Inspired by Konami’s Metal Gear Solid, prosthetic artist Sophie De Oliveria Brata, founder of the Alternative Limb Project, designed a prosthetic arm for an amputee gamer. The unique prosthesis features an interactive screen, a flashlight, a USB port for charging phones and even a drone on the side. Why would you stick to an elbow, a wrist and five fingers if you could make anything?
A very realist and graphic synthetic dog is currently being developed by scientists for medical training and practice for veterinarians. This weird-looking dog will be used as a replacement for terminal surgery, where actual animals, mainly from kennels, are anesthetized, used for practicing different operations, from neutering to brain surgery, and finally euthanized.
Before 1985 the virtual world was yet an uncharted space, an aerea full of potential but devoid of activity. Then in 1985, the online world has been permanently linked to the physical world. This happened when it was agreed that each country has to own its piece of virtual space, encapsulated in a two-letter code within the Domain Name System. Thirty years later, the online world counts 3.2 billion “citizens”, Internet users. But like our cities transformed the natural environment, the online domains shaped the virtual landscape.
Can you relate to this? You’re walking on the pavement in a park or garden and you want to take a shortcut by crossing a grass field. You step off the road and on the grass, the soft soil underfoot feels comfortable, but it also feels like you’re doing something illegal. You look around expecting signs that say “do not walk on the grass”, but there are none. Indirectly we are taught that nature is something to behold, not to touch.
Read the entire Next Nature is… series.
In the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands, something strange is going on. Since a couple of years begging is prohibited there. The beggars were seen as a nuisance, disrupting the picturesque atmosphere of the old city center. Today, however, begging voices are echoing through the streets again. But this time it’s not homeless people, but ghetto blasters that do the begging.
Virtual worlds, printed food, living cities, wild robots – we’re so surrounded by technology that it’s becoming our next nature. How can we live in harmony with it? The Next Nature Network is a 21st century nature organization that wants to go forward – not back – to nature. We stir debate, create events, exhibitions, publications and products that bring biology and technology into balance. Because ultimately, we may not just have to save the pandas but the people too. Will you join us?
Human impact on this planet is evident, we modified ecosystems and landscapes. Since day one of our appearance on Earth we tried to know, understand and ultimately control our surroundings. Travelers all over the world constantly look for untouched lands and real nature, although lately this is harder and harder. After a long research, scientists now say that untouched nature is almost entirely gone.
Forget about the new cashless society that we seem to be racing towards. The latest innovation in money can be seen in bodily fluid currencies. Take human blood as an example. This vital liquid seems an unlikely candidate for a currency, but it has many similarities to how paper money works. We protect it, we can create more of it over time if we need to, we can exchange it, give or receive it, or if we are feeling philanthropic we can donate it. This new currency can not only save someones life, but it can now also get you access to the Untold Music Festival.
TreeWiFi is an innovative project by an Amsterdam-based startup. They are building birdhouses equipped with a sensor to measure the quality of the air. The sensors used are much cheaper than regular sensors, allowing them to keep the installation of such birdhouses quite low-cost, with the only addiction of a WiFi router.
The various advantages of 3D printing technology are widely known. According to some, it will radically change how we look at the world in the near future. From healthcare to design, it is already breaking rules and opening many possibilities. Traditional methods of building and food production will probably become obsolete in the next 50 to 100 years. The latest 3D printed breakthrough come from Dubai. They’re calling it the ‘office of the future’ and it is the first completely 3D printed office building.
Our peculiar image of the week shows a bee stuck in a woman’s car, but this is no regular insect, we’re talking about the queen. As a consequence, a swarm of bees chased the trunk for two entire days looking for her. Another fascinating example of bee’s dedication to their queen. These worker bees could detect her exact location thanks to a specific pheromone she emits. Tom Moses, national park ranger and bee enthusiast, spotted the 20.000 bees and made sure they were treated with care, because ultimately every bee is precious lately. This honey-making insect is alarmingly disappearing, while being incredibly essential to our environment.
Image via Tom Moses