Added 8 November, 2013
Nestlé is behind the world's first museum-quality exhibition for 3D-printed chocolate, at the Museum of African Design in Johannesburg. The show features works by 10 local artists that are printed entirely from chocolate. The all-digital process used free online modeling tools and a printer that normally prints using plastic filament. Will 3D...
Added 8 November, 2013
Nestlé's pledge means that none of its 150 European factories will create any waste that is not reused. That means that there will be no garbage, nothing to go to the landfill and nothing to be incinerated, unless they use it to create energy in the process. What most people don't know is that the company has already met this goal in almost 10...
Added 7 November, 2013
It's a very good harbinger of a trend to come when ninety-percent of consumers say they would consider buying a particular product that is currently in the pipeline. That huge percentage said that the thing that would tip the scales for them is lower insurance rates, which are slated to drop as much as 80 percent when self-driving cars become...
Added 7 November, 2013
There's been lots of talk about 3D printing over the last couple of years. Much of this chatter has been from technology doubters who complain that real applications haven't been happening. At least fast enough for them. Now, McDonalds one of the largest retail businesses in the world, is considering putting a printer in every restaurant so they...
Added 6 November, 2013
Here's a great idea: Encourage electric automobile use by doing away with the plug entirely. Municipalities like New York City may soon be creating green loading zones where electric trucks can automatically get recharged while off-loading their goods. The initiative, created by HEVO, works by embedding wireless charging stations under the...
Added 5 November, 2013
Like something out of the movie Minority Report, the large British retail chain Tesco is installing screens near the cash registers of their gas stations that scan customers faces to discover who they are, then serve advertisements tailored to them. Called the OptimEyes screen, the system will be installed in all 450 of the brands stations. While...
Added 4 November, 2013
Senior travel and tourism executives are at the World Travel Market this week, one of the largest annual travel conferences. A consensus is building there that the world needs a cheaper version of business class and that these cabins will start to take shape in the next year. In fact, the service already exists on budget Middle Eastern airlines...
Added 4 November, 2013
Facial hair is one of those fads that perennially pop up on men every few years in one guise or another. A decade ago it was the goatee. And it was the soul patch before that. Now, the full beard is having its moment, both trimmed and otherwise. One constituency has done away with the razor altogether in favor of letting facial hair grow untamed...
Added 4 November, 2013
Japan, of course, has the most active vending machine culture in the world, automatically dispensing everything from snacks and sake to fresh eggs, fried chicken, and Smart cars. New Yorkers, on the other hand, are not as automat savvy and for them the installation of machines vending something other than soda is a game-changing innovation. L'...
Added 1 November, 2013
Food and beverage companies often jump on fads quickly in hope of making a quick buck before the fickle market changes its mind. Another strategy is to put lots of products into the marketplace with the knowledge that most of them will fail, but a few will become hits. Fair Quinoa Vodka apparently looked at the market and decided to through the...