The first sure sign of a robot uprising will be when robots gain self-awareness and begin acting autonomously – and if this self-assembling robot is any indication, we’re well on our way to the robopocalypse. Researchers at Harvard and MIT teamed up to produce a 3D-printed inchworm robot that is able to aseemble itself. Using shape memory polymers that automatically fold into desired shapes, the remarkable bot transforms itself from a completely flat, two-dimensional object into a walking inchworm-shaped robot with almost no help from human hands.
Photo via Shutterstock
In order to help reduce carbon emissions by 2020, the UK government recently opened the Green Investment Bank (GIB) in Edinburgh, making it the first bank in the world focused entirely on lending to clean energy developments. Capitalized with over 3 billion pounds, the GIB financed eleven projects over its first five months, the majority of which had to do with generating energy from waste. The bank reported that it was able to utilize 1.7 billion pounds of third-party lending, helping to spark a new, sustainable private sector.
When architect Ed Mazria announced that buildings account for nearly 50% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions, the building industry was taken aback. After a long career in passive solar architecture, he has taken on the goal of steeply reducing the carbon footprint of architecture – most notably with his 2030 Challenge, which aims to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in new construction, and to cut the use of fossil fuels in existing buildings by 50% by 2030. To help hit those targets, Mazria is launching a new initiative called the 2030 Palette—a robust, visually oriented online design tool which strives to help produce low-impact, people friendly projects. We recently visited Mazria’s offices in Santa Fe, where we spoke to the architect in-depth about his work and how sustainable development can save us from the worst climate change has to offer.
This weekend, the Inhabiteam once again got to experience BKLYN Designs, one of our most beloved NY Design Week events, and revel in all of the Brooklyn-made furniture glory that it had to offer. As in years past, we also nominated our favorite green designers at the show for Inhabitat Green Designs Awards, and asked you to vote for a readers’ choice winner in addition to our editors’ choice pic. Read on to find out which two Brooklyn-based designers took home the top prizes!
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Let them eat… cockroaches? In an effort to address world hunger, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recently published a report suggesting that insects are a viable source of protein for humans, animals and pets. The report picks grasshoppers, ants and other bugs as protein-packed meat substitutes that are less harmful to the environment than traditional meat.
Naki’o, a mixed breed dog from Nebraska, has become the first dog fitted with four prosthetic limbs. This achievement was accomplished by US company Orthopets, which specializes in artificial pet limbs. Naki’o lost his limbs and part of his tail to frostbite when he was abandoned in a cellar as a puppy, but now, thanks to a successful operation, he can run and play freely like other dogs.
Inhabitat’s favorite local NYC design show, BKLYN Designs, just wrapped up a three-day run in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, and the Inhabiteam was on the scene to source the latest and greatest green designs at the show. From adjustable, magnetic lights designer by Bower to a Mesmerizing 3D LED LUCID Mirror from Adam Frank to this incredible concept for a flood-proof, prefab beach building by Garrison Architects, see all the designs that really stood out in the Inhabitat editors’ eyes. And don’t forget to check out which designer won best in show according to Inhabitat readers.
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Scientists have been growing petri dish hamburgers from cultured meat specimens for the last few years, but Dr. Mark Post wants to make lab-made a consumer reality. The Maastricht-based researcher has been developing a beef muscle in vitro burger that he plans to serve up to attendees at an event in London next month – at price tag of $325,000! The burger is made up of 20,000 strips of cultured muscle, and Post plans to prepare it by adding only salt and pepper to enhance its lab-grown flavor.
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After news broke last week that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have officially passed the 400 parts per million mark, a leading economist and researcher warned that hundreds of millions of people will become climate refugees in the coming decades. The head of Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Lord Stern warned that mass migrations will occur as a result of climate change, which will exacerbate desertification and cause entire continents to experience crop failure.
Central Park photo from Shutterstock
Have you hugged a tree lately? If not, you might want to show your appreciation with a good squeeze. According to a recent state-by-state US Forest Service study, urban forests are responsible for storing 708 million tons of carbon – a service valued at $50 billion. Each year, our leafy friends capture an additional 21 million tons of carbon to the tune of a $1.5 billion benefit. Led by Dave Nowak, the study was published in the journal Environmental Pollution.
This stunning Forms in Nature Chandelier projects a 360-degree forest of shadows that transforms any room into a fairy tale landscape. Inspired by drawings made by German biologist and naturalist Ernst Haeckel, designers Hilden & Diaz created an intricate bundle of entangled roots, bushes and tree branches that shines from within.
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