Why we write about this topic:
Nice choice again by Albert Jan. Also because the article he chose is the debut of a new IO-contributor: Jeroen Priem. And how much nicer can it get than to be immediately chosen for the Sunday newsletter on your first appearance?
It’s also an excellent topic: Jeroen dove into the world behind the start-up Plant-e, which releases a do-it-yourself kit that allows you to generate your own plant-based electricity. “Our technology is exciting because we produce CO2-negative electricity,” says co-founder Marjolein Helder. Short and sweet: Plant-e, which originated at Wageningen University, gets energy from plants.
This is how it works: with the help of sunlight, a plant converts CO2 into sugars, for example. Part of this the plant uses for its growth. However, it also excretes part of it into the soil via its roots. Subsequently, bacteria in the soil break down these organic substances again. In the process, electrons are released. To generate their energy, these bacteria must get rid of these electrons. Plant-e couples a carbon electrode to them, to which they release their electrons. If you then couple an anode to that electrode, you have a battery, so to speak, and you can generate electricity. Not (yet) available at the weekly market in your neighborhood, but our cartoonist has had a foresight before, so who knows…
Above all, read the entire article:
No battery at hand, just use a plant!
There was more that caught our eyes:
Walking easier with a data-driven knee prosthesis
Spoor algorithms track and identify bird activity around wind farms
Philips NatLab Closes, Marking the End of a Pioneering Era in Tech Research
Dutch top league football clubs pioneering with data-driven turf management
The eyes tell us what’s going on in the brain during VR training
And some news about a development at Innovation Origins:
Meet Laio, our AI-assisted news engine
If you want to make your own choice, just check our website.
Enjoy your week, and remember to be innovative!
