SmartPlanet's Week in Innovation: crime-fighting gloves, social robots, tissue engineering

On Monday, we discovered a shock-inducing crime-fighting glove, read how 3D bioprinters will one day produce human organs, learned about trouble in hybrid car land, wrote about out-of-control data and reported on a neat DARPA challenge for a UAV. Plus, the world's largest bike hire system and a color-changing bandage made appearances.

On Tuesday, we learned about liquid fuel for electric cars and solar-powered high-speed rail, reported on China's war with Europe over airplane emissions, wrote about funding for autonomous water drones, read about Pfizer's all-electronic clinical trial, and stared straight into the sun...sort of. But it was probably the solar-powered bikini and nuclear meltdown that really blinded us.

On Wednesday, we watched hospital robots dose drugs, learned more about tissue engineering, pondered the viability of digital mail delivery, met the best (and worst) cars for fuel economy, read about a novel new electric car battery and listened to an automotive leader justify higher gas taxes. Oh, and check out this paraplegic's exoskeleton.

On Thursday, we pondered America's nuclear future, met a young tech innovator, discovered how a major museum is watching art "breathe", looked at Apple's new green "spaceship" campus, passed through the airport security checkpoint of the future, become acquainted with highly social robots and asked if Google's self-driving car will induce sprawl. Plus, a pill that prepares you for a heart attack.

Finally, Friday brought us a Twitter influential people predictor, a 21st-century (read: digital) constitution, a new miniature motor from Ford, a green building leader's stark warnings about climate change, the world's first graphene integrated circuit and a capitalist's view on water conservation.

Just remember: when a heat wave strikes, hydrate!

That's all for this week's edition. Want more? Sign up for SmartPlanet's newsletter.