Interactive ‘trees’ at The Orchad in Austin respond to touch with lights and sounds
The world needs its greenery, but given the fact that the human race simply can’t keep the axes away from trees, creative technology studio Chaotic Moon along with design firm Gensler has come up with futuristic ‘trees’ that will help increase the aesthetic value of open urban spaces, particularly heavily-concretized areas that don’t accommodate real trees easily. Called The Orchad, this 30-foot-tall interactive tree responds to visitors through light and sound. Currently installed in the technologically advanced city of Austin, 30 of these trees are anchored by a steel pole that works as a ‘trunk’.
There’s an ocean full of opportunities out there, literally, and the Carnegie Perth Wave Energy Project in Perth is looking to make the best use of it all! Just off the coast of Perth in Western Australia, CETO technologies will generate energy from the swell and convert it into usable electricity. At the same time, the project will also generate desalinated water, fit for human use. Three submerged 240-kilowatt buoys will be hooked onto the seabed with hydraulic water pumps. As the system bobs up and down with the waves, pressurized water is pushed through power turbines, generating electricity.
If you’ve been thinking that farming is something that requires large open landscapes and is pretty impossible in an urban setting, here’s a game-changer. Boston-based agriculture startup Freight Farms is currently working on a concept that could help grow fruits and vegetables organically in urban areas! With the Leafy Green Machine (LGM), Freight Farms is retrofitting shipping containers with fully functional hydroponic farms that come packed with indoor growing technology, while using 90% less water than traditional farming. 
Motor oil isn’t particularly pleasing to the eye and certainly has never been hailed for its aesthetic value, until today. Switzerland’s Bellelay Abbey plays home to two shimmering pools of black that use recycled motor oil to reflect the structure’s soaring interior. The motor oil pools inside the building reflect the ornate arches and ceilings perfectly, thanks to their oily and unbroken surfaces. The motor oil pools contrast well with the chapel’s pristine, white-washed walls.
Living in a car is a great idea, particularly if you’ve been calling your RV a ‘car’ all along. However, living in a Toyota Prius isn’t something you’d want to indulge in for more than an afternoon, right? James Lawler thinks differently, and greener too. A landscaper from Torquay, Australia, Lawler has converted the back of his eco-friendly Prius into a home. While this might seem to be an expensive affair that requires the expertise of an automobile expert, Lawler decided to take things into his own hands, building his home-on-wheels for less than $150!
Only a couple of decades ago, mankind would never have thought it possible to power up a car with nothing but salt water. Times are changing now and saltwater-powered cars could soon be parked in our driveways! nanoFlowcell AG unveiled the Quantino concept at the 2015 Geneva International Auto Show, a car that’s capable of drinking up saltwater and travelling 621 miles on electricity alone. Measuring just 12-feet long, this coupe draws power from a low-voltage drive system, two ionic liquid storage tanks and four electric motors. Together, all of these churn out 136hp.
One of the very few stressful situations that electric vehicle owners face today is range anxiety. People looking to invest in EVs or currently owning one do spend hours of time imagining what it’d be like to be stranded on a lonely highway, far away from an EV charging station. A few unlucky souls have faced nightmarish situations like these in the past too. However, Goodyear is looking to change this scenario and has shown-off a new heat-gathering, electricity-generating tire concept at the 2015 Geneva International Auto Show!
The United Kingdom is celebrating the times historic nation of Mexico with the “Year of the United Kingdom in Mexico” event. With the festivities kicking off in the U.K.’s Potters Fields Park around the Tower Bridge of London, a massive 25 meter geodesic dome has been erected. What makes this structure attention-worthy is the fact that it covers a base area of 500 square meters and is packed with cutting-edge technology, in order to give visitors a walk down memory lane.
Coffee and cookies are a great combination. What if your coffee cup was made out of cookie, so that you could drink the coffee and the eat the cookie afterwards? KFC has decided to ditch the disposable coffee cups and serve coffee in edible cups called Scoff-ee. Scoff-ee, an excellent product of gastronomic engineering is made up of a cookie shell in the inside and a layer of white chocolate on the outside to give it the look of the coffee cup you use every day. Apart from the looks the taste department was also taken care of very well. The Scoffees don’t only taste delicious but they smell divine too. They have been infused with aromas such as Freshly Cut Grass, Coconut Sun Cream, and Wild Flowers. The aromas used might remind you of warm weather, sunshine, and summer holidays.
The future is bound to be sustainable and for that, we’ve got to make moves in the present. That’s just what the Dutch Windwheel Corporation has drawn up. In an attempt to visualize the future of Rotterdam, the institution has crafted a beautiful mashup between a wind turbine and a dwelling space. It’s made of steel and glass and is decked with three inset circles, built to perform different functions. The outer ring rotates to treat visitors to spectacular landscapes, the middle one hosts 72 stationary apartments for residents within the building while the inner circle is the actual wind turbine. The ingenious waste management system ensures that the waste produced by residents is converted to biogas while the rainwater harvesting and recycling processes will keep everyone well hydrated.