Industrial Design’s Museum of Failure

From a rejuvenation mask that shocked the face with electric current to rental DVDs that stopped working after 48 hours and dozens of poorly conceived mobile phones, Dr Samuel West has curated quite the collection at Sweden’s Museum of Failure. His goal, however, isn’t to make a mockery of anyone. Rather, it’s to convey lessons learned through failed product design. Big names (such as Apple …

Urine Converted to Electricity at Glastonbury Festival

Thanks to electro-active micro-organisms that feed on elements in urine and then produce electrons, bio-engineers at Bristol Robotics Lab have found a way to turn pee into electricity. A fuel cell pack developed by the scientists currently feeds on two liters of urine and, in turn, produces 30 to 40 milliwatts of power. This energy has been used to power smartphones (slowly), LCD displays and …

Storing the World’s Rarest Colors

When one thinks of valuable entities, commonly we lean toward precious stones, gold, or maybe even water. The Harvard pigment library, however, houses another priceless thing: rare colors, colors that people used to search the world to find. Narayan Khandekar, the collection’s custodian (and the director of the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies at the Harvard Art Museums), says the work is approached …