81
Users
have thrown
more than
110 million
punches this
yearWELLNESS
BOXING SOLO
FightCampFightCamp aims to
eliminate the friction
of a typical boxing
class— including
the commute to the
gym—by combin-
ing smart gloves, a
standing bag and
video-based instruc-
tion. Sensors under
the gloves track the
volume, speed and
intensity of punches,
and a leaderboard lets
you see how your out-
put stacks up against
that of users across
the U.S. The whole set
costs $1,219, plus a
$39 monthly subscrip-
tion for access to
hundreds of guided
workouts.
ÑSean GregorySUSTAINABILITY
REPURPOSING
PLASTIC
PureCycleJust 9% of all plastic—
which almost never fully
degrades—has ever
been recycled. Because
of odors, colors and
contaminants, much of
what we put in our bins is
not reusable. Hoping to
remedy this, PureCycle
Technologies is using
a new method to restore
used polypropylene into
resin that’s effectively
as good as new. This
purification process
churns out colorless
pellets hygienic enough
for even food-grade
applications, PureCycle
says. And it uses onlya fraction of the energy
involved in making
virgin resin. “We’re
actually taking plastic
that wouldn’t ever be
recycled again and
making it indefinitely
recyclable,” says Mike
Otworth, PureCycle’s CEO.
Production is scheduled
to start in 2021, but
it’s already so popular
it’s presold for the next
20 years.
—Laignee BarronSOCIAL GOOD
INTERNET,
ACCESSIBLE
KaiOSAbout half the people
in the world don’t
have access to the
Internet, which puts
them at a disadvan-
tage in business,
education and other
areas. KaiOS is
working to bridge the
digital divide with a
lightweight mobile
operating system
that brings wi-fi,
GPS, apps and other
advanced features to
affordable, nontouch
phones. With KaiOS-
powered devices,
users can access
hundreds of apps—
like WhatsApp,
Facebook and Google
Maps—through the
company’s online
store. Launched in
mid-2017, the operat-
ing system is now in
use on over 100 mil-
lion devices in South-
east Asia, Africa, Latin
America and Europe.
Devices with KaiOS
start at about $17—
an investment that
Sebastien Code ville,
the company’s CEO,
says has the potential
to make a real impact.
“First-time access to
vital digital services
and resources has
changed lives,” he
says. —Amy GuniaTRANSPORTATION
A SOLAR-POWER FIRST
Lightyear OneElectric cars are all the rage. But there is
the problem of batteries running low far
from a charging station. Dutch automotive
startup Lightyear has a potential solution
in the Lightyear One, a futuristic- looking
electric sedan adorned with solar panels that
recharge the car. Solar generates only about
7.5 miles of range every hour, but with an
impressive 450 miles of single-charge range
to begin with, owners won’t be relying on sun-
shine alone to get around. —Alex FitzpatrickAD