13GROW YOUR OWN ELECTRONICS
F
innish studio Aivan is growing headphones from sustainable fungus and yeast. Working with scientists from
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Aalto University, it developed the world’s first microbe-grown
headphone prototype. The headphones consist of six different microbially-grown substances. The rigid plastic
frame of the headphones is 3D-printed using the lactic acid in baker’s yeast. The padding that sits over the ears is
produced by a fungus called trichoderma reesei, which can produce a foaming protein called hydrophobin.DEFEAT FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY
T
o many, facial recognition technology sounds
like something sinister right out of dystopia.
For those uncomfortable with the idea of a
world without anonymity, Isao Echizen of
Japan’s National Institute of Informatics and
Seiichi Gohshi of Kogakuin University have invented the
Privacy Visor, designed specifically to thwart such facial
recognition attempts. These glasses incorporate a
near-infrared light source that affects only the camera and
not people’s vision. So, the glasses look like a simple pair
of goggles to people nearby; for cameras, however, the
near-infrared LEDs built in emit rays appear as visual
“noise” in the camera’s imaging device.DON’T SELL, RESELL
S
wedish shopping mall ReTuna is encouraging consumers to
rethink how they shop with the world’s first shopping mall
offering exclusively used items. ReTuna aims to be an
educational resource, teaching consumers to think about the
value their old products could have by being repurposed. The
mall also acts as a community centre, providing a restaurant where all
produce is organically certified, repair centres where visitors can learn
basic repair skills, and guided tours to hear the stories behind repurposing.