National Geographic’s Iceberg of Plastic

“16 billion pounds of plastic ends up in the ocean each year. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” reads the June 2018 cover of National Geographic. The text is set upon Mexican artist Jorge Gamboa’s clever, captivating image (titled “Iceberg Plástico,” and winner of Bolivia’s Biennial of Poster in 2017) of an iceberg-resembling plastic bag. Aside from the fact that it’s a magazine …

A Cheaper, Faster and More Effective Solar Water Purifier

Researchers at the University of Buffalo have created what they believe could be a faster, cheaper and more efficient solar-powered water purifier. With some 850 million people without access to clean water, a product like this is a necessity. A reinvention, or modernization of ancient technology, the product “involves draping a sheet of carbon-dipped paper in an upside-down V. The paper’s bottom edges soak up …

Robot Chefs at Boston’s Spyce Restaurant

Billed as the world’s first restaurant featuring a robotic kitchen that cooks complex, customizable meals, Boston’s Spyce utilizes seven automated cooking pots in place of chefs. These devices can deliver complicated, primarily vegetarian, meals in roughly three minutes. The system was developed by MIT robotics engineers, including restaurant co-founder Michael Farid. His partner happens to be Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud. It’s worth noting that Spyce …