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BOOKS AND GAMES
As digital takes on more of the traditional domain, the wonderful realm of reading books is being replaced by the undeniable pull of online games and fantasy worlds.
Offering the best of both worlds, eBook distributor OverDrive is gamifying books with interactive elements to help make them come alive for children.
Having studied the mass scale attraction of popular games like Fortnite, OverDrive has incorporated several elements like badges, achievements and other rewards into its student focussed reading app Sora.
The platform intends to exploit the addictive element of the online gaming world, and transfer it to books and reading, with publishers already adding features like voice over, music and ‘choose your own adventure’ style stories.
OverDrive has also added elements of VR, aiming to demonstrate that books and reading don’t have to be old-fashioned and boring. ANTIACID SKINS Following a slew of recent reports on acid attacks in countries like the UK and US, a British doctor has taken steps to create a line of makeup that protects women from potential attacks by creating a barrier layer over the skin.
The Acarrier (combining the words ‘acid’ and ‘barrier’) line of makeup is the first of its kind, providing an acid proof and waterproof body armour that protects the skin.
Appearing and feeling identical to any regular makeup line, Acarrier aims to give women the confidence to step out feeling good about themselves as well as being armed with a sense of security that comes from knowing they’re protected against the growing number of violent acid attacks.
The line has been a decade in the making and is currently being tested prior to a planned 2020 release to retail markets. CARBON CREDITS While most credit card statements are a way of keeping track of finances, the DO Black card focusses on tracking carbon emissions of consumer purchases and offering consumers a way to offset it.
The card is linked to a platform that uses the Aland Index, which is able to track the carbon emissions of every purchase made on the credit card. The digital record of the CO2 impact is presented along with the monthly bill together with suggestions on how to offset it. The recommendations include donating to UN certified green projects like hydropower projects and wind farms.
Users also have the opportunity to change their CO2 spending habits with participating retailers offering refunds or DO credits when consumers purchase low impact products. Doconomy, the Swedish company behind the concept card, also offers consumers an opportunity to invest in programmes that are crafted around positive environmental impacts.
The card itself is manufactured from sustainable materials including the ink used to print it, which comes from recycled carbon particles. By spreading awareness on how daily purchases affect the environment, Doconomy hopes to direct more attention to the urgent challenge of climate change. EAT YOUR WRAP An invisible and edible food wrapping film is the latest to make its way into the sustainable innovation arena, promising to preserve the shelf life of food and reduce the use of environmentally negative products such as cling wrap.
US based Cambridge Crops has developed a natural silk spray that is thinner than human hair, which can be sprayed on perishable raw food items ranging from fruits and vegetables to meat products, as well as other natural items like flowers.
The film slows microbial growth by creating a barrier between the food and outside air molecules that carry bacteria. By doubling the shelf life of fresh food, the company aims to help reduce the global conundrum of food wastage.