Category Archives: Innovations

World Economic Forum: Top Stories Of The Week

World Economic Forum – November 18, 2022 stories:

  1. 0:15 Global Population Reaches 8 Billion – That’s 8 times more humans than existed in 1800. Even so, the world’s population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950 due to a declining global fertility rate. Today there are an average of 2.3 births per woman. In 1950 it was 5. The world’s population is projected to peak at 10.4 billion by 2080.
  2. 1:49 The Economic Case for Climate Adaption – Climate adaptation means preparing our ecological, social and economic systems so they can cope with the future impacts of climate change. Heatwaves, storms, wildfires: the costs of climate change are already mounting but so far only 20% of climate finance has gone towards adaptation.
  3. 3:44 French Start Up Blends Wind and Solar Energy – Unéole’s energy system combines a photovoltaic rooftop panel with 2 compact wind turbines, generating 40% more energy than an ordinary rooftop panel. Solar panels work best in strong sunlight but Unéole’s units generate power when it’s overcast or during winter and can turn through the night to ensure a steady flow of power. The turbines are silent, so they don’t disturb building occupants and they’re built from mostly recycled aluminium and steel.
  4. 4:54 Lab Grown Blood Used in World First – UK scientists have transfused lab-grown blood into humans for the first time. It could revolutionize treatment for people with rare blood types, especially those who need regular transfusions. Two people were injected with 1-2 teaspoons of the synthetic blood to see how how their bodies respond. So far, so good – the trial participants are fit and healthy with no reported side effects.

World Economic Forum: Top Stories – Nov 11, 2022

World Economic Forum – Stories of the Week, November 11, 2022:

  • 0:15 The World’s Fastest Shoes – These inventors have made the ‘world’s fastest shoes’. They let you walk at 11kph, which is the speed of a run. The shoes are called Moonwalkers and they’re powered by a tiny electric motor that turns 8 wheels on the base of the shoe.
  • 1:37 These Cities Are Facing a Housing Bubble – Years of low interest rates and cheap mortgages have increased demand among homebuyers but the supply of housing has not grown at the same rate. This mismatch has caused house prices to shoot up around the world, creating housing ‘bubbles’. When these bubbles burst, prices can plummet and experts say rising interest rates could be the pin that pops them
  • 2:53 First Female Crash Test Dummies – The crash test dummy most often used as a stand-in for women Is just a scaled-down version of the male dummy. At 149cm tall and weighing 48kg, it’s actually the size of a 12-year-old girl. The new crash test dummy is 163cm tall and weighs 62kg, taking into account the physiology of the female body. It was created by Astrid Linder and her team in Linköping, Sweden.
  • 4:22 This Company Is Making Chocolate Healthier – The world’s biggest chocolatier has created a new, healthier chocolate. Which contains 50% less sugar, 60-80% more cocoa and zero processed additives. Second-generation’ chocolate uses a new method of preparation. Growing, fermenting and roasting the cocoa beans differently reduces their bitterness without the need for lots of sugar.

Top Invention Review: Time Magazine – Nov 21, 2022

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TIME – TIME’s Best Inventions of 2022:

Intuition Robotics ElliQ

Chaperone robots have helped the world’s elderly overcome loneliness and social isolation worsened by the pandemic. But where most bots need prompting, ElliQ is proactive: the voice-operated AI-powered “personal sidekick” initiates conversation and helps its human companion develop healthy habits—social, physical, and mental.

Phonak Audéo Fit

Hearing aids are often stigmatized as a device for the old or infirm. But the latest hearing aids are anything but old–fashioned: they’re teched out with AI, fitness trackers, streaming capability, and more. Now Phonak is out with the first commercially available hearing aid with a heart-rate sensor. Audéo Fit’s receiver-in-canal device tracks fitness data, such as steps, activity level, and distance walked, while also monitoring the wearer’s heart rate when paired with the MyPhonak app.

Esper Hand

Capitalizing on advances in artificial intelligence and digital signal processing, Esper Bionics’ prosthetic hand is the first AI-powered, cloud-based robotic prosthetic that gets smarter over time. The lightweight device has up to 24 wearable sensors that detect and process muscle activity and brain impulses; machine learning from Esper’s platform enables the hand to act more “intuitively” over time.

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Previews: Smithsonian Magazine – December 2022

Smithsonian Magazine – December 2022

Smithsonian Magazine – December 2022:

The Sweet and Sticky History of the Date

Throughout the Middle East, the versatile fruit has been revered since antiquity. How will it fare in a changing world?

This Guatemalan Village Is Becoming a Work of Art

To help boost its appeal to tourists, local residents are transforming their lakeside town into a living art installation

World Economic Forum: Top Stories – Nov 4, 2022

World Economic Forum – Stories of the Week November 4, 2022:

0:15 – This small airport is Europe’s largest outdoor music venue – The 20-hectare RCF Arena is located on the fringes of Reggio Emilia Airport, just outside Bologna in northern Italy.

01:38 – 7 tips to create a healthy remote working culture from this fully remote team – Tango is a software company with 30 team members working remotely. With all employees working remotely, they ask new hires to write a personal user manual with questions such as ‘how do you like to receive feedback’ and ‘what’s commonly misunderstood about you?’. They also suggest that each team member shares their thoughts on the week; they can celebrate each other, highlight customer feedback or just talk about something going on in their life. Here are some more of their tips for remote workers.

03:31 – This is India’s first solar powered village – Modhera in the state of Gujarat has round-the-clock solar energy with 12 hectares of land covered in solar panels.

04:31 – New Zealand’s parliament has more women than men – New Zealand now has 60 women lawmakers and 59 men in Parliament after Soraya Peke-Mason was recently sworn in as an MP.

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

World Economic Forum: Top Stories – Oct 21, 2022

World Economic Forum – Top Stories of the Week:

00:16 Why more people than ever are short-sighted – The trend is worst in children and young adults, and half the world’s population could be short sighted by 2050.

01:37 Six species saved from extinction – Recent ecosystem restorations have rescued some species from the brink of extinction.

03:30 You could soon 3D-print furniture at home – Scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a new wood-based ink that can be used for making 3d printed furniture

04:48 How Dark Data Affects Your Carbon Footprint -Companies generate 3.5 trillion gigabytes of dark data every day. But what is dark data?

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

Innovation: Top Vehicles In Development (2022)

Top innovative vehicles in development in 2022.

Video timeline: 00:00 Intro; 00:49 Arcimoto D1 Arcimoto trials driverless delivery pod based on three-wheeled electric FUV Design; 02:21 DolaGon UTV Autonomous Ski Lift Vehicle dolaGon UTV serves as an autonomous ski lift; 03:28 Lifestyle Vehicle “A LOFT ON WHEELS” Design: Canoo Electric Vehicles; 05:20 Zuri 2.0 VTOL Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft; 06:35 SCG Boot “Cryogenic hydrogen SCG Boot off-roader aims to recast fuel cell tech”; 08:02 Arosa Electric Sports Hovercraft “VonMercier’s electric sports hovercraft promises exceptional agility”.

Top Stories Of The Week: World Economic Forum

This week, the World Economic Forum is highlighting 4 key stories – roads that charge electric cars reducing the need for charging points, a false banana that could feed 100 million people, solar farms on superstore roofs and 3 reasons that economic growth will be slower in 2022.

Timeline: 00:00 – Intro 0:14 – Electric Roads 01:24 – False Banana 04:04 – Slow Economic Growth

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.