Innovations Archives

Five innovations for the future of vaccines

The world now has vaccines for more than 20 different life-threatening diseases. And according to the World Health Organization (WHO), immunisation prevents between 3.5 million and 5 million deaths from illnesses such as tetanus, diphtheria, measles and influenza, each and every year.

The coronavirus pandemic has further proven the value of vaccines, with 19.8 million deaths estimated to have been averted in the first year of global COVID-19 vaccination programmes.

But while immunisation has been a success story in world health, there is still a lot of work to do, and new technology is constantly under development.

For example, while the COVID-19 vaccination programme has been successful, the broader disruptions caused by the pandemic have led to a fall in coverage for other diseases, with an estimated 25 million children under the age of 1 year not receiving basic vaccines in 2021 – the highest number since 2009.

This pandemic-driven setback has inspired the theme for World Immunization Week 2023: ‘The Big Catch-Up.’ World Immunization Week is celebrated in the last week of April each year, and the WHO-backed event aims to highlight the collective action needed to protect people through vaccinations.

To celebrate the event, we highlight some of the most cutting-edge vaccine technologies, as well as other innovations improving access to vaccines around the world.

Many people around the world have a phobia of needles, which makes the prospect of a vaccine jab daunting. But what if there was another way to deliver vaccines – one that doesn’t involve needles? Today, there are several startups exploring this possibility. Among them is Vaxxas, a company that has developed a patch that contains thousands of vaccine-coated microprojections. This patch is applied to the skin for a few seconds to deliver a dose of vaccine, and the company claims that this technology is not only needle-free but can enhance a vaccine’s performance. This is because the patch delivers the vaccine directly to the high concentration of immune cells immediately beneath the skin, while sounding the immune system’s ‘alarm bells’ so that the vaccine’s components are quickly transported to the lymph nodes. Vaxxas currently has patches for COVID-19 and seasonal flu undergoing stage I clinical trials. Find out more

Photo credit: Ryan Allen from Second Bay Studios

Vaxxas is not the only company working to deliver vaccines through patches. In fact, microneedle patches are in development for many diseases including measles, polio, and rubella. And now, researchers at MIT have developed a way to leverage this technology to get vaccines to more people, including in hard-to-reach areas. Their solution: mobile printers that can produce hundreds of vaccine patches per day. The printers fit onto a table top and can be transported anywhere around the world – wherever vaccines are needed. The ability to produce vaccines on demand could resolve a key poblem impacting vaccine roll-outs. Vaccines need to be stored at cold temperatures, meaning they are difficult to transport and stockpile. But instead of shipping around vaccine doses, the new mobile printers could be sent to locations like refugee camps or remote villages in response to disease outbreaks. Find out more

Like all organisms, pathogens – microbes that cause disease – are constantly evolving. And because most vaccines today are designed to target a particular part of a pathogen, this can make vaccines ineffective, sometimes after a short period of time. To tackle this, startup Baseimmune deploys deep learning to predict the direction in which pathogens are likely to evolve. This enables the company to create vaccines that stay ahead of the evolutionary curve. Using the algorithm-crunched data, Baseimmune creates ‘pick and mix’ antigens – substances that cause your immune system to create antibodies – that target multiple parts of a pathogen. This gives the immune system all the tools it needs to recognise and protect against a pathogen – even as it evolves. Today, the company’s pipeline includes vaccines for African Swine Fever, COVID-19, and Malaria, all of which are in the preclinical stage of development. Find out more

To be effective, vaccines rely on the human immune system recognising foreign proteins called antigens. These antigens are harmless, but they induce the body to react as it would to the presence of a pathogen, prompting it to create specific antibodies that will be effective against an actual disease. One of the best ways to introduce antigens to the body is to bind them to a harmless virus-like particle. This approach creates a very strong immune response, but it is difficult to create these bonds in a reliable and controlled way. This is where startup SpyBiotech comes in. The company takes a protein from a species of bacteria and splits it in two. Half of the bacteria protein binds to the virus-like particle and half to the antigen. The two halves are then joined back together in a covalent bond that acts like molecular ‘superglue’. As a result, the virus-like particle can be fully covered in antigens to create effective vaccines. The technology can be adjusted to work with a range of different vaccine candidates. The company’s current focus is on a vaccine candidate for Human Cytomegalovirus, which is due to enter phase I trials in 2023. Find out more

In the hit TV show The Last of Us the world is inflicted by a deadly fungal infection, modelled – with some creative licence – on the cordyceps fungus. While the show is fiction – and fungal infections do not turn people into staggering zombies – fungal infections are responsible for around 1.5 million deaths each year, mostly in people with suppressed immune systems. As the show notes, there is currently no vaccine for fungal infections, but a team at the University of Georgia is looking to change this. The researchers’ have designed a vaccine candidate that is designed to shield against the three most common causes of fungal infections: Aspergillus, Candida, and Pneumocystis. Together, these three types of fungus are responsible for more than 80 per cent of fungal fatalities. The vaccine uses the KEX1 peptide – a short chain of amino acids – which can disrupt fungal growth. In animal trials, the vaccine showed “broad, cross-protective antifungal immunity,” and there are plans to move forward to phase I trials. Read more

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

For more innovations, head to the Springwise Innovation Library.

Reference

Sustainable News

Three innovations for the future of travel and tourism

By Zarkon Group,12/04/2023

Now is the time of year when many start thinking about our summer holidays. Travel has long been associated with escapism and disconnection as well as adventure and discovery. But, in 20 years’ time, as the world becomes more connected and crowded, how will holidaymakers find the respite they seek? And, just as importantly, how can we feed this human desire without damaging the planet – especially given that tourism-related transport alone is expected to account for 5.3 per cent of global CO2 emissions by 2030? To find out we asked some of the world’s leading futurists in our Future 2043 report.

For alternative futurist Gus Balbontin, in 2043: “We will need more and more true disconnection and it will get harder to come by,” while “fewer and fewer places on earth will feel truly like we are exploring foreign cultures.” At the same time, changes in pricing, access, and consumer decision-making will change how we travel and think about our impact. “Perhaps more people will decide to leave the Antarctic alone and experience it via a documentary or with a pair of VR goggles,” he speculates.

While, today, tourism is often associated with consumerism and environmentally damaging behaviour, will the tourists of the future be cut from the same cloth? Anne Skare Nielsen, co-founder of Universal Futurist thinks not. “While the tourist of 2023 was often the worst version of ourselves, travellers in 2043 will be idealists, less concerned with taking home a stone from a beach and more focused on giving back,” she argues, suggesting that, “we’ll go diving to not just enjoy the sights, but to restore a coral reef.”

Tourism is an important industry for many developing countries, so we can’t simply stop travelling altogether, and innovations in sustainable travel are therefore extremely important. Here are three of the best recently spotted by Springwise.

There is a now a new way to stay hydrated when visiting Venice’s historic streets and waterways. Visitors to the island can use a map and an app to find a fountain of fresh water near their location. Each fountain is unique and provides a glorious mix of design and location. The map encourages people to carry their own personal water bottles and forego the disposable plastic versions whenever possible. The Venice Tap Water website lists all currently available fountains within the city and on the surrounding islands. There are nearly 200 listed, making it often only a matter of a few steps to find safe drinking water. Water distribution company Veritas provides detailed water quality information for the area, alongside a map of public restrooms in the city. Read more

Rivers are some of the most idyllic, and valuable, natural environments on earth, and this beauty naturally attracts the attention of tourists. While river tourism bolsters local economies and creates an incentive to preserve natural waterways, traditional fossil fuel tourist vessels create emissions of carbon dioxide and air pollutants. Moreover, gas or oil leaks from motorboats and sailboats with engines can contaminate water. And from the tourists’ own point of view, the peace and tranquillity of a river scene is often soured by the noise and vibrations of a chugging engine. But what if there was a way to address these problems? Croatia has some of the most beautiful rivers and lakes in Europe, and Croatian startup iCat has developed a solar-powered passenger catamaran that enables tourists, and others, to enjoy the scenery in a more sustainable way. Read more

Based in France, Murmuration is focused on sustainable tourism and has recently announced the launch of Flockeo – a community platform that allows travellers to choose sustainable destinations. The Flockeo platform is inspired by the European Commission’s ETIS indicator system, which assesses the sustainability of tourism destinations. By combining satellite and statistical data, Flockeo provides users with information on environmental, social, and economic indicators. This data can be used to evaluate the sustainability of a destination and make informed decisions about where to travel. Read more

Want to discover more about what the world will look like in 2043? Download our free Future 2043 report which draws on the insights of 20 of the world’s leading futurists. For more innovations, head to the Springwise Innovation Library.

Reference

Sustainable News

Three innovations for the future of transport

By Zarkon Group,16/02/2023

The most obvious recent development in transport has been the ongoing shift in how we power our vehicles. And although the roll-out of electric vehicles (EVs) has been uneven – with China, the US, and Europe leading the way – significant progress has been made. In fact, in 2022, the world passed a key milestone, with EVs making up 10 per cent of all new cars sold. EVs are also one of the few areas where the International Energy Agency deems the world to be on track to meet its net zero 2050 scenario.

However, although there remains some way to go before all cars on the road are electric – if indeed that point is ever reached – EVs are in some ways old news. As Susan Cox-Smith, a partner and director at Changeist puts it: “The tipping point for electric vehicles has already been hit.”

For our Future 2043 Report, we took a much longer view when asking the world’s leading futurists how we will move around in the year 2043. Will the idea of the personal or family car still be around in 20 years’ time – even if we wean our vehicles off fossil fuels? Well, in Cox-Smith’s view: “full ownership will probably decline as micro-rentals and shared vehicles become the norm.”

So if the car owner is out, what about the driver? Will autonomous vehicles – long predicted by technologists – be accepted by the mainstream? And what will this mean for our legal and ethical systems?

“Ethically and psychologically, I see driverless cars as a major step towards redefining a shift in social responsibility, that will likely have repercussions for other industries from medicine to food,” explains creative technologist Jude Pullen.

How we will move around in the future is one of the big unanswered questions. But, in the meantime, discover three innovations that might provide us with a clue. Will we even do away with roads Back to the Future style?

SOLAR-POWERED TUK-TUKS COULD BE COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU

Increasingly, those interested in city planning and energy saving have been pointing out that it just doesn’t make sense to transport people or smaller amounts of goods around urban areas in traditional vehicles – even EVs. Cars are large, heavy, and energy-intensive. Startup Infinite Mobility has developed an alternative – a solar-powered tuk-tuk designed for last-mile deliveries, or to efficiently carry just one or two people. Read more

STARTUP PLANS TO CREATE A WORLDWIDE NETWORK OF FLYING TAXI AND CARGO DRONE HUBS

The urban air mobility market is on the up, with forecasts predicting it could reach $1 trillion in the next 20 years. From flying taxis to delivery drones, emerging technologies have the potential to transform how people and goods move around cities, by-passing congested road transport systems by – literally – rising above them. To date, most of the investment has gone into the development of flying vehicles themselves. But a lack of ground infrastructure remains a limitation on the mass roll-out of these vehicles. To fill this infrastructure gap, UK-based Urban-Air Port intends to build 200 advanced air transport hubs – called ‘vertiports’ – around the world. Read more

ELECTRIC FLYING CAR COMPLETES PUBLIC EXHIBITION FLIGHT

Flying cars are becoming a reality. China’s XPENG mobility technology experts recently completed a public flight of the electric flying car XPENG X2 at an event at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The zero-emission vehicle is a two-seater car that uses vertical lift-off and landing to transition from road travel to air. Designed specifically for the complexities of urban driving, the X2 flies at low altitude and can be driven manually or autonomously. Read more

Reference

Sustainable News

Three innovations shaping the future of healthcare

By Zarkon Group,08/02/2023

Health is one area where humanity has made impressive progress over the past century. Since 1900, the global average life expectancy has more than doubled. And even over the past twenty years, we have seen continuous improvements in key health metrics. For example, between 2000 and 2019, global life expectancy increased by more than six years.

The past 20 years have also seen a range of extraordinary medical breakthroughs from effective HIV treatments and targeted cancer therapies to nanomedicines and the mapping of the human genome. Meanwhile, tech innovators are becoming serious about the possibility of tackling the ageing process itself, investing increasingly vast sums of money in the field. For example, in 2022, startup Altos raised $3 billion in funding to conduct anti-ageing research.

There are clearly reasons to be optimistic about the future of human health. However, the futurists we consulted for our Future 2043 report struck a note of caution, reminding us that pitfalls remain. “Unfortunately, I predict the world will be less healthy in developed nations, as we aren’t addressing primary prevention,” explains Hugh Montgomery, OBE, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at University College London. “The budget for treating an escalating number of increasingly sick people won’t be there, and the drivers for non-communicable diseases (which include a lack of active transport, diets comprising ultra-processed foods, and poor air quality) are sustained,” he adds.

Meanwhile, Biofuturist Melissa Sterry warns that: “In 2043, the threat of another pandemic (or multiple pandemics) will likely continue to loom large.” She adds that: “While medical advances could help in the early identification of pandemic threats, many of the issues we have seen with COVID-19 are likely to persist.”

Despite these challenges – or perhaps because of them – we expect to see increasing levels of healthcare innovation. Discover below, three innovations that could indicate the direction of travel for human health technology.

Photo source Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and GigXR

Medical students at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge no longer need to rely on actors for some of their training. Using holograms and mixed reality accessed via headsets, students and doctors interact in real-time to adjust treatments and assess severity of illness for a range of digital patients. Called HoloScenarios, the programme was developed by the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust using technology developed by GigXR. Students move about the space treating patients for common respiratory ailments, including pneumonia, anaphylaxis, and pulmonary embolism. Read more

Cell biologist Dr Leila Strickland came up with the idea for BIOMILQ while she was breastfeeding her own newborn. Struggling to produce enough milk, she turned to formula. Although the choice was the right one, she also realised that it was not ideal, as formula does not have the perfect nutritional composition for babies. Eleven years later, Strickland worked out how to culture breast cells in a lab and collect the milk they secrete. Read more

Researchers at Brown University have developed a material that responds to the presence of bacteria by releasing encapsulated medication. Although still in the research stages, the material could lead to the development of wound dressings that deliver medication only when it is needed. This, in turn, could reduce the use of antibiotics and the growth of antibiotic-resistant infections. Read more

Reference

Sustainable News

Three innovations revolutionising food production

By Zarkon Group,26/01/2023

When it comes to food, the world faces a two-pronged challenge. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, by 2050 we will need to produce 60 per cent more food to feed a world population of 9.3 billion. At the same time, food systems cause 25 to 30 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and this figure rises to around one-third when we include all agricultural products.

We therefore not only need to produce more food – we also need to build a more sustainable food supply chain. As a result, by 2043, we are likely to produce food in a very different way. To shed some light on the topic, we asked some of the world’s leading futurists a simple question: what will we eat in 2043?

“The biggest impact on what we eat will be the personalisation of our diets,” explains food futurist Tony Hunter. “As we continue to explore our genetics and microbiome, we’ll come to understand just how individual we are in our nutritional responses to food,” he adds.

Hunter also argues that, “By 2043, we’ll have a range of new protein and other food products unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.” However, Christophe Pelletier, founder of The Food Futurist, is more skeptical in his assessment. According to him, “The future of food comes down to three boring but important aspects: price, the ability of food businesses to control costs, and the level of management skills of the business leadership.” In his assessment, “alternative protein producers come quite short on all three counts.”

So, will we be tucking into a whole host of exotic new proteins for our Wednesday lunch in 2043? Only time will tell. In the meantime, discover three innovations that represent the cutting edge of food innovation today.

‘ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS’ COULD BE THE FUTURE OF FOOD

Through photosynthesis, plants convert water, carbon dioxide, and energy from sunlight into sugars that they use to grow biomass. This process has been the basis of the food chain for millions of years, yet it is surprisingly inefficient. In fact, only about one per cent of the energy found in sunlight actually ends up in the plant. Now, scientists at the University of California Riverside have found a way to improve on mother nature by bypassing biological photosynthesis entirely. Read more

WORLD’S LARGEST VERTICAL MYCELIUM FARM SCALES UP PRODUCTION OF ALTERNATIVE BACON

It only takes MyForest Foods 12 days to grow an entire crop of mycelium, with the harvesting taking only a single day. Such rapid growth is made possible by the simulated forest inside Swersey Silos, the company’s newly expanded growing facilities in New York. The vertical farm contains seven growing rooms with just under two acres of total farm space. Read more

Photo source Olga Kudriavtseva on Unsplash

UPCYCLING BARLEY BYPRODUCTS INTO HIGH-PROTEIN FLOUR

Seoul-based food upcycling startup RE:Harvest has created a new flour alternative made from upcycled barley from the production of beer and sikhye – a traditional sweet Korean beverage. The company says that its powder is not only more sustainable than traditional flour, but that it also has a higher protein content. The company is currently working on scaling up its production so that it can meet the demand from both domestic and international customers – as well as expanding their byproduct sourcing. Read more

Reference

Sustainable News

Six material innovations aimed at slashing concrete’s carbon footprint

By Zarkon Group,21/10/2022

After Seratech’s carbon-neutral cement won the 2022 Obel Award, Dezeen has rounded up six ways in which researchers are working to decarbonise concrete – the single most polluting building material in the world.

Currently, concrete’s key ingredient cement is responsible for around eight per cent of global emissions, surpassing all other materials except oil, gas and coal.

But as the world – and the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) – race to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of climate change, a growing number of material innovations are emerging to tackle concrete’s carbon footprint.

Mostly, these focus on finding low-carbon substitutes for cement, making use of everything from algae-grown limestone to olivine – an abundant mineral that can absorb its own mass in carbon dioxide.

But none of these alternatives is currently available at the necessary scale to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century, according to Cambridge University engineering professor Julian Allwood.

“Despite the enormous range of innovations in cement that are being publicised, there are no substitutes with all the same performance characteristics and scale as Portland cement,” Allwood said in a speech at the Built Environment Summit.

To help buy the construction industry time to scale up viable alternatives, other researchers are looking at slashing the embodied carbon footprint of buildings by developing clever construction techniques to reduce the amount of concrete needed in their construction.

Below, we’ve rounded up six of the most innovative projects across both approaches:

Seratech carbon-neutral concrete wins Obel Award 2022 — Photo is by Helene Sandberg

Seratech by Sam Draper and Barney Shanks

London start-up Seratech has developed a way of creating carbon-neutral concrete, which involves replacing up to 40 per cent of its cement content with a type of silica made from captured industrial emissions and the carbon-absorbing mineral olivine.

All of the emissions associated with the remaining cement are offset by the CO2 that is sequestered by the silica, the company claims, which would make the material overall carbon neutral.

The cement substitute is both low-cost and easy to scale, Seratech says, because it can be integrated seamlessly into existing production processes and because olivine is an abundant material – unlike other cement substitutes like ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS).

Find out more about Seratech ›

Cube of concrete made with algae-grown limestone — Photo courtesy of Glenn Asakawa and the University of Colorado

Biogenic Limestone by Minus Materials

Taking a more experimental approach, researchers from the University of Colorado in Boulder have found a way to make cement using limestone that was grown by algae through photosynthesis, rather than limestone that was mined from the earth.

When this “biogenic limestone” is burned to make cement, it will only emit as much carbon as the microalgae drew down from the atmosphere during its growth, which researchers say makes the process carbon neutral.

If the ground limestone, which is typically added to the cement mixture as a filler, is also replaced with the algae-grown alternative the material could even be carbon negative, as the carbon stored in the aggregate would be sequestered instead of burned.

Supported by a $3.2 million (£2.7 million) grant from the US Department of Energy, the researchers are now working to scale up their manufacturing capabilities, while lowing the price of the material by also using the coccolithophores microalgae to make more expensive items like cosmetics, biofuels and food.

Find out more about Biogenic Limestone ›

Paul Shepherd stands atop the ACORN vaulted concrete floor prototype at the University of Cambridge — Photo courtesy of ACORN

Concrete vaulted flooring by ACORN

As part of the ACORN project, researchers from the universities of Bath, Cambridge and Dundee have developed a thin-shell vaulted flooring system, which can be used to replace traditional solid floor slabs while using 75 per cent less concrete to carry the same load.

This resulted in an estimated 60 per cent reduction in carbon emissions for the team’s first full-scale demo project, built inside Cambridge University’s Civil Engineering Department.

“Since concrete is the world’s most widely consumed material after water […] the easiest way for construction to begin its journey to net-zero is to use less concrete,” said ACORN principal investigator Paul Shepherd from Bath’s Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering.

Made using an automated manufacturing system and a six-axis robot, the flooring also functions completely without reinforcements, eliminating the need for emissions-intensive steel rebar.

Find out more about concrete vaulted floors ›

Concrete masonry unit by Carbicrete — Photo courtesy of Carbicrete

Carbicrete by McGill University

Montreal-based Carbicrete is among a number of companies making use of waste slag from the steel industry to completely eliminate the need for cement in the concrete production process.

Instead of the water used in traditional concrete production, this cement substitute is then cured with captured CO2 from factory flues, which is sequestered in the material to make it carbon neutral.

However, this process can so far only be used to make precast panels and concrete masonry units. And due to the limited amount of steel slag produced every year – around 250 million tonnes compared to four billion tons of cement – Carbicrete could only be used to meet a fraction of the demand.

Find out more about Carbicrete ›

Sea Stone by Newtab-22

On a smaller scale, London design studio Newtab-22 has developed a concrete-like material made using waste seashells from the food industry, which are ground up and combined with a patent-pending mix of natural binders such as agar.

Called Sea Stone, the resulting material looks strikingly similar to real concrete since the oyster and mussel shells it contains are made from calcium carbonate, otherwise known as limestone – a key ingredient in cement.

But as the material is not fired, it lacks the strength and durability of real concrete and is restricted to non-structural applications, including surfaces such as tabletop and tiles as well as plinths and vases.

Find out more about Sea Stone ›

FoamWork by ETH Zurich

Another technique for using less concrete comes from researchers at ETH Zurich, who have developed a system of 3D-printed formwork elements. Made from recyclable mineral foam, these can be placed inside the moulds used to make pre-cast concrete panels, creating a pattern of hollow cells throughout the slab.

The formwork creates an internal geometry, which was optimised to reinforce the panel along its principal stress lines and provides the necessary strength to create everything from walls to entire roofs, while drastically reducing the amount of concrete needed in the process.

This creates panels that are lighter and use 70 per cent less material. And after curing, the mineral foam can either be left in place to provide insulation or endlessly recycled to create new formwork elements, which ETH Zurich says makes the process potentially zero waste.

Find out more about FoamWork ›

Reference

Sustainable News

Five space-based innovations – Springwise

By Zarkon Group,18/10/2022

World Space Week is a United Nations-endorsed celebration of the contribution of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition. Held between the 4th and 10th October, the theme in 2022 was ‘Space and Sustainability’. This looked at the issue from two perspectives. The first is the sustainability of space – particularly how we use the orbital area around our planet. The second is sustainability from space – how space-based technology can contribute to sustainability on earth.

Space has long been associated with large publicly funded organisations such as NASA. But, increasingly, innovators of all shapes and sizes are entering the field – and it’s not just SpaceX or Virgin Galactic. Discover five space-based innovations that are having a positive impact on this planet and beyond.

RESEARCHERS COMPLETE ON-THE-GROUND TESTS OF SPACE POWER STATION TECHNOLOGIES

A complete system of space solar power technologies has passed testing by researchers from China’s Xidian University. The scientists proved the concept of converting solar power captured in space to electricity and then wirelessly transmitting the power as microwaves. Once received by a station, the microwaves are re-converted back to electricity and added to the local power grid. The full-system test, which was conducted on the ground, successfully transmitted renewable energy across 55 metres and proved the effectiveness of many of the components of the mechanical design. Read more

A SOLAR PANEL FACTORY DESIGNED FOR EARTH AND BEYOND

With current technology, it would take a minimum of 260 days to reach Mars. That is a long way to go – and given the cost of transportation, humans who plan to colonise the Red Planet must be able to fabricate a lot of what they need on-site. One thing colonists are going to need is energy, and startup Maana Electric is working on a system to deliver it. The company has developed an automated factory that produces solar panels out of sand – and which could also see a lot of use here on earth. Read more

ROBOT FACTORIES TO MANUFACTURE MATERIALS IN SPACE

For decades now, astronauts and scientists have been conducting experiments in space. These have demonstrated that a number of materials, such as ZBLAN fibre optics, are of much higher quality when produced in ‘microgravity’ – a term to describe the very low levels of gravity experienced in an orbiting spacecraft. Now, space tech startup Space Forge has raised funding to deploy satellites for manufacturing materials such as new alloys, medicines, and semiconductors in orbit. Read more

SATELLITE IMAGERY HELPS FARMERS USE FEWER CHEMICALS

Canadian space data company Wyvern has recently received government funding to complete the launch of the company’s DragonEye satellite. Dedicated to improving environmental health by harnessing the power of satellite imagery, the company is working to complete the first use of its unfolding space cameras. DragonEye satellites use hyperspectral imaging to provide users with unparalleled detail in near-to-real time. Read more

SPACE DEBRIS TRACKING SYSTEM HELPS PREVENT COLLISIONS

Historically, the race to space has focused on getting teams and countries into orbit, with far fewer resources dedicated to cleaning up after missions. Just as climate change was ignored by many for decades, so too was debris in space. With space traffic growing rapidly, there is now a growing need for the development of another aspect of exploration – tracking the rubbish left behind in order to prevent dangerous collisions. Portugal’s Neuraspace, part of the European Space Agency’s Business Incubator programme, recently raised €2.5 million to bring its intelligent monitoring platform to market. The AI-based platform analyses millions of historical flight paths to identify high-risk areas. 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.

Reference

Sustainable News

Ten food innovations to reduce the carbon impact of our diets

By Zarkon Group,15/09/2022

Following the recent news about an avocado alternative called Ecovado, here is a roundup of 10 innovations that aim to reduce the carbon impact of the food industry and our diets.

The global food system, including the actions that take food from farm to plate such as transportation and production, is estimated to contribute 30 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions, with over half of those a result of livestock agriculture.

In the past few years, designers have come up with numerous ideas for reducing food-related emissions as part of the global effort to slow climate change.

These innovations include developing alternatives to meat and other energy and resource-intensive foods, as well as creating more sustainable food production processes.

Read on for 10 designs that seek to decarbonise the food industry:

Ecovado by Arina Shokouhi

Central Saint Martins graduate Arina Shokouhi invented an avocado alternative named Ecovado, designed to break people away from purchasing the resource-intensive imported food.

“Avocados are one of the most unsustainable crops to export because of their delicate, easy-to-bruise nature, and the plantation-style monoculture farms required to meet the global demand for avocados are driving the deforestation of some of the most diverse landscapes in the world,” said Shokouhi.

The alternative contains a green, creamy, avocado-like foodstuff that is made from a combination of ingredients local to its country. It is packaged in a replica avocado skin formed from wax.

Find out more about Ecovado ›

Air Meat by Air Protein

Californian startup Air Protein has created a meat alternative titled Air Meat, made from microbes that turn recycled carbon dioxide into protein. The product aims to replicate the flavour and texture of real meat products.

With beef generating 70 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions for every kilogram produced, Air Meat was developed in an attempt to tackle the negative climate impact of the agricultural industry.

Find out more about Air Meat ›

Solein by Solar Foods

Solein is a protein-rich food made from electricity, air and water laced with bacteria. It was created by food-tech startup Solar Foods in collaboration with the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the Lappeenranta University of Technology.

The food does not require land or large quantities of water to produce, both of which contribute significantly to the agricultural industry’s emissions, with the company claiming it has potential to “remove the climate impact of food systems on the planet”.

“Solein does not reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere directly, but the indirect effect is that we need about one-tenth of the land compared to photosynthesis,” Solar Foods CEO Pasi Vainikka explained in an interview last year with Dezeen.

Find out more about Solein ›

Spira by Rob Russell

Rob Russell, a 2019 product design graduate of the University of Leeds, designed this countertop Spira device that can harvest microalgae daily. The device can produce two tablespoons of fresh, nutrient-dense spirulina each day.

This small amount constitutes a recommended daily serving, which the designer suggests adding to sauces, smoothies or salads.

“Home-cultivated spirulina combats the four contributors of food-related greenhouse-gas emissions – production, transport, cooking and waste disposal,” said Russell.

Find out more about Spira ›

Lab-grown meat by Eat Just

In 2020, the Singapore Food Agency deemed Eat Just’s lab-grown, cultured chicken safe for human consumption. The US startup’s product is known as a clean meat, meaning it does not consist of dead animals but instead uses cells harvested from live animals that are grown and cultured into meat.

East Just explained that the cultured chicken has an “extremely low and significantly cleaner” microbiological content when compared to real chicken, which can contain bacteria from the gut, skin and feet of the poultry.

Find out more about Eat Just’s lab-grown meat ›

Dissolvable ramen packaging by Holly Grounds

Product design student Holly Grounds developed an edible, flavourless biofilm that is seasoned with herbs and flavourings to replace the multiple plastic sachets which typically accompany packets of instant noodles.

The dissolvable ramen packaging is made from a handful of ingredients including potato starch, glycerin and water. The biofilm seals the noodles and prevents the food from becoming stale but dissolves in less than a minute when put into contact with water.

Find out more about Grounds’ dissolvable ramen packaging ›

Strøm by Charlotte Böhning and Mary Lempre

Charlotte Böhning and Mary Lempres of studio Doppelgänger designed a collection of carbon water filters that are developed without fossil fuels and from their own kitchen waste.

The four-item range includes a substitute for Brita filter cartridges, purifying sticks and a self-cleaning pitcher and carafe. Traditional water filters are comprised of activated carbon within plastic cartridges typically derived from non-renewable energy sources.

“While carbon filtration immobilises harmful contaminants, the plastic cartridge’s only function is to hold the activated carbon,” Lempres told Dezeen. “Meanwhile, sourcing, manufacturing and injection-moulding the polypropylene are the largest contributors to the filter’s impact.”

Find out more about Strøm ›

Zero by PriestmanGoode

Multi-disciplinary design practice PriestmanGoode developed a concept for an incentive-based food delivery system that could encourage consumers to use and return bioplastic containers to takeaway restaurants.

The concept was created to discourage the use of single-use plastic for fast food boxes and bags. If put into widespread production, the containers and bag would be constructed from sustainable materials such as cocoa bean shells, mycelium and pineapple husks.

The boxes would have a bento-style stacking system, removing the need for individual lids as boxes would be placed on top of the other.

Find out more about Zero ›

An Egg Without a Chicken by Annie Larkins

Around 36 million eggs are eaten per day in the UK alone, produced by highly intensive farming processes.

Central Saint Martins graduate Annie Larkins developed an unusually shaped alternative to chicken eggs made from pea protein, salt and algae-derived acid.

The designer altered the shape of the egg alternative, creating elongated and cubic forms, but looked to replicate the food’s white, yolk and shell, all of which were created from plant-based ingredients.

“Human desire to consume meat and animal products runs deep in cultures globally, and having an alternative that allows for an easy switch to plant-based products seems like a good thing to me,” said Larkins.

Find out more about An Egg Without a Chicken ›

3D-printed food products by Elzelinde van Doleweerd

Elzelinde van Doleweerd collaborated with a China-based technology company to develop food products 3D-printed from leftover food. The innovation was a result of Van Doleweerd’s final project during her industrial design degree at the Eindhoven University of Technology.

The designer began exploring 3D-printed food after learning that one-third of food produced worldwide is wasted. She used mashed, ground and sieved fruit peels, bread and rice to create the mixture, which is then printed to create 2D geometric patterns and 3D shapes.

Find out more about Van Doleweerd’s 3D-printed food products ›

Reference

Sustainable News

Five innovations helping charities – Springwise

By Zarkon Group,31/08/2022

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

Photo source Roxanne Desgagnes on Unsplash

A DECENTRALISED NFT MARKETPLACE FOR GOOD CAUSES

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.

31st August 2022

Reference

Sustainable News

Five innovations tackling wildfires – Springwise

By Zarkon Group,24/08/2022

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

Photo source California Forest Observatory

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

Photo source Parallel Flight Technologies

HYBRID DRONE FOR CARRYING FIRE-FIGHTING EQUIPMENT

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.

24th August 2022

Reference

Innovations

Five innovations for the future of vaccines

Three innovations for the future of travel and tourism

Three innovations for the future of transport

Three innovations shaping the future of healthcare

Three innovations revolutionising food production

Six material innovations aimed at slashing concrete’s carbon footprint

Five space-based innovations – Springwise

Ten food innovations to reduce the carbon impact of our diets

Five innovations helping charities – Springwise

KIOSKS ENCOURAGE VULNERABLE PEOPLE TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON SERVICES

A DECENTRALISED NFT MARKETPLACE FOR GOOD CAUSES

NONPROFIT SEARCH ENGINE DONATES 80 PER CENT OF PROFITS TO OTHER NONPROFITS

APP CONNECTS DONORS TO THE HOMELESS THROUGH DIGITAL DONATIONS

A DIGITAL ADVERTISING PLATFORM THAT PAYS PEOPLE TO WATCH ADS

Five innovations tackling wildfires – Springwise

ROBOT FOREST RANGERS PLANT TREES, CLEAR PATHS AND GATHER DATA

THE WORLD’S LARGEST REAL-TIME MONITORING NETWORK FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS

NEW DRILLING MACHINE QUICKLY AND ECONOMICALLY CUTS THROUGH THE HARDEST ROCKS IN THE WORLD

AI MAPPING TOOL HELPS CALIFORNIA FIREFIGHTERS TRACK BURN RISK

HYBRID DRONE FOR CARRYING FIRE-FIGHTING EQUIPMENT

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