Eradicating malaria, employer-paid babysitting, cleaning rivers through bubbles and AI

| Posted on August 30, 2021 |

Photo: Presley Roozenburg / Unsplash (CC0)

In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we’re talking about how China successfully eradicated malaria, an employer-subsidized childcare approach in the US, and a student-led initiative to clean rivers through AI and robotics.

How China eradicated Malaria

The country stands as an example for fighting against and eliminating the long-standing, serious and infectious disease.

Source: Reasons to be cheerful

Employers backup childcare from next of kin

The Helpr App is a new, fast-growing service that allows parents to book babysitters in their area while their employers pay for it.

Source: Reasons to be cheerful

Air bubbles and robotic vessel clear plastics from rivers

The Autonomous River Cleaning (ARC) team from Zurich builds an AI robot that can collect and analyse waste in rivers.

Source: Reset

This road spray reduces urban heat and pollution

A novel asphalt spray addresses overheating and removes toxic car emissions while also revitalizing aging asphalt roads.

Source: Goodnet

Drinking water-producing solar-powered skylight

Architecture student develops a Solar Desalination Skylight which produces drinking water alongside light.

Source: Euronews

Floating wind turbines could unfold ocean tracts for renewable energy

Past its cost and design hurdles, this technology could help power a clean energy transition.

Source: The Guardian

Safe injecting sites help Australia’s homeless

The Medically Supervised Injecting Room (MSIR) provides intravenous drug users access to clean syringes as well as methadone programmes, housing and other social services.

Source: Aljazeera

Singapore startup manages waste using insects

Insectta addresses food waste crises through maggots and has developed technology to obtain biomaterials from their exoskeleton that could replace synthetic thickeners and preservatives in cosmetics.