Smart gizmos
Discoveries that help sustain life
SOLAR AT HOME Solar panels can be prohibitively expensive and structurally demanding to install – it follows that this prevents those who prefer solar power from accessing its benefits.
Furniture giant IKEA’s latest collaboration with German based social enterprise Little Sun will see more accessible solar power options available soon as it works to create energy gathering products for the home.
Prototypes feature stylish and decorative accents made of solar powered batteries, which can be attached to windows, lights and charging docks, working in much the same way as solar panels but on a far smaller scale.
As domestic solar panels climb down from roofs into homes, collaborations like this will make solar power more affordable and accessible. In turn, this will help reduce energy consumption as well as environmental costs. SMARTER HELMET With most cycling related deaths resulting from head injuries from accidents, the Madillo helmet is one of the most protective cycling helmets available to both professional and recreational cyclists.
It’s manufactured from auxetic material that thickens and hardens when stretched. Fitted with tiny motors, the helmet also adjusts to fit a rider’s head shape and size, providing better and more contoured protection from falls and accidents.
The helmet also contains smart sensors and LEDs, which are woven into the design and automatically emit a light if the cyclist brakes or changes direction. This illuminates the cyclist and his or her actions to road traffic, reducing the risk of collision.
And in the case of an accident where the cyclist is incapacitated and alone, the helmet automatically senses that something unusual has happened and calls an ambulance, transmitting the cyclist’s location until help arrives.
The helmet recently won a design talent award for ensuring that cyclists are protected – yes, in style! PURE AIR AROUND
A common ingredient in sunscreen is being deployed as an air purifier in a facade cladding treatment – and it promises to clean building facades as well as the air around them.
US based PURETi has developed a product using titanium dioxide nanoparticles that can be sprayed onto a number of surfaces including glass, metal, stone, concrete and plastic. When ultraviolet rays hit the treated surfaces, a chemical process is activated that works to burn grime and dirt. It can break down and convert harmful gases, as well as contaminants, that cause pollution into nontoxic minerals and water vapour.
So yes, it cleans buildings and the environment simultaneously.
The product also aims to save energy and reduce building maintenance costs by ensuring that solar panels are cleaner. It also conserves water through the reduced need for cleaning and maintenance with a single application lasting for up to five years.
Used indoors, PURETi helps reduce odours such as those caused by pets and cooking. With air pollution causing more than eight million deaths worldwide annually, PURETi can contribute to enhancing societal wellbeing. FABRICS OF FOOD
A problem of growing urgency is the fact that a third of food produced globally is being lost or wasted, resulting in environmental damage and losses running into billions of dollars.
Hong Kong based Dyelicious is tackling the problem by harnessing food waste to produce natural dyes for high quality clothing and accessories. While synthetic dyes release toxic pollutants into rivers and oceans, food dyes use naturally decomposing kitchen waste to create multi-hued colours, which can be used in a variety of applications.
Already used by notable brands such as Zara, Adidas and Starbucks in their quest to reduce their carbon footprint, Dyelicious has also tentatively ventured into the paint market to substitute chemical paints with nontoxic varieties.
With food waste costing the environment heavily in terms of energy, storage, transport and greenhouse gases, Dyelicious has upcycled almost 600 tons of waste in 12 months.