An international team of scientists has developed a transparent, self-healing, highly stretchable material that allows ions to flow through it. The material, which was inspired in part by the regenerative ability of the comic book antihero Wolverine, could someday be used to improve the lifespan of electronic devices or develop self-repairing robots. Imagine a new class of robots that are based on soft, elastic materials, being powered by stretchable electronic circuits and thus much more closely resemble the elegant design of biology, This is the type of robot that may help us out in the household or care for elderly people in the future.
https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2017/0102/Scientists-develop-Wolverine-inspired-material
A startup in the UK called farmdrop delivers fresh food of your choice within 19 hours. This offer is different because all food is sustainably sourced, you can choose the producer, the producer gets the majority of the price rather than a supermarket and delivery is by all electric vans -which can be within one hour intervals. https://www.farmdrop.com/
In a revolutionary breakthrough, a team of researchers have come up with a method to turn sea water into safe drinking water in a way that's more energy efficient, economically sustainable and cost effective than current technologies. Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are an amazing next generation material that have the largest internal surface area of any known substance. The sponge like crystals can be used to capture, store and release chemical compounds. In this case, the salt in sea water. A just released paper found that membranes made out of MOFs can mimic the way cells allow specific atoms or molecules through to help them grow and survive, while stopping everything else. Known as selective permeability this allows cells and now MOFs to act as a filter. MOF's selective permeability means they're designed at the molecular level to only let water pass.
An embedded Qualcomm Halo™?in roadways, makes it possible to charge your electric vehicle on the go. With a limitless range, your car will be able to keep going long after you?re ready for a rest stop. Great for highways. It?s based on WEVC technology which allows cars to charge while parked, DEVC. ? charging while driving ? has been tested and proven. https://www.qualcomm.com/products/halo
Everledger is using blockchain to build a shared digital global ledger to track and protect diamonds. Using machine vision, they record 40 metadata points to create a unique thumbprint of each stone. It's a forensic view like dental marks or an iris scan. The technology helps verify the authenticity, provenance, and custody of diamonds using a single source across the supply chain and can identify blood diamonds as well as fake and stolen diamonds. www.forbes.com/sites/pamelaambler/2017/09/10/how-blockchain-is-fixing-the-diamond-industrys-rampant-ethical-issues
