A Nottingham Trent University student has discovered a simple trick to cut the weight of washing machines, making them easier to move and more environmentally friendly. Most washing machines have a 25kg block of concrete near the top to hold the machine steady during a spin cycle. This significantly adds to the weight of the appliance. Much CO2 is released during the production of concrete and more is released by gas powered transport vehicles. This simple change would replace the heavy concrete counterweight with an empty plastic container that is filled with water when the washing machine is installed. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/08/04/students-simple-washing-machine-idea-could-save-thousands-tonnes

Reposit is intelligence software that integrates with solar battery systems to learn your energy habits, optimising your system to save you money, and the environment. https://www.repositpower.com/

A team of researchers from Harvard and eGenesis have genetically engineered pigs, removing viruses to make transplanting their organs into humans safer. This could be a game changing development for the future of organ transplants. https://futurism.com/gene-editing-breakthrough-could-let-us-to-transplant-pig-organs-into-humans/

Airlines have started testing facial recognition technology and selling it as a speedier way to check in baggage, get through security, and board the plane. www.fastcompany.com

Chinese delivery firm Shentong is leading in automation. Orange robots at the company's sorting stations are able to identify the destination of a package through a code-scan, virtually eliminating sorting mistakes. They can sort up to 200,000 packages a day, and are self-charging, meaning they are operational 24/7. Shentong estimates its robotic sorting system is saving around 70-percent of the costs of a human-based sorting line. http://m.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/04/18/shentong-express_n_16087678.html

In Los Angeles, where summer temperatures regularly surpass 38 degrees Celsius, or 100 degrees Fahrenheit, workers are coating streets in special grey treatments in a bid to help reduce the heat. It?s the first major city to test the technology. Normal black asphalt absorbs 80 to 95 per cent of sunlight, while the gray ?cool pavement? reflects it - reducing ground temperature and urban street heat. http://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2106692/los-angeles-coating-roads-reflective-paint-beat-heat?