Safety risks are a daily reality in the construction or manufacturing business, and one risk is more strain on your body and proneness to injury. Luckily, scientists are always developing new ways to keep your body safe. This post, we’re also looking at material innovations, and how utilities influence smart cities. Let’s get going.

Exoskeleton to help lift heavy objects

Sacros Robotics has developed a robotic exoskeleton that enables someone to safely lift 200 lbs (that’s around 90 kg). This suit doesn’t need much power, and provides the perfect combination between human skill and robotic aid when a heavy job needs doing. Back injuries are at the top of the list for people working in manual labor, costing the company a lot of money and severely decreasing the quality of life of the sufferer. In short, this is cool, and there’s a ton of applications for it. Check it out on Construction Dive, thanks Laura Cowin for telling us about it!

Material that reacts like a protein

Scientists at the University of Liverpool developed a new porous material that changes in structure according to its environment, and chemically reacts like a protein. This is another step forward into making materials that adapt independently, change shape and structure to perform the necessary tasks. Mostly within the fields of fuel production and environmental remediation technologies will this kind of technology truly shine, and that’s where improvements are desperately needed. Read more about it on Manufacturing.net!

We can’t handle nuclear disasters, but robots can!

Even with all the protective suits we’ve got, it’s unlikely that people would be able to go out and fix things in the event of a nuclear disaster. I know, it’s best they never happen at all, but we have to prepare for the worst. That’s why we all have a plan for when the apocalypse strikes, right? Just me? Ok. Well I’m not the only one who’s prepared, Kristin Houser talks about a robot specifically designed to help out in the event of a disaster. Its name is Centauro, and it is able to navigate debris-filled spaces quite well. Let’s hope we won’t need our robot buddy, but if we do, at least he’s there. Go to the_byte to find out more about our future disaster relief!

How utilities will impact smart cities

Cities world-wide have been, and are, taking steps to become smarter, to help the citizens live more comfortable lives and to help city planners make data-driven decisions. Utilities play a unique role in this by continuous innovation. It’s the utility services who are implementing IoT, smart sensors, finding ways to gather more and more data, and from their efforts, cities can learn a lot. Jim Vona and Itai Dadon share their ideas on how utilities can make a city truly smart, which you can find on Smart Energy International. Fascinating stuff!

We love finding out about the innovations that will shape our future, and if you’re the same way, make sure to subscribe! We love to keep you informed. See you next time!