Tech Updates #1

DENMARK INSTALLS PAVEMENT THAT RECYCLES WATER:

A pavement with tiles that can recycle water has been installed on a street in Nørrebro in Copenhagen to test a new “climate adaption” technique.

The 50-metre-long pilot stretch contains “Climate Tiles” with holes that channel water to surrounding plants, with excess water stored until it evaporates.

Tiles can also be used on roofs, where water is transferred to water tanks.

With more rain expected in Denmark as the climate changes, the idea is to cut the amount of water going into sewers, reducing time and money spent needing to repair and expand wastewater facilities.

EYE TRACKING-VR TOOL IMPROVES COMPLEX BUILDING DESIGNING:

CCD Design & Ergonomics, an ergonomics consultancy, has launched an “eye-tracking” VR tool, Evidentia, which it claims will help in the design and development of complex new buildings and potentially reduce costs. 

The system enables CCD to work with architects and designers to test human behaviour in new environments at the early design stages. This way, it believes it can optimise the design of a company’s “wayfinding”, or people navigation strategy, before construction begins. 

The system could be particularly effective in complex spaces such as airports and stations, and leisure and retail environments, it suggests.

“Using eyetracking within a VR environment helps us better understand how people move and navigate around a space,” said David Watts, managing director of CCD Design & Ergonomics.

“We can design better wayfinding systems and start to explore issues much earlier. The visualisations tell us what people actually look at and how their attention is drawn to different design interventions we make.

“This methodology is so much more powerful than relying on our own intuition about what does and doesn’t work. It also provides a great visual record to demonstrate behaviors to others in the design team.”

Evidentia has been developed in conjunction with VR technology specialist Tobii Pro. 

By identifying potentially problematic issues before building work starts, CCD believes it can reduce overall costs.

India's first coal-gasification fertilizer to come up in Talcher, Odisha!!

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched commencement of work for India’s first Coal-gasification based fertilizer plant with pet coke blending will come up n Talcher,Odisha.The coal gasification fertilizer plant is being developed by Talcher Fertilizer Plant(TFL).

The estimated investment Rs.13,000 crore and is targated to be commissioned by 2022.On this completion,the plant will have the capacity of producing 1.27 million metric tonnes per annum(MMTPA) of Neam Coated Prilled Urea coal and petcoke as feedstock.