Every month, we take a look at the most interesting tech news and share the most intriguing innovations we’ve spotted!
What’s happened in the past few weeks Here are some snippets from the eventful world of innovations.
We’ve seen Alphabet shut down Loon, its X Lab internet balloon company. The prince of Saudi Arabia has highlighted his project Neom by presenting “The Line”, a 100-mile car free linear city concept. France is officially taking part in the quantum race by announcing its €1.8 billion national program. Oh, and one more thing, a brand new VR headset by Apple is on the horizon.
But most importantly, we’ve also spotted some interesting and surprising innovations.
Radar switch on! Here we go :
> The first personal holographic display by Looking Glass Factory. This startup, from Hong Kong, recently completed its Kickstarter campaign and has launched pre-orders. You can now capture and create your own holograms, even recording in a short video format, using only a normal phone. This innovation could change the way we interact, especially with the explosion of remote working. Is this the next alternative to video conferences
Photo credit: Looking Glass Factory
> Adibot, the new robot from the famous Chinese robotics unicorn UBTech. Mostly known for its humanoid robot Walker, the company recently launched this disinfection robotic system. The robot uses UV radiation on a room’s surfaces to disinfect it and can be used in places like hospitals, hotels or schools. We think this innovation is a great answer to the new sanitary measures of the pandemic, helping public places manage traffic whilst remaining hygienic.
Photo credit: UBTech
> The first african solar electric vehicle from the Nigerian startup Leneir. Solar electric mobility solutions are the next big thing in the mobility sector. African mobility startups are on the rise and are preparing the fast growing continental population for the next decades. The Lagos-based startup clearly stands out with its elaborate design and sustainable solar roof.
Photo credit: Leneir
> The Olympus project from the Texan startup Icon. Already known for its sustainable 3D printed homes for the homeless, the company aims to build a space-based 3D printing construction system. With funding from NASA and in partnership with architectural firms BIG and SEArch+, this project could considerably help space exploration. It echoes NASA’s desire, expressed at VivaTech 2019 by Holly Ridings, Chief Flight Director, to return to the moon.
Photo credit: Icon
> The project of Solar Foods: making food protein out of renewable electricity and air. Sounds impossible but in a nutshell that’s how it works. It’s the ingenious product of the Finnish startup, which closed a €15M Series-A funding last year. The protein food is planned for release in 2022. This could revolutionize the way we produce food and reduce the substantial environmental impact of the meat industry.
Photo credit: Solar Foods
The VivaTech Innovation Team continues its search for the most striking innovations, making sure you’ll be able to discover many at VivaTech 2021. For weeks, we’ve been meeting with the best innovation makers in the world. We have our radar set on numerous promising tech trends: biotechnology, digital entertainment, Social Tech, augmented soldiers, digital wallets or the promising Fem Tech... Tune in next time to find more and don’t hesitate to check out weekly Tech Radar discoveries and more insights on our official instagram account!