skin

Zarkon Group Real Estate Builders & Developers > Blog > skin

Tag: skin

uniform skin of bricks coats casa perucho’s facades in ecuador
CategoriesArchitecture

uniform skin of bricks coats casa perucho’s facades in ecuador

By Zarkon Group,

Pedro Calle and El Sindicato Arquitectura design Casa Perucho

 

Designer Pedro Calle and El Sindicato Arquitectura consrtuct Casa Perucho, a single-family house nestled in Perucho, a rural enclave within the Metropolitan District of Quito, Ecuador. Embracing its natural surroundings of mountains and green landscapes, the residence harmoniously coexists with nature. 

 

The main design principle revolves around fostering an intimate connection with the natural environment while enveloping its inhabitants in a shelter-like space. The project takes advantage of the mountain vistas employing expansive windows on the western facade. Additionally, the development ensures privacy through a continuous skin of bricks unfolding from the southern facade, transitioning into the roof, and eventually covering the northern facade. The red brick protruding formation shields the interior from both neighbors and the adjacent street, resulting in a secure living environment.

uniform skin of bricks coats casa perucho's facades in ecuador
all images by Francesco Russo unless stated otherwise

 

 

Casa Perucho develops a simple and efficient layout

 

The design team meticulously outlines the spatial arrangement of Casa Perucho. The ground floor is dedicated to communal spaces, including a well-appointed kitchen, a living area, a dining space, a convenient bathroom, and a sheltered outdoor deck. The upper floor encompasses a bedroom, a versatile workspace, a welcoming guest area, and a well-equipped bathroom. Designed with an emphasis on simplicity and efficiency, a prefabricated structure takes center stage. Comprising robust wooden frames, this construction method ensures a seamless assembly process while minimizing environmental impact and reducing mobilization and on-site manufacturing costs.

uniform skin of bricks coats casa perucho's facades in ecuador
Casa Perucho nestles in Perucho, a rural enclave within the Metropolitan District of Quito, Ecuador

uniform skin of bricks coats casa perucho's facades in ecuador
a continuous skin of bricks enfolds the two-story residence

uniform skin of bricks coats casa perucho's facades in ecuador
the red brick protruding formation shields the interior from both neighbors and the adjacent street

Reference

Wireless skin measures pulse, sweat, and UV exposure
CategoriesSustainable News

Wireless skin measures pulse, sweat, and UV exposure

By Zarkon Group,

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). 

Written By: Katrina Lane

1st September 2022

Email: jeehwan@mit.edu

Website: jeehwanlab.mit.edu

Reference

Treating wounds with frog skin and maggots
CategoriesSustainable News

Treating wounds with frog skin and maggots

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Chronic wounds are a major medical issue affecting 1 in 20 patients in Singapore. One of the leading causes for chronic wounds is diabetes, a disease that affects 1 in 10 patients in the cIty-state. With an ageing population set to exacerbate the problem, innovators are thinking laterally to find novel solutions. One company is turning to frogs and maggots for a natural approach to wound healing.

Cuprina is a medical technology firm based in Singapore that is focused on the challenge of chronic wound care. Its core product is MEDIFLY, a bio-dressing made from live clinical-grade maggots. In the first phase of wound healing, the human body releases enzymes that prevent infection. These enzymes stop harmful pathogens from entering the bloodstream but also prevent harmful material from being pushed out of the body. In some cases, this stops the wound from fully healing. The MEDIFLY maggots complement the work of the enzymes by cleaning the wound of unwanted matter.

Once the maggots have done their work, Cuprina’s newest product can play an important role in the second phase of healing. The company has a licence to scale up and commercialise new collagen patches developed by researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). The clinical-grade collagen used for the patches is made from discarded bullfrog skins. By providing a scaffold for the body’s white blood cells and healing agents to coagulate and form a protective layer, the patches play an important role in the healing process. They also help to keep the wound moist.

In the third and final phase of wound healing, the collagen patches provide collagen as a ‘building block’ material to repair the skin. Together, the MEDIFLY dressing and collagen patches encourage a faster recovery for patients struggling with wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers.

“Our focus is always on promoting and encouraging natural wound healing, intervening only to help the body do what it does organically,” explains Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Cuprina Holdings, Mr Carl Baptista. “With NTU’s patented technology, we can develop a line of natural, amphibian-derived collagen products that are highly compatible with the human body. It is this compatibility that leads to improved healing outcomes over what is currently available.”

Other recent healthcare innovations spotted by Springwise include hologram patients that help to train medics, an app that provides ‘digital viagra’ therapy, and diagnostic tools that scan eye images to diagnose kidney disease.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

28th July 2022

Email: enquiry@cuprina.com.sg

Website: cuprina.com.sg

Reference