Good Thinking

This California company says its oil-free, centrifugal air compressor design, inspired by the air pumps used in sixteenth-century Catalonian blacksmith forges, is quieter, cleaner, longer lasting, and cheaper to run than traditional piston designs.

Although robotic prosthetic legs do have some advantages over their conventional counterparts, they also have some drawbacks that keep them from entering wider use. A new prototype prosthesis, however, addresses some of those shortcomings.

Amazon has announced that it's adding a smart shopping cart service to its upcoming Woodland Hills store in Los Angeles, California. The Dash Cart registers what you're buying as you shop and charges your credit card as you exit the store.

British apparel maker Vollebak explores how to prevent electronic components and materials from filling landfills. It recycles various obsolete parts and pieces into a flamboyant timepiece it calls the Garbage Watch.

Even when they're allowed to roam, chickens are still susceptible to infestations of blood-sucking mites. It now turns out that a backpack-like device could let farmers know when those mites are biting, so treatment could begin as soon as possible.

Evaporation is one of the most enduring methods of purifying water to make it drinkable. Now researchers in China have developed a novel device made of wood that can do just that, by employing bacteria to help build key nanostructures.

When shrimp are processed at seafood plants, the resulting wastewater contains a lot of protein. Scientists have now devised a method of harvesting that protein, so it can be used to supplement animal feed or food for humans.

To prevent packages being lost or damaged in transit – or at least make it easier to figure out what went wrong – European start-up LivingPackets has now unveiled the second generation of its reusable smart packaging called The Box.

When it comes to keeping buildings energy efficient, windows certainly pose a challenge. It was with this quandary in mind that a British scientist has created a new type of window – one that's filled with water.

If you're in a road tunnel that suddenly gets filled with smoke due to a vehicle fire, it can be very difficult knowing which way to head. That's where EvacSound comes in, as it uses audio beacons to guide people to safety.

Although N95 face masks are quite effective at blocking transmission of the COVID-19-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus, they're also intended to be used only a few times at most. A new removable membrane, however, could make them much more reusable.

Currently the only way of getting stable video of flying insects involves tethering them in place – which some people would say isn't "flying" at all. Now, French scientists have developed a camera platform that moves through the air with the insect.