physically disabled columbian nelson cardona fulfilled a dream to climb Everest with the help of prosthetic legs.
He also wants to swim the English Channel and he might be able to do it with Neptune, a prosthetic flipper.
above: slider adjusts flexibility to match swimmers strength. the fin could also rotate 90 degrees to simulate breaststroke movement.
above: c-legs are used by a double-amputee who also swims 2.500m a couple of times a week and is very interested in the neptune concept being developed.
above: inspiring everyone including designers, alexander mcqueen among others, aimee is an athlete, actor and activist talks about her prosthetic legs — she’s got a dozen amazing pairs — and the superpowers they grant her: speed, beauty, an extra 6 inches of height.
above: aimee at mit h2o symposium
above: neptune concept lures me deeper and deeper. i think this is about a skateboarder prosthesus. but, maybe there is or will be…
designer: richard stark
Resources:
ted
aimee / alexander mcqueen
alexander mcqueen / aimee
wired: 3d printing and prosthetics
<a href="
about ron kovach
yep, 1495. what would he be doing today?
Many of the most unpleasant aspects of urban life are caused by cars.
Large sweltering expanses of tarmac in cities contribute heavily to urban temperatures. Cars also become unbearably hot in summer sitting in these urban deserts.
Optimizing the heliostatic photovoltaic panels ultimately evolved into their leaflike shape. Though the concept did not intentionally look to mimic the form of a tree, the panels rotate to follow the path of the sun throughout the day – much like sunflowers – absorbing light whilst also providing optimal shading for cars. Although all parked cars can benefit from shading, electric vehicles can directly charge their batteries by plugging into the solar trees.
Solar Tree is unique among anti-auto pollution designs in that it empathizes with the automobile, but particularly with the electric car, providing a place for overworked, spent cars to regain their lost torque, to relax beneath the trees, to gain back their juice in an optimal stress-free environment.
Produce: solar tree
Designer: neville mars
[via] burb
On 8 March 2010, the solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse (HB-SIA prototype) had its maiden flight at the military airport in Payerne, Switzerland.
The prototype, with the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and the weight of a small car, started to a two-hour test flight to examine whether the plane can keep a straight trajectory. The Solar Impulse project aims to circumnavigate the world with an aircraft powered only by solar energy.
Producer: solvay, omega, deutsche bank, among others
Resources:
[ following solar impulse across usa ]
solar impulse
the guardian
a nod to april 22, earth day 2010, a rotary faucet that dials 5, 10, 15 seconds or more to manage water flow.
the design concept takes us all the way back to the rotary telephone and away from the touch pad mania ( IPad ) of the moment. a pleasing visual-cue-device to conserve.
Designer: eun ji byeon
Resources:
inhabitat
treehugger
yanko design
designed to allow users to read two time zones.
The color contrast off secondary clock hands are delicately reduced to appear like a shadow. The clock is available in both square and round versions in either white, gold, charcoal, and grey. Dimensions (W X.X D): 25cm X 25cm X 3.8cm
Designer: kitmen kueng
venice, italy is sinking. to save it, rachel armstrong says we need to outgrow architecture made of inert materials and, well, make architecture that grows itself.
she proposes a not-quite-alive material that does its own repairs and sequesters carbon.
via ted – ideas worth spreading
physically disabled columbian nelson cardona fulfilled a dream to climb Everest with the help of prosthetic legs. 
