Inhabitat's Week in Green: LED lights, biofuel airplanes, and prescription tattoos
The Week in Green is a new item from our friends at Inhabitat, recapping the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us.
This week Inhabitat saw the light as we showcased an array of exciting developments in energy-efficient illumination. First off, Philips dazzled attendees at this year's Lightfair expo as they unveiled the EnduraLED -- the world's first LED replacement for those ubiquitous energy-sucking 60 watt incandescent bulbs. We were also excited to see the unveiling of the SolPix - a giant energy generating LED wall that doubles as solar shade and can be installed as high-tech building cladding. And if you think energy-efficient lighting isn't easy on the eyes, check out this beautiful LED flower that soaks up sun during the day and blooms at night.
We also looked at several incredible (and insane) futuristic modes of transportation - for starters, how about an electric zip-line backpack that shoots you through city streets? We were also impressed by the Cell, a shape-shifting electric vehicle concept that comes complete with its own car-sharing transit system. And if soaring through the skies is more your style, check out these self-sufficient airships that harness solar energy to generate biofuel.
Wearable tech saw several developments as well - this week we looked at the ultra-efficient 3d printers that created Iron Man's suit of armor. In other news, your next trip to the doctor could merit more than a single shot in the arm - researchers are developing a new type of "prescription" tattoo that keeps tabs on glucose levels using infra-red ink.
Finally, we saw several remarkable inventions that stand to change how we combat climate change and construct our built environment. This week Bill Gates unveiled plans to invest in the development of a fleet of seawater-spraying mist machines that could combat climate change by creating sunlight-reflecting clouds, and we looked at a new type of biologically crafted brick that can be "grown" from a combination of sand, bacteria, and urine.
