Futurist Keynote, London: The Future of Superyacht Design, SuperyachtNews
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As the superyacht industry hots up and competition intensifies superyacht companies have to work harder to stay at the leading edge of design trends. Firstly, I’d like to thank the team at RWD, a superyacht design company in the UK, and Feyi and Rory from...
Scientists printed a flexible battery that could revolutionise wearable computers
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Ultra thin and ultra flexible batteries made from Graphene could make new types of wearable computing platforms a reality. Researchers in the UK who were motivated by the problem of how to power the growing number of wearables that are now hitting the market...
New battery technology triples the ranges of electric vehicles
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As the world starts to move away from fossil fuels we need to find new ways to squeeze more power from our batteries, and innovations like this one help us achieve that. In the latest battery breakthrough claim researchers from the University of Waterloo...
Russian scientists show off their prototype nuclear battery
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Nuclear batteries last for thousands of years without ever needing to be recharged, and they have applications in aerospace and healthcare. Imagine only having to replace the batteries in a device once a decade, or even once a century, or more… Nuclear batteries could...
It’s raining cash, US startup edges closer to creating solid state “Jesus” battery
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Solid state batteries charge faster, , don’t catch fire, last longer and and are cheaper to make than their liquid Lithium Ion cousins, making them a game changer. Recently technology giants like Dyson, Samsung and Total have collectively invested $65 million in Ionic Materials, a company...
3D printed Graphene Aerogel, stronger than steel and 99.8% lighter
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Tomorrow’s materials will be lighter, stronger and more flexible than todays, and that opens up a whole host of new applications. The world’s lightest 3D printed structure, a Graphene Aerogel, is so lightweight that it can be placed on top of a cotton ball...
Lamborghini’s futuristic all electric, self healing hyper car won’t have batteries
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF It’s likely that our flirtation with battery packs in cars won’t last as long as we think as new wirelessly charged cars start emerging, and as new materials let the cars themselves become the batteries. Lamborghini and MIT recently introduced the Terzo Millennio concept, which...
Semi-synthetic cells could revolutionise everything from sensors to healthcare
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The ability to create semi-synthetic cells that have both organic and inorganic properties opens up a whole world of new use cases that span everything from biotech to new forms of manufacturing. The more we study natural biological cells, the more we learn about...
MIT’s breakthrough battery makes electricity from thin air, literally
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF We still live in a world where many people live in energy poverty and inventions like this one could one day become an important part of the overall energy mix. Energy devices that can generate electricity from thin air are increasingly appearing in labs...
Electric eel inspired bio-batteries could revolutionise pacemakers and wearables
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF A new type of ultra thin biological battery could replace batteries in pace makers, and power smart contact lenses, but their use cases don’t stop there. New artificial organs may have a familiar, slimy face to thank for their near future prospects in the...
China launches the world’s first fully electric cargo ship
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Cargo ships are by far the most polluting types of “vehicles” on the planet, all be the fact they carry huge weights of cargo, but now the industry is starting to electrify and the result will be an environmental revolution. Ground transport, closely followed...
Samsung unveils their new ultra fast charging, energy dense battery
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF When asked what irritates them most about their smartphones most people reply battery life, but Samsung’s latest breakthrough might mean we have to moan about something else. All our mobile devices have been hamstrung for ages by their reliance on traditional Lithium-Ion (LiOn) batteries...
Revolutionary seawater powered battery gives underwater drones a big boost
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF When you’re on land you can just pop to a charging station and re-charge your vehicle, but underwater it’s not so easy – until now. Underwater drones are becoming an increasingly popular – whether it’s to private industry who are increasingly using them to...
Scientists create the first carbon free supercapacitor
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Breakthroughs in supercapacitor technology will have multiple benefits, from helping to create new renewable energy grid-scale electric storage systems and faster electric vehicle charging systems. Elon Musk last year went on record to say that if anything was going to accelerate the roll out...
New battery breakthrough could charge devices in seconds
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As gadgets demand for power increases charging times will increase, this new thin film battery will charge your gadgets faster than you can make your toast. A new type of battery that lasts for days with only a few seconds’ charge has been created by...
New breakthrough polymer could charge electric cars in seconds
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Electric vehicles have been held back by battery and charging technologies, now a single supercapacitor technology might be able to solve both in one hit. UK technology firm Augmented Optics and its partners, the University of Surrey and the University of Bristol have revealed a...
Scientists turn nuclear waste into diamond batteries that last forever
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Nuclear waste is normally buried beneath ground and left forever, this new breakthrough gives nuclear processing companies a new option and a new revenue stream. Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed a method to turn radioactive graphite blocks, a waste product of...
