build

A Mexican entrepreneur turned discarded plastic into low-cost homes for families in poverty; each 430-460 sq ft house used 2 tonnes of waste, took 7 days to build and cost families about $280

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A Mexican entrepreneur turned discarded plastic into low-cost homes for families in poverty; each 430-460 sq ft house used 2 tonnes of waste, took 7 days to build and cost families about $280

An EcoDom prototype house built using its plastic panels. Plastic production has increased exponentially over the last few decades. A 2017 study published in Science Advances estimated that 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced globally since large-scale production began. Only a tiny fraction has been recycled, with huge amounts accumulating in landfills, ecosystems … Read more

US military spending $2.2 bn to build small nuclear reactors

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US military spending $2.2 bn to build small nuclear reactors

The US Army announced Wednesday it has awarded a combined $2.2 billion to vendors to build and operate small nuclear reactors at five military bases in the United States. US military spending $2.2 bn to build small nuclear reactors The Army aims to get the first one up and running by September 2028, a target … Read more

A ketchup bottle cap inspired Princeton engineers to build a shape-shifting robot that moves without a motor

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A ketchup bottle cap inspired Princeton engineers to build a shape-shifting robot that moves without a motor

Kevin Liu showcases a geometry-powered robot that moves without motors or controls, PC: Aaron Nathans At Princeton Engineering, a team led by Glaucio Paulino has answered a question few people ever think to ask: what makes a ketchup bottle cap snap open and stay open rather than flopping shut? The hinge on a typical flip-top … Read more

Florida dumped millions of tyres into the ocean to build a reef. More than 50 years later, it is still cleaning them up

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Florida dumped millions of tyres into the ocean to build a reef. More than 50 years later, it is still cleaning them up

In the early 1970s, state officials and the US Army Corps of Engineers approved the dumping of vast numbers of used tyres into the Atlantic Ocean off Broward County, Florida. The idea was simple: create cheap, abundant artificial reef habitat to boost fish populations for anglers. Instead, the scheme left behind what is now known … Read more