6 Inspiring Examples of Groundbreaking Green Technology

by Yuka Yoneda

Green technology isn’t just about wind turbines, solar panels and alternative fuel anymore. A few inspiring individuals out there are breaking new ground with innovative ideas that no one’s ever explored before. From a printer that can spit out whole buildings made of stone to an entire city that flips the discomfort of the summer heat into an energy-saving advantage for the wintertime to a company that decided solar panels don’t have to be ugly, heavy or even rectangular. Read on to check out some of our favorite examples of emerging technology in the field of green!

3-D Printer Creates Entire Buildings From Solid Rock

3D printers are nothing new – but how about a printer that can whip up entire life-size stone buildings?! That’s exactly what designer Enrico Dini’s prototype D-Shape printer does. Instead of ink, the device uses layers of sand, and Dini reports that the process is four times faster than conventional building, costs about one-third to one-half the price of Portland cement, and creates much less waste.

Transparent Solar Spray Transforms Windows Into Watts

Photovoltaic panels transform the sun’s rays into energy we can use, but they’re bulky and not the most attractive in terms of design. Well one Norwegian company called EnSol AS has cast aside the notion that PVs need to take up extra space — or even be in a solid state. They’ve developed a remarkable new spray-on solar film consisting of metal nanoparticles embedded in a transparent composite matrix that allows you to turn ordinary windows into solar panels. The best part? The spray is clear so you can still see right through your windows!

POWERleap Harnesses Energy From Foot Steps!

While other green tech companies look to outside sources like the sun and wind when they think about alternative power, POWERleap decided to completely flip the script by tapping the energy inside – of ourselves! Their piezoelectric floor tiling system that converts the energy from human foot traffic into electricity could be applied to train stations, sidewalks or even inside homes to harness the wasted energy from our footsteps into power for the grid.

‘Solar Ivy’ Photovoltaic Leaves Climb to New Heights

Who says photovoltaic panels have to be an eyesore? After all, if they could somehow be integrated as a decorative element on homes and buildings, more people might be willing to install them on more surface area. Well, that’s exactly the approach that Brooklyn-based SMIT (Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology) took with their “Solar Ivy”, a system of paper-thin, leaf-shaped solar panels that generate energy by sparkling in the sunlight. These pretty PVs consist of layers of thin-film material on top of polyethylene with a piezoelectric generator attached to each one, and are definitely miles away from the big, boxy panels we’re used to seeing.

Shoe Generator Harvests Power from Walking

Walking is already one of the greenest forms of transportation but one researcher at Louisiana Tech University thought it could be made even more eco-friendly — so he designed a shoe that converts the wearer’s footsteps into electricity. The piezo power shoe contains a small generator in its sole that can charge batteries or power small electronics. Bet your Nikes can’t do that.

Science City Stores Warm Air from Summer to Heat Buildings in Winter

Isn’t it sad that in many parts of the world people use a ton of energy cooling buildings in the summer and then use almost as much power heating up the same spaces just a few months later? It may sound crazy but what if there was a way to save the summer’s hot air and use it to warm buildings throughout the winter? Well some smart thinkers at Honggerberg Campus in Switzerland are doing just that. Their campus, called Science City is installing systems that will allow it to harness natural heat during the warmer months, pump it underground and store it until the winter when it be pushed back up into buildings and act as a heating system. The system is the first of its kind.

Inspiring Green Technology That Has the Power to Heal

by Rebecca Paul

One can’t deny the ever-increasing role that technology plays in our lives. While some people are averse to the spread of technology, many of us recognize the positive impact that it can have on our future and the quality of our lives. In the field of medicine, there are many scientists, doctors, engineers, and designers that are constantly pushing the bounds of what’s possible in terms of human health — and the results are inspiring. Read on for some of our favorite examples of awe-inspiring and green medical revelations!

 

Photovoltaic Device Gives Sight to the Blind

There is no better example of how we can use technology to create a brighter future than using photovoltaics to help the blind see. Researchers at Stanford University recently developed a new artificial retina implant that actually uses the power of the sun to help give sight to the blind. Previous implants were problematic because of the challenges associated with providing enough electricity to the chip. Fortunately, with the development of miniature photovoltaic cells, these new implants now have the power to get the job done.

LCD Televisions Transformed into Infection Fighting Medicine

One downfall to adopting new technology is the issue of “disposing” or “not disposing” of the old stuff — e-waste has become a real problem that needs a real solution. Scientists at the University of York have gone above and beyond finding a way to properly dispose of this waste — they’ve discovered how to recycle discarded LCD televisions into an amazing infection-fighting substance. York’s Department of Chemistry and its team of researchers successfully transformed the key element of LCD television sets – polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA) – into an anti-microbial material that can fight infections – now that’s what e-waste recycling should be.

Implantable Solar-powered Chip Monitors Blood Sugar Levels

Most diabetics have forever had to deal with the uncomfortable, but unavoidable need to monitor their own glucose levels by drawing blood. Lucky for them, the Glucowizzard may have eliminated much of the discomfort associated with the finger pricking ritual. This solar-powered device is a rice-sized implantable glucose sensor that is inserted under the patient’s skin. The device continuously monitors glucose levels and only needs to be replaced once each year.

Medical Dressing Uses Nanotechnology to Treat Infection

Researchers at the University of Bath and the Southwest UK Paediatric Burns Center have redefined the future of wound dressing. Their amazing dressing not only stops you from bleeding…. it can also detect disease-causing pathogens. As soon as these pathogens are detected, nano-capsules in the dressing release antibiotics and change color to indicate that the medicine has been released

Living, Breathing “Lung Chip” Provides Alternative to Animal Testing

Testing chemicals to determine how safe or unsafe they are for the human body is an important part of ensuring our health. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to go about this, and animal testing is a horrific endeavor altogether. Seeking to provide a solution to this quandary, researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute have developed a synthetic human lung-on-a-chip. Their transparent bite-sized device cleverly mimics how a real lung breathes, and how it allows pathogens into the blood stream. With access to inspiring gadgets like this one, the ethically dubious practice of animal testing could soon be history.