Open-source language for writing interactive fiction games
Spotted: Independent narrative game company inkle has created an open-source language for writing interactive fiction. The language, ink, encourages gamers to try it out and have their stories turned into basic-level, playable web pages. The UK company’s latest release, Heaven’s Vault, is available on PS4 and Steam. The game follows archaeologist Aliya Elasra and her…
Shower head attachment purifies water and adds nutrients
Spotted: US-based Stok Labs has collaborated with designer Koustubh Parulekar and Chinese design agency Miio Studio to create a shower head that cleanses the water of minerals, chemicals and other pollutants as you shower. The device also adds nutrients to the water, aiming to deliver healthier hair and skin. The Vand filtration system is an…
Eco-friendly motorbike valve reduces petrol use
Spotted: A 71-year-old Indian inventor has created a valve that uses steam energy to cut fuel consumption in two-wheeled motorbikes. Use of the valve can reduce both monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions. Developed by Arvinde Khandke, the valve is the second one he has patented. The original one, made using nylon and polypropylene, reduces the amount…
Luxury fashion house creates video game-inspired line
Spotted: Moschino’s creative director Jeremy Scott has developed a fashion line based on The Sims, the Electronic Arts’ PC game popular with the millennial generation. The designs feature graphical elements straight from the game, including a bathing suit covered in green diamonds, which players will recognise as the same ones that appear above The Sims…
An AI-wearable that knows what you’re thinking
Spotted: A device called AlterEgo could change the way people communicate, without having to hear a spoken word. Created by a 24-year-old PhD candidate from MIT, this wearable device can detect what you say, even when you are talking to yourself and not moving your mouth. It may be used to help those with memory…
A smart flowerpot to purify indoor air
Spotted: Italian startup Vitesy has developed an air purification system to monitor and clean indoor air. The device, called Natede, has become the most crowdfunded anti-pollution product ever — raising €1 million since last April. Natede is essentially a smart flowerpot, combining the natural purification of plants with a photocatalytic filter to purify indoor air.…
Sports video app replaces subscriptions with digital content studio
Spotted: OTRO is a sports app that allows audiences to access video content and engage with world-famous football players for a little over €4.00 a month. Additional access involves live Q&As and the opportunity to meet players in person. The company, which only launched in December, is already disrupting its business model. Until now, OTRO…
Indian ride-hailing company expanding reach of electric vehicles
Spotted: Indian ride hailing company Ola already holds the largest share of India’s ride hailing market, surpassing Uber. Now it hopes to scale its electric vehicle business to reach more of the vast country. It is also setting up a new office in San Francisco. Ola has just raised €220 million for its electricity-powered vehicle…
Scientists create contact lenses that zoom with a blink
Spotted: Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, have created contact lenses that can be controlled with eye movements, including a zoom feature that is activated by blinking twice. They work by using the eye’s electrooculographic potential. The scientists measured the electrical impulses of the human eye and then adapted them to change the…
Device turns car windshield into display for phones and apps
Spotted: France-based EyeLights has created a portable device that converts car windshields into a hologram that displays phone functions and apps, like navigators. The hologram is projected on an eight-inch display that does not impair the driver’s view of the road. The device, which is compatible with any vehicle, responds to hand gestures and voice…