SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION USING TECHNICAL WOOD | # CONSTRUCTION
Spanish startup Woodea is working to demystify the use of wood as a building material. Woodea combines wood, an ancient construction material, with modern production systems to deliver sustainable construction faster and comparable cost to traditional methods and materials. Its projects use technical wood, which is wood that has undergone high-pressure and high-temperature treatment to render it more durable.
DIAGNOSING GLAUCOMA WITH SMART CONTACT LENSES| # HEALTH
Startup BVS Sight Inc. hopes to speed up glaucoma diagnosis with a smart contact lens. BVS was established to take advantage of technology developed by a Purdue research team. The team was led by Chi Hwan Lee, an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, and created smart contact lenses that can continuously monitor intraocular pressure (IOP) in the eye. This is the only known modifiable risk factor for glaucoma.
CREATING CLEAN HYDROGEN FUEL FROM THIN AIR | # ENERGY
A team of scientists from EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) has created a solar-powered device that takes water from the air and creates hydrogen gas. This device combines semiconductor-based technology with new porous electrodes that optimise contact with airborne water. These electrodes are also transparent to maximise the exposure of the semiconductor film that absorbs the sunlight.
UNDERGROUND STORAGE FOR HYDROGEN | # AGRICULTURE
UK startup and underground energy storage specialist, Gravitricity, is completing its design of purpose-built underground lined rock shafts which would enable efficient underground hydrogen storage. Gravitricity believes its storage technology, which it calls FlexiStore, is a ‘Goldilocks’ solution to the obstacles facing hydrogen storage.
AN EXOSKELETON HELPS TO REMOVE PAIN WHEN WORKING STANDING UP| # HEALTH
Japanese startup Archelis has developed what it describes as an “exoskeleton assist suit” that enables leg-strain-free standing. The device is attached to the legs and allows the upper body’s weight to be dispersed and supported by the shins and thighs, reducing stress on the feet by as much as 50 per cent. In effect, it acts like a standing chair that moves with the user.
