TREND REPORTS
This Amazing High-Rise Apartment Building Looks Like A Giant Tree
[Design]
2015/06/24 15:51
With balconies budding like leaves, no one could complain for lack of outdoor space in this building in France.Looking a little like a giant white pinecone, the design for this new high-rise apartment building in Montpellier, France, uses strategically placed balconies and shades to give residents the maximum outdoor space without blocking views or taking up too much room on the ground."We want...
Lego is Going Green - Lego will Say Goodbye to Plastic
[Business]
2015/06/24 15:50
The toy company plans to invest $1 billion over the next 15 years as part of a broad effort to replace its iconic plastic building blocks with materials that are better for the environment. It will also make its packaging more sustainable.The company made 60 billion Lego pieces last year. So a little bit of change could go a long way to "significantly reduce [Lego's] impact on the planet," Lego...
Human Organs-on-Chips wins Design of the Year 2015
[Tech]
2015/06/24 15:50
A micro-device lined with living human cells able to mimic the function of living organs has been declared the overall winner of the Design Museum's Design of the Year Award for 2015.Something of a departure from last year's winner, the Heydar Aliyev Center, by Zaha Hadid, Human Organs-on-Chips is the competition's first winner from the field of medicine in its eight-year history. Designed by D...
Project Will Make Clothes Cool So You Don't Need the AC
[Tech]
2015/06/24 15:49
Researchers from the University of California at San Diego are developing a smart fabric capable of helping the wearer maintain a comfortable body temperature. The aim: reducing the need for building-level air conditioning.According to the U.S. Department of Energy, five percent of all the electricity produced in the United States is used by air conditioners. This isn't just reflected in billio...
Grand Rounds Is Raising At Around A $750M Valuation
[Investing]
2015/06/24 15:49
Sources are telling TechCrunch that Grand Rounds, which sells companies a service that gives employees access to healthcare advice and treatment from experienced professionals around the United States regardless of where they live, is valued at around $750 million as part of a new financing round.Grand Rounds works with companies to add an extra layer to their health benefits that enables them...
Fashion-Forward Virtual Reality Headsets
[Design]
2015/06/24 15:49
Field's avant-garde headsets, paired with an Oculus Rift, pull a seemingly distant tech ever closer to mass adoption.Thanks to creative studio Field, you can see an Oculus Rift VR helmet that makes you feel like you’re in a sci-fi movie, or at least a member of the band Devo. These sleek headsets, of which they have three models, put an ultramodern carapace over the components of the Oculus Ri...
Sizing Up AirBnB’s Reported $24B Valuation
[Investing]
2015/06/23 11:16
AirBnB is poised to become more valuable than Marriott, Starwood, and Expedia. At first glance, the valuation looks rich, but AirBnB revenue is growing very quickly.AirBnB is reportedly raising a $1B round at a $24B valuation, a jump of 140% over its last reported 2014 valuation. If the deal is successful, it would make AirBnB the third-most valuable unicorn company in the world after Xiaomi an...
(Video) June Intelligent Oven Might Be A Better Cook Than You
[Product]
2015/06/23 11:16
Cooking can be a chore, but when you have a smart oven that will do the cooking for you -- it's magic. Meet June, a miniature oven that's doing big things. This smart gadget, which has been described as "a computer-based oven that thinks like a chef," is compact enough to sit on a countertop, even though it can fit food as large as 12' pizza pie.According to a press release, the June Intelligen...
(PDF) Mckinsey - Manufacturing’s Next Act
[Business]
2015/06/23 11:16
Industry 4.0 is more than just a flashy catchphrase. A confluence of trends and technologies promises to reshape the way things are made.[click to enlarge]Mention “Industry 4.0” to most manufacturing executives and you will raise eyebrows. If they’ve heard of it, they are likely confused about what it is. If they haven’t heard of it, they’re likely to be skeptical of what they see as yet a...
