As the tech scene booms in Manhattan, The Company Building at 335 Madison, designed by SHoP Architects, is hoping to reap the benefits by appealing to creative workers with its coffee shop vibe.
Space Food For A New Era
As technology hints at the future of space travel, which will likely include space tourism, a group of researchers currently is working on answering a key question: What will we eat en route to Mars?
Inside the World's First Regenerative Highway
Since ancient times, humans have been altering the environment to create throughways for the transport of food and goods, not to mention travel and military defense. But over the course of thousands of years, little has changed regarding the way roads are built. It’s still a necessity to clear trees and disrupt layers of earth to make way for smoother, more durable foundations, but at what cost?
Now it's possible to harness the mythical powers of Spider-Man without his iconic suit. Researchers in China created a novel vacuum suction unit that allows humans or robots to scale walls, even those with rough, uneven surfaces.
Bacteria That Builds Bricks Is Here
A team of researchers is using photosynthetic microbes to create a living concrete, which can reproduce while absorbing carbon dioxide. Did we mention it changes color, too? The new construction material morphs from shades of green into more muted tones as it dries.
Eyes In The Back Of Your Head
Want to change the channel with a simple glance toward the corner of the TV screen? The startup NextMind is pioneering a noninvasive neural interface, which sits at the back of the skull, that claims to help you do just that and more.
As 3D printing gains momentum across sectors, it's proving to be a game-changer in healthcare. The technology is making costly prosthetics more accessible and improving neonatal care with 3D-printed holders for syringes used to feed premature babies.
This Yacht Dives Deep
This hybrid between a yacht and a submarine skims the ocean's surface and travels deep beneath it, offering passengers an ultra-scenic ride while representing a new class of "mega yachts."
Cows Test Their Sea Legs
Off the coast of the Netherlands, an unusual dairy farm is afloat—literally. The floating farm, which houses 35 cows, is staffed mostly by robots in an effort to make cities more self-sustaining.
Find out how a Berlin-based search engine uses profits from advertising revenue to plant trees all over the world.
Calculating Carbon Emissions is Key to Improving Health
In medicine, diagnostic tools are essential, arguably as important as advancements in treatments. Take the thermometer. In the early 1700s, physicist Gabriel Fahrenheit discovered that adding a bulb of mercury to a narrow glass tube created a more precise and efficient measure of temperature, forever changing the course of medicine. While the mercury thermometer was hardly the first means to document temperature shifts—Galileo created a device to do this in the late 1500s—its minimalist design and precise readings made for a widely accessible innovation. When it comes to the human body, an infection or abnormality only can be cured, or treated, when its presence is known, which means advancements in diagnostic devices are constantly in demand. The same goes for our planet, and instruments that help measure, maintain, and restore its balance are as vital as ever.
Hats off to this 3D Printed Helmet
Ex-cycling pro Simon Gerrans wants to make your ride safer with this 3-D printed custom bicycle helmet produced by HEXR.
A three-minute flight of an air taxi in Singapore signals the world is starting to get serious about flying cars. This is the first time the German Volocopter took to the urban skies to test its wings for more commercial flights.
Revolutionary Science Makes Its Way into Flooring Design
Haptics—the science of touch—along with all the other sensory inputs can be influential tools, offering designers exciting possibilities when deciding which materials to use in a space. As workplace design shifts to prioritize more human-centric spaces, our approach to these environments morphs, too, says Mindy O’Gara, director of product and learning experience at Interface. Now more than ever, we’re understanding through neuroscience that we have the opportunity to forge memorable connections to materials creating more meaningful experiences with the built environment. “One of the first sensory connections we have is to material,” says O’Gara. “Our emotional interpretation of the materials that surround us inform how we feel about a space and whether or not we’ll use it. Is it appealing? How does it engage or behave? Can it shape to specific needs? All of these qualities are very important when we think about the value and depth of materials.” One solution is to seek out adaptive products with timeless design elements.
Artificial Intelligence-Driven Apps Deliver Relationship Advice
Want to find out if a text conversation is flirty or friendly? A new batch of apps, which use artificial intelligence to evaluate communication patterns, may have the answer.
