Turning Concrete Buildings Into Large Batteries

Though the technology needed to transform a concrete building into a rechargeable battery has existed since the early 20th century, new research from Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology affirms that it’s possible to implement right now within many of the world’s pre-existing concrete buildings. According to Luping Tang of Chalmers and Emma Zhang of engineering and technology company Delta of Sweden, embedding carbon fibers (among …

Yinka Ilori’s 3D-Printed, Candy-Colored Basketball Court

British-Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori has created a public, half-sized basketball court intended to inspire optimism in London’s Canary Wharf. The court—designed for three-on-three games—eschews traditional materials in favor of 3D-printed polypropylene tiles called Traction² made by Hampshire’s OnCourt. The first public basketball court in the neighborhood, it boasts one hoop, a plethora of colors and patterns, and the slogan “Be the best you …

Ocean Radiation Could Predict Tsunamis

In an effort to better predict tsunamis, researchers at the University of Athens are working on underwater radiation-detecting drones as part of a project called RAMONES (RadioActivity Monitoring in Ocean EcoSystems). Understanding that seismic activity on land releases “small quantities of radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, into soil in the days before earthquakes happen,” scientists are developing a way to do the same on the …