Wallpaper 6

CLYDE SPACE’S CUBESAT,

HERE WITH EPS MOTHERBOARD,

DAUGHTERBOARD, SOLAR

PANELS AND BATTERY

Just like natural leaves, this delicate

artificial version made of silk protein

absorbs carbon dioxide and produces

oxygen, offering a potential solution

to climate change. Its creator,

Julian Melchiorri – the V&A’s first

engineer in residence – looked into

our natural environments to help find

a way to preserve them. ‘When nature

has already found a solution, in use

Space exploration is no longer defined

only by Nasa and Hollywood. Private

space fleets are launching across the

globe – including from Glasgow, a city

with strong engineering schools and

a haven for ‘new space’ firms such as

Clyde Space.

The company produces CubeSats,

small open-source satellites that allow

individuals, institutions and private

PERSONAL SATELLITE

companies to conduct research in

space for a fraction of the cost of

a full satellite. Weighing around 1.4kg

each, CubeSats can be customised

to host sensors, cameras, solar panels

or propulsion units. Similar models

have been used to search for new

planets, detect earthquakes and

demonstrate the use of solar sails.

clyde.space

for billions of years, there’s no need

to reinvent the wheel technologically,’

he says.

The leaf’s inclusion in the exhibition

aims to promote ethical debate:

just because we can recreate nature,

should we? Meanwhile, Melchiorri is

not stopping at folioles – he’s currently

on a mission to make a bionic tree.

julianmelchiorri.com

A symbol of democratised biology,

Bento Lab allows anyone to experiment

with DNA analysis, without expensive

software or specialist knowledge.

Perfect for field scientists, students,

or anyone who wants to test their

lactose intolerance at home or identify

genetically modified organisms

in their food, it is even being used

by a brewer seeking to understand

the genetic make-up of beer.

The testing kit was developed by

Bento Bio in a tiny studio tucked away

in Makerversity, a warren of creative

spaces in London’s Somerset House.

The start-up got its big break in

2016, hitting its crowdfunding target

in just one day. Without Kickstarter,

‘fringe tech projects like this might

not be able to happen,’ explains

Bento Bio co-founder, Philipp Boeing.

£999, by Bento Bio, bento.bio

THE SILK LEAF PRODUCES

OXYGEN USING THE

PHOTOSYNTHETIC ABILITY

OF CHLOROPLASTS IN

SILK PROTEIN

THE A4-SIZED KIT CONTAINS

A PCR THERMOCYCLER,

A CENTRIFUGE AND A GEL

ELECTROPHORESIS BOX

CLYDE SPACE

JULIAN MELCHIORRI

BENTO BIO

ARTIFICIAL LEAF

DNA TESTING KIT

Technology

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