Innovators of the week
Automatic construction
Inflatable Concrete Buildings. This company has created a new construction technique that involves inflating buildings, then pumping concrete into them. A rolled-up PVC fabric form is laid in place, and air pumps are used to inflate it. Wet concrete is pumped into the form, resulting in a solid concrete building shell. The buildings go up quickly and cost $20 per square foot. This could also be used for rapid-deploy military structures and perhaps even one day skyscrapers, or structures on Mars for use by astronauts.
https://automatic-construction.com/
Bridgestone
A New type of tire made from a Mexican plant. To make tire production more sustainable, Bridgestone is turning to a desert shrub called guayule as a source of natural rubber. Native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, guayule is a heat-tolerant source of natural rubber that can be used to make tires. Natural rubber can be extracted from guayule's branches and roots. All the rubbers made today are made with synthetic rubber that originates from oil. The company aims to make tires from 100% renewable materials by 2050.
https://www.bridgestone.com/technology_innovation/natural_rubber/
Lockheed Martin
A 300-kilowatt laser weapon. Lockheed Martin has just delivered its most powerful laser to date to the US military. Laser weapons are rapidly evolving from a promising concept to practical battlefield weapons. Each of these subsystems includes power units, laser generators, beam combiners, targeting systems, and more. This will be used to protect military personnel and installations from aerial threats, including short-range air defense, and against drones, rockets, mortar, and artillery.
https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/capabilities/directed-energy/laser-weapon-systems.html
Anton Guzhov, Anton Brousseau & André Taylforth
A super futuristic bike. A trio of Designer recently created ‘Hydra,’ a concept e-bike. While traditional electric motorcycles run on lithium-ion batteries, this hypothetical ride is powered by hydrogen fuel cells, meaning it emits heat and water instead of fumes. The motorcycle is heavenly influenced by cyberpunk aesthetics with its robot-inspired structure and bulky shell coated in carbon fiber. What particularly stands out is the boxy front where the hydrogen fuel cells are stored. But it remains to be seen whether this zero-emission bike can expand into a sellable product.
WZMH Architects
Saving war damaged buildings. An architect company developed a prefabricated-modular system for restoring thousands of buildings across Ukraine that have been partially or fully destroyed during the war. This system aims to integrate modular block, that works like lego, into destroyed buildings. The modular blocks are fabricated off-site, and installed with a minimal workforce. The newly added parts are 100% complete once ‘plugged’, as mechanical, electrical, IT systems are already integrated.
Colorado Teardrops
A trailer for electric car owners. This company created the world’s first camper trailer designed to extend the towing range of electric vehicles. While an electric vehicle might work perfectly fine for the vast majority of the year, the annual weeklong camping trip can be a deal-breaker. Some EV owners noticed a range cut in half while towing. With about 75 kwh of batteries mounted in its lower frame area the trailer is effectively carrying an extra battery pack along.
