The world is facing unprecedented challenges that threaten its sustainability and well-being. Many inventions have already made a positive impact on the world but there are still some inventions that need to be invented to help the world. This article will explore some of the most promising and creative ideas that could revolutionize various sectors and domains.
Inventions that need to be invented to help the world
The world needs more inventions that can help it overcome the many challenges that it faces, such as climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, social injustice, and pandemics. These challenges demand innovative and creative solutions that can improve the environment, society, and economy, and enhance the quality of life for all. But there are still many more ideas and possibilities that have not been explored or realized yet. We will present some of the most eco-friendly inventions and ideas to you, and show you how they could help the world in different areas, such as energy and transportation, waste and recycling, food and agriculture, and sustainability. We will also describe how they work, what are their benefits and challenges, and what are their current status and prospects.
Energy and transportation
1. Magnetized Target Fusion
General Fusion is developing a fusion power device based on magnetized target fusion (MTF), which aims to produce clean, abundant, and affordable energy. This type of fusion reactor uses a plasma mass as a compact toroid, which is injected into a cylinder of spinning liquid metal. It is then compressed by the impact of the liquid metal, creating the conditions for fusion reactions to occur. This method aims to achieve higher densities and pressures than conventional magnetic confinement fusion while being simpler and cheaper than inertial confinement fusion.
Artificial Meat
Plant-based meat alternatives are products that mimic the taste, texture, and nutritional value of animal meat, but are made from plant sources such as soy, pea, wheat, or fungi. One such company is Beyond Meat, which makes plant-based meat alternatives that can reduce the environmental impact of animal agriculture, such as greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, and deforestation. They can also offer health benefits, such as lower cholesterol, saturated fat, and calories
Carbon Engineering
Carbon Engineering is a Canadian start-up that captures carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and converts it into low-carbon fuels or stores it underground, using a process called direct air capture (DAC). This technology can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change.
Sidewalk Labs
Sidewalk Labs is a company that builds products to improve the quality of life in cities for all, such as neighborhood design, carbon emissions and energy costs, and curbs and parking. It works with real estate developers and city planners to use its technology and commit to sustainability goals.
Some of the products that Sidewalk Labs has developed or is developing are
- Delve: A machine-learning tool that helps developers and planners design better and more sustainable neighborhoods.
- Mesa: A smart thermostat that helps building owners and tenants reduce energy costs and carbon emissions.
- Pebble: A low-cost vehicle sensor that helps cities and operators manage and optimize curbs and parking spaces.
Smart grids
Smart grids are electricity networks that use digital and other advanced technologies to monitor and manage the transport of electricity from various generation sources, such as renewables, to meet the varying demands of end users. Smart grids can enhance the efficiency, reliability, security, and resilience of the power system.
Electric vehicles (EVs)
Electric vehicles (EVs) are vehicles that run on electric motors powered by batteries or fuel cells, instead of internal combustion engines that burn fossil fuels. EVs can reduce air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, noise, and fuel costs, and improve energy efficiency and performance.
Rust-powered batteries
Rust-powered batteries are batteries that use iron, or rust, as the main electrode material, instead of lithium, cobalt, or nickel. Iron is cheap, abundant, and environmentally friendly, and can store more energy than conventional batteries. Rust-powered batteries can be used for electric vehicles, grid storage, or portable devices.
Solar glass
Solar glass is a type of glass that can generate electricity from sunlight, by incorporating transparent solar cells or coatings into the glass surface. Solar glass can be used for windows, skylights, facades, or greenhouses, to provide clean and renewable energy for buildings. One of the manufacturers of solar glass is AIS Glass, India’s leading integrated glass and window solutions company. AIS Glass offers a range of solar glass products, such as Ecosense, a high-performance glass that reduces heat and glare, and SunShield, a tempered glass that enhances durability and safety. AIS Glass also provides customized solutions for solar glass applications, such as design, installation, and maintenance.
Graphene
Graphene is a thin layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, with remarkable properties, such as high strength, flexibility, conductivity, and transparency. Graphene can be used for various applications, such as sensors, electronics, membranes, composites, or coatings, to enhance performance and efficiency.
Waste and recycling
CO2 Absorbing Buildings
Green Construction CO2 Absorbing Buildings are buildings that use materials and designs that can absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in their structure, such as mass timber, bio-concrete, algae facades, and carbon capture devices. These buildings can help lower the carbon footprint of the construction sector and combat global warming
Earth-cooling Paint
Earth-cooling paint is a type of paint that can reflect up to 98% of sunlight and radiate heat into space, making it cooler than the surrounding air. This paint can be applied to roofs and walls of buildings to reduce the need for air conditioning and lower energy consumption and emissions.
Climeworks
Climeworks is a company that also uses DAC technology to capture CO2 from the air and store it permanently underground, or use it for various purposes, such as carbonated drinks, greenhouses, synthetic fuels, or carbon removal certificates. The company aims to remove 1% of global CO2 emissions by 2025.
Biochar
Biochar is a type of charcoal produced by heating organic matter, such as wood, crop residues, or manure, in a low-oxygen environment. Biochar can be used as a soil amendment to improve fertility, water retention, and carbon sequestration, or as a renewable energy source.
Bio-Degradable Plastics
Biodegradable plastics are plastics that can be decomposed by microorganisms or natural processes, without leaving harmful residues or toxins. Biodegradable plastics can help reduce plastic pollution and waste, and save resources and energy. Many companies are starting to test seaweed as a source of biodegradable plastic, it grows abundantly and does not require fertilizers, pesticides, or fresh water. Seaweed can be used to make various types of packaging, such as films, bags, straws, or containers, that are edible, compostable, and functional.
Environmental Sensors
Environmental sensors are devices that can measure and monitor various environmental parameters, such as temperature, humidity, air quality, noise, light, or radiation. Environmental sensors can be used for various purposes, such as weather forecasting, pollution control, disaster management, or smart agriculture.
Ocean Clean Up
Ocean Clean Up is a non-profit organization that develops systems to collect and remove plastic waste from the oceans, using floating barriers, solar-powered vessels, and artificial intelligence. The organization aims to clean up 90% of ocean plastic by 2040.
17. Digitization
Digitization transforms information from an analog to a digital form, such as changing paper documents into PDF files or encoding audio and video as digital data. It can boost the access, storage, and sharing of information, and cut costs and errors. It has also enhanced the operational efficiency of businesses globally. Going paperless is beneficial for the environment, too. Increased digital adoption has resulted in a decline in paper production. This means that fewer trees are cut down for productivity and paper producers are expanding their offering by obtaining their raw materials from sustainably managed woodlands.
3D Printing
3D printing is a technology that can have positive environmental impacts, such as reducing material waste, energy consumption, and carbon emissions. Unlike traditional manufacturing technologies that cut away excess material from a larger block, 3D printing builds up an object layer by layer, using only the necessary amount of material. It is transforming the manufacturing industry, by enabling more customization, innovation, and efficiency. It can also create new opportunities for local production, distributed networks, and circular economy. However, it is important to consider the whole system and the trade-offs involved and to adopt best practices and standards to ensure the sustainability of 3D printing.
Food and agriculture:
Agricultural IoT
Agricultural IoT is the application of Internet of Things technology in various aspects of farming, such as crop monitoring, soil management, livestock tracking, or storage optimization. It consists of smart devices and sensors that can collect and transmit data over a network, enabling remote control and automation of agricultural processes. By using sensors, drones, robots, or smart irrigation systems, farmers can collect and analyze data to make informed decisions and optimize resources. Agricultural IoT can enhance the productivity, quality, and sustainability of agriculture.
Blockchain
Blockchain is a system of storing and transferring data using a distributed ledger that is shared and verified by a network of nodes, without the need for a central authority. Blockchain can be used for various purposes, such as traceability, transparency, security, and efficiency of transactions, in various sectors, such as agriculture, food, finance, or health.
Aquaponics
Aquaponics is a system of growing plants and fish together in a symbiotic relationship, where the fish waste provides nutrients for the plants, and the plants filter the water for the fish. Aquaponics can help produce food with less water, land, and fertilizer, and without soil or pesticides.
Graphene Oxide Seive
A high-tech sieve makes the ocean drinkable by desalinating seawater using a graphene-based membrane that filters out salt and other impurities, using less energy and cost than conventional methods. This device can help provide clean and affordable drinking water for people in water-scarce regions.
Artificial Pollination
It is a method where a drone mimics the function of bees and other pollinators, by using cameras, sensors, and artificial intelligence, to identify flowers and transfer pollen from one to another. PolyBee is a Singapore-based company that offers a service of autonomous pollination and digital phenotyping with drones and AI. Their drones can pollinate self-fertile crops such as strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants, in both indoor farms and greenhouses. PolyBee’s solution can enhance crop productivity and quality while reducing labor costs and environmental impact.
Sustainability
24. HY4
The HY4 is a plane that emits only water it uses hydrogen fuel cells to power its engines, instead of jet fuel. Hydrogen fuel cells produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen, and the only by-product is water vapor. This type of aircraft can help reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from aviation.
Green Hydrogen
Green Hydrogen is a type of hydrogen gas that is produced from renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, or hydropower, using electrolysis, a process that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. Green hydrogen can be used as a clean and versatile fuel for various applications, such as transportation, industry, or power generation.
Green Coding:
Energy-Efficient Coding is a type of software development that aims to reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of computer programs, by using techniques such as code optimization, parallelization, or compression. Energy-efficient coding can help improve the performance and sustainability of software systems, especially in areas such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, or blockchain.
Green-Focused Data Collection
Green data collection is the process of obtaining and using data that supports environmental sustainability and reduces the negative effects of human activities on the planet. One example of green data collection is the use of green data centers, which are facilities that handle large amounts of data with minimal energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Some of the ways that green data centers achieve this are by using efficient cooling and power systems, adopting renewable energy sources or credits, and implementing virtualization techniques that optimize the use of hardware and software resources.
Geothermal Energy/Lithium Recovery
Electrodialysis is a process that can extract lithium, a key element for batteries and electric vehicles, from geothermal brine, a hot and salty fluid that is pumped from underground reservoirs to generate geothermal energy. This process can help produce lithium with less water, land, and emissions than conventional methods, and also increase the value and efficiency of geothermal energy.
Conclusion:
We have explored some of the most promising and creative inventions that need to be invented to help the world. These inventions can revolutionize various sectors and create a positive impact on the environment, society, and economy. However, there are some limitations and uncertainties, and require further research and development. What inventions do you think are most needed to help the world? Let us know in the comments below.