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Digital Trends

Tech for Change

From 3D-printed prostheses to burgers grown in science labs to smarter mobility for the elderly or infirm, tech improves our lives every day in a million ways beyond simply making things more convenient. Tech can have a meaningful impact — that’s why we call it Tech for Change. Here are the companies and people fighting to make a difference.

Nimble's battery packs and wireless chargers are eco-friendly

By Julian Chokkattu - Thu May 2, 2019

Drone delivers lifesaving kidney for transplant patient in world first

By Trevor Mogg - Thu May 2, 2019

The best shipping container homes from around the world

By Kailla Coomes - Wed May 1, 2019
Recent Stories
nimble eco friendly battery packs wireless charging pads
Mobile

Nimble debuts same-day delivery for its eco-gadgets in certain U.S. markets

There are plenty of companies selling battery packs and wireless chargers through retailers like Amazon, but hardly any of them use sustainable or low-impact materials. That's where Nimble comes in with its eco-friendly products.
Posted — By Julian Chokkattu
drone delivers life saving kidney for transplant patient delivery
Emerging Tech

Drone delivers lifesaving kidney for transplant patient in world first

A medical facility in Maryland has become the first to use a drone to deliver a kidney for transplant into a patient. The specially built drone is capable of maintaining and monitoring a viable human organ during flight.
Posted — By Trevor Mogg
Smart Home

Think inside the box with these tricked-out shipping container homes

Believe it or not, but sustainability can be sexy. These 30 shipping container homes mesh recycled steel with a wealth of different materials, culminating in a set of spectacular homes that showcase modern design at its finest.
Posted — By Kailla Coomes
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Smart Home

The world is switching to eco-friendlier fridges and A/Cs, leaving the U.S. behind

If you live in the U.S., there’s a good chance that your refrigerator uses HFC refrigerants, which emit a lot of greenhouse gases. Hydrocarbon alternatives exist, but what will it take to make the switch?
Posted — By Jenny McGrath
A panel including George and Amal Clooney and Microsoft President Brad Smith discuss the new Trial Watch app at Columbia University.
Computing

George Clooney and Microsoft’s TrialWatch hopes to put a spotlight on injustice

Microsoft and The Clooney Foundation for Justice unveiled the TrialWatch app Thursday during an event at Columbia University — a new tool in CFJ’s ongoing effort to shine a light on injustice in courts around the globe.
Posted — By Jeremy Kaplan
clooney foundation trialwatch ai microsoft getty
Computing

Amal and George Clooney want to change the world. Can Microsoft help?

Microsoft and The Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) unveiled the TrialWatch app Thursday morning, a new tool in CFJ’s ongoing TrialWatch effort to shine a light on injustice in courts around the globe – which too often are simply…
Posted — By Jeremy Kaplan
parker hall on digital trends live 4 23 19 poster for 6029520306001
Digital Trends Live

Digital Trends Live: Drone delivery OK’d, Aerosmith’s immersive concert, and more

Join DT Live as we discuss the FAA's approval of delivery drones, 3D-printing advances in prosthetics and bike helmets, geoengineering against climate change, identity management, Aerosmith's immersive THX concert, and more.
Posted — By Todd Werkhoven
china us pacemaker gathers energy hearts image1 2
Emerging Tech

A battery-free pacemaker harvests and stores energy from heartbeats

Researchers in China and the United States have developed a new battery-free pacemaker which gathers its required electricity from the energy of heartbeats. Here's why that's so exciting.
Posted — By Luke Dormehl
Trek Bontrager WaveCel Helmet
Outdoors

Inside the high-tech lab that makes the world’s safest bike helmet

Trek and Bontrager have taken the wraps off of a new cycling helmet that uses WaveCel technology to dramatically reduce head injuries by dispersing the impact in a way that is 48 times safer than current helmets.
Posted — By Kraig Becker
sustainable outdoor gear oboz sawtooth ii mid waterproof lifestyle
Outdoors

The best sustainable outdoor gear for Earth Day and beyond

Take some time to clean up trash on a highly-used hiking trail for Earth Day, but don't stop there. Take the next step by choosing only sustainable gear for your outdoor adventures.
Posted — By Kelly Hodgkins
Algae bloom, Geoengineering using Ocean Fertilization
Emerging Tech

Geoengineering is risky and unproven, but soon it might be necessary

Geoengineering is a field dedicated to purposely changing the world's climate using technology. Call it 'playing god' if you must; here's why its proponents believe it absolutely must happen.
Posted — By Luke Dormehl
3d printed prostheses revolution christophe debard print my leg feat
Emerging Tech

How 3D printing has changed the world of prosthetic limbs forever

When he was 13 years old, Christophe Debard had his leg amputated. Here in 2019, Debard's Print My Leg startup helps others to create 3D-printed prostheses. Welcome to a growing revolution!
Posted — By Luke Dormehl
Cilmeworks Plan to fight Climate Change | Troubleshooting Earth
Emerging Tech

Climeworks wants to clean the atmosphere with a fleet of truck-sized vacuums

Using machines that resemble jet engines, Climeworks wants to fight climate change by extracting CO2 from thin air. The gas can then be sold to carbonated drink and agriculture companies, or sequestered underground.
Posted — By Dyllan Furness
ocean cleanup project boyan slat interview bird plastic feat
Emerging Tech

Inside the Ocean Cleanup’s ambitious plan to rid the ocean of plastic waste

In 2013, Boyan Slat crowdfunded $2.2 million to fund the Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit organization that builds big, floating trash collectors and sets them out to sea, where they’re designed to autonomously gobble up garbage.
Posted — By Dyllan Furness
hydrostor grid of the future feat
Emerging Tech

The grid of the future will be powered by … giant subterranean bagpipes?

In order to transition to a more renewable-focused energy system, we need to scale up our grid storage capacity --- and our existing methods aren't going to cut it. Could compressed air be the key?
Posted — By Drew Prindle
puro kids noise canceling headphones impressions fb 1
Home Theater

Puro’s kids headphones don’t just sound great, they help prevent hearing damage

Puro Sound Labs' PuroQuiet headphones are a pair of noise-canceling over-ears that are designed for young listeners, allowing them to jam out to their favorite tunes, but limiting volume to avoid long-term hearing damage.
Posted — By Parker Hall
adidas has created a running shoe thats made to be remade futurecraft loop
Emerging Tech

Adidas has created a running shoe that’s made to be remade

Adidas has unveiled the Futurecraft Loop running shoe that it claims is the first performance footwear to be 100% recyclable. The shoe is the latest green initiative by the sportswear company and will go on sale in 2021.
Posted — By Trevor Mogg
notre dame fire how drones and a robot helped to prevent worse damage colossus
Emerging Tech

Notre Dame fire: How drones and a robot called Colossus helped limit the damage

The fire that devastated the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday shocked many around the world. In a bid to prevent even worse damage to the structure, Paris firefighters opted to deploy drones and a robot called Colossus.
Posted — By Trevor Mogg