Companies everywhere have been sampling various automation systems to speed up the flow of goods while improving employee safety, but the infrastructure behind them is often bulky and expensive. Stretch is marketed as an adaptable plug-and-play solution that can move in any direction, navigate obstacles, ascend ramps, and identify boxes using “computer vision technology.” Its gripper has embedded sensors to handle a variety of package types while operating at high speeds, and its arm features seven degrees of freedom to reach extra-high shelves. High-capacity batteries keep it moving all day long, though it can also be plugged in for continuous operation.

Boston Dynamics is currently seeking customers to pilot test Stretch in real-world scenarios like truck unloading before releasing it to the public.

“Warehouses are struggling to meet rapidly increasing demand as the world relies more on just-in-time delivery of goods,” said Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics. “Mobile robots enable the flexible movement of materials and improve working conditions for employees. Stretch combines Boston Dynamics’ advancements in mobility, perception, and manipulation to tackle the most challenging, injury-prone case-handling tasks, and we’re excited to see it put to work.”

Boston Dynamics was inspired to create “Stretch” after demonstrating what its humanoid “Atlas” robot could do on YouTube.

“When we released our first Atlas ‘Next-gen’ video, there was a part of that video that showed Atlas moving boxes, and we got a big reaction from people in the warehouse space,” says Kevin Blankespoor, Boston Dynamics VP of Product Engineering. “They wanted Atlas to come work at their warehouse. We thought, ‘Well, Atlas is probably a bit complicated to actually go work in a warehouse, but we could design a robot that’s much more simple that has the same attributes.'”

Last year, Boston Dynamics announced their first foray into the commercial market in the form of “Spot,” a $74,500 robot dog that can stand in for humans in a variety of potentially dangerous scenarios, from doctors in the midst of a pandemic to inspectors at oil and gas facilities. Spot was used throughout 2020 as a mobile telemedicine platform that allowed healthcare providers to remotely triage patients using an iPad and two-way radio.

Experts expect that robotics and intelligence will be a big part of daily life by 2025, according to the Pew Research Center. Just about every industry will be affected, but some of the biggest implications will be seen in transport and logistics, customer service, health care, and home maintenance. It’s unclear exactly how this will impact employment. About half of experts interviewed in 2014 expected robots and digital agents to displace significant numbers of both blue and white-collar workers, while the other half believed new jobs and industries would rise to create additional ways to make a living.

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This idea of “going circular” has started to take root in some of the world’s largest firms. According to a 2019 ING survey, 62 percent of America’s companies plan to “close the loop” in some form soon, with 16 percent having already implanted circular practices. Just take these green gyrations for example:

IKEA

The flat-pack furniture giant has been using sustainable and recycled materials in some of its merchandise for years now, but more recently, it’s vowed to go completely circular by 2030.

“People are becoming more and more conscious of the impact their choices have on the planet,” the company said in an official statement. “They no longer want to be wasteful and are seeking better value in what they buy. It’s about extending the life of products and materials, seeing them as raw materials for the future, and eliminating waste at every level.”

Already in place are initiatives to buy back and resell goods in several markets around the world, as well as trial leasing options on its furniture in several European countries. In 2019 alone, IKEA gave a second life to 47 million brand pieces, resold 38 million through its As-Is shops, and repacked 9 million items back to the shelf.

“Rather than thinking cradle to grave, we need to think cradle to cradle,” says Anna Granath, a product developer with IKEA Sweden. Among other things, she helped design the KUNGSBACKA kitchen cabinet front (made from 100-percent recycled wood and plastic), each one of which takes roughly 25 half-liter plastic waste bottles out of landfills. These cabinets can also be reprocessed at the end of their life to become something new again.

Nordstrom

The department store is pairing up with BeautyCycle, an eco-friendly consumer goods enterprise, to allow customers to drop off used cosmetic containers to be repurposed into new toiletry packaging.

“Nordstrom is the first major retailer to offer a beauty packaging recycling program for all brands,” said Gemma Lionello, the company’s Executive Vice President of Accessories and Beauty in a Vogue interview. “We committed to take back 100 tons of beauty packaging to ensure it’s recycled by 2025.”

This partnership will help Nordstrom accomplish its five-year goals of reducing single-use plastic by 50 percent and certifying at least 15 percent of all its products as sustainable. The BeautyCycle initiative will be available in 94 locations across the U.S.

Coyuchi

Organic linen company Coyuchi is hoping to staunch the tide of the more than 10 million textile fabrics sent to the dump each year. The firm is starting a new line called 2nd Home that encourages customers to turn in their worn-out Coyuchi bedding for a discount on new home goods. With the help of partner The Renewal Workshop, those sheets, blankets, and throws can be cleaned, repaired, and returned to the shelves as part of the refurbished collection.

If the pre-owned textiles are beyond mending, they can be broken down and spun into yarn for new fabrics. That yarn will fuel Coyuchi’s first entirely loop-closing product — the Full Circle blanket — which is woven from 52 percent reclaimed cotton fibers.

“It’s the first proof of concept that circularity is achievable in textiles, and beyond,” says Eileen Mockus, Coyuchi’s CEO and president.

Adidas

Shoe company Adidas has been crafting their popular sneakers from reclaimed ocean plastic for years now, having sold more than 5 million pairs in 2018 alone. Starting in early 2019, they also turned their attention to going circular by designing the 100-percent recyclable FutureCraft.Loop trainers. After sending 200 pairs of beta test shoes to athletes and Adidas employees worldwide, it asked for them to be returned once they were worn out so they could be melted down as components to construct new shoes. Those second-generation shoes were sent back to the original 200 people in early 2020 and are still fully recyclable for the next iteration.

This is only the short list of companies making headlines for their revolving innovations. The trend is definitely gaining traction all around the world. For instance, H&M is working with the Make Fashion Circular initiative to extend the life of its clothing, Emeco fabricates chairs from factory floor waste, and Dell is preparing its computer parts to be more modular so that old electronics can be more easily reused. As more corporations sign on to this type of orbital thinking, the impact on our Earth and its resources could be revolutionary.

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The condensed summary is that Tesla has big plans to lower their cars’ cost per kilowatt hour, a key metric used to measure electric vehicles’ battery packs. This in turn will allow for more affordable vehicles at a lower manufacturing investment, a point to which Musk adds: “It’s absolutely critical that we make cars that people can actually afford. Affordability is key to how we scale.” And scalability is crucial to Tesla’s long-term goal of producing one-percent of the planet’s overall vehicle fleet, which works out to about 20 million vehicles per year.

With that in mind, the company announced plans to begin producing their own batteries, which they currently source from Panasonic. Not only will in-house production reduce costs, but it will also allow Tesla to completely eliminate all the cobalt they currently use. This is especially important because cobalt is often mined under conditions that violate human rights, which has led to a widespread push to find other materials to replace it. The company’s new “tabless” batteries, called 4680 cells, are completely different from any battery currently on the market and produce five times the energy. In turn, that makes them six times more powerful, which increases their range capability by 16 percent.

In addition to revealing an artful battery concept, which is well past the testing stage, the team also announced a sequence of manufacturing improvements. Of course, they were speaking directly to their investors, so they made sure to stress above all else that these changes would result in a 75-percent decrease in investment. The cost savings comes down to moving material production in-house. This includes more effective sourcing and production of silicon, simplifying the steps involved in the manufacturing process, and in true Tesla style, increasing range capabilities, too. In the end, the company expects to see a 56 percent reduction of cost per kwh. They also announced continuing efforts to move to a higher level of nickel content, which is stable and relatively inexpensive. On the sustainability side of things, the plant will continuously recycle water during manufacturing to create a zero waste loop.

Honks of approval were also heard when Musk discussed the new casting machinery being used in the company’s Fremont plant. This huge piece of technology creates a single frame for the front and back of the car. Of course, Tesla isn’t one to be limited by currently available materials, so they created their own alloy for this process, which requires no heat treatment or coatings. From there, the innovation continues with a center section connecting the front and back that not only offers storage for the batteries, but also incorporates additional frame support. Placing the batteries in the center of the vehicle adds a safety feature during potential impact and improves the handling via enhanced center of gravity performance. Plus, these manufacturing changes cost 50 percent less than the current practices.

Although the event was centered around cost savings and inventive technology, Tesla fans also got a snippet of a few products in the pipeline, including the new Model S with Plaid powertrain. This sexy beast achieves a zero to 60 mph in less than two seconds, and a quarter-mile time of less than nine, breaking most race track records in the process. The $139,990 car’s 1100 horsepower takes it to a top speed of 200 miles per hour, and it’s capable of delivering an astonishing 520-mile range on a single charge. Models are expected to start rolling off the line in late 2021.

Last year’s Cybertruck was also mentioned, with Musk confirming over 600,000 preorders to date. Of course, with nothing but a $100 refundable down payment required to secure one, that number may well exceed the actual number of purchases, but the news is that the trucks will be hitting the streets soon.

In another announcement, Tesla discussed self-driving technology. More accurately referred to as ‘autopilot’ because they don’t actually drive themselves, the company seems to have completely reinvented the system, with plans to unlock a beta version in the next several months.

Finally, the elusive $25,000 Tesla model Musk mentioned as a possibility in 2018 (with an expectation to see it within three years) is still in the “soon” timeline. With the focus on scalability for mass production, ground-breaking advancements in material development, and streamlining manufacturing processes, the goal of reducing manufacturing costs to a point of making that low price tag a reality is clearly still in the center of the frame.

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Aesthetically, the design is a significant departure from that of the Tesla Gigafactories in Shanghai and Nevada, both of which are a lot more utilitarian. In response to fan questions on Twitter, Musk has implied that the plant will have a few fun functional differences, too, saying “might be an indoor/outdoor rave space on the roof.” Is he kidding about that? Who knows. He just named his newborn son “X AE A-12,” after all, so it’s anybody’s guess.

Announced in November 2019, Tesla Giga Berlin will be the automaker’s first full vehicle factory in Europe. The factory will help Tesla lower prices on its vehicles on the continent by producing them locally, so they don’t have to be shipped all the way from California. The facility, set on a wooded 741-acre property, is in the early stages of construction, but paused temporarily due to concerns raised by environmentalists over potential threats to local water supplies and old-growth trees on-site.

A German court recently gave Tesla permission to resume construction, and the company pledges on its website to replant an area three times the size of the factory’s plot with mixed trees native to the local habitat in collaboration with local environmental experts. “We are also working to ensure plenty of clean drinking water through water-saving measures in the factory, as well as a structural solution with and for the community in the medium term,” reads the company website.

“Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg is the next phase of Tesla’s presence in Europe. We already operate an assembly facility for Model S and Model X in Tilburg, the Netherlands. In addition, Tesla Grohmann Automation in Prüm, Germany specializes in automation of our production processes. In total, we currently already employ around 5,500 people in Europe.”

“Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg will have a solar roof and aims to use renewable electricity to help Germany and Brandenburg achieve its ambitious ‘Energiewende’ objectives. We aim to maximize the benefits of the location’s excellent passenger and freight rail connections by building an on-site rail freight yard, and making it as attractive as possible to commute to the factory by rail.”

Tesla’s Nevada Gigafactory produces Model 3 electric motors and battery packs in addition to Tesla’s energy storage products, Powerwall and Powerpack. The company broke ground on that factory in June 2014, and while it’s currently operational with more than 1.9 million square feet completed, it’s only about 30 percent done. Once complete, Tesla expects the Gigafactory to be the biggest building in the world — one entirely powered by renewable energy, to boot.

The company also operates a factory in Fremont, California, which is currently in the process of doubling in size to almost 10 million square feet. Employing about 10,000 workers, the facility produces Tesla vehicles like the Model S, Model X, and Model 3.

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In 1973, Spanish Architect Ricardo Bofill stumbled upon a derelict cement factory located just outside of Barcelona that dated back to the first period of the industrialization of Catalonia. The building stood as a dilapidated reminder of the devastation that WWI brought to Europe, as it sunk into it’s crumbling structure, consumed by a harrowing emptiness and forsaken now to the aging effects of nature. Amid all the destruction and ruin, Bofill came alive with the notion of opportunity.

The Architecture

The building was erected in several stages; a series of additional structures were clearly added to the original. Incredulous in its size, Bofill and his team studied the aesthetics of the structure, noting the post war interior trends that were abundant in its architecture. Surrealism was consistent in the buildings paradoxical stairs that lead to nowhere, and abstract spaces that appeared unnecessarily vast and weirdly proportioned—though these are the same intense features that seemed to bring about a sense of phantasmagorical disproportion, a notion that Bofill found instantly endearing.

Seduced by the ambiguity of the raw and broken structure, Bofill decided to retain and modify it into his finest masterpiece yet. Featuring four kilometers of underground tunnels, machine rooms, giant silos, and a tall smoke stack, this was going to be no simple task.

From Ideation to Production

Under a kaleidoscope of avant-garde ideas, La fábrica was born. Bofill fell in love with the curious atmosphere that exuded the building and became determined to transform the hollow shell into a space worthy of continually elating his creativity, whilst also housing him and his family comfortably.

Lasting over a year and a half, the partial destruction began with using dynamite and jack hammers which consequently unveiled new spaces and hidden forms that would later become iconic features in the final product. The cement filled silos were saturated with dust, which made starting off unsurprisingly difficult—though with the help of a team of a Catalan craftsmen, the old cement factory was soon reinvented and transformed into a wealthy looking estate of functional and artistic beauty.

In the upper section of the factory, a large volume of brute cement was churned, as if by magic, into the main living area—a perfectly cubed room laced with arc windows. The “pink” room is a smaller, more intimate living area located on the middle floor, polished with a traditional Moroccan aesthetic and large fireplace dominating the space.

The ground floor hosts the kitchen and dining space, which is the pinnacle room for the family to gather. Majestically sat in the center is a rectangular marble table, balanced upon ironwork legs and encircled by Thonet chairs.

A Modern Palace

45 years later, what was once a titan of apocalyptic ruins, is now a sheer spectacle of architectural awe. La fábrica’s exterior has been woven into an illustrious garden full of vegetation and foliage, while it’s interior boasts an otherworldly modernity in it’s minimalistic styling and embellished living spaces.

“Presently I live and work here better than anywhere else. It is for me the only place where I can concentrate and associate ideas in the most abstract manner. I have the impression of living in a precinct, in a closed universe which protects me from the outside and everyday life. The Cement Factory is a place of work par excellence. Life goes on here in a continuous sequence, with very little difference between work and leisure,” says Bofill.

Though he has declared that his new home is under continuous change and improvement, the result of the masterful transformation proves that, “Function did not create the form; instead, it has been shown that any space can be allocated whatever use the architect chooses.”

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Above all else, Reebok wanted to give the public shoes that were “made from things that grow.” The completed sneaker is comprised of an organic cotton upper and a base made from industrial-grown corn. Bill McInnis, the Vice President over at Reebok Future, explained that the Cotton + Corn initiative focuses on all three phases of their products’ life cycles. In terms of product development, the company is using materials can be easily replaced once harvested, rather than the harmful petroleum-based materials that are so often used in modern manufacturing. When the product goes to market, Reebok will still be able to maintain a desirable look, feel, and performance for their much loved sneakers. Finally, once the consumer has worn out their sneakers, they’ll be able to dispose of them in a simple and non-invasive manner.

Avoiding the pesticides and herbicides used on traditional cotton, the 100-percent organic cotton used on the sneakers’ uppers, the corn used to create their bioplastic soles, and the insoles made from castor bean oil make the NPC UK Cotton + Corn shoe the first piece of footwear to be certified by the USDA as containing 75 percent bio-based materials.

Reebok’s Future Plan for Sustainability

Ideally, the Cotton + Corn initiative will prevent Reebok from being looped in with the many brands that contribute to the estimated 20 billion shoes’ worth of landfill waste each year. The company has even taken things a step further by removing toxic dyes from the production process and shipping the shoes in 100-percent recycled packaging.

When the original NPC UK Cotton + Corn sneaker was released, it sold out almost immediately. To this day, the company has yet to re-stock it! McInnis adds that “ultimately, [their] goal is to create a broad selection of bio-based footwear that can be composted after use. [They’ll] then use that compost as part of the soil to grow the materials for the next range of shoes. [They] want to take the entire cycle into account; to go from dust to dust.”

Believing that we have a responsibility to leave this planet exactly as we found it (or better) for future generations to enjoy, Reebok’s philosophy is to “Be More Human,” with sustainability and a deep love for Mother Earth at the very heart of that belief.

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A new car called the LSEV by Italian manufacturer X Electrical Vehicle (XEV) presents an intriguing mashup of affordability, simplicity, and modularity. It’s made from just 57 individual 3D-printed parts and costs a mere $7,500.

Designed for city use, the LSEV is a compact electric vehicle with a top speed of 43 miles per hour and a range of 90 miles per charge. It weighs just 992 pounds (less than a Formula One car), and everything about it aside from the glass, seats, and chassis is 3D printed. You certainly aren’t going to take it out on an adventure on unpaved roads, and you might not even want to hop on the highway with it, but for urbanites who just need to get around within city limits, the LSEV makes a lot of sense.

The fact that this little commuter is made up of just 57 parts becomes even more impressive when you learn that the average car contains more than 2,000 components. Thanks to its streamlined modular design, the LSEV takes less than three days to manufacture, and individual parts are easy to upgrade or replace if damaged. If it catches on, this kind of functionality could revolutionize the entire car industry. Imagine being able to swap out your engine for newer, more powerful technology without having to get a brand new car.

XEV teamed up with Polymaker, a manufacturer of 3D printing materials, to produce the vehicle. Though it may have the look of a digital concept design that never quite materializes in the real world, the LSEV made its physical debut at the 3D Printing Cultural Museum in Shanghai, China in March 2018, and it appeared at the Beijing Auto Show just a month later. It’s expected to be a big hit on the Chinese market, and the companies report that 7,000 units have already been pre-sold in Europe. The LSEV is set to hit the streets in 2019.

In a joint press release, Polymaker and XEV describe the LSEV as “the first real mass production project using 3D printing,” citing the fact that while plenty of other companies use 3D printing for production, nothing else matches the scale, size, and intensity of their project. 3D printing has also made the research and development process a lot quicker and more cost-effective than usual, and the creators note that the ability to print lighter-weight parts could pave the way for greater fuel efficiency in the future.

“This strategic partnership between XEV and Polymaker leads to a revolutionary change in automotive manufacturing,” reads a Polymaker press release on the car. “It is possible that similar changes, related with 3D printing technology, will happen to every aspect of manufacturing very soon. As Polymaker proves that the 3D printing materials they provide are ready for not only end-use parts but also mass production of finished products.”

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Jaguar is setting out to build 25 new D-type cars to fulfill the quota that was originally meant to be produced in 1956. Back then, Jaguar was planning to build 100 D-type models. Unfortunately, they only completed 75. Far from being “rebooted” versions in name only, these new D-types will be loyal to the original model’s design and employ all of its timeless details and period features. The redesign boasts an elongated hood with oval openings for the headlights and front grill and a raised fin on the driver’s side. These two defining features give the D-type a distinctive silhouette and a greater overall aerodynamic ability. The 2018 model will also be equipped with a six-cylinder XK engine.

Anyone who’s interested in buying one of these limited edition vehicles will have to choose between one of two redesigns: that of the 1955 Shortnose or that of the 1956 Longnose. Production will take place in Coventry, England at the Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works factory. Until recently, a few new models were also being exhibited at the Salon Retromobile in Paris’ Parc des Expositions.

Tim Hannig, Director of Jaguar Land Rover’s Classic division, had this to say of the venture: “The Jaguar D-type is one of the most iconic and beautiful competition cars of all time, with an outstanding record in the world’s toughest motor races. And it’s just as spectacular today. The opportunity to continue the D-type’s success story by completing its planned production run in Coventry is one of those once-in-a-lifetime projects that our world-class experts at Jaguar Land Rover Classic are proud to fulfil.”

This isn’t the first time that Jaguar has re-released one of its iconic cars, either. In 2014, six new editions of the E-type car were rolled out in a similar manner. The company had originally intended to manufacture 18 Special GT E-type cars back in 1963, but (echoing the production situation of the D-type) only 12 of them were ever actually completed. In 2014, the Classic division oversaw the production of the remaining six vehicles so that that original quota would be fulfilled. Better late than never though, right?

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Nike’s engineered material has all the same characteristics of real leather (apart from the smell). It looks and feels the same, but it has the added benefit of being better for the planet. The shoe behemoth’s footwear manufacturing process creates about 15 percent waste leather, all of which can now be reused to make Flyleather. The company’s initial goal was to create a new type of leather that had the properties of some of its most demanding performance materials, such as Flyknit, without having to sacrifice the characteristics of actual leather that make it so appealing to the public. This concept, coupled with the desire to create a new manufacturing process that would make such a material possible, has resulted in a completely innovative system in terms of both production and the product itself.

Nike’s Director of Materials Technology says that Flyleather is the brand’s most sustainable leather to date — a pretty bold statement coming from a company that prides itself on being at the vanguard of creating innovative materials in the athletics industry. Flyleather is currently being used in the production of Nike Flyleather Tennis Classic, which is retailing at $85. Some other limited edition Flyleather sneakers may also be lurking online, including the Air Force 1, Air Max 90, Cortez, and Jordan 1. Who knows, Flyleather might just be the future of all new Nike sneakers.

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If you’ve ever seen a glass blower at work, you know just how involved and complex the process can be. The results that it produces, however, are spectacular. The same things are true of Studio Ruben der Kinderen and these oddly beautiful blown plastic vases.

Dutch designer Ruben der Kinderen uses ordinary materials to make extraordinary functional art pieces. He starts with a plastic (PET) tube which he briefly warms and softens in a toaster oven. He then attaches a bicycle pump and fits the bottom of the tube into a base that will hold the finished vase.

The next step in the faux blown glass process is really fascinating to watch. His DIY home-brewed contraption holds the base steady as der Kinderen pumps air into the plastic tube. The plastic expands and takes shape in a way similar to that of blown glass. There’s a lamp kit in addition to the vase kit, and it might look even cooler:

When finished, these DIY vases look nearly as elegant as any designer glass vase. Der Kinderen was inspired to create the vases by the fact that most of us are unfamiliar with the manufacturing processes that go into making the objects we use every day. This project gives valuable insight into how a product comes to be a product. The unique vases can be purchased on Etsy.

“The BLOW lamps and vases are unique DIY products that simultaneously increase the understanding of production processes. The DIY kit uses the same material as PET bottles in a way that resembles glassblowing. With the automated process translated into a manual youngsters can easily create it themselves, at home or in the classroom, needing just an oven and an air pump.”

“People are rapidly losing knowledge of production processes. We often don’t even know how everyday objects are being manufactured. The PET bottle is a great example of such an object. How great would it be to translate the automated production into a manual one, allowing to create your own unique design while learning about these forgotten processes?”

“Our BLOW products allow for creating a relationship with the product. The DIY kit is used for teaching purposes, comes with an instruction video, and shows a nice insight into industrial production. The product was awarded with a special mention for the ‘Copper and the Home 2014’ competition by the Copper Alliance. It is hopefully the first part of a series of DIY products that give insight into production processes. The lamps and vases can also be bought via our contact form.”

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We’ve seen 3D printers make everything from toys to jewelry to food, but now makers are starting to think bigger. So big, in fact, that there is now a 3D printer that can print entire pieces of furniture.

A German company called BigRep is breaking the mold by creating a 3D printer with a print area large enough to make objects never before made entirely in a single printer. As the name suggests, their machine is based on the RepRap, the open source 3D printer that can make parts to replicate itself.

Traditionally, 3D printers were used to create miniature replicas for architectural or manufacturing purposes. But the BigRep is an impressive 3 feet (1 meter) long on each side, allowing a building chamber of 46 cubic feet. This is big enough to make 1:1 scale prototypes, larger replacement parts, and even furniture.

The time-lapse video below shows a designer sideboard being created in the huge 3D printer. After the BigRep begins shipping to customers, the company plans to develop a network of owners who will take commissions to print on their new machines. This program will make the technology available to a wider audience while helping BigRep machine owners earn money from their investment.

“The BigRep ONE v3 was created to make industrial 3D printing for large-scale objects as easy as possible. Every detail has received our full expertise and experience — for better quality, higher speed, and increased safety.”

“The open format modular print heads, in combination with a large flexible spool holder, provide the ideal 3D printer for manufacturing large-scale objects. The 1 mm nozzle brings the most detailed and precise BigRep ONE prints to date. The BigRep ONE works perfectly in automotive or aerospace industries, as well as entertainment, design or concept modelling. It brings the large-scale additive manufacturing on more affordable level in prototyping or designing. The German-engineered BigRep ONE is built to be a workhorse 3D printer that innovators can rely on.”

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