Look

Video: MIT's High-Tech Artificial Limbs

GOOD — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:00:00 PDT

Can we make artificial limbs that are as good as—or better than—the originals? In the biomechatronics division of the MIT Media Lab, researchers are learning how humans move to create machines that give amputees new abilities.

Brooklyn's Habana Outpost is a Mecca of Food and Sustainability

GOOD — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:00:00 PDT

In the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, New York, a space that was once a parking lot has been transformed into one of the borough’s best scenes. Habana Outpost, a restaurant-cum-cultural center, features an open-air market, outdoor movies, great food and drink, and a social hub for the creative and diverse local community. Underlying it all is an ethic of sustainability: The eatery, powered by renewable energy, boasts dozens of green building features—none of which takes away from the enjoyable experience. We took a look at some of the Outpost’s most inventive innovations.

LEARN MORE at cafehabana.com

Brought to you in partnership with the University of British Columbia.

In Portland, Open Data Makes It Easier to Get Around

GOOD — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:30:00 PDT

Imagine being able to travel around your city with public transit information literally at your fingertips. Today this is a reality in Portland, Oregon, thanks to the TriMet transportation system, a new leader in data sharing. By making data on public transit available and accessible to its many tech-savvy riders, TriMet has allowed for the creation of more than 35 phone applications since 2005—all of which are designed to create a more informed user experience. We meet the people behind this creative new approach to transit data sharing, and see how this system makes daily commuting around Portland that much more efficient and enjoyable.

In Mali, a $25 Projector Makes Adult Education Easier

GOOD — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:45:00 PDT

Teaching adults to read is a difficult enough task in and of itself, but in rural Mali, teachers also face classrooms without electricity and books weathered by the punishing desert climate. Enter the Kinkajou Projector, a fusion of high and low technology that makes teaching night literacy classes as easy as ABC.

LEARN MORE at www.designthatmatters.org

Brought to you in partnership with the University of British Columbia.

What a Green Job Looks Like

GOOD — Tue, 3 Nov 2009 13:11:17 PST

Buildings are actually responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than cars. But simply weatherizing houses and businesses can reduce their environmental impact and lower energy bills-while creating new jobs in the process. Everyone wins.

Created in partnership with Green for All, a national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy, strong enough to lift people out of poverty. For more information on programs near you, visit www.greenforall.org.

Reaction Housing

GOOD — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:13:04 PDT

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it became obvious that America was frustratingly ill-prepared to house people displaced by a natural disaster. Michael McDaniel took this as a design challenge. His Exo housing system-inspired by the humble styrofoam cup-could be deployed quickly and cheaply to help us when we need it most.

Kinkajou Projector Brings Literacy to Mali

GOOD — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:25:21 PDT

Teaching adults to read is a difficult enough task in and of itself, but in rural Mali, teachers also face classrooms without electricity and books weathered by the punishing desert climate. Enter the Kinkajou Projector, a fusion of high and low technology that makes teaching night literacy classes as easy as ABC.

LEARN MORE
Design That Matters

Attack of the Giant Jellyfish!

GOOD — Thu, 9 Apr 2009 10:00:34 PDT

Giant jellyfish have invaded the northern coasts of the Japanese islands and they're causing problems. Frustrated local fishermen are hauling in little else. So one company, RIKEN, is trying to make marketable products from these gelatinous monsters. They're exploring everything from artificial gastric fluids made from jellyfish mucin to a jellyfish-based ice cream topping. If they succeed, they'll turn a costly problem into gooey gold. An original GOOD video.

Emergency in Mumbai? Dial 1298!

GOOD — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:30:20 PST

Americans take 911 for granted, but in many developing nations a centralized emergency telephone number is unheard of. In Mumbai, a private ambulance company has stepped up to fill the void in emergency medical service. In a city where "ambulance" used to be synonymous with "hearse," Mumbai residents can now dial 1298 and receive emergency medical care priced on a sliding scale.

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Dial 1298 for Ambulance

Animal Superpowers

GOOD — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:42:38 PST

From cicadas who hibernate for 17 years to checkerboard-camouflaged cuttlefish, some animals have powers that border on the super. Artists Kenichi Okada and Chris Woebken have created three devices designed to give children a chance to experience heightened animal senses. For example, their Bird Device consists of a GPS that vibrates when oriented towards home, simulating the instincts of migratory fowl. Personally, we're hoping the adult models will be on the market by year's end.

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Chris Woebken; Kenichi Okada

Hippo Rollers

MacKenzie Fegan — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:00:28 PST

In rural Africa, women spend 26% of their time fetching water, often walking for miles with heavy buckets balanced on their heads. That's time that could be spent going to school, working outside the home, or teaching their children. The Hippo Water Roller eases the burden by allowing women to transport five times as much water with much less physical effort. In our latest LOOK video, we examine the impact of the rollers on one village in South Africa.

LEARN MORE hipporoller.org

Pollen Bots

MacKenzie Fegan — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:36:47 PDT

Seasonal allergy sufferers, rejoice! Japanese scientists have deployed an army of anthropomorphic pollen sensors across the country in an effort to aid the 15 million Japanese allergic to pollen. These Pollen Bots' eyes change color depending on the pollen count so allergy sufferers can plan their outdoor activities accordingly. For those of us with hay fever, that's nothing to sneeze at.

Eco-Gym

MacKenzie Fegan — Fri, 3 Oct 2008 18:49:23 PDT

Chances are you go to the gym because it makes you feel good. But nothing kills that post-workout buzz like contemplating the environmental impact of traditional gyms-the air conditioning, the cardio machines, the thousands of tiny towels that are washed daily. Manuel de Arriba Ares has an alternative: all the exercise equipment in his gimnasio ecológico requires no electricity and is made entirely of recycled materials. At Ares' gym, reducing your impact is no sweat.

Salar de Uyuni

GOOD — Tue, 9 Sep 2008 21:09:32 PDT

With an area about the size of New Jersey, Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni salt flat is known as the flattest place on earth. So when NASA needs to calibrate the satellite it uses to measure the shrinking of the polar ice caps, they point its laser at the Salar de Uyuni first. One of earth's fascinating natural phenomena helping us gauge the fate of another. An original GOOD Video.

Rooftop Bees

GOOD — Fri, 1 Aug 2008 22:57:41 PDT

With space at such a premium in Manhattan, New Yorkers are accustomed to thinking vertically when it comes to housing. Now bees are getting in on the action. David Graves, an urban beekeeper, tends his hives far above the bustle of New York on rooftops throughout the city. His buzzworthy honey gets rave reviews for its delicate sweetness and for the relief it offers allergy sufferers. But with Colony Collapse Disorder threatening his livelihood, we're left wondering what a world without honey bees would be like. Not so sweet.

Cambodian Sports

GOOD — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT

Decades of war and internal strife have left Cambodia with one of the highest proportions of people disabled by land mines in the world. The country's only professional sports league is the Cambodian National Volleyball League (Disabled), a network of volleyball teams whose players once fought against each other in times of civil war and now face each other on the court. They also sponsor a wheelchair racing program which empowers women who would traditionally be confined to their homes. Currently, the national volleyball team is ranked number three in the world, and regularly defeats non-disabled teams including an Australian navy squad which has tasted defeat three years running. These national heroes may have lost limbs to land mines, but they'll still whoop you in volleyball.

Urban Aquaculture

GOOD — Tue, 1 Jul 2008 22:02:03 PDT

Professor Martin Schreibman says our oceans have been overfished beyond repair. If we're going to keep eating fish and chips, tuna tartare, and all those omega-3 fatty acids, we may have to rely on aquaculture. Schreibman is working to bring those fish farms into the city. Urban aquaculture? We'll bite.

Landmine Flowers

MacKenzie Fegan — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:17:52 PDT

Scientists in Denmark have developed a plant that turns red when it comes into contact with trace amounts of TNT. If sowed over an area contaminated by landmines, these plants would form a botanical, color-coded map that would keep civilians out of harm's way.