trial stage, the wound dressing shows that early detection of invisible infections is possible. Could the glowing appearance of this solution be a hit with children? Website: www.pubs.acs.org Contact: a.t.a.jenkins@bath.ac.uk The post Fluorescent dressing glows to detect infections appeared first on Springwise .

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Invisible 3D barcodes prevent counterfeiting

Add / Remove Counterfeiting is believed to cost companies trillions in annual profit and is a source of public health concern. We’ve covered an edible barcode to combat counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry, and now researchers at the University of Bradford have developed an undetectable 3D barcode designed to mould into a variety of products. Developed with Sofmat and SME UK , the barcodes use a series of pins to create 3D patterns moulded onto a small plastic surface. By varying the heights and spaces between pins, millions of unique configurations can be produced. The barcodes are virtually invisible to human eyes and touch, ensuring that products can only be verified by a laser scanner and preventing copycatting. Barcodes can be built into or stamped on to products, making successful tampering very near impossible. Phil Harrison, Sofmat Director, explains: “For the first time the same technology and coding can be used on bulk packaging, individual packaging and on the actual product, making it much harder to create and ship fake products.” In industries such as pharmaceuticals and electronics where counterfeiting is a major safety concern, making hard-to-fake materials protects people as well as profits. Can the technology be used in other counterfeit prone consumer goods? Website: www.sofmat.com Contact: phil@sofmat.co.uk The post Invisible 3D barcodes prevent counterfeiting appeared first on Springwise .

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Invisible 3D barcodes prevent counterfeiting

Tool personalizes automated outreach emails

Add / Remove Cold emails — outreach messages sent by companies to prospective clients — inevitably end up reading like they were composed by a machine rather than a person, which makes them much more alienating to the reader. Now, Woodpecker is a tool designed to help companies streamline their cold emailing, while also retaining a personal touch. To begin, users import their contact list and provide an initial opening messaging. The tool then adapts the message for each email, personalizing it to the recipient. Users can monitor their email campaign, seeing how many messages have been delivered, opened and replied to. They can also line up different follow-up emails for those who reply and those who don’t, automating that process too. Woodpecker is one of a number of marketing tools that enable automation to be more personalized. What other time-consuming tasks could be managed in such a way? Website: www.woodpecker.co Contact: hello@woodpecker.co The post Tool personalizes automated outreach emails appeared first on Springwise .

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Tool personalizes automated outreach emails