Spotted: Healthcare is big business and getting bigger. Yet the basic model for the industry remains the same: a fee-for-service model that places a growing number of bureaucratic, technological, and economic barriers between patients and their physicians. But now, a group of doctors in Poland is working to create a new model of health.
Doctor.One is a healthcare service that connects patients with their regular practitioners daily, using a mobile-first approach. Doctors can subscribe to the service and use the virtual clinic to perform daily digital check-ups and visits. It allows them to reply to messages from their regular patients, check their treatment progress, and offer a video consultation. Patients can also use the service to schedule an in-person visit.
However, unlike most telemedicine platforms, Doctor.One is not centred around booking appointments. Instead, it is organised around daily ‘rounds’, where physicians respond directly to messages from patients and check on treatment progress. Doctors may also use the platform’s asynchronous chat feature, start a video call without revealing their private number, and issue prescriptions. By 2040, Doctor.One aims to provide the care of a private doctor to 100 million people around the world.
The global shortage of health workers has created opportunities for new approaches to medical care. Springwise has also recently spotted wearables that can monitor disease and the use of assistive robots.
Reflecting our global Springwise readership, we explore the innovation landscape and freshest thinking from a new country each week. This week we are heading to Morocco…
Climate targets: A 45.5 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 – 18.3 per cent of this target is unconditional with the remaining 27.2 per cent conditional on international assistance
Sustainability issues
Water scarcity– Morocco is extremely vulnerable to drought and water scarcity. Development strains, increased demand for irrigation, and population growth are causing a decline in renewable water resources. Water-stressed farms, in turn, require greater irrigation, further reducing available water in a vicious circle.
Phosphate production– Morocco plays a crucial role in the global food system. The country possesses over 70 per cent of the world’s phosphate rock deposits from which the phosphorous used in fertiliser is derived. Phosphate extraction and fertiliser production both have a major environmental impact as they are highly energy- and water-intensive.
Coastal erosion– Rising sea levels and climate-change-exacerbated coastal erosion are threatening the livelihoods of many coastal Moroccans working in sectors such as fisheries and tourism. In fact, according to the World Bank, coastal erosion threatens to swamp entire beaches in the MENA region.
For farmers in Africa and the Middle East, reliance on an increasingly volatile climate is making it more and more difficult to achieve a stable, predictable income. And, according to The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, aridity in parts of the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region will increase in the next century, shrinking arable lands and disrupting agricultural patterns. This worrying trend inspired the foundation of Jodoor, a Rabat-based startup that designs, builds, and installs hi-tech connected greenhouses for farmers. Read more
The world loses almost six million hectares of forest each year to deforestation. That’s like losing an area the size of Portugal every two years. And around three-quarters of this deforestation is directly attributable to agriculture. To respond to this problem, From Sand to Green (FSG) has developed a nature-based solution for transforming deserts into farmland. Read more
A century ago, a growing population pushed farmers to grow crops faster than nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil could keep up, and supplies of natural nitrates began to run out. In response, Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch developed a process to react hydrogen and atmospheric nitrogen under pressure to make ammonia for use as fertiliser. But in solving one problem, they caused another one – making ammonia in this way takes a lot of energy. Now, a new process for making green ammonia may once again come to the rescue. Read more
Words: Matthew Hempstead
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Reflecting our global Springwise readership, we explore the innovation landscape and freshest thinking from a new country each week. This week we are heading to Sweden…
Climate targets: Zero net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2045
Sustainability issues
Baltic sea pollution – The Baltic Sea is one of the most polluted bodies of water on earth. And a recent study has found that wastewater discharged from ships’ scrubbers (systems for treating exhaust gases) accounts for a significant proportion of carcinogenic chemical emissions. In response, the country is considering a ban of open loop scrubbers in its waters.
Impact of mining– In February 2022, the UN warned Swedish authorities not to issue a licence for an iron-ore mine in the country’s Gállok region. The organisation argued that the development would lead to large quantities of toxic waste that would impact eco-systems linked to the reindeer migration. The licence, which was ultimately granted, has also been criticised by the World Wildlife Fund.
Forestry practices– Sweden is the world’s third largest exporter of pulp, paper, and sawn wood products. The country is known for its sustainable forestry practices and its forests have actually doubled in size over the past 100 years. Nonetheless, many argue that Sweden’s model of replacing old-growth forests with monocultures is bad for biodiversity.
According to the IEA, the number of electric cars on the world’s roads by the end of 2021 was about 16.5 million, triple the amount in 2018. While this may seem like great news for the environment, it is not all positive. That is because the current recycling rate for electric vehicle (EV) batteries is extremely low, with some estimates putting it at just five per cent. For electric mobility to represent a truly sustainable solution, this needs to change, and Stockholm-based Cling Systems is one of the organisations working on a solution. The company has developed a platform that connects vehicle manufacturers and buyers of end-of-life batteries to vehicle scrap yards and dismantlers. Read more
While the transition to renewable energy is picking up pace all the time, there are still several technological challenges facing those looking to build a fully sustainable future. One of these is the need for a more efficient way to store energy. Many renewable sources, such as wind and solar power, are intermittent, and it is vital to find ways to store this energy when it is not needed. Redox flow batteries are among the most efficient energy storage technologies. Now, Swedish startup Cellfion is working to make redox flow batteries even more efficient with a unique, bio-based membrane. Read more
A fintech platform Earthbanc helps farmers attract investment in carbon credits for regeneration projects. But one issue with regenerative land programmes is transparency – it is very difficult to verify that a scheme is actually sequestering a specified amount of carbon. Without having this information, it is impossible to effectively use carbon credits to contribute to land regeneration schemes. Earthbanc’s platform solves this problem by using artificial intelligence (AI), trained on satellite remote sensing data collected in collaboration with the European Space Agency, to automatically audit the carbon reduction impact of land regeneration projects and to verify carbon credits. Read more
Words: Matthew Hempstead
To keep up with the latest innovations, sign up to our free newsletters or email info@springwise.com to get in touch.
Spotted: Jewellery is not often associated with waste – after all, the idea of leaving valuable gold or silver lying around the shop floor seems absurd. Yet, traditional jewellery making does involve a fair amount of scrap metal waste. This wasted material translates to the need for more mining, with its use of dangerous chemicals, and environmental and social issues.
Tallinn-based Cloud Factory has an answer not only to reducing jewellery-related waste, but also to cost-effective scalable jewellery production. Cloud Factory leverages 3D printing technology and recycled precious metals in the jewellery-making process. The startup is focusing on using its system to help musicians, brands, and celebrities create their own branded jewellery merchandise through a fully managed service that offers concept building, manufacturing, branded packaging, and drop-shipping.
The use of direct metal 3D printing minimises the production cost and time needed to produce quality jewellery at scale. However, not content with its current offering, Cloud Factory is also working to build fully automated on-demand 3D printing hubs at locations around the globe. The company is also launching its first jewellery NFTs to create a bridge between digital and tangible jewellery products.
The company has recently picked up €2 million in funding during a seed round led by Change Ventures, one of the leading early-stage funds in the Baltics.
3D printing is being applied to a growing range of products and structures. Some of the most innovative ideas that Springwise has spotted recently include creating living walls created by 3D printing with soil and a 3D-printed ear made from patients’ own cells.
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
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.
Spotted: Today, getting enough sleep is considered on a par with eating right and getting enough exercise. The reason for this is that insufficient sleep has been associated with a host of negative outcomes – from poor performance in school and at work, to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a third of US adults report that they usually get less than the recommended amount of sleep – a pattern that is repeated around the world. Enter Moonoa, a new app and programme designed to get everyone sleeping again.
Moonoa bills itself as a “digital, personalised solution to improve your sleep naturally, without the use of medication”. Its approach is based on cognitive behavioural therapy CBT), which aims to work on behaviours, thoughts, and emotions that contribute to poor sleep. The platform’s comprehensive programme includes relaxation content to help reduce stress and anxiety and a ‘learning path’ with CBT-based advice and recommendations to help users “reframe behaviour, unrealistic expectations, and negative thoughts that are harmful to sleep”.
In addition to advice, Moonoa also offers sleep analysis and support from psychologist coaches, as well as a personalised food supplement sent to customers on a monthly basis based on their profile. The company takes a holistic approach to sleep improvement in an effort to help users establish predictable sleep patterns and take back control over their sleep. The programme has been certified as a medical device by both the Spanish Medicines Agency and the European Union.
According to the company, clinical studies indicate that a CBT-led approach to improving sleep leads to improvement in 90 per cent of patients.
Many approaches to sleep improvement have so far focused on the low-hanging fruit of tracking using wearables. Innovations in this space include a wearable ring that wakes wearers up at regular intervals as part of a sleep training regimen, and a smart pillow that monitors sleep by tracking head movements. Moonoa goes further by taking a holistic approach to tackling the underlying causes of bad sleep.
Spotted: Nature soundscapes are often the preserve of meditation and wellbeing apps – used to make people feel more in touch with nature. But could they have a deeper scientific use? Dr. Sarab Sethi from the University of Cambridge thinks so. His groundbreaking work is based on the premise that soundscapes can tell us a lot about the health of an ecosystem. By monitoring a soundscape over time, we can get an early warning of changes in habitat health or the species present.
Dr Sethi has developed a device that records soundscapes over long time frames, with minimal human intervention. The technology, which is low-cost and open-source, consists of a network of sound recorders that are scattered across a landscape. These recorders collect audio data 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The data is then uploaded to the cloud, where it is automatically processed by a number of advanced machine learning algorithms.
The device is currently being used to monitor the biodiversity of different ecosystems under different human pressures as part of a trial of the technology. One of the places where the technology is being deployed is in Borneo. Here, the devices are being used to monitor sounds across a ‘landscape degradation gradient’ – from old growth forest, to logged forest and then to oil palm plantation. Scientists will then use the data to study how this gradient, and the different levels of environmental degradation, affects biodiversity. Another project is underway in the Arctic Circle, where researchers are listening to sounds in the soil and observing changes in the behaviour observed at anthills. The resesearch team is taking this approach because environmental pollutants could potentially be detected through the distressed noises of the ants.
Sethi’s soundscape-monitoring device could have a major impact on the field of ecology. By providing real-time data on changes in the soundscape, it would allow field ecologists to focus their efforts on areas where there are potentially significant changes taking place. This would save time and money, and ultimately result in better protection for delicate habitats. In addition, Sethi is working on making the device biodegradable which would reduce the impact of research projects on the environment. Overall, Sethi’s invention represents a potential breakthrough in the way field ecologists work, and it could have a profound impact on the conservation of endangered species and habitats.
In the future, such devices could play an important role in conservation efforts. Other similar innovations spotted by Springwise include the recreation of healthy soundscapes to attract fish to damaged coral reefs, and an app that identifies animal and plant species through a phone camera.
Spotted: 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. The 15-metre, 54-passenger vessel—called the solarCat—comes with an integrated solar power station that allows it to run on its own self-generated energy. Not only does this lead to zero emissions, it also significantly reduces the amount of noise the catamaran generates. In fact, iCat claims that “the only noise and vibrations will come from the wind and waves.”
The vessel’s modular deck can be adapted to various needs in just 30 minutes – from educational events, concerts, and VIP parties to simple passenger transport. The catamaran’s wheelhouse is also made of glass and is situated to the right side of the bow. According to the company this creates “a sense of transparency, thus eliminating visual barriers for the passengers.”
The solarCat was first presented on Zagreb’s Lake Jarun two years ago and is already in use in Croatia for tourism purposes.
Springwise has previously spotted several sustainable boating innovations, including an electric boat powered by a single battery, and a Seine riverboat powered by old EV batteries.
