⚡️ New self-healing plastic tech

Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.

In a potential plastics breakthrough, researchers created an innovative resin that can self-repair, be recycled, and biodegrades into nutrients for marine life.

Is this new material the future of sustainable plastic? Let’s dig in…

In today’s tech rundown:

• New plastic can self-heal, be recycled, and feed marine life

• Bill Gates-backed startup reimagines wind power with new system

• 10 New products

• 7 quick stories

Read time: 3 minutes

TODAY’S HEADLINES

FUTURE MATERIALS

♻️ New plastic can self-heal, be recycled, and feed marine life

The Rundown: Japanese scientists just developed an impressive new plastic that self-repairs when heated, can be broken down for recycling, and biodegrades into food for marine organisms.

The details:

• The material, called VPR, is a modified epoxy resin that can completely heal scratches and remember past shapes when heated.

• When discarded into seawater, 25% of VPR is biodegraded within 30 days into nutrients.

• VPR is also over 5x more resistant to breaking than typical epoxy resins and can be chemically recycled 10x faster than normal plastic.

• Potential uses include infrastructure, vehicles, electronics, and more.

The relevance: VPR seems to resolve multiple problems posed by plastics, like durability, recyclability, and environmental impact. Since it doesn’t seem like the world’s reliance on plastic is ending any time soon, this might just be the pivot we need.

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The Rundown: Building AI products manually is complex and challenging. Streamline the process and make it efficient with the right expertise.

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ENERGY TECH

💨 Bill Gates-backed startup reimagines wind power

The Rundown: AirLoom Energy, backed by Bill Gates' climate fund, has developed a novel "tracks and wings" wind system that claims to slash costs versus conventional turbines.

The details:

• AirLoom's small Wyoming prototype harnesses the wind to propel wings along a track, generating power at lower cost and height.

• The startup raised $4 million, hired a Google veteran as CEO, and is aiming to scale up to larger operations.

• Benefits include more flexibility with structure requirements, less materials use, and lower landfill impact versus traditional wind farms.

The relevance: Less restrictive building requirements than typical massive wind turbines could unlock more scalable wind solutions — with the potential to expand the sector’s impact across the globe.

NEW PRODUCTS

🗣️ Speechki- A copilot tool for audio content creators (link)

🔊 Sampld 2.0- Unsplash but for sounds instead of images (link)

🐝 BeeDone- A gamified productivity app powered by AI (link)

✈️ Flightcontrol- AWS infrastructure for developers (link)

🐦 TweetHunter- All-in-one Twitter growth tool to create content using AI, build an audience, and schedule posts (link)

⚙️ Bardeen- A no-code automation tool to enhance workflow productivity (link)

🎙️ Wondercraft AI- Turn existing content such as blog posts, into full podcasts (link)

🎨 Uizard- Design wireframes, prototypes, and mockups quickly and easily (link)

📣 Followr- Automated scheduling, AI content creation & advanced analytics for social (link)

📝 Otter AI- Voice meeting notes & real-time transcription (link)

Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.

SNIPPETS

Airbnb's winter 2023 update integrates smart lock functionality, simplifying access for guests and code management for hosts.

SoftBank paid $1.5 billion to WeWork's lenders, including Goldman Sachs, just days before WeWork's bankruptcy filing.

ChatGPT experienced a significant outage lasting over 90 minutes, impacting both the chat service and OpenAI's API services, but has since been restored.

WhatsApp introduces an optional feature to hide IP addresses during calls for enhanced privacy, with a possible trade-off of reduced call quality.

The UK government's national security concerns prompt the sale of Britain's biggest chip plant to US firm Vishay for $177 million.

Elon Musk's Neuralink is set to embark on its pivotal moment with the commencement of its inaugural human clinical trial.

The journal Nature has retracted a second superconductivity paper by Ranga Dias amid concerns over data accuracy and experimental representation.

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THAT’S A WRAP

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