SmartPlanet's Week in Innovation: artificial memory implants, biofuel flights, solar storms
Each week our friends at SmartPlanet recap the week's most interesting news and developments in applied technology, science, energy and healthcare. Welcome to the Week in Innovation.
On Monday, we looked at clickers in the classroom, drove all-electric Mini Coopers, read about sustainable soy sourcing, discovered drug-delivering brain electrodes, watched HGH-promoting exercise tech for athletes, shot iPhones into space and investigated medical marijuana and the workplace. (The issue is a little bit...cloudy.)
On Tuesday, we learned about DARPA's work in medical care, drank green whisky, discovered why biodegradable doesn't mean environmentally-friendly, broke the story about Honeywell's transatlantic biofuel flight, read about China's high-speed rail push, checked out a desktop DNA machine, feasted our eyes on Airbus' jaw-dropping plane of the future, considered the issues with (deep breath) neuropsychopharmacology and watched Italy give nuclear power the, uh, boot.
On Wednesday, we learned about home water filtration, checked out the next-generation hip replacement, listened to the cries about hydroelectricity, discovered a heart with no heartbeat, read about the White House's smart grid strategy, considered the problem with unsightly wind turbine towers and learned what it takes for a successful implant procedure. Plus, we sat in awe over what Earth looks like from space.
On Thursday, we checked out a way to manage solar storms, inspected the world's first self-powered long-distance wireless device, read about a smarter way to deal with medical history, considered why innovation matters to corporate success, deliberated over virtual weight loss programs (then ate some pie) and asked ourselves: would we pick our kids' genes? (We couldn't decide, so we read about green car subsidies instead.)
Finally, on Friday we watched Boeing mimic Airbus' biofuels blowout, checked out a way to keep hackers away from your implants, transformed carbon into gasoline, regulated sunscreen more strictly, wondered what beef Texas has with green light bulbs and read about a tremendous plan for Los Angeles transit. Plus, a way to "feel" e-commerce goods, non-invasive body monitoring tech and artificial memory implants become reality. Whoa.
Hmm, I might need those implants. I almost forgot where I was for a minute.
That’s all for this week’s edition. Want more? Sign up for SmartPlanet’s newsletter.