This week, people have shown once again what great problem solvers they are. Let’s have a look at some new ways to prevent electrical failures, making planes and drones more quiet, preventing food poisoning, and efficiently assisting people in large crowds.

Detecting electrical failures before they happen

MIT developed a system which monitors electric devices, and it is able to point out faults, like burnt-out wiring, that could soon cause fires. These sensors work well in contained electrical systems, such as on ships, factories, or in buildings. The primary function of this sensor is to detect different types of electrical hazards and failures, which is a great step towards more easily manageable energy systems, and a hazard-free environment. The system can also be used, however, to track energy use, and see how the energy consumption in a particular building can be more efficient. Read more about it here!

‘Mute Button’ for planes and drones

Sound pollution is a common complaint of people especially those who live near airports or along much-trafficked flight paths. Researchers at Boston University are coming up with a solution, and they’ve recently found a type of material that can interfere with soundwaves without interrupting the airflow. Since drones are becoming more commonplace – for fun or for deliveries – we are disturbed by the noise of their taking off. This technology could quiet them down, and when this technology is expanded, there can be a lot of progress for airplane noise, or noisy HVAC installations, and even MRI machines. Anna Wells explains more on ThomasNet. Have a look!

Google to prevent food poisoning

Google collaborated with Harvard to detect food-related illnesses by means of search queries and location data. The idea is to easily identify restaurants with a higher risk to make you sick. They use machine learning to list all the ways people search for food poisoning symptoms online, and then track the restaurants those searchers visited (from users who have opted into sharing their data). This type of data gathering will prompt inspections to places that need one, especially if multiple people who visited that restaurant searched for symptoms. A new evolution in public health, thanks to technology. Read more on Techrepublic, Veronica Combs gives us the scoop.

Robot helpers at the 2020 Olympics

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Game organizers are definitely making some innovative changes to an age-old tradition. They recently revealed Robot helpers who will help spectators with special needs, for example wheelchair users, to give those people the best possible experience, Paul Ridden explains. It is also a great opportunity to show off evolutions in the Japanese Robotics industry. And there’s much more to unveil, we’ll be sure to see a lot of great tech at the 2020 Olympics. Get a taste of the future on New Atlas!

As always, don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on the latest innovations. See you next time!

Photo by American Public Power Association on Unsplash