Category Archives: Technology

Ultimate Campers: The High Technology Inside 2019 Hymer Camper Vans

From a New Atlas online article:

Hymer certainly gave credit where it was due, recognizing BASF’s role in the opening paragraph of its VisionVenture announcement and detailing elements like the Chromacool exterior paint and Veneo Slate transforming-bathroom trim. Still, it wasn’t quite clear just how deep BASF’s participation ran. Knowing a thing or two about the power of a buzzy concept vehicle (like a bike or car), BASF released some additional information last week to squeeze a little extra press out of the VisionVenture, a star of the 2019 Caravan Salon that featured in RV, auto and tech publications and blogs all over the world.

Hymer Camper Van BASF Advanced Materials

VisionVenture from HymerEven with a few months of 2019 left to go, we feel confident that the Hymer VisionVenture is the coolest camper van of the year. The concept camper has absolutely captured the public’s imagination, showing how a little bit of creative tinkering can turn the art of sleeping in a van into world-class luxury travel. When Hymer announced the concept at the start of the 2019 Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, it mentioned incorporating over 20 materials and technologies from German chemical giant BASF, touching upon some of the most integral. BASF jumped in this month to further detail exactly how its tech can benefit future van lifers.

To read more: https://newatlas.com/automotive/basf-details-hymer-visionventure-camper-van/

Future Of Packaging: Ioniqa Technologies Delivers World’s First Ocean And Recycled Plastic Bottles

From a DesignBoom online article:

Ioniqa Ocean Plastic Bottlesthe recycling technology is the result of a partnership between coca-cola, the dutch startup ioniqa technologies and indorama ventures, one of coca-cola’s suppliers of PET plastic. to process the material, ioniqa technologies used a depolymerization technology to break down the PET into its monomers that allow it to be re-produced as a new. it was then sent to an indorama ventures facility to be polymerized into new plastic.

coca-cola has introduced the world’s first bottle created using recycled plastic waste from the ocean. the company has launched an initial edition of 300 bottles made of 25% plastic from the marine waste collected by volunteers during 84 beach cleanups in spain and portugal.

To Read more: https://www.designboom.com/design/coca-cola-bottles-recycled-ocean-plastic-10-14-2019/?utm_source=designboom+daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=coca-cola+introduces+first

Future Of Hospital Design: EIR Healthcare’s Prefab “MedModular” Hospital Rooms Are Customizable

From the EIRHealthcare.com website:

home_fullyEIR Healthcare collaborates with each hospital to customize the optimal space. Through our technology and design, doctors, nurses and any healthcare professional interacting with patients in a MedModular room are equipped to provide nothing short of excellence within every interaction. EIR Healthcare was presented with a 2018 iF Design Award for our “Hospital of the Future” professional concept.

When a MedModular room is delivered, it is done so with every detail already executed from both technology and space design standpoints, which results in optimizing the efficiency in which hospitals and other healthcare environments are constructed – and completed.

Website: https://eirhealthcare.com/EIR

Future Of Mobility: Self-Driving Car Venture “Voyage” Specializes In Retirement Communities

From the Voyage.auto website:

Voyage (is) building the technology to deliver on the promise of self-driving cars. Our first service offers residents safe, autonomous transportation anywhere in their community at speeds up to 25 MPH. This approach lets us solve real transportation challenges today, while setting the foundation for our long-term vision: developing a technology that can drive anyone, on any road, at any time.

Our vehicles are equipped with the best sensors available, giving us a 360-degree picture of the world hundreds of meters from the car. We extensively leverage machine learning to develop state-of-the-art perception models, and have built a rich data pipeline that allows us to continuously improve based on real-world driving. Our multiple sensor modalities give us great perception, while improving the safety and operational redundancy of our autonomous service.

To read more: https://voyage.auto/technology/

Health Technology: Digital Therapeutics Startup “Kaia” Targets Chronic Pain With AI-Guided Exercise

From a VentureBeat.com online review:

Kaia Digital ExerciseKaia’s iOS and Android apps were developed with the help of physiotherapists, pain management physicians, orthopedic surgeons, and clinical psychologists, the company claims, and are registered as Class 1 medical devices with the Food and Drug Administration. They serve up video clips covering basic back and COPD pain information and step-by-step physiotherapy exercises, in addition to psychological strategies, such as mindfulness and muscle relaxation.

During each of the over 120 15-minute exercises, in-app computer vision models track connective points on the body through a device’s front-facing camera while an on-screen wireframe model illustrates the steps. Audio feedback informs users whether they’re performing exercises correctly and how they might improve, and a built-in chat tool allows them to consult with a physiotherapist or sports scientist on questions related to specific moves.

To read more: https://venturebeat.com/2019/09/17/kaia-raises-8-million-to-treat-chronic-pain-with-ai-guided-exercise/

Future Of City Travel: “Volocopter” Secures Financing For Launch Of Air Taxi In Three Years

From a Volocopter.com online release:

Volocopter Urban Taxi RevolutionVolocopter builds electrically powered air taxis to get people safely and directly to their destination. The aim is to save people time and to help megacities transform their transportation systems towards a more sustainable future by adding a new mobility option for their citizens. Since its foundation in 2011, the company has built three generations of Volocopter aircraft, two of which received licenses for manned and unmanned flight with a total funding of EUR 35 million. The company has performed numerous public demonstrations of the viability of electrically powered vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), most recently it successfully completed a flight at Helsinki International Airport.

Bruchsal/Frankfurt, 09. September 2019 – Today, Volocopter, the Urban Air Mobility pioneer, announced that it signed the first closing of its Series C funding round, which is being led by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding). The new funds will be used towards bringing the VoloCity aircraft to commercial launch within the next three years. Volocopter remains in discussions with additional investors for a second closing around year-end. The first closing will increase the total capital that Volocopter has raised to EUR 85 million.

To read more: https://press.volocopter.com/index.php/urban-air-mobility-pioneer-volocopter-raises-new-capital

The Future Of Clothing: “Element Pure” Uses 3D Scanning, AI Technology For Perfect-Fitting Shirts

From a YankoDesign.com online article:

Element Pure AI Body Scanning Tailoring Smartphone TechThe procedure is incredibly simple, and beats having to make an appointment with your tailor for hour-long fitting sessions and getting entangled in measuring tape. Element Pure’s AI tailor needs just two things from you. A front profile and side profile photograph, taken with a standard A4 sheet kept on the floor as reference. Using those two photographs, Element Pure can generate a 99% accurate 3D model of your torso, which the AI Tailor uses to take measurements. The result is a perfectly fitted shirt that’s been designed specifically for you. You can even pick between slim, regular, and relaxed fits, as well as choose your shirt length, depending in whether you wear your shirts tucked or untucked. The AI does the job in minutes that a tailor would take hours or even days to, with no propensity for error. The fitted, tailor-made shirt delivers to your doorstep, giving you the convenience of fast fashion, with the custom-fitting of something your tailor would make for you.

The fabrics used to craft Element Pure’s shirts are woven from eucalyptus pulp rather than cotton, resulting in clothes that keep you cool, resist odors, wrinkles, and are arguably more comfortable and breathable than cotton… even the Huffington Post agrees! The fabric, named TENCEL, is developed in Austria through the ethical farming of organic PEFC certified eucalyptus wood, in a non-toxic, renewable way.

To read more: https://www.yankodesign.com/2019/09/12/this-fashion-brand-uses-a-i-and-3d-scanning-to-tailor-clothes-to-perfectly-fit-your-body/

Housing Innovations: ICON Builds First Permitted 3D-Printed Homes In Austin, TX

From an Austin.Curbed.com online article:

ICON 3D Printed Homes InteriorICON, which uses robotics, software, and advanced materials (including its proprietary “Lavacrete”) to remove numerous barriers in the contemporary building industry, debuted its first 3D printer and the country’s first permitted, 3D-printed home in at SXSW 2018 in Austin.

Community First Village, run by Mobile Loaves and Fishes to provide permanent, personal housing and services for homeless people in Austin, had quite the breakthrough day Monday. Partnering with Austin-based Icon and and Cielo property group, it opened the second phase of its development with a 3D-printed prototype house that will serve as a welcome center for the community. The 500-square-foot building took a total of 27 hours to print.

To read more: https://austin.curbed.com/2019/9/10/20858924/austin-homeless-tiny-house-3d-printing

Medical Innovations: BioLife4D Creates First 3D “Bioprinted” Human Heart From Cardiac Tissue

From an InterestingEngineering.com online article:

BioLife4D Logo“We are extremely proud of what we have accomplished, from the ability to 3D bioprint human cardiac tissue last summer to a mini heart with full structure now. These milestones are a testament to the hard work of our team and the proprietary process we have developed that enables this type of scientific achievement,” said Birla in a press release.  “We believe we are at the forefront of whole heart bioengineering, a field that has matured quickly over the last year, and well-positioned to continue our rapid scientific advancement.”

BIOLIFE4D, the biotech company based out of Chicago, announced it has successfully demonstrated the ability to 3D bioprint a mini human heart, a big step in someday printing out a full-sized human heart that can be used for a transplant.

To read more: https://interestingengineering.com/a-company-creates-the-first-3d-printed-mini-heart?_source=newsletter&_campaign=EVmJjW5YyX1pq&_uid=46dBBxnxd7&_h=0c209d493fa27bb2c39469a873cbbd733289c833&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=mailing&utm_campaign=Newsletter-10-09-2019