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Viewing 121 to 135 of 192 articles

• Creating bullet-proof skin
  Stuff.co.nz article, 22 August
  A bio-art project to create bulletproof skin has given a US researcher hope that his genetically engineered spider silk can be used to help surgeons heal large wounds and create artificial tendons and ligaments.
  Discussion starter:
  • Characteristics of Technology: challenging peoples perception of what it means to be human
• Snug as a FLUG in a rug
  Stuff.co.nz article, 23 August
  When times get tough, Mairehau Primary School pupils hug their flugs. After the June 13 earthquakes, teachers at the school realised the value of children having a soft toy to hug. The school did not have enough soft toys for all the junior pupils, so the teachers decided to get the children to make their own fluffy ugly toys, or flugs.
  Discussion starter:
  • Technological Practice: authentic need
• Adidas goes barefoot
  NZ Herald online article, 24 August
  The world's second-largest athletic company unveiled its first "barefoot" training shoe, designed to mimic the experience of exercising barefoot while providing the protection, traction and durability of a shoe.
  Discussion starter:
  • Product Design: market-led innovation
• Innovator-in-Residence appointed
  Ideolog.co.nz news article, 29 August
  Massey University has appointed its first ever Innovator-in-Residence, who will work with a range of local companies to amp up their innovation processes and boost quality and productivity. Colin Gilchrist, managing director at Set Based Solutions, is a champion of the Learning First product development model based on the Toyota manufacturing approach. He will be based part-time at the Albany campus running workshops to help students and companies adapt the method, which he says will significantly enhance Kiwi business outcomes.
  Discussion starter:
  • Product Design: innovation issues; product development models
• Kiwi winemaker hopes to clean up the dairy industry
  Ideolog.co.nz news article, 2 September
  Liquid Strip, removes solids from wastewater and converts them into a pellet or slug form. The invention works by passing unwanted liquids through a filter that uses patented technology to transform waste into useful solids.
  Discussion starter:
  • Technological Products: transforming waste into useful by-products
  • Intervention by design: addressing 'dirty dairying'
• Good progress on career pathways for students
  Beehive.govt.nz press release, 7 September
  Education Minister Anne Tolley says the development of new vocational pathways for senior secondary students is making good progress, as the Government improves the transition from education to employment.
  Discussion starter:
  • Career pathways: collaborative training opportunities
• Proposals sought for new TV recycling programme
  Beehive.govt.nz press release, 7 September
  Environment Minister Nick Smith announced the first step in a new nationwide programme to encourage the recycling and safe disposal of unwanted televisions.
  "The falling price of new TVs, international sporting events and the national switchover to digital transmission from 2012 are all fuelling a change from older cathode ray tube sets to flat screen high definition LCD and plasma TVs," Dr Smith said.
  "The challenge is that there is an estimated 4,400 tonnes of lead in the 2.2 million cathode ray tube TVs that needs to be responsibly recycled or disposed of."
  Discussion starters:
  • Technological products: material properties; product lifecycle issues
  • Nature of technology: socio cultural influences
• Delicious by Design
  Idealog Daily Bacon E-newsletter, 8 September
  These days, home-grown, hand-reared deliciousness is everywhere. We are indeed becoming the delicatessen of the South Pacific, and the artisan and gourmet food market has exploded. The number of producers has tripled in the last decade with artisan and specialist food accounting for about eight percent of the market.
  Discussion starter:
  • Product development: design-led branding
• Wave-Powered Boats That Can Sail Forever
  Fastcompany.com article, 15 September
  Liquid Robotics is the company behind the Wave Glider robot, the first marine robot to use the ocean's wave energy to propel itself forward--a trait that means the robot has zero emissions, requires no fueling, and doesn't need any power.
  Discussion starter:
  • Digital technologies: remote data collection and transmission; solar power applications
• Graduates invention all in the mind
  Stuff.co.nz article, 17 September
  Inspired by his experiences with meditation, a fourth year Victoria University media design student has invented a device which shows what is going on inside the user's mind. A specially designed brain-computer interface headset captures brain wave data and reflects a person's state of mind through audio and patterns.
  Discussion starter:
  • Digital Technologies: interfacing technology
• Smartphone on wheels
  Stuff.co.nz article, 19 September
  Using some of the functions of todays smart phones, a new technology is being developed to project three-dimensional images are into the back seat of a car to entertain passengers, who control the action with gestures rather than hand-held devices.
  Discussion starter:
  • Digital Technologies: innovation in gaming technologies; holographic projection
• The Secret of Velveeta: How Cheese Food Is Made
  DiscoveryMagazine.com article, 19 September
  Pale orange, velvety smooth, and tangy as Pinkberry, a perfect square of American cheese or Velveeta melts all in one piece. No drips, no grease, just a warm and delicious topping (depending on your taste in cheese) to your burger. It's fantasy cheese - the dairy of dreams.
  Discussion starter:
  • Food product development: Food chemistry; 'cheese food'
• The easy way to ditch petrol for electricity
  TV3 News video, 20 September
  The electric car revolution may still be some way off, but if the Frankfurt Motor Show is any indication, it's drawing closer all the time with an entire exhibition hall dedicated exclusively to electric vehicles with over 100 new models on display. However, if a new car is out of your price range, there are other ways to make the switch.
  Discussion starter:
  • Enterprise: innovation in energy conversion; establishing a market niche
• The hot new search engine - and no, it's not Google-flavoured
  Idealog Daily Bacon E-newsletter, 20 September
  At 18, Daniel Gross was the youngest ever graduate from US incubator YCombinator. Now, along with co-founder Robby Walker, he's the 19-year-old head of Greplin, a user-authorised search engine that can reach parts of your online life that Google can't.
  Discussion starters:
  • Digital Technologies: computer programmin
  • Nature of Technology: idea generation; innovation incubators
• Maori fashion in the spotlight
  Stuff.co.nz article, 21 September
  The work of some of New Zealand's best Maori fashion designers will wow audiences at the Miromoda Fashion Extravaganza at Wellington's TSB Arena on September 30, in a show that organisers say is for everyone. Included in the show will be work from Adrienne Whitewood who has combined Maori aesthetics with technology and craftsmanship in her collection Te Aho Tapu - The Sacred Thread. Urban Maori T-shirts designed by Kereama Taepa mix real life with digital life for his "digimaori" collection of T-shirts by incorporating the concept of augmented reality into his range. Each of his T-shirt designs features print markers which serve as a platform to view 3-D images when the wearer sits in front of their computer using FLARToolKit software.
  Discussion starter:
  • Design: indigenous fashion; identity language and culture