Weak Signals RSS Feed - Forum for the Future

Gene transfer to block viruses

Anna Simpson — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 07:00:00 +0000

A team of researchers has begun the first clinical trial of a genetic approach to blocking viruses.

Port lockouts cost billions in business

Futures Centre — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 14:32:22 +0000

A mini first aid kit for exhausted bees

Rob Greenfield — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 15:19:47 +0000

Italian designer Hady Ghassabian has created a tiny first aid kit for bees that can fit onto your keyring. The Bee Saver tool is a flower-shaped saucer made from bioplastic and filled with artificial nectar designed to help a bee in need.

Singapore mobile provider lets customers donate unused services

Anna Simpson — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 14:27:23 +0000

Starhub Mobile, one of three service providers in Singapore, has completed a pilot scheme enabling customers with post-paid contracts to donate unused talktime, mobile data and SMS to charitable causes.

MIT Architect proposes the use of 4D printing to create smart reactive materials

Anna Simpson — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 07:00:00 +0000

MIT architect Skylar Tibbits has been experimenting with 4D printing and envisaging its use in the built environment.

3D printing at your fingertips

Hugh Knowles — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 07:00:00 +0000

New innovations are evolving from the 3D printing landscape.

Belgians face dark winter as nuclear faulters

Iain Watt — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 07:00:00 +0000

We need nukes because those pesky renewables are just so damn unreliable, or so the argument goes...

Is China’s coal use choking?

Clare Martynski — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 07:00:00 +0000

It may be time to readjust the direction of one of our key trends....early data from China indicates that the use of coal dropped for the first time this century in the first half of 2014.

Possible production break-through for holy grail of fuels

Louis Hadley — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 07:00:00 +0000

On the quest for the holy grail of fuels, hydrogen is thought by many to be the most pure and perfect available. When burned, it produces zero harmful emissions and reacts with oxygen in the air to produce heat and water.

A future for sea-based solar?

Iain Watt — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 07:00:00 +0000

While - in the UK at least - it looks like land-based solar can actually complement food production and/or biodiversity management quite well, there's no pretending that the food

Healthy vending machines provide fresh food 24/7

Geraldine Gilbert — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 07:00:00 +0000

An innovative new vending machine has raised $1.3 million to get itself into universities, hospitals, gyms, and other busy places where people want to purchase something fast and fresh.

Growing vegetables in Singapore's first licensed indoor farm

Geraldine Gilbert — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Electronics company Panasonic is branching into the world of horticulture. The organisation is commercially growing vegetables in Singapore’s first licensed indoor farm, producing approximately 3.6 tons of colourful veg annually.

Smart glass, but not the Google type

Louis Hadley — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 07:00:00 +0000

If you look at the skyline of any modern city, one ubiquitous feature of all skyscrapers is an abundance of glass. And there’s good reason for this: natural light and expansive views improve both creativity and productivity.

Another (more sustainable) use for drones

Louis Hadley — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Drones are a hot topic in the media at the moment, with an increasing number of applications being developed: the technology is evolving.

Drones finally approved for commercial use in the US?

Louis Hadley — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:48:58 +0000

Following their historic use in the military, the potential use of drones has recently crossed into more commercial arenas. The technology has a number of uses: from filming to delivering goods and services.

Could smart public transport systems make car ownership obsolete in cities?

Louis Hadley — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 15:10:44 +0000

Helsinki has declared plans to transform its current public transport system into one that is efficient, affordable and comprehensive. The plan is so ambitious that it aims to make the necessity of owning a car obsolete.

Cheering robots replace real fans

Jiehui Kia — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Talk about augmented reality. A struggling Korean baseball team have invented a novel way to improve atmosphere at their matches - by bringing in a crowd of robot fans.

Data: staying in control

Hugh Knowles — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Many of us share a sense of nervous caution when it comes to sharing data. But now experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have hatched a solution that could put our fears at rest.

Get wind of Liam

Masa Sprajcar — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 15:00:56 +0000

The dense patchwork of houses, roads, skyscrapers, parks and cafés stitch together our urban landscape.

The return of handwriting

Hugh Knowles — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Maddening news for those of us who have never quite managed the flowing cursive we hoped for....handwriting is back. Recent evidence suggests that connecting with our roots, and actually hand-writing something rather than typing it produces additional signals in the brain.