The world’s first fully-electric tugboat
Spotted: The Dutch Damen Shipyards Group and the New Zealand Ports of Auckland have created a fully-electric tugboat. The tug, known as the Damen RSD-E 2513, builds on Damen’s experience building hybrid vessels. The Damen RSD-E will be as strong as the port’s strongest diesel tug, the company says. The creation was inspired by Ports…
Dutch villa makes ‘forest therapy’ accessible in the city
Spotted: According to a Japanese study carried out by Chiba University, spending time in forests, or “forest therapy,” decreases cortisol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate. But how could the benefits of forest therapy be made accessible to everyone, including people who work in offices and do not have access to green areas? That is…
T-shirts made with protein fibres from sour milk
Spotted: Los Angeles-based startup Mi Terro is manufacturing t-shirts with the help of sour milk. It is able to turn it into fibres, which are spun into yarn. Creating fibres from milk is not new. The process has actually been in use since the 1930s. The fibres are made from the protein casein, which is…
Online resource aims to increase diversity in UK’s design industry
Spotted: Design Can is an online resource and campaign tool aimed at increasing diversity in the design industry. Not Flat 3, a multi-disciplinary design collective, launched the website last week. The rationale behind the campaign is that the ethnic and gender stratification of the UK’s design industry is not representative of its customers. According to…
App lets users rent out empty parking spaces
Spotted: Kazakhstan startup TuraQshare has developed an app that allows users to register and rent out their empty parking spaces. The concept was created in July 2018 for the Astana Innovations Challenge, a startup competition aimed at incentivising young developers to solve urban technological problems in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan. TuraQshare’s founders, Askhat Sharipov…
Swedish startup recycles Nespresso pods into bicycles
Spotted: Vélosophy is a Swedish bicycle and lifestyle brand that makes bicycles from recycled aluminium coffee capsules. The latest model, RE:CYCLE, is a collaboration with Nespresso. The bicycle project aims to encourage Nespresso drinkers to engage in the company’s pod recycling scheme. The bike has various design features that reference Nespresso. These include a plum…
Social media app alleviates fear of harassment
Spotted: The new social media app, Squad, presents a safe space for women online. The social start-up aims to challenge ‘Tech Bro’ culture and prevent online harassment. Founded by CEO Esther Crawford, Squad has collected more than 450,000 users in just eight months, most of them teenage girls. The app allows users to video chat…
Rubbish bin uses heat to reduce volume of waste
Spotted: Imagine only having to make out the rubbish every two weeks. Austrian industrial designer Gesa Oeljeschläger has found a way to do this by using heat to reduce the volume of waste. The new rubbish can, which is named Hetta, dries organic waste by heating the rubbish for three hours every night. Decreasing the…
A barista training course for London’s homeless
Spotted: London-based coffee company, Change Please, aims to reduce the number of homeless people by training and employing them as baristas. Change Please estimates that the average Londoner purchases two cups of coffee per day. By 2020, 100,000 barista jobs will be created in the UK as a result. To meet that demand, the social…
Startup uses AI to predict weather and other transport delays
Spotted: UK-based Immerse has developed AI-powered simulation software that aims to simplify travel and transport logistics. The platform could help cities and private companies plan for extreme weather and other challenges. Based on real-time developments, the platform creates detailed digital simulations of travellers, places and other transportation infrastructure. The software then uses the simulations to…