Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently unveiled a paper-thin solar cell that could turn any surface into a power source. The device is thinner than a single strand of human hair. It weighs about 100 times less than standard solar cells....
Read news articleIf Chinese automobile company Xpeng AeroHT has its way, we may soon be commuting on flying cars. The electric car manufacturer recently unveiled two radical flying vehicle models....
Read news articleElectric cars are a great way to reduce our carbon footprint. But French car maker Citroën believes more can be done to make vehicles sustainable. On September 29, 2022, the company unveiled Oli, a concept electric car that can be "reused or recycled throughout ownership."...
Read news articleThe metaverse is rapidly being portrayed as the next frontier in the tech, business, and finance world. The concept gained popularity in July 2021, after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg rebranded the company to Meta to reflect its growing focus on the metaverse. Today, everyone, from major corporations like Microsoft and Disney to innovative startups, is scrambling to enter the lucrative market that is predicted to reach over $780 billion by 2024. But what exactly is the metaverse? How will it affect the way we live and work?...
Read news articleThere have been numerous attempts to create an all-plastic bike. However, most have never made it past the prototype stage. Igus, a Germany-based manufacturer of high-performance plastics, and Dutch start-up MTRL aim to change that with the igus:bike — the world's first urban bike crafted almost entirely from recycled polymer....
Read news articleThe beautiful island country of Madagascar has a dire school shortage. About a third of Malagasy children have no access to education because the schools are too far away or severely overcrowded. Thinking Huts, a non-profit dedicated to increasing global access to education, believes that 22,000 new schools are needed to fulfill the demand. The organization plans to tackle the issue with a series of 3D-printed schools, the first of which was completed in April 2022....
Read news articleSan Francisco residents may notice something missing the next time they hail a taxi — no driver at the wheel. On June 2, 2022, Cruise, a division of General Motors (GM), was approved to charge for rides in its autonomous cars. Waymo, owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet, has been offering a similar service in Chandler, Arizona, since October 2020. However, Cruise is the first company allowed to operate commercial driverless cars in a major US city....
Read news articleCar manufacturers often create concept vehicles to showcase their technological prowess. However, most never get past the prototype stage because the designs are too far-fetched or expensive to make on a large scale. But on May 5, 2022, South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai announced plans to further develop the Elevate and Tiger X-1. The radical concept Ultimate Mobility Vehicles (UMVs) were unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2019 and 2021, respectively....
Read news articleWater scarcity is one of the world's biggest challenges. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one in three people globally do not have easy access to clean water. Desalinating ocean water could help. But the currently-available devices are too energy-intensive and expensive to deploy on a large scale. Now, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have developed a portable desalination machine that is both affordable and sustainable....
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