Haptic vest allows non-verbal communication with dogs
Spotted: A team at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel has developed a way to train dogs using vibrations. The researchers created a modified mesh vest that uses haptic technology. Four small, painless, vibrating motors are operated via remote control and can dictate different commands to canines. The study appears to be the…
A low-cost, high-tech prosthetic limb for developing countries
Spotted: UK inventor Ed-Pennington Ridge has developed a high-tech prosthetic limb that will cost less than €100. The limb was designed to target amputees in developing countries, which mostly consist of young soldiers that have become incapable of working due to their immobility. Among the problems with access to prosthetic limbs are price (costing up…
Australia’s first bulk eco-refill station
Spotted: Australian-based Flora&Fauna is creating an interactive marketplace for zero-waste goods and services. Customers will be able to recycle and learn about eco-friendly lifestyles through workshops and pop-ups. The store will also include the first bulk eco-refill station in the country, providing customers with the opportunity to bring their own containers to refill with shampoo,…
Plastic wrap alternative made from shellfish waste
Spotted: Scottish biotech firm CuanTec is planning to replace plastic food wrappers with a biodegradable material extracted from shellfish waste. The material is made out of a natural biopolymer derived from fermenting shellfish remains. The fermentation process, which resembles that of alcohol or yogurt, gives rise to a natural biopolymer called Chitin. Chitin is then transformed…
UK retailer recreates customer’s wine-stain outfit
Spotted: British online retailer PrettyLittleThing was able to turn a viral social media post into a new dress design. It started when 19-year-old Eleanor Walton accidentally spilled red wine on her white jumpsuit whilst at the Ripon races. Her friend, Mia, salvaged the situation by masking the spill using even more wine, creating a tie-dye…
App gives tourists real-time access to local advice in Korea
Spotted: The South Korean app Sidekick gives travellers immediate access to locals via text messaging. Samsung workers Scott Barrow and Jungwon Yang say that app works like a “concierge in your pocket”. The two created the app when they realised how much they depended on texting local colleagues for advice when travelling. Sidekick links tourists…
Top 10 IoT security risks for businesses
Organizations must adopt a security-by-design approach to best combat threats created by the Internet of Things, according to Deloitte. IoT and the security challenges that tech companies face Cisco’s Michele Guel, Distinguished Engineer and Chief Security Architect, discusses IoT and how enterprises are working to secure the IoT infrastructure. While the rise of the Internet…
First-ever ‘carbon-positive’ packaging made from cork
Spotted: The British natural-cosmetic company Lush has developed what may be the first-ever “carbon-positive” packaging. The new packaging is made from cork instead of plastic. Lush recently received its first order of 6,000 cork pots and aims to purchase an additional half a million more in the next year. Lush has also established ethical standards…
App safely connects cooks with customers in Libya
Spotted: The Yummy! app enables cooks in cities across Libya to deliver their home-cooked food to customers. Fatema Nasser, 21, and Azeeza Adam, 32, developed the app to increase employment opportunities for Libyan women. It also has enhanced security features. The cooks can apply to be a vendor on the app and then send samples…
An eco-friendly method for producing pain-relief medicine
Spotted: Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) are developing a version of Tylenol that avoids fossil fuel-heavy processes. Traditionally, the process to create acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, involves coal tar, which is a by-product of carbonising coal. The researchers use a natural compound derived from poplar trees,…