The World Heath Organization classifies smoking as a global epidemic and the single most preventable cause of death in the world, accounting for around five to six million deaths every year. Many researchers are hunting for new ways to help people shake this damaging addiction, from a vaccine that prevents the pleasurable effects of nicotine to magnetic pulses delivered to […]
Can This Enzyme Really Help To Quit Smoking?
What Is A Bed Today?
Architectural historian Beatriz Colomina wants to know what people get up to in bed – it will affect the way we design cities in the future, she says. Colomina, who is a professor at Princeton University, has hosted two events she calls bed-ins, to explore the role of the bed in the architecture of the digital age. The combination of smart-phone […]
Cornell App Gauges Eye Alertness
Given that our level of alertness varies throughout the day, it only makes sense that we should avoid performing attention-demanding tasks when we’re at our drowsiest. An experimental new Android app is designed to determine when those times are, by examining users’ eyes. When we’re in an alert state, our sympathetic nervous system causes our pupils to dilate so that […]
Carbon Fiber Car Panels
Carbon fiber as we know it is one of the most impressive materials in our toolkit. Its incredible lightness and strength has seen it take hold in everything from competitive cycling, to supercar design to cutting edge aircraft. But could it also play a role in energy storage? One team of scientists has been exploring the possibilities, and say that […]
Atmospheric Water Harvester The Winner
Two years ago, XPrize extended its list of pioneering technology competitions with a new contest aimed at the problem of global water security. After revealing the five finalists earlier in the year, the foundation has today announced the grand prize winner, which outshone almost 100 competitors with its superior ability to harvest fresh water from thin air. The Water Abundance […]
Travel App Books Trip Based On Photos
At some time, we’ve probably all seen a photo of some great-looking place and thought “If I knew where that was, I’d go there.” Well, the new Look&Book iOS/Android app can reportedly figure out where such photos were taken (within Europe, at least), and it proceeds to plan your flights. Designed via a partnership between British airline easyJet and mobile […]
Candle Ignites On Demand
Free-standing candles have a tendency to dribble melted wax all over the place, while candles contained within glass jars can be difficult to light once they’ve burned down. The Lumos offers an alternative, in that it’s a jar candle which you light simply by pressing a button. There are two parts to the Lumos Candle – a base that contains […]
Orwellian Smart Mirror
Mirror, mirror, show my reflection; and tell me how to fix my complexion. That’s the premise behind HiMirror’s HiMirror Classic: a smart-mirror with built-in camera designed to help beauty professionals hawk beauty products to credulous, self-conscious punters. But with the new HiMirror Mini Premium, the company’s cutting out the go-between so now agoraphobes worried about their looks won’t even need […]
Can Human Blinkers Help You Focus?
Panasonic‘s Future Life Factory is developing wearable blinkers, designed to limit your sense of sound and sight, and help you focus on what’s directly in front of you. The prototype device, called Wear Space, is designed to keep people distraction-free when working in busy spaces or open-plan offices by blocking them off from their immediate surroundings. It was created by Panasonic’s design studio […]
Intravenous Drips For Plants?
Riga Design and Art School graduate Keita Augstkalne has developed an indoor watering system to revive plants that have been neglected by their busy owners. Previewed at London Design Fair, the system resembles a hospital intravenous (IV) stand, which are commonly used to distribute fluids into the human body. Augstkalne, who studied product design at Riga Design and Art School, created the […]