Flying 3D Printers

daisypope
Aug 30, 2019
6 min read

Now that title got your attention.. Let's see what the past two weeks have had to offer. A mixture of technology to aid running and repairing the Great Barrier Reef, to t-shirts that decompose to worm food and a toilet that turns your urine into fertiliser. There's something for everyone, see which is your favourite.

Robotic Running Suit

We have many gadgets available to keep track of our daily activities. Tracking our steps, how fast we are running, how many calories burnt... however none of this tech has been designed to make walking and running easier, until now. Researchers and scientists from Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, John. A Paulson School School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the University of Nebraska Omaha have created a robotic exosuit that can assist during walking and running by reducing the energy needed for the activities. The Exosuit uses a cable to apply force between the waist belt and and thick wraps to generate a better hip joint rotation in unison with the glute muscles. The suit can also detect when a person is walking or running and assist them accordingly. The studies so far who's that the suit reduces the metabolic cost of walking by 9.3% and running by 4%. The findings so far are interesting as they sow it is possible to improve movement from external technology. With future advancements I'd be excited to see where the exosuit is developed. Perhaps it could go as far as helping people with paralysis to walk again. See more at https://www.designboom.com/technology/personalised-robot-exosuits-created-harvard-researchers-signal-future-wearable-technology-03-09-2018/.

The Sofa Bed Kit

Have you ever slept on a sofa and had a terrible nights sleep? I think the majority of us have at some point. However it is becoming increasingly common for millennial to kip on their mates sofa when visiting, so Burrow, the Sofa Start up, have created a sleep kit to fit on your sofa. The kit is designed to fit a standard 3 seat sofa and consists of a memory foam mattress pad, a fitted sheet with a phone pocket, and a narrow pillow to fit on the sofa. It all rolls up into a bag the size of a sleeping bag for easy storage too. It sounds like a great solution for people who live in small apartments or flats and have guests coming to stay, however it comes at a cost. $350 for the sleep kit!... I mean I guess it depends on how much you will use the kit to justify the price of it. A great idea to transform something you already have into something new, but I'm certainly not sold on the price, I'll stick to a sleeping bag. See more at https://www.fastcompany.com/90392860/this-ingenious-sleep-kit-turns-any-sofa-into-a-bed

Burro Sleep Kit - From Apartment Therapy

Turning Urine into Fertiliser

Did you know that studies by leading scientists claim the excessive nitrogen levels cause by sewage and the agricultural fertilisers could be more threatening to the environment than co2 levels and climate change? We also have a big problem with the pollution of waste water - apparently. So Austrian design firm EOOS, bathroom brand Laufen, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology have created a toilet the reuses urine for fertiliser. The toilet called Save!separates the urine as it has an internal curved section that catches liquid onto and around the bowl, known as the urine trap. The urine is then treated with decentralised reactors that remove pollutants and recover nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The end result is the fertiliser called Aurin which can be used throughout agricultural farming. The idea of reusing urine for a fertiliser is great... Imagine a festival and capturing hundreds of thousands of people's urine to create fertiliser for the farm that the festival is hosted on. I'm not sure how this would work domestically though, this would be good to see develop. See more info at https://www.dezeen.com/2019/08/14/save-separation-toilet-eoos-laufen-eawag/

Decomposing T-shirt

Have you ever thought about wearing a T-shirt made form algae? How about if I told you it was sustainable and would decompose in 12 weeks? We looked a little at the environmental issue of fast fashion last week, however this week clothing brand Vollebak have created a plant and algae t-shirt that you bury in the garden. The fabric is made from an FSC certified wood pulp made from eucalyptus, beech and spruce which is made into a fibre. The Tshirt has a large green rectangle on the front that is printed with algae ink. To create the ink algae water is passed through a filter and then dried into a powder before being mixed with water and a binder ready for printing. As the algae ink is natural is will slowly fade over time, meaning every wear the top is different and each tshirt will be unique. When you are finished with the garment you van bury it or out it in the compost for it to decompose into worm food or something of the like. It is a great future thinking product with the current aim at reducing the negative environmental impact fashion has globally. I would love to see what other inks could be made from different organic matters. It would be great have other garments too, I think socks would be a good novelty. I do wonder though what impact the manufacture of such garments has on the environment, is this offsetted by the decomposing of the tshirt? See more at https://www.fastcompany.com/90392905/when-youre-done-with-this-t-shirt-bury-it-it-turns-into-worm-food-in-12-weeks?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss?cid=search

Roaming 3D Printing Robots

When 3D printers first arrived on the scene everyone was in awe of what they could do, however they were also extremely expensive and quite bulky. Over the years we have inevitable seen the reduction is cost and also size of 3D printers making them accessible to just about anyone with a computer. However, would you have ever dreamed a 3D printer could fly? Break the Grid is a collaborative initiative between Danish companies GXN Innovation, The Danish AM Hub and Map Architects who envisage fleets of 3D printers covering the land, sea and air. The first design is a 3D printer the lives underwater and builds artificial reefs as it goes to protect coastlines and Marin life. The land robot travels on six legs and scans cities to spots crack in concrete, before repairing them to prevent any damage getting worse. Finally the drone 3D printer is designed to repair damage to high rise buildings that would otherwise be left as they are such hard to reach places. The robots are only conceits but are building on technology that already exists. Let's hope in the future 3D printing robots will enhance human life and the earths preservation. See more at https://www.dezeen.com/2019/08/23/break-the-grid-3d-printing-robots-technology/

Rotofarm

For many who live in a flat or apartment growing your own veg is a pipe dream. Maybe you'll have a small window bow if you're lucky, or a little cactus, it that's all about to change. Australian company Base have created Rotofarm, a 360 degree rotating planter that works without soil and accelerates plants growth twice over. The plants are grown over a 1.5m strip that fits inside the outer Rotofarm circle. The base contains nutrient and water reservoirs which are strategically fed to the plants depending on how much they need and how moist they already are. The circle frame contains four light zones which can also be customised depending on the need of the plants your are growing. Some may need slightly warmer lights while others need bluer hues. The central light that mimics sunlight is quite bright so an additional cover made from stainless steel and acrylic has been designed to minimise the glare from Rotofarm. The idea is to grow your own salad vegetables without using fertilisers or pesticides and reducing the negative environmental impacts the transportation of your supermarket veggies may cause. The product is a great idea to make growing your own veggies easier, which could go some way to helping reduce environmental impacts. However I feel it's quite a niche product as I imagine it'll be a pretty expensive product to buy and not many people who live in flats would be able to afford to buy it. It certainly highlights the issues that the food industry can cause on the environment, but it wouldn't really make a drop in the ocean. It could be a great hobby for some though. See the video at https://www.dezeen.com/2019/08/15/rotofarm-bace-rotary-hydroponics-garden-sustainable-source-vegetables/