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…
London transforms double-decker buses into homeless shelters
Spotted: UK-based NGO Buses4Homeless is turning decommissioned buses into shelters as part of an intervention aiming to improve the living conditions of London’s homeless. The buses have been donated by Stagecoach, one of the main bus operators in London. They are part of a three-month recreational programme attempting to reintegrate homeless people back into the…
World’s first autonomous gyrocopter
Spotted: The German Aerospace Centre (DLR) has developed the world’s first fully autonomous delivery helicopter. The gyrocopter is a modified commercial craft designed to operate without a pilot. The seats have been replaced by a loading bay, additional sensors have been installed and a flight computer has been added for the autonomous features. The gyrocopter…
Designer creates eye-catching, inexpensive furniture for social housing
Spotted: Mexico-based Esrawe Studio has designed two collections of low-cost, easy-to-produce furniture for a state housing project. The collections aim to prove that high-quality housing does not have to be expensive. Designer Héctor Esrawe and his team used easy-to-obtain materials – wood and metal – to create the furniture. All the pieces can be easily…
UK pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai to send message to space
Large-scale performative artist and stage designer Es Devlin is designing the UK’s pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai, UAE. Titled the Poem Pavilion, the structure will encompass a 20-metre high façade lit by LED lights to beam a collective, artificial intelligence (AI) generated global poetic message to outer space. All of the expected 25 million visitors…