Spotted: Grown from cells taken from unharmed animals, Meatable’s meat is identical in every way to a traditionally farmed animal meat with a significant exception – the production process. The harvested cells are used to replicate the natural process of fat and muscle growth in a process that takes only a few weeks. By contrast, it takes around three years for a cow to grow to a point where it can be slaughtered.
In addition to speeding up the process of producing meat, the company’s technology involves zero slaughter of animals or antibiotic use, while saving on land and water.
Because it takes up to 20,000 litres of water to produce a single kilogramme of traditionally reared beef, cellular agriculture saves millions of litres of water a year. A typical farm also produces vast volumes of animal waste that must be sustainably managed to prevent it from polluting waterways. Cultured meat, on the other hand, produces very little pollution or carbon emissions.
With global population growth continuing, and demand for meat staying fairly steady despite the rise in numbers of vegan products, Meatable’s team decided to produce food that could directly replace current favourites. The company recently revealed images of its pork sausage product – created in response to the demand for the food in Europe and the United States.
Currently awaiting regulatory approval for commercial sale of its products, Meatable plans to have its meat on shelves by 2024.
Molecular farming is growing in leaps and bounds, with plant cells being used to produce dairy proteins and an AI system building amino acid structures for growing new proteins through fermentation.
Spotted: Most wearable health sensors today communicate via embedded Bluetooth chips. But these battery-powered chips are bulky meaning that they may not be suitable for the next generation of sensors. In response, a team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is developing chip-free wireless sensors that are much smaller, more efficient, and self-powering.
At the heart of the team’s innovation is a phenomenon called piezoelectricity. When certain materials are subjected to mechanical stress, they accumulate an electrical charge. One such material is a semiconductor called gallium nitride, which the MIT researchers used to create an ultra-thin, flexible film. This film, in turn, forms the basis of an electronic skin (‘e-skin’) that is highly responsive to both electrical and mechanical stimuli. The piezoelectric properties of gallium nitride are ‘two-way’. This means that the material produces electricity in response to mechanical strain, while also vibrating in response to an electrical impulse. As a result gallium nitride is ideal for both sensing and wireless communication.
The research team’s e-skin works extremely well as a health sensor, sticking to human skin like sellotape. Because it is extremely sensitive, the e-skin can respond to a patient’s heartbeat and the presence of sweat. These stimuli cause it to vibrate, and these vibrations are sufficient to generate a small electrical current that can be read by a nearby wireless receiver.
“Chips require a lot of power, but our device could make a system very light without having any chips that are power-hungry,” explains Jeehwan Kim, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and of materials science and engineering. “You could put it on your body like a bandage, and paired with a wireless reader on your cellphone, you could wirelessly monitor your pulse, sweat, and other biological signals.”
The device is still under development, with the first successful outcomes recently published in the journal Science. Ultimately, the techniques used to create the sensor could pave the way for advances in everything from fitness tracking to medical diagnostics.
Springwise has spotted a number of innovations aiming to improve wireless healthcare, these include ultrasound stickers for mobile monitoring of internal organs, also developed at MIT, and a flexible battery created by researchers at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM).
In the popular imagination, innovation can sometimes be conflated with the world of Silicon Valley, while charity is associated with second-hand clothes shops and bake sales. But this is far from the reality. Charities and non-profit organisations have a huge incentive to innovate to make the best use of their donors’ funds. And many startups work closely with the charitable sector, either as partners or suppliers.
Ahead of the International Day of Charity on the 5th of September, we take a look at how innovation is disrupting the world of giving. From methods of fundraising that tap into web 3.0 to new ways of measuring the services charities provide, here are five of the most innovative solutions helping charities and non-profits thrive in the modern world.
KIOSKS ENCOURAGE VULNERABLE PEOPLE TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON SERVICES
It is a sad reality that the most vulnerable in society are also the least likely to provide feedback on the services they receive. Those needing support from mental and behavioural health facilities, refugee resettlement agencies, affordable housing units, and homelessness charities are particularly unlikely to express their views. Pulse for Good is a US-based company on a mission to overcome this challenge – ensuring everyone gets a say on the services they use. Its solution is to install physical kiosks within facilities that provide a discrete, simple, and consistent way for clients to express their views. Read more
The technologies underpinning Web 3.0—the much talked about concept of a decentralised third iteration of the internet—are seen, and talked about, everywhere today. And with them come many opportunities to do good. One organisation that is determined to demonstrate the positive benefits of Web 3.0 is charity NFT marketplace Maxity. In essence, the Maxity platform is an intuitive interface for charities to generate and sell NFTs to support their activities. For example, one NFT launched on Maxity represents ownership of a black walnut tree planted by Queen Elizabeth II on Magna Carta Island, London. The NFT sale will raise money for The Magna Carta World Peace and Sustainability Foundation – an organisation that promotes national and international conflict resolution. Read more
NONPROFIT SEARCH ENGINE DONATES 80 PER CENT OF PROFITS TO OTHER NONPROFITS
European non-profit search engine, Ask.Moe, donates 80 per cent of its profits to other non-profit organisations with a proven track record. The company currently uses Google’s Programmable Search Engine, and is working on functionality to give users a vote on where the donations are directed. Ultimately, Ask.Moe claims that by using its platform, users can turn their 20 daily Google searches into €7.50 monthly donations to charities. Read more
APP CONNECTS DONORS TO THE HOMELESS THROUGH DIGITAL DONATIONS
London-based social startup Unify Giving is developing an app that will allow people to make digital contactless donations to the homeless community. For those wishing to make a donation, it will be as simple as tapping the homeless person’s RFID wristband on the street or by using the ‘Unify Sofa-Giving’ function in the app. People in emergency refuge situations or substandard housing can also receive donations through Unify, which will be stored safely on an individual profile linked to that recipient. Read more
A DIGITAL ADVERTISING PLATFORM THAT PAYS PEOPLE TO WATCH ADS
Advertising agency WeAre8 has come up with a plan to disrupt the digital ad industry through a platform that donates to charity and pays people to watch ads. The platform works via an app. People who want to participate download the app and can sign up to be notified when there is an ad they might be interested in. Users watch the ad, answer questions, and within 30 days anywhere from 5p-20p is deposited into their WeAre8 wallet. The money can then be used to pay a mobile phone bill, sent to a PayPal account, or donated to any of the more than 50 charities set up on the app. The agency uses a ‘sustainable ad buying engine’ and promises that 55 per cent of every pound advertisers spend will be shared with users and charities. Read more
Curated by: Matthew Hempstead
To keep up with the latest sustainable innovations, sign up to our free newsletters or email info@springwise.com to get in touch.
John Lennon famously called for the world to give peace a chance. But, in 2022, is that chance being given? It is hard to argue that it is. The world today is witnessing the largest number of violent conflicts since 1946, with a quarter of the world’s population living in conflict-affected countries. This has been underlined perhaps most starkly by widespread coverage of the first major European conflict since the second world war: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But wars are raging across the globe, with ongoing major conflicts (defined as those that have caused more than 10,000 deaths in the past year) in Yemen, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Mexico, and East Africa – in addition to Ukraine.
Elsewhere, progress is more evident. For example, the global homicide rate fell 5.2 per cent between 2015 and 2020. Despite this, many people around the world remain at risk of violence, with women particularly vulnerable.
And there remains work to be done in other areas covered by SDG 16, which calls for peace, justice, and strong institutions. Corruption continues to exist in every region on earth, costing developing countries $1.26 trillion each year. Access to legal representation is also far from universal, with a majority of the world’s population unable to gain meaningful access to justice.
In the face of these entrenched problems, it can sometimes be difficult to see how innovation can make a difference. But innovators across the globe are supporting the necessary institutional changes with solutions that improve transparency, security, and collaboration.
Ending violence
According to the World Economic Forum, the total cost of conflict and violence is more than $14 trillion per year. This includes violence within societies that are at peace, as well as those that are engaged in armed conflict. Women, in particular, are at risk, with almost one in three women suffering physical or sexual violence at least once in their life. In response, innovators are coming up with new ways to prevent and report crime. In the UK, a platform is making it easier to report sexual harassment on London’s public transport network. Meanwhile, a Danish startup has developed connected jewellery that sends an alert to all nearby users of the company’s app if the wearer feels unsafe.
Combatting corruption and money laundering
One of the most effective ways to combat issues like child trafficking, modern slavery, and terrorism is to cut off the financing of these activities. This funding can be substantial with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimating that the amount of money laundered each year is equivalent to between two and five per cent of global GDP. This money is used to fund a whole range of nefarious activities.
This is one area where technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) can make a significant contribution. For example, software company Lucinity has developed a suite of tools that use AI to help companies improve their anti-money laundering compliance. The company uses a ‘Human AI’ approach, which combines AI with human insights and expertise. Beyond technology, however, social enterprises have a role to play through investigative and policy work. For example, The Sentry conducts in-depth investigations to ensure that war crimes don’t pay. The organisation’s recent reports have exposed cases of corruption in Congo, Zimbabwe, and Sudan among many others.
Tackling misinformation
Strong democratic institutions require a healthy public discourse as well as widespread access to information. And innovators are working to prevent repressive regimes from restricting access to information and communication services. For example, Bridgefy’s messaging app, which doesn’t require Wi Fi or data, was downloaded over a million times during the 2021 military coup in Myanmar when internet services were disrupted.
Misinformation, which can be used to undermine faith in democratic institutions, is also an increasingly pervasive threat. Here too, innovators are playing their part. Social media tools developed by Indiana University’s Observatory on Social Media, help journalists, researchers and the public understand viral social media posts, including the role played by bots. Meanwhile an app, called the Newsroom, is hoping to counter fake news and disinformation by explaining how different publishers are covering the same event.
Access to justice
Legal equality is a foundational principle of liberal democracy and is considered a fundamental right in most countries around the world. However, access to legal representation in practice fails to live up to this ideal. For example, a 2019 study by the Task Force on Justice—a multi-stakeholder partnership bringing together UN member states, international organisations, and civil society—found that 5.1 billion people have no meaningful access to justice.
Spotted: Most farms use fertiliser. However, not only is fertiliser a major expense for farmers, its use can also be harmful to the environment. Ammonia, a main ingredient in commercial fertilisers takes a lot of energy to manufacture, most of which comes from burning fossil fuels. Fertilisers also release the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide into the atmospherewhen they are broken down by microbes. Biofertilisers are a more sustainable option. These contain living microorganisms that fix atmospheric nitrogen directly.
To help farmers make greater use of biofertilisers, Nitroterra technology has developed a system that allows farmers to make their own biofertilisers on site, tailoring the microorganisms to suit their precise needs. By continuously monitoring a farm’s soil properties, Nitroterra can also adjust the blends for different seasons, crop resiliency, nutrient density, and yield improvement goals.
Nitroterra first analyses each farms’ soil and uses the data to develop a customised biofertiliser recipe. This biofertiliser is then produced on-site using the company’s proprietary production unit. The modular design of the production unit allows multiple strains of microbes to be produced simultaneously. A single unit can also produce customised biofertilisers for different farms from a single site.
According to the company, biofertilisers are an important step in reversing the damage caused by the use of synthetic fertilisers. “A dramatic and urgent change in farming is needed to protect our soil system. Systematic overuse of synthetic fertilisers driven by the decades-long race for constant yield improvements pollutes soil, waterways, and air with toxic compounds and greenhouse gases, and intensifies effects of droughts and other adverse weather-driven hazards. Soil is losing its natural ability to recuperate and transfer nutrients to plants.”
Nitroterra is not the only company concerned about the environmental cost of synthetic fertiliser use. At Springwise, we have covered a number of innovations aimed at farming more sustainably. These include planting in a grid pattern to improve yields while using less herbicide, and using aquatic plants for food additives to reduce the need for plants that require fertiliser.
Spotted: Ear infections are caused by bacteria and fungi that become trapped in the ear canal. This can happen for a number of reasons and earbuds can exacerbate the problem, especially when they aren’t consistently cleaned. However, instead of causing infection, what if earbuds could detect early signs of infection? Researchers from University at Buffalo have found a way to make this possibility a reality.
The system is called EarHealth and it functions by sending a chirp through a healthy user via bluetooth earbuds. EarHealth then records how the chirp reverberates throughout the ear canals and creates a unique profile of each user’s ear. Geometries arising from subsequent chirps can be compared to the original profile to detect whether the ear canal’s geometry has changed.
In a study, which was published in June by the Association for Computing Machinery, the researchers reported that the AI-backed earbud system was 82.6 per cent accurate in spotting common ear infections caused by earwax blockage, ruptured ear drums, and otitis media.
Each of these three causes of ear infection have a unique audio signature that the EarHealth system can detect with fairly accurate results. Thus, the system is also capable of detecting the specific type of infection. The technology could be especially beneficial for children, who are more susceptible to ear infections than adults.
Springwise has spotted a number of innovations focused on using tech to detect health issues. These include AI-powered tools that can screen for chronic kidney disease using retina photos and a browser-based solution that provides more than 30 different health measurements by analysing selfie clips.
Spotted: Denim is the most commonly used fabric in the world, so fundamentally altering the production footprint of the industry is a massive step in improving global environmental health. California-based Huue replicates naturally occurring colour creation processes to build synthetic and sustainable versions for industrial use. Indigo is the company’s first colour due to its widespread use. And its first target is the denim industry.
Huue’s colours are built with sugar rather than toxic chemicals such as cyanide and formaldehyde. The company’s proprietary bioengineering process creates microbes that, when consuming sugar, make the desired colour.
Capable of being used as a direct replacement for the traditional dyes already found in production processes, Huue’s colours also reduce fossil fuel consumption. With 75 kilogrammes of petroleum required to produce a single kilogramme of traditional indigo dye, the use of Huue’s colours greatly reduces pollution. The lack of toxins in the new dyes also lessens water pollution as no chemical reducing agents are needed to dilute the liquids before releasing the waste.
Having recently raised more than $14 million in Series A funding, the company plans to expand its commercial production capabilities, seek out fashion industry partners, and explore additional opportunities in industries including cosmetics and food.
Other healthier, more sustainable colour innovations spotted by Springwise include a t-shirt cooloured using black algae that absorbs carbon, and a blue food colouring made from red cabbage that is suitable for use in food and drink.
Spotted: Generating oxygen in the unique environment of space is a resource-intensive challenge. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) need a steady supply of this vital element to breathe, but it’s not easy to come by in low gravity environments.
The current go-to method for oxygen generation involves running an electric current through water—which is made up of hydrogen and oxygen atoms—using an electrolyser. This process separates the hydrogen and oxygen causing bubbles of gas to form in the liquid. So far, so good, but the oxygen must then be extracted from the system. This is challenging in space where there is no buoyancy. On earth, gases bubble to the top of a liquid, but in zero-gravity, they remain suspended. NASA tackles this problem by using centrifuges to force the gas out, but these require so much mass and power that it wouldn’t make sense to use them on longer journeys such as a Mars mission.
Now, an international team of scientists from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Freie Universität Berlin in Germany has proposed a new way to generate oxygen using magnetism. The process they’ve developed could be a more efficient way to create oxygen for astronauts on long-term space missions.
Magnets are the key to the new technique, with the researchers showing that they can perform the same role as centrifuges in some cases. Their study, published in the journal Microgravity, demonstrated that gas bubbles can be ‘attracted to’ and ‘repelled from’ a simple neodymium magnet in microgravity. This can be achieved by immersing the magnet in different types of aqueous solution.
To demonstrate the technology in microgravity conditions on earth, the team conducted experiments at the Bremen Drop Tower in Germany. At the tower, a capsule containing the objects of an experiment is dropped 146 metres. This creates microgravity conditions for just under 5 seconds.
Other space-related innovations spotted by Springwise include robot factories that manufacture materials in space, a solar panel factory designed for use on Mars, and a new technique that allows for 3D printing in space.
Spotted: Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, remote working infrastructure has improved dramatically, while remote working practices have become culturally embedded within many organisations. Highly digitised industries saw the biggest adoption of remote working, with the OECD estimating that, on average, more than 50 per cent of high-tech workers worked from home during the pandemic. Indeed, Apple employees have become so used to remote working that a group of them have publicly pushed back against calls from top management to return to the office.
But what impact will increased acceptance of remote working have on the job market for tech? One possibility is that it will encourage more companies to outsource tasks to freelance developers in lower cost countries. But for Philadelphia-based startup Teilur, ‘outsourcing’ is a dirty word associated with short-term transactional relationships. Instead, the talent platform is focused on helping US tech startups build meaningful, long-term relationships with Latin American developers who share their mission and values.
What does this mean in practice? At the heart of Teilur’s platform is a network of over 400 pre-vetted growth marketers, data professionals, and software developers. US tech companies can dip into this pool of talent to find their next valued team member. Teilur then takes care of cumbersome administrative tasks such as international contract compliance and payroll. Crucially, for US firms, Latin America can provide workers who operate in the same timezone as their US-based counterparts, making collaboration easier. And to incentivise long-term relationships, candidates on the Teilur platform get paid salaries two to three times higher than what the big tech companies offer locally.
Teilur argues that its platform benefits both startups and developers. It claims that companies can save up to 60 per cent in salaries, while candidates receive better pay than is available elsewhere in their local market. Teilur is also committed to pricing transparency with a promise to never charge more than 25 per cent of what the hiring company pays for a candidate – a competitive rate in a market where agencies routinely charge up to 50 per cent. Teilur also pledges to only charge companies if they actually hire a candidate.
With a global talent gap looming on the horizon, Springwise is spotting a number of talent tech innovations such as a language-learning app that connects candidates from marginalised groups with employers in the digital economy, and an AI-powered training platform that predicts future skills gaps.
Wildfires have long been a persistent threat in certain parts of the world. But until recently, most people would associate them with regions such as California and Australia. In 2022, however, the news cycle has been filled with stories of wildfires in parts of the world that are less used to dealing with them. In the EU, forest fires have burned a record 700,000 hectares, with Spain, Romania, France, and Italy the countries most affected. In fact, 2022 is already a record year for wildfires in Southwestern Europe. Meanwhile, in China, emergency responders are battling blazes around the city of Chongqing.
Studies are linking increasing levels of fire risk in Europe with climate change. And ‘traditional’ fire regions are also facing more intense fire seasons. The worst recorded fire season in the recorded history of New South Wales, Australia, was in 2019/2020, and California’s worst fire season was also in 2020.
With climate change exacerbating wildfires across the globe, innovators are developing solutions to mitigate their impact. Here are five of the best.
ROBOT FOREST RANGERS PLANT TREES, CLEAR PATHS AND GATHER DATA
Rikko, Chunk, and Dixon are three ‘Forest Ranger Druids’ created by industrial design student Segev Kaspi. Currently in the concept stage, each of the robots has a specific set of tasks and skills. The idea is to deploy teams of the robot forest rangers across many kilometres of forest, for regular maintenance as well as in emergency situations. Finding the source of a new forest fire, for example, could help firefighters act faster to contain a dangerous situation. Read more
THE WORLD’S LARGEST REAL-TIME MONITORING NETWORK FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS
Australian technology firm Attentis has developed a network of intelligent sensors that provide local officials and emergency response teams with data that can be used to improve responses to climate change impacts – such as floods and bushfires. The sensors are powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning from analytics company SAS, and are capable of automatically detecting and responding to changes in their surroundings. Attentis has used the sensors to create an integrated, high-speed network. Named the Latrobe Valley Information Network (LVIN), it is the world’s largest real-time environmental monitoring network. Read more
NEW DRILLING MACHINE QUICKLY AND ECONOMICALLY CUTS THROUGH THE HARDEST ROCKS IN THE WORLD
San Francisco-based company Petra has successfully completed a 20-foot demonstration tunnel through the Earth’s hardest rock. The company’s semi-autonomous drilling machine, named Swifty, is able to cut through hard bedrock that would destroy normal drilling equipment. Swifty was designed to make underground utility lines more economically viable given that above-ground power lines have contributed to a succession of Californian wildfires. Read more
AI MAPPING TOOL HELPS CALIFORNIA FIREFIGHTERS TRACK BURN RISK
More than three million acres of land burned in California during the 2020 fire season. As climate change continues to have an impact on the natural ebb and flow of the area’s fires, The California Forest Observatory is using AI satellite imaging combined with detailed laser scanning to monitor the current risk of forest wildfires. Previously, most satellite data was up to three years old. The combined data provides detail down to the level of individual trees and allows firefighting teams to observe vegetation growth while tracking current weather conditions. Read more
Fighting wildfires usually involves the use of heavy equipment and dangerous flights. Drones could be the answer Most electric drones currently in use can only fly for around fifteen minutes when carrying payloads, while gas-powered drones can fly for longer, but can’t carry heavy cargo. Parallel Flight Technologies is hoping to change this by developing commercial drones capable of carrying equipment heavy enough to help firefighters. Read more
Curated by: Matthew Hempstead
To keep up with the latest sustainable innovations, sign up to our free newsletters or email info@springwise.com to get in touch.
