Author: jrtrombold@gmail.com

Spotted: The Rotofarm, by Australian company Bace, is a circular home garden that uses improved technology and lighting to produce crops faster. The company’s founder, Toby Farmer (yes, that is his actual name), says that the device has the potential to reinvent how people grow fresh vegetables.  Rotofarm uses rotation and a mix of nutrients…

Part of Opposable Group,  games and VR research and development studio Opposable Games focuses on connected multiple-device gaming. The company’s proprietary OneTouchConnect system allows cross-platform devices to recognise each other. As well as producing their own content, Opposable Games works with a range of organisations to help bring their own material to immersive life. For…

Spotted: In America alone, over 1.6 billion pairs of sunglasses are lost every year. With most losses taking place at the beach, sunglasses contribute to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic that end up in the ocean each year. Because we can’t help losing our sunglasses, the Ukrainian company Ochis Coffee has developed a pair of…

Spotted: American cultural investment app Otis is offering art enthusiasts the opportunity to co-own trendy art pieces and other pricey items that appeal particularly to the millennial generation.  The platform allows users to invest in a curated selection of artworks and other desired items, including sneakers and even comic books, starting at $25 (€22.5) per…

Spotted: Mixed reality experts KageNova help make immersive experiences realistic. The company’s spatial360 software turns existing 360° virtual reality (VR) scenes into fully interactive immersions.  A user’s real-world movements are translated into the virtual world creating true freedom of exploration. spatial360 works through AI processing that runs in the cloud, combined with a (Unity) software…

Spotted: Automobiles that emit unhealthy exhaust fumes could soon be uncovered by an unmanned sensor that is currently in production.  It is being developed by a team at Austria’s Graz University of Technology in conjunction with the European City Air Remote Emission Sensing (CARES) project.  When placed on the roadside, the sensor measures emission levels…

Spotted: Facial recognition is no longer just for spies and secret labs. It is being used for everything from monitoring classrooms to airport security. Now, for those who do not want their every move tracked and recorded, Chicago-based eyewear designer Scott Urban has developed glasses that can block facial recognition systems. Most facial recognition systems,…

Spotted: Last year, Pragma Industries announced that it had begun producing the world’s first mass-production fuel-cell-powered ebike. The bike includes a lithium-ion battery and a fuel-cell powered by a hydrogen gas cylinder. Now, the company has announced a 50 per cent increase in the vehicle’s range, from 62 miles (100km) to 93 miles (150km). At the same…

Spotted: New Zealand-based startup Hnry is providing financial services for the self-employed. It automates tasks like billing and paying taxes using predictive analytics software. Hnry assigns clients to a bank account. The program then uses predictive software to calculate taxes and other expenses that should be deducted. After this, it issues a payslip for what…

Spotted: Researchers at the University of Chester and Powerhouse Energy have developed a way to use plastic waste to heat homes.  The process takes unsorted, unwashed plastic and rapidly heats it to 1,000C. The heat causes the plastic to release hydrogen and other gases. The hydrogen is then trapped and can be compressed and used…