COMPANION

Recently I moved from a small town in Holland to the big city Antwerp in Belgium for a traineeship. Despite the fact that I’m having a great time here, it is very different from the life in a small village. There are times I have to walk alone down the streets at night and sometimes that makes me feel uncomfortable. Then, the sounds of police, fire brigade and ambulance sirens doesn’t make me feel less uncomfortable either. A friend then told me about this new app called ‘Companion’.

Companion is an app that provides you with a safe trip from point A to B. All you have to do is enter your location and destination. You then can select a companion, for example your parents or roommate. Your companion can see your location as your walking to your destination. The person(s) which you have selected to be your companion (who doesn’t necessarily has to install the app) can detect if you are wandering of your path, if your running/standing still or by example if your headphones are being pulled off. If one of these things happened you will get a pop-up that will ask you if you are safe or if you want to call the police (in case if some is happening).

The app is very popular and I think these kinds of apps will grow. Every day all day we hear terrible news on TV, in the paper, from our friends. Over the past year the world had become smaller and we are getting more and more information, of course also about he bad things. People want to feel save in this world and companion will literally accompany you trough your unsafe moments.

Bron: http://www.companionapp.io/

CURRENT WINDOW

A while ago I was surfing on the web and I found an article about Marjan Aubel. Marjan Aubel is a Dutch designer who creates objects and materials in the field of science and chemistry. I googled her and then I saw an amazing project of her called: current window. On first sigh, current window looks just like stained glass, which I love, but more modern. Then, when I read what is was, I loved it even more.

The window can generate electricity by sunlight and even harness diffused sunlight. It uses colour to generate energy. Now you are wondering: ‘How does it work’? Well, it is the same technique as Plants use during photosynthesis. The coloured glass pieces are made of ‘Dye Sensitized Solar Cells’, this uses properties of colour to create energy. Just like the various shades of the colour green chlorophyll absorbs light, the coloured window panes of Marjan Aubel harness energy.

There are USB ports integrated in the ledge of the window, so you can plug, by example, your phone in to charge it. Nowadays we see a lot of durable initiatives. We are all aware of the fact that we have to live in a way that is healthier for our planet. But we also want things to be pretty and efficient. This current window is a perfect combination of these things. It integrates very stylish in your interior and it’s eco friendly because it uses natural sources to generate energy. I Think initiatives as current window definitely have future growth potential because we are increasingly becoming aware that we need to live sustainably, but we also strive for efficiency and beauty.

Bron: http://www.marjanvanaubel.com/work/current_window/