1. One thing that helps
Carbon nanotube fibers. Use them to build a bridge, make a power line, or throw it in a sewing machine and stitch yourself a smart-shirt.
A Rice University Lab is using these amazing fibers to create a “smart shirt”, with fabric able to monitor the heart rate of the wearer and take an electrocardiogram (ECG). This is made possible by carbon nanotube fibers that act like conductive metal wires but are comfortable, washable and stretchable. Bluetooth transmitters can also be incorporated so the shirt takes on the functionalities of a smartwatch. The shirt out-performed standard chest-strap monitors in taking live measurements of heart rate. It also gave better ECG readings than commercial medical electrode monitors – so this technology is really here right now.
The uses of these carbon nanotube fibers are vast. They have applications for human-machine interfaces, antennas, health monitors and even ballistic protection. With so many applications, Matteo Pasquali, biomolecular engineer, says, “We’re in the same situation as solar cells were a few decades ago. We need application leaders that can provide a pull for scaling up production and increasing efficiency.”
Smart shirts will benefit those who need constant vitals monitoring by doing away with accessories that are a burden to wear. For those of us lucky enough to be able to run, we may be able to leave our phone, smart-watch and chest strap at home and feel free!
2. One to be wary of
We’re not talking about the guns used by the Ghostbusters – which I would definitely put in the “amaze” section! We’re talking about 3D-printed guns that look, feel and work like the real thing but are not traceable by the government. These are home-assembled firearms that can be bought online either through ready to assemble kits or blueprints for 3D printing.
No background checks are required for possessing ghost guns so anyone can get one. On a federal level, these guns are unregulated and since there are no serial numbers, it is virtually impossible to track them down. The Biden administration has proposed rules to require serial numbers, amongst other restrictions. Since then, there has been a huge rush to buy them and now parts are in short supply on the internet.
These 3D-printed guns can cause just as much mayhem as traditional guns. As the linked article says “The fully-automatic “Scorpion” submachine gun can burn through a 30-round clip of 9mm ammo in a matter of seconds with one steady pull of the trigger. It looks, feels, and shoots just like a factory-made gun—except part of this one came off a 3D printer.”
Ghost guns demonstrate how people are ultimately responsible for how technology is used. 3D printing enabled us to create what we only used to imagine. Now the challenge is ours to deal with our creations.
3. One to amaze
Cable rage. Power cords. Thunderbolt, micro-USB, USB-C, Lightning plugs – the number of connectors and cables we use has exploded. Wireless charging is one of those things that you would think our amazing technology world would have sorted by now. We may be well on the way.
Imagine a room without wires, without even a power socket, but your laptop never dies, your phone can charge and you can use the appliances as usual. To make this happen, the room is turned into a giant magnetic charger. Conductive aluminum panels are installed in the walls, floor and ceiling and a copper pole in the middle. Turn the power on and a magnetic field delivers 50 watts of power throughout the room. OK at the moment you need to do some fairly major changes to your room – but you’re an early adopter, right?
I don’t have to put this in the “wary” section – harmful electric fields are isolated by the capacitors so they’re safe according to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) standards.
It’s still a prototype and much needs to be done to increase its efficiency. But with the rate of improvement that the team is making we may well see wireless rooms in our houses one day. For the near future though, this tech can be used for cabinets that charge power tools wirelessly and we can start to get rid of those bloody cables!