Gearfuse

The Phyto-Purification Bathroom and Shower concept uses your wasted water, unused and usually flushed down the drain, to help aid the growth of an organic system which purifies the water, right in your bathroom.

The plants are organized in such a way that they aid each other’s growth and all play a vital role in the purification of the wasted water. The plants are used as a green solution and a filtering process, ended by a carbon filter to stop any remaining particles.

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Even more architecture that resembles the “arcologies” of Sim City 2000 are sprouting up, this time in Singapore. Here, eco-minded architecture firm TR Hamzah & Yeang is designing this skyscraper it’s calling the EDITT (Ecological Design In The Tropics) Tower. This 26-story skyscraper will be constructed using various recycled and recyclable materials. Not only that, but the tower will include the most eco-friendly technologies ever to be incorporated into a high-rise building.

You name it, this thing’s got it. Besides the immense amount of solar panels that’ll generate 40% of the tower’s energy demands, this skyscraper will include an energy plant that will convert human sewage into biofuel, a rain water harvesting system and the ability to remove and add walls and floors just in case vegetation is growing out of hand. That’s every possible way to save our planet jam packed into one skyscraper. You’ll have to deal with a major case of bed bugs, but it’s a small price to pay for saving the planet.

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We’ve seen artificial corneas that could replace damaged organic corneas, but how about a digital image sensor that adjusts itself like a human retina? That’s exactly what John Rogers at the University of Illinois is creating. An improved method of transferring silicon sensors onto a curved surface allowing for the sensor to capture wide-angle views with low distortion. Because it avoids using a conventional flat surface for image capturing, this digital retina is able to perform feats that ordinary cameras cannot. It’ll eventually lead to advancements in security surveillance and capturing wildlife footage.

Using conventional chip manufacturing technology, John Rogers and his colleagues have found a way to bend silicone without forming creases in it. The camera they built has only 256 pixels, making it a low-resolution camera, but they claim the same technique used to craft this camera could be used to craft a wide-angled megapixel camera.  The ladies dorm just got more accessible, Porky’s-style.

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We like art. Whether it be fusing plastics together, or building an impressive LEGO display inspired by Terminator, art is art. Especially if it’s art inspired by robotics, like these City Foundry Bots. Graphic designer and illustrator Juan Carlos Federico creates some fascinating digital collages that resemble living creatures gone robotic. They’ve ditched their organic ways for a body of scrap metal, spare parts, and recycled junk.

The art line is called “Restatos” and shows some almost life-like art pieces that look as though you actually could build them from the parts and pieces shown in the art. In fact, you probably could! Check out the link to his website to see more of his work.

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In an attempt to turn everyday household windows into solar panels, two MIT researchers have created “organic solar concentrators” out of dyed glass that could potentially increase traditional solar panel efficiency by 50%. Imagine fulfilling all your electrical needs with the help of your typical household glass windows.

I sure hope you haven’t desecrated your roof with inefficient solar paneling for no better reason than to impress your neighbors. In comparison to expensive solar paneling, these dyed windows will give you more bang for your buck. Which means you’ll have more money to burn on things like that stretch Hummer you’ve always wanted. Can I stop paying my electrical bill yet?

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When you get to the point where you’ve fucked with the Earth so much that normal plants just won’t cut it, you need alternatives. That’s why the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Mitsubishi and Tokki Corp. have developed a prototype solar cell module that resembles a living plant. With organic thin-film solar cells, the module is protected by a very thin film which improves the durability of the module, as well as prevents the entry of water and oxygen. In the future, you may see these organic solar cells incorporated into other elements of design such as architectural materials, clothing materials, living ware and toys.

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If you’ve ever wondered what goes on inside the head of Lando Calrissian’s cyborg-liaison, Lobot, engineers at Caltech have created a robotic device intended to be used as a brain to computer interface. By positioning electrodes in neural tissue, we’ll be able to turn organic beings into mindless robot drones.

This technology is at a primitive stage in time, but with further research, scientists hope to eventually give up on humanity. Expect no mercy during the great robot wars.

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