The world of innovation is one of the most exciting and diverse out there, and it is all too easy for seminal new devices and processes to pass us by as each year paves the way for innumerable ground-breaking improvements. For that reason, we have put together a list of some of the most incredibly new innovations, spanning the world of medicine, sustainability and health, so that you can be aware of some of the amazing changes taking place within our world today.
Read more about three recent innovations, below.
The Self-Retaining Retractor from June Medical
The surgical retractor is a paradigm for the inexhaustible potential the medical world has for development. Once a very basic (though, of course, entirely necessary) device for operating surgeons to use on their patients, the surgical retractor has undergone significant development over centuries.
June Medical, founded by Queen’s Award for Enterprise winner Angela Spang, recently released a device that offers a number of notable (and, in their own right, groundbreaking) improvements on the lonestar retractor, ensuring that the OR is equipped to deal with the changing demands of countless patients now, and into the distant future.
Turning Fermentation to Power in Seville
In all likelihood, even a passing mention of Seville, Spain, will conjure images of tree-lined streets – all speckled by countless oranges growing in the Mediterranean sun. Even if you have yet to travel there yourself, the distinctive taste of Cointreau or a Seville orange marmalade is often enough to transport us across time and space.
Still, in spite of the popularity of this fruit, the majority are left to drop of their own accord, and to decompose naturally at the trunks of Seville’s trees.
Now, however, thanks to the innovation of the city’s brightest minds, plans to utilise the mass fermentation process that occurs at the close of every summer as a means of energy production are underway. Now, plans are already underway to transform the city’s once unwanted oranges into power for 73,000 homes – a remarkable feat of engineering, and an excellent turning point for sustainable energy.
Of course, it will take some time for Seville’s orange output to match the demands of its residents, but we can anticipate a great deal of change on the horizon for Spain’s renewable energy sector.
Mass Air Purification Devices
The issue of air pollution is one that will continue to grow in the coming years, even if we manage to implement significant changes for sustainability and climate control. In cities, where air pollution is at its worst, millions of people suffer immeasurably from the impact of our modern ways of life.
In response to the demand for cleaner air, Daan Roosegaarde, an inventor from The Netherlands, is now pioneering new, giant air purifiers which are capable of reducing air pollution at a rate of around 30,000 micrograms of air per cubic meter, offering an incredible new lifeline to present and future generations living and working in some of the world’s most industrious cities.
What this offers is an incredible new hope for the future – and at a time when many of us remain all too conscious of the dangers of unclean air.
