Innovation That Matters

As the demand for more ecological travel grows, Neste has launched new travel website Zerobnb.com – as part of its ‘Journey to Zero’ initiative – which lists only sustainable accommodation options. Based in Finland, Neste is the world’s second most sustainable company and a world leading renewable diesel producer. Neste states that tourism causes nearly one tenth of greenhouse gas emissions around the world. It hopes that the launch of their sustainable accommodation site will encourage US travel marketplace Airbnb to create a sustainable category for their website.

Zerobnb launched on International Day of Climate Action which took place on 24 October. The listings shown on Zerobnb include properties that feature recycling stations, encourage guests to minimise plastic waste, and have local sustainable transport, services and restaurants. Sirpa Tuomi, Director of Marketing at Neste, said: “The demand for more sustainable travel is growing, but when you are not an expert, it can be very demanding to evaluate whether a certain accommodation is sustainable or not. This is why it is important to make sustainable alternatives more accessible for everyone.”

Here at Springwise we have featured many innovations that are changing the way people travel; from bookings processes to hotel stay experiences. For example, a hotel in Norway combines luxury with sustainability and produces more energy than it consumes. Another example is a travel startup in Sweden that helps people with disabilities to locate accommodation that is accessible.

Leading beauty company Coty has partnered with anti-cyberbullying non-profit Cybersmile, to create a new initiative called #IWILLNOTBEDELETED. The initiative – which will be led by Coty’s cosmetics brand Rimmel – will use an artificial intelligence driven tool to support people who have been cyberbullied about their appearance, which is also known as beauty cyberbullying.

Research conducted by Rimmel reveals that one in four women has been a victim of beauty cyberbullying – and this has resulted in 115 million images being deleted on social media each year. #IWILLNOTBEDELETED will create an online space for young people to share and solve their beauty cyberbullying experiences. In addition, Rimmel and Cybersmile will work together to create Cybersmile Assistant, an AI driven virtual assistant which will launch in 2019. Cybersmile Assistant will be available in several languages and offer users affected by beauty cyberbullying approved local resources, organisations and helplines that can support them.

Coty hopes that the new initiative will help combat this issue and let social media users express themselves freely, and without fear of negative responses. Furthermore, the initiative is a part of Coty’s ongoing commitment to encouraging self-expression and campaigning against discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender.

At Springwise, we have previously published online tools that help tackle discrimination and prevent bullying. For example, a multi-player online soccer game for children teaches anti-discrimination. Another example is a keyboard plugin for young people that flags offensive messages to prevent cyberbullying.

SayCaster, a US-based tech startup, is an interactive podcast platform that lets users experience podcasts in a new way. Podcasters who upload their audio to SayCaster can add 5 to 20 ‘spots’ in their podcasts. Users can then interact with these specific moments.

The company privately launched in late 2017 and has recently launched its beta to the public. The creators came up with the idea after becoming frustrated at having to manually search for things mentioned in podcasts. ‘Spots’ are designed to engage listeners further in the podcasters content. They can include links, social media posts, videos and images. As listeners reach a ‘spot’ in a podcast, they can view and comment on the additional media. Current podcasters featured on the SayCaster platform include Trailer Junkies Podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience and Waking Up with Sam Harris. Furthermore, SayCasters two-minute introductory podcast demonstrates how the platform works.

Symi Sonoma, Co-Founder and CEO of SayCaster, said: “It quickly became apparent that there was a lack of communication between the fans and creators. We realised that by introducing a dynamic podcast experience, we opened up to floodgates for two-way interaction to finally occur within the medium.”

Other podcast innovations we have featured at Springwise include a podcast that offers dynamic advertising and an immersive audio experience. Another example is a podcast platform that gives users recommendations based on their commute times – finding the right podcast for every journey.

At Springwise, we have published many robot innovations including flying robot bees for automated pollination and a robot companion to keep elderly people active and social. Now, Furhat Robotics, a Stockholm-based startup, is launching the next generation of social robots that are intuitive and human-like to make engaging with robots more natural.

Furhat Robotics has created a market-ready robot that uses a conversational artificial intelligence engine to communicate with humans. The Furhat Robot can speak, listen, show emotion and take part in conversation. Its communication skills are also enabled by a camera that tracks who the robot is communicating with. It will then respond accordingly with head tilts and eye contact. Furthermore, what makes Furhat stand out from its competitors is the computer animated face which is expressive and customisable. It uses projection technology to put faces on moveable heads. Users can change the robots appearance, facial expressions, voice and more.

In addition, Furhat’s technology has potential for creating new business and social opportunities across any industry sector. The company is currently working with 70 international brands including Honda and Disney. Samer Al Moubayed, CEO of Furhat Robotics, said: “This is the culmination of many years of dedicated research and development both internally and through working with industry and technology partners. From its beginnings at KTH we have taken Furhat to a point where social robots are no longer a hope for the future but a reality of today”.

Scientists from the United Technologies Research Center and University of Connecticut, US, are creating smart machine components which alert users to damage and wear. To create these components, the scientists are using direct write technology, an advanced form of 3D printing.

Direct write technology works by extruding semisolid metal ink from a nozzle to draw fine lines. This silver filament – which can conduct electric current – is then embedded into 3D printed machine components. If any damage occurs to the component, it will alter the current. Therefore, the silver filaments function as damage detecting sensors. To assess the damage, engineers can use real-time voltage readings. This removes the need to disassemble all the components of the machine.

Furthermore the sensor lines are only 15 microns wide, which is much thinner than the average human hair. This enables the technology to sense damage that is minute and difficult to detect. Sameh Dardona, an Associate Director at the United Technoligies Research Center, said: “These sensors can detect any kind of wear, even corrosion, and report that information to the end user. This helps us improve performance, avoid failures, and save costs.”

Here at Springwise, we have previously featured 3D printing innovations including a 3D printed house that can be built in one day. This innovation is a collaborative project between US non-profit and a construction technology company with the goal to provide better housing for the developing world. Another example is a Dutch design studio that is 3D printing homeware using algae bioplastic and other organic waste products. By using algae as a production material, the designers aim to help reduce levels of CO2.

At Springwise we feature many new materials which are plant-based and environmentally friendly. For example, a compostable plant-based bottle made by a French packaging company is fully biodegradable and recyclable. Another example is a US company using plant-based materials to create sustainable shoe soles. Now, Don Kwaning, a graduate at Design Academy Eindhoven, is using the pith of soft rush to create an ecological packaging material.

Soft rush is a fast growing weed found in wetland habitats. As part of his project – Medulla – Kwaning collected soft rush and separated the piths from the plant fibres. After researching the plant and experimenting with potential applications, Kwaning began using the plant fibres to make other materials. These include paper, rope, none-wovens, corrugated cardboard and textiles. In addition, he discovered that the pith of the plant could be transformed into a foam material.

As the piths are lightweight, insulating and shock-resistant, Kwaning found that they were suitable to use for ecological packaging material. The packaging can be created as compressed foamblocks or tangled noodle strings. Moreover, as no additives are required to bond the foam material, the pith is also suitable to be used in furniture production.

Sweden-based health tech company Flow Neuroscience is developing an alternative treatment for depression. The new device Flow is a medical grade headset for brain stimulation. It combines psychology, technology and neuroscience. The headset sends out gentle electric pulses through a patient’s brain, targeting the part of the brain affected by depression. This technique – Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) – aims to encourage the brain to change in specific areas over time.

The treatment plan that Flow Neuroscience instructs users to follow is to wear the headset for 25 minutes per day for 10 days. While doing so, users should use Flow Neuroscience’s accompanying app which has activities designed to help change the negative behavioural patterns that are a symptom of depression. After the initial 10 days, users should reduce their headset use to twice per week for about a month.

Many of the innovations we have featured here at Springwise focus on monitoring and improving mental health. One example is an app designed for company employees to track their mental health and learn how to de-stress. Another example is a wearable that tracks jaw movement to monitor eating habits and social engagement in order to assess the user’s mental health.

Signal is a messaging app that offers users end-to-end encryption, protecting the privacy of its users. The latest feature that the company is testing is ‘Sealed Sender’, which aims to offer users further security by encrypting the information about which users on the platform are messaging each other.

For a messaging app to work, the app company needs to know which account to deliver a user’s messages to. This is also important for verifying users. Signal’s new feature encrypts user identity and stops Signal from accessing data regarding the sender and recipient of a message. The new feature means that Signal will no longer be able to verify users. Therefore the company is trialling a workaround that will let a user verify who has sent them messages.

In addition, Sealed Sender messages will only be available between users that have confirmed they trust each other, unless a user opts-in to receiving sealed sender messages from anyone. Furthermore, the new feature will protect users if Signal is ever compromised because an attacker will only be able to see encrypted messages.

At Springwise we have featured many app innovations that offer users a new service. For example, this app can identify the nutritional value of a meal by analysing a photo of it. Another is an app developed by a start-up that can monitor the mechanical health of a car.

Australian startup Tipi is creating smarter hostels by offering guests an easier way to check in. The Tipi app began as a social network platform helping people connect with other travellers and share tips about the best things to do and see in a certain place. Tipi now lets hostels create a smart check-in system by letting guests download their room keys. The Tipi app provides each customer with a unique check-in pass upon arrival allowing guests to avoid check-in queues. The app notifies users when their room is ready and unlocks their room door.  In addition, users can meet other guests on the app, find out what’s happening nearby and message reception anytime for enquiries.

With a fast check-in service, Tipi allows hostels to keep their guests happy, improving reviews and engagement online. Tipi offers two different lock systems: Tipi discs and Tipi Smart Locks. Tipi Smart Locks replaces existing locks and have Bluetooth and Internet of Things capabilities. With Tipi discs, hostels do not need to replace any locks as the discs ‘plug in’ to existing locks within minutes. Tipi currently has users in more than 150 countries around the world.

At Springwise, we have featured other travel apps including one that turns confirmation emails into a single screen itinerary to help simplify travel admin. Another travel app uses image recognition technology to book holidays for users based on a photo of the destination.

At Springwise, we have featured a number of this year’s winners of the James Dyson award, an annual competition highlighting the work of designers and engineers from around the world who think differently. For example, one winner in Dublin created a new sustainable concept shoe that allows wearers to customise, repair and recycle their footwear. Another winner is a designer from Mexico who created a low-cost solar-powered water purifier. Now, Pontus Törnqvist from Lund University, Sweden, has designed Potato Plastic, a biodegradable material made of potato starch and water.

Pontus Törnqvist created Potato Plastic to address the wasteful product culture of the fast food industry. Potato Plastic takes only two months to decompose to nutrients for soil. Some uses for the material include making straws, cutlery and saltbags. “In order for us to maintain our lifestyles, we have to adapt to a more cyclic way of thinking. This material is made of what comes from our earth, and it can later on just as well end up in the soil without any risks for the nature,” said Törnqvist. To create the product, Törnqvist firstly mixes a measured amount of potato starch and water together. The mixture is then thickened using heat and poured into moulds and dried. The resulting material is similar to a thermoplastic and can therefore be moulded under compression when exposed to heat and moisture.