Innovation That Matters

Spotted: Music is one of the most common means of omnipresent technology in our daily lives. Headphones and mobile speakers have evolved into audio sunglasses and personalised car stereos to mean that there never needs to be a time when we are without audio. But what of creating music? A new wearable could enable users to play instruments that fit on their hands.

Sphero, the company behind Star Wars’ iconic rolling robots, have now turned their hand to developing musical, motion-enabled Bluetooth rings. Dubbed Specdrums, the products are part of a new STEAM initiative. A spin-off of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), the extra ‘A’ stands for Arts. Essentially the product is a sign of the push for technology to have more influence in creative, artistic fields. Specdrums are Bluetooth, MIDI-compatible, finger-worn, musical instruments, focused on musical creation.

They work by tapping variously coloured surfaces around the user. The ring then flashes and senses the colour, sending the data back to the paired phone app. This software then converts the input into a sound, thereby enabling real-time music creation. The conflation of audio and visual stimulus here adds a whole new level to artistic creativity. It can also function through multiple rings to offer greater flexibility to the creator.

Sphero began testing Specdrums’ integration into existing apps such as Garageband last year. Now coding advances have enabled a whole new spectrum of potential for the rings in the future. Specdrums began shipping on 15th January 2019, at a retail cost of €58 ($65) or two for €90 ($100).

Spotted: eSport organisations have seen the value in online interaction to boost real-life engagement. From an AI chatbot to a social platform, technology ushers fans into greater communication with the brand as a whole. Now a British football team is seeking to engage with the Chinese market in a similar fashion.

Manchester City recognised China’s huge potential for market growth last year, with 60 percent of the population expressing an interest in football. In order to target this demographic, they launched an online team for the video game, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). This was a first for any other Premier League team. This virtual team could then compete in the Online Star League (FSL). Highly sought-after players, such as 2017’s Most Valuable Player Zhang Jun, and Aruya and Liu Chao, made the team. All the players had strong FSL reputations, making them popular choices in this online tournament. The team also included two players chosen via a fan competition.

25 percent of eSports players across the globe are from China, making it a strong choice for Manchester City’s focus. The club’s attention has been very much focused on spreading their fanbase across the globe, and the youth in China represents a huge market opportunity, as yet untouched.

Spotted: The health industry has benefited from such innovations as this glowing paper or machine learning algorithms, both of which help to identify certain diseases earlier. Early diagnosis offers more opportunity for successful treatment. Such technology can quite literally mean the difference between life and death. Now a startup currently crowdfunding in the US claims to be able to analyse users’ metabolisms based on just one breath.

Lumen is a small device that claims to be able to track a user’s metabolism. The user breathes into the device a few times a day, with each breath giving Lumen more information, via carbon dioxide readings. This enables the device to provide daily personalised meal plans and optimised workouts. Lumen aims to help its users lose weight in a manner that is perfectly suited to them. Information is available to the user via Apple Health or Google Fit respectively.

The regular analysis is necessary because an individual’s metabolism changes everyday. This can be based on the diet, amount of sleep, or exercise level of the person at that specific time. This scientifically-backed device can help users lose weight sustainably. It also provides helpful advice to keep them healthy throughout weight loss. It’s also lightweight enough to function on the go, thereby making it easy to integrate into everyday life without much disruption.

The devices are due to ship in the summer of 2019. They are available for pre-order at €269.

Spotted: Springwise has already covered various sustainable forms of public transport, from electric taxis to travel subscription services. Now the Pakistani city of Karachi will benefit from zero-emission public transport.

The Green Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network will include 200 buses, all fuelled by bio-methane — essentially, cow dung. The raw materials for this fuel comes from 400,000 buffaloes in the area. Funded by the Green Climate Fund to an amount of €44 million ($49 million) out of a total cost of €526 million ($583.5 million), the network will therefore eradicate pollution emissions that damage the environment. Not only is the new network greener, but it is also cheaper. They estimate it will cater to 320,000 passengers daily. It will also help to reduce planet-warming emissions by 2.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over 30 years.

The BRT aims to cover a 30 kilometre transport corridor that will benefit 1.5 million residents. It will add 25 new bus stations, safer pedestrian crossings, and bike-sharing facilities, to name but a few new features. The project also helps to prevent 3,200 tonnes of cow manure polluting the ocean every day. 50,000 gallons of fresh water will also be saved, as it was previously used to wash the waste in the ocean bay.

The buses will integrate in stages, becoming fully active in 2020. It is doubtful however, whether 200 buses are enough to support the city’s already struggling public transport needs. Yet in tackling such a large and integral network, the environmental benefits could be huge.

 

Our Gen-I series focuses on students and young innovators bringing fresh ideas to their industries. Our latest feature showcases the talent of six young entrepreneurs who have been nominated for the prestigious Morgan Innovation And Technology (MIAT) Prize 2019, an annual initiative from Morgan Innovation & Technology Ltd. helping companies and inventors bring their new products to market.

The MIAT 2019 Prize consists of €36000 (£31,000) of Research & Development services, €5800 (£5000) of consultancy services, and €5800 of legal services to further develop their product. This adds up to a total value of €47600 (£41,000), a substantial amount for any budding innovator and enough to help get promising ideas off the ground.

The Prize came about to identify and support the next generation of world-changing innovators across sectors. Located in Petersfield, UK, Morgan Innovation & Technology Ltd. sought to support innovations that have the potential for positive impact on society as a whole. The 2019 finalists exhibit a range of potential innovations with a special focus on health and medical treatment, from a robotic arm to a smart bracelet for menopausal women.

One finalist, Llyr Williams is from WASE, a wastewater treatment company. He seeks to improve sanitation facilities for 2.5 billion people across the world and thereby reduce child mortality. To do so, he has devised a decentralised wastewater treatment system. If Williams succeeded, he would complete one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Current forms of waste treatment often result in widespread disease, especially for women. WASE helps to prevent the contamination of local drinking water by treating waste 10 times faster than standard methods. The system can also generate high-energy biogas for use in cooking, increase crop yields through its fertiliser byproduct, and provide water for irrigation. This wealth of benefits all comes in a modular system that can adapt to different environments.

Next in the ring, Robert Paterson devised a custom-fit, Smart Mouthguard, ORB. It is designed to prevent the misdiagnosis of sporting head injuries. The secondary aims are also to improve the understanding of risks for contact sport players and support player performance improvements. Contact sports players often experience two problems: that of serious health risks from frequent concussions, and lack of access to proper sport analysis tools. ORB could solve both of these issues by providing biometric insights that have as yet gone untapped and also gathering data to promote further research into concussion.

David Barton and Heather Smart from Kaydiar Ltd. received Morgan Technology’s attention because of ZeroSole. This patented insole aims to treat and prevent diabetic foot ulcerations, improve patient quality of life, and reduce the burden on the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). The offloading design reduces pressure on the foot, thereby assisting in ulcer recovery and hopefully avoiding future complications or hospital visits. The high-quality material of medical grade silicone can provide long-term shear-resistant support.

Dr. Heba Lakany from the University of Strathclyde was nominated for the prize because of TAHARAC. Her team’s robotic arm exoskeleton aims to improve the rehabilitation experience for people with upper limb disabilities. The high cost of such prosthetics mean that many patients never reach their full potential for rehabilitation. The arm is powered by a rechargeable battery, making TAHARAC lightweight, well-balanced, and easy to use. This innovation will provide accessible and affordable devices to assist those with upper limb disabilities to better rehabilitate. The end goal is therefore to ensure people remain active in the community.

Nawar Al-Zebari‘s catheter made from smart materials, NuCath, aims to improve patient welfare and save the NHS over €2.3 billion (£2 billion) every year. The device will reduce chance of urinary tract infections. These currently account for 40 percent of hospital-acquired infections. Their reduction could save staff, and indeed the NHS as a whole, huge amounts of time and money. The more efficient design and change in materials should reduce the chance of such diseases to occur, whilst removing the need for additional training or procedures.

Peter Astbury also earned a place on this nomination list with his designer smart bracelet Grace. Already featured on Springwise, his device aims to improve the health and wellbeing of menopausal women across the globe. The stylish wearable can automatically detect and prevent hot flushes before the user even realises they are having one. The main benefit for users would be the decrease in sleep disruption. This can account for various health risks for menopausal women.

Springwise are keen to see the results of this game-changing prize. The future for all of these innovations is particularly exciting for the health sector in general. We will be keeping a careful eye on how all of these innovations evolve further down the line.

Spotted: Smart homes are becoming commonplace in urban environments, with 16 percent of the US population alone owning some form of smart tech. Now a smart security system could provide a smart solution to domestic parcel delivery thefts.

eDOR describes itself as a smart door delivery and security system. The system works in three parts: eDOR, eBOX, and eTETHR. eDOR has the appearance of a regular door. The simple design offers 24/7 automated delivery pickups via its smart security system. Its two-way camera and keyless entry system allow delivery workers to deposit packages without a homeowner present. The second product, eBOX, takes the system one step further, with expanding modules that allow for larger parcels to be deposited safely and locked away from potential thefts. Finally, eTETHR is a digital version of the first two products, ideal for use on temporary or smaller domiciles. Sensors and alarms detect packages and monitor their position until the homeowner returns.

Both eDOR and eBOX connect to a mobile app so that the user can track and update the status of their parcels on the go from anywhere in the world. All three systems are customisable and modular, and so can adapt to suit any sort of property. The patents are currently pending, but they expect to be in production during 2019.

Many more innovations have sprung up around the sector of smart homes, from IoT air ventilation that adapts to current conditions to intelligent systems that learn from the domestic users.

Spotted: For such a short part of our day, teeth cleaning has still produced a surprising amount of innovations. One toothbrush is made of paper to be more environmentally friendly, or a blockchain toothbrush mines for cryptocurrency as you brush. Now the length of time you spend brushing your teeth could become even shorter with a whole new design.

The Y-Brush, the latest product from Fasteesh, is a smart electric toothbrush. The innovative design means that it is basically all bristles. They lie at 45-degree angles around a mouthguard that fits around the upper and lower rows of teeth of the user. The design arranged the bristles precisely according to recommendations from the American Dental Association (ADA). The end result is a tooth-cleaning time of just ten seconds.

The brush works by auto-cleaning the user’s teeth according to the Bass method. This method is a technical brushing movement involving tilting your toothbrush head to a 45 degree angle and making a rolling motion. This effectively removes dental plaque and bacteria. Sonic vibrating technology means that all the user needs to do themselves is apply toothpaste, place the Y-Brush into their mouth and chew for a few seconds. With Y-Brush, each of the user’s teeth receives five seconds of brushing. This is possible because all the teeth are brushed simultaneously. This is four times more than a traditional method, that normally takes two minutes.

To suit the various different potential sizes of individual consumers, the product comes in four different sizes, including ones for children. Pre-order is available, yet official dental approval is still pending. The Y-Brush costs €112 and will likely ship in April 2019.

Spotted: The fashion industry is by its very nature constantly changing, reflecting how fashion trends are also continuously in flux. Innovations in the sector often seek to help consumers deal with problems. An example already covered by Springwise is a scarf that protects the wearer from air pollution, or shoes made from sustainable materials. Yet now a platform seeks to address problems directly in fashion, rather than those external to the industry.

Antibad is an e-commerce platform set up by erstwhile buyer at Burberry, Agatha Lingott. Launching in April 2018, her dream was to create “a hub for earth-and human-friendly fashion across both vintage and new labels”. She also specifically wanted to counteract the idea that sustainable fashion was not as glamorous or attractive as mainstream fashion. The site acts as an online platform for more than 25 independent fashion brands. These range from established American brands to less well-known brands as well.

The products are also diverse, from footwear to swimwear, denim to office clothing. What they all have in common, however, is their consideration for their environmental impact and sustainability. Antibad is highly selective with the brands they carry, doing in-depth analysis to make sure every brand is truly sustainable. An issue that they often hit, for example, is companies that use part reclaimed fabrics, yet also part synthetic, thereby not being wholly sustainable.

Spotted: With the growth of technology integrating steadily into our lives, comes various dangers that the average consumer might not be aware of. Innovations have sprung up to illustrate such potential negative aspects, such as this AI anti-cyberbullying campaign, or an interactive experiment illustrating the potential dangers of AI. Yet of all forms of technology, social media has perhaps the deepest interaction with our daily lives. A new social media documentary offers a scathing take on three teenagers’ interaction with their Instagram account. To promote the film, the media agency Conscious Minds has taken an unusual advertising strategy.

Social Animals, the documentary in question, seeks to illustrate the effects of Instagram on users’ lives by looking at three individuals’ relationships with the platform. Conscious Minds has produced two vending machines to promote the release and reflecting its message. They sell satirical social media-themed physical products. The options range from a pack of ‘1,000 likes’ to a ‘Sliding into DMs package’, from the ‘Jet-Setter Pack’ to ‘Hot Legs’. The products’ design seeks to highlight the materiality of Instagram culture, reflecting the message of the film itself. There is a particular focus on how adults use Instagram in the same way as youths, contributing to an immaturity that continues into adulthood.

The machines have sat in various ‘Insta-worthy’ locations across LA and San Francisco. Consumers can also order the products online. All proceeds will go to Reboot & Recover, a non-profit dedicated to building awareness and treatments related to digital addictions and mental health.