Tech for Good

2021-10-12 17:00:19 Hydrogen-powered drone pizza delivery

Recent years have seen the rise of delivery services, and the pandemic has speeded up that process. In response, a lot of startups are entering the delivery service market, offering various solutions.

The South Korean drone company P-Square and the global chain Domino's Pizza have launched a pizza delivery service using drones in Sejong.

The delivery will have two routes from the Domino's branch, the first is 2.6 km to the concert venue, and the second is 2.2 km to Sejong Lake Park. The delivery will take from six to nine minutes with a frequency of two or three minutes.

Customers will track the drone location through the official Domino's app. They will get the password after an order to receive the delivery, which prevents theft or loss.

The drones will work on hydrogen fuel cells and use satellite navigation. Onboard sensors will detect any anomaly in the air, and self-driving drone technology will allow flying without a controller.

I hope we won't see the pizza slices falling from the air, not to mention the drone parts.

Article on Fuelcellsworks

#drone #hydrogen #urbantech Open / Comment

2021-10-11 17:00:12 ​The Fair Phone

When I broke the screen on my iPhone X last year and tried to replace it, the repair cost was about one-third of the new device price. I was so annoyed that I bought an Android. I suspect, however, the situation would not be very different in case something happens to it.

If it sounds familiar to you, you should probably pay attention to the Fairphone company. The manufacturer focuses on making easy to repair smartphones made out of ethically sourced materials.

The company has just released Fairphone 4 that uses a modular design, has a five-year warranty, and promises two major Android updates and software support until the end of 2025. Prices start at €579 for the phone, which will ship on October 25th.

Fairphone is selling eight repair modules. They include replacement displays, batteries, back covers, USB-C ports, loudspeakers, earpieces, rear cameras, and selfie cameras. All of these are easily removable using a standard screwdriver, which means customers should be able to carry out a lot of repairs themselves. Fairphone will also supply the spare parts to the local repair shops in case you need professional help.

In terms of materials, the team also had a thorough approach. The Fairphone 4 is made using Fairtrade-certified gold, responsibly sourced aluminum and tungsten, and recycled tin, rare earth minerals, and plastic. The company has initiatives to improve the working conditions of miners and factory workers. Fairphone also claims that the Fairphone 4 is the “first electronic waste neutral handset” because it will recycle one phone or an equal amount of e-waste for each device sold.

Article on The Verge

#smartphnones #recycle Open / Comment

2021-10-10 16:34:49 Here is your Sunday review of the week:

New life for sawdust - making 3D-printed objects from upcycled sawdust which otherwise is often treated as a waste going to a landfill
The new age of prosthetics - a first-of-its-kind bionic arm that allows wearers to think, behave and function as a person without an amputation
Freshwater for 2.1 billion people - the two revolutionary methods for water desalination to solve fresh water global problem at a competitive cost
Dutch students' solar road-tripping - solar-powered self-sustainable house on wheels as a drive to tackle climate change
Intelligent hearing aid - hearing aids with AI to help automatically adjust the volume to the environment

I am thinking of having some quizzes on the channel. Next week I will make a poll to understand if you want it or not. Please participate.

Have a safe weekend

Your Tech for Good

#weeksummary Open / Comment

2021-10-10 09:30:10 Intelligent hearing aid

The health tech company Audibel announced the launch of its new artificial intelligence hearing aids called the Arc AI.

The AI automatically adjusts the volume of the hearing aid to the environment 55 million times per hour. If the room is noisy, Arc AI will reduce background noise. If you go out for a walk, it will pick up the sound direction. In a city where you're going from a busy street filled with honking to a quiet office building, automatic adjustments are a must.

Users can set up their hearing aids to give them reminders about appointments or medications. The aids come with Bluetooth to take phone calls or listen to multimedia.

The Arc AI also has a fall detection algorithm, which contacts a caregiver in case of a potential accident. Not sure how it works. Would it call an ambulance if your dog accidentally dropped the device on the floor?

Users can choose from multiple styles, including in-canal and behind-the-ear styles.

Article on Mobihealthnews

#AI #medical Open / Comment

2021-10-07 17:00:11 Dutch students' solar road tripping

A group of Dutch students has reimagined a campervan life. A team from Eindhoven Technical University is driving 3000 km (1864 mi) from Paris to Spain's Tarifa in a groundbreaking self-sustainable house on wheels.

Solar panels on the Stella Vita vehicle roof generate enough energy to drive and live off the grid. The student team says that, on a sunny day, it can travel 730 kilometers (454 miles) at a top speed of 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph). And thanks to its 60 kilowatt-hours battery, it can drive 600 kilometers (373 miles) at night.

Once it's parked and its roof unfolded, it boasts 17.5 square meters (188 square feet) of solar panels—about as much as an average home's roof can accommodate.

The onboard information system shows how much energy you use when you cook, take a shower, or watch television. "I think that is really cool because if you are aware of your energy consumption, you can make better choices to use less energy," said team member Tijn ter Horst.

The van's creators are sure that their mobile home is part of a drive to tackle climate change by harnessing renewable energy sources.

I would definitely like to hit the road in this thing myself. And what about you?

Article on Techxplore with more photos

#solar Open / Comment

2021-10-06 17:00:11 Freshwater for 2.1 billion people

2.1 billion people globally are struggling to access safe drinking water. Desalination (obtaining freshwater for human consumption from seawater) may be the answer to long-term water security.

However, the existing solutions are expensive and energy-intensive. They also require connection to the electricity grid, which is often inaccessible in isolated regions.

The good news is that scientists are developing some viable solutions.

The two revolutionary methods are microbial desalination cells (MDC) and a wave-driven desalination system.

1) MDC uses electro-active bacteria to treat wastewater and simultaneously produce enough energy to remove the salt content in seawater without external energy input. With this innovative tech, desalination is becoming a viable low-cost solution for water resources in many world areas, removing water scarcity.

2) A wave-driven desalination system uses Wave Energy Converter (WEC). It extracts energy from the waves. This energy is used to pressurize seawater sent to the shore to drive a conventional desalination system. Ocean waves alone produce fresh water without requiring any additional source of energy such as electricity. The WEC can be deployed quickly, operate completely off-grid and supply large quantities of fresh water at a competitive cost.

Article with more details on Techxplore Open / Comment

2021-10-05 17:00:06 The new age of prosthetics

We have already discussed several advanced prosthetic devices helping people with amputations recover their abilities. However, traditional prosthesis wearers' brain behaviors are very different from those without upper limb prosthetics. They must constantly watch their prosthetic arm and have trouble correcting mistakes when they apply too much or little force with their hand.

In contrast, Cleveland Clinic researchers have engineered a first-of-its-kind bionic arm that allows wearers to think, behave and function as a person without an amputation. They no longer need to watch their prosthesis, they could find things without looking, and they could more effectively correct their mistakes.

Please see details here.

#medical #robotics #prosthetics Open / Comment

2021-10-04 17:00:09 New life for a sawdust

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. That old saying is so true for a US-based startup Forust. Their treasure is sawdust, considered by most companies as waste going to a landfill.

In May, the team has launched a tech making 3D-printed objects from upcycled sawdust and other byproducts from the wood industry that look like traditional wood.

Forust can create virtually any item, from home goods to intricate architectural detailing. It can also replicate any wood kind, from ash to mahogany, making it a viable, sustainable replacement to traditional wood.

Thin layers of sawdust are spread onto the bed of the 3D printer. The company treats the parts from the printer with a non-toxic binder like lignin (a natural polymer found in the cell walls of woody plants) to make the material more durable. The vase-making process takes about two hours and finishes with traditional wood treatments such as sanding, staining, or dyeing.

Article on Fastcompany
Forust website

#robotics Open / Comment

2021-10-03 17:00:09 It's Sunday, and it's time for the week summary:

Flying taxi - Airbus has revealed its brand-new flying taxi called the CityAirbus NextGen
90 seconds - the new lithium-carbon (Li-C) battery tech, which enables a full charge in a similar time to refueling an internal combustion-powered vehicle
The world is doomed? Not so fast. - the company building devices that help children with disabilities regain their ability to walk
Smart Carbon - company creating a future where waste carbon becomes new everyday products, and virgin fossil stays in the ground
Wearables to predict the flu - wearables may detect the flu even before a patient begins to show symptoms

Hope you enjoyed any of these. Please share if you feel someone may be interested in joining the channel.

Have a safe weekend.

You Tech for Good Open / Comment

2021-10-01 17:00:13 Wearables to predict a flu

A recent study published in JAMA (the most widely circulated general medical journal globally) has shown that wearables may detect the flu even before a patient begins to show symptoms.

Researchers have studied participants that volunteered to be infected with the H1N1 virus (Swine flu) and the rhinovirus (an infection causing the common flu). The team developed digital biomarker models that pulled wearable data.

Biometric data included heart rate, skin temperature, electrodermal activity, and movement. A noninvasive, wrist-worn wearable device plus the digital model were able to detect infection and predict its severity (mild versus moderate) with levels of precision close to 90%.

Another study found that wearable data could also help the medical community understand the lasting impacts of the virus on health.

I can imagine our watch telling us soon to take flu-fighting measures even before we start feeling sick.

Article on Mobile Health News

#medical #wearables #AI Open / Comment