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SUSTAINABILITY
TRACKING WATER
POLLUTION
Draper/Sprout
Microplastics- Sensing
Autonomous Underwater
VehicleTake a sample from almost any
major body of water, and you’re
likely to find microplastics, or
bits of plastic pollution less than
5 mm long. Many experts agree
that microplastics are a cause for
concern, as they may harm marine
life or taint our fish and water
supplies. But little is known about
them beyond their prevalence—
in an August report, the World
Health Organization said getting
more microplastics data is an
“urgent concern.” That’s where
the Microplastics- Sensing Autono-
mous Underwater Vehicle comes
in. Designed jointly by Draper and
Sprout working alongside the
Environmental Protection Agency,
the raylike drone is meant to swim
around a body of water, collecting
and analyzing samples for their
microplastics content. Draper proj-
ect lead Lou Kratchman says that
data can be a jumping-off point
for more advanced microplastics
research. “We need something
that’s comparable to the world
Air Quality Index,” he says. “Kind
of a global weather map that, in
real time, we can look and see
how the microplastics situation is
changing.” While the drone is still
a concept, a simpler prototype is
already being successfully used
in Hawaii. ÑAlex FitzpatrickAR & VR
USER-FRIENDLY VR
Oculus Quest
VR has been slow to catch on with
the general public; it’s expensive, and
there’s been a need for some tech
knowledge and accoutrements to
participate. The Quest might be the
system that finally brings virtual reality
into every home in America. Unlike older
high-end VR setups, Oculus’ newest
device doesn’t connect to a PC or require
any external wires, and its VR- enabled
controllers and built-in motion- tracking
cameras allow you to safely move around
a room and fully immerse yourself in
games or experiential content. To set up
the Quest, you just put on the headset,
draw a virtual safety boundary in the room
you’re using and jump into the action.
Once inside, the possibilities are nearly
limitless. You could find yourself in a boxing
ring surrounded by a cheering crowd,
pursuing a mission in the world of Star
Wars or sword slashing to the music in Beat
Saber. The experiences are so immersive
that after taking off the headset, you might
be stunned to realize you’ve been in the
same room the whole time. A full set starts
at $399—less than other VR headsets at
this level. Consumers are clearly on board:
the Quest had a sold-out release in May,
and in just the first two weeks, Oculus
sold more than $5 million of Quest apps
and games. ÑAlejandro de la Garza