2021 was chock-full of important discoveries, inventions and breakthroughs in scientific research.
You can read about global achievements in the space industry and the advancements in artificial intelligence in our Telegram channel, where we keep you up to date with tech news from around the world.
And this digest is about successful innovators who work to keep our home planet sustainable: from little everyday tasks to the purification of global water resources using biorobots.
Wireless chargers for mobile gadgets
Last year, two smartphone producers announced the development of wireless distance-charging devices.
Such devices can remotely charge several smartphones at once by finding them using built-in antennas.
This innovative charging method can be accessed from several meters, which means that all the phones in the room can be charged at once. This saves on wire production, the need to carry individual chargers and much more. Not only that, the developers claim that this method of charging is completely safe for people and pets in the area.
Wind farm “buds”
The American company “Flower Turbines” has developed small wind turbines with a floral aesthetic. The list of benefits for the faux flora is vast:
- they only need a wind speed of 1.2 m / s to start working. Comparable turbines start at 3 m / sec;
- the sound of the power plant operation is not louder than the sound of the wind;
- they are safe for birds, humans, and animals.
The goal of the company-developer is to make accessible, sustainable green energy available worldwide. And the little power-bud designs are already available in several cities in Europe, Israel and Colombia.
Biorobotic reproduction
Back in 2020, American scientists introduced xenobots, biorobots created using the embryonic cells from the South African frog Xenopus laevis.
Xenobots are already able to perform certain algorithms (for example, find a given target), work in groups, and recover from damage.
In 2021, developers introduced a new feature for biorobots. Now, xenobots can reproduce by self-replication! That is, complete “parent” units form a group of cells, which turns into a full-fledged “child” biorobot in a few days.
Scientists have big plans for the little xenobot systems, in particular for ecological purification of water bodies.
Oxygen instead of carbon dioxide
Scientists in Australia have developed a system for converting CO2 emissions from fuel combustion into carbon and oxygen. The process passes carbon dioxide through gallium and silver nanorods.
The innovative solution will significantly reduce air pollution from industrial plants and vehicles powered by coal or gas.
Noosphere also supports the trend of eco-development. For example, at the end of 2021, Noosphere Engineering School, together with its Czech colleagues, held a conference on air pollution and strategies to resolve the global issue. They also discussed methods of diagnostics and managing the situation. For example, visitors were presented with an ecosystem for territorial monitoring of air condition.
