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If you’re at all a reader here on SnapMunk you’ll know that more than a few startups are pre-occupied with using 3D printing in various ways: exoskeletons, airplane parts, food, doesn’t matter. It’s the hot new technology, and it was logical that, at some point, someone would attempt to make functional 3D printed organs that worked. Last year that happened with Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. They revealed they could make structures such as muscle structure as well as bone and tissue for ears. I don’t think I need to explain how crucial and advancing a step that is. But as we perfect the process of making 3D printed organs there was one set of organs in the human body that remained a significant barrier: 3D printed ovaries. Well, it isn’t a barrier anymore.   According to a study from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and McCormick School…

Google’s products have touched most people’s lives at some point. Search, Gmail, Google Docs, Google+, News, Maps, AdWords—those are just some of the more popular tools people know about. As companies like Apple and Amazon make huge strides in their smart technology contributions for home and personal use, however, it appears that Google wants to get into the game too.   Google Allo was released last year as a messaging app for smartphone users. While Google already had Hangouts, it was a messaging platform built specifically to sync with Gmail and Google+. Google Allo is available through both the iTunes and Google Play stores, which means that you don’t necessarily have to be on a Google-sanctioned platform to use it. What Makes Google Allo So Special? Google’s all about creating tools that bring much-needed improvements to their users’ lives; especially when one thinks about how much productivity was lost before…

Google has a funny way of trying to innovate our lives.  From creating an internet browser to a social media outlet to using Google Glass for the Health system, Google always tries to make our lives better.  This time, Google is trying for something new; Artificial Intelligence.     Mind you, Google having AI in devices isn’t anything new.  Last fall, Google released its Artificial Intelligence software known as Google Assistant inside Android phones, smart speakers, and watches in competition to Apple’s SIRI and Amazon’s Alexa.  However, Google is reaching out to put their AI into some very odd things.  While adding the AI to the iPhone is a logical step, Google also plans to add the AI to things such as coffee tables, refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens, washers, and dryers. First up, adding the AI to the iPhone.  The Assistant will be downloadable for free as a standalone app from…

In this day and age, seeing a child under the age of 10 knowing how to adeptly use an iPad and doing so on a regular basis isn’t typically a cause for shock or awe. However, despite the rapid adoption of technologies like smartphones, iPads, and computers by adolescents, there is still a general concern that maybe it’s too much, too soon. In a 2016 survey conducted by the Erikson Institute and the Technology in Early Childhood Center, they found that “while embracing the benefits of technology, parents also expressed significant concerns about too much screen time (72 percent); inappropriate content (69 percent); and commercial messages aimed at young children (66 percent).”     Parents aren’t the only ones thinking about how much of the benefits of this technology outweigh the drawbacks. Palo Alto-based Tangible Play Inc.’s founders have been working hard since 2013 to develop “‘something awesome that inspires the youngest…

Robots had me at C-3PO. A WWF Robot and the sea? Does it get better than that? Meet Thomas, one of the WWF projects helped by funding from Dolphin Adopters. Thomas is the product of a partnership that began in August 2015 when WWF-UK began working with the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton and ASV Global to support the use of innovative robotic technology to explore ‘biodiversity hotspots’ in UK seas. The Future of Marine Research Lack of data about the marine environment can make it difficult to carry out effective marine conservation and management, such as the designation of Marine Protected Areas. Autonomous vehicles or ‘robots’ can help solve this problem, as they present a low-cost alternative to large research ships as a means of gathering data.     “Marine robotic technologies give us the opportunity to have a persistent presence in the ocean, and are changing the way…

Tesla just recently came out with the details of its solar panel roofing, on which we reported late last year. With the clean energy behemoth’s announcement of the product, it looks like we’re going to see more creative methods to harvest energy from the sun. SolarGaps shows us one way in which it can be done by putting solar panels in window blinds, which are an obvious candidate given how much sunlight they catch each day. These solar blinds are currently on Kickstarter, where they’re looking to raise $50,000 towards a preliminary production run.     SolarGaps was created by Ukrainian inventor Yevgen Erik. Erik parlayed his experience in the construction industry building eco-friendly houses into research and development in the alternative energy space. His inspiration for SolarGaps came from the realization that millions of urban inhabitants live in apartments with no access to a roof where they can install…

There have been some rumblings over the past few years about various kitchen and food tech companies dead-set on bringing much-needed and smarter improvements to home kitchens everywhere. Think of something like Pantelligent, SproutsIO, or Samsung’s Family Hub refrigerator. Each of these new technologies aims to make the process of growing, purchasing, preparing and storing food much easier.  In addition, there was a wave of food apps that hit the market a couple of years back that aimed to improve some segment of the shopping or food preparation experience for users. Best Before, Fridge Pal, and Fridge Check are a few of the more popular ones still floating around today. According to Alex Burdine, the co-founder of FreshFridge, “The biggest problem with existing apps in our experience is that they don’t connect the dots between tasks: shopping lists, food inventory, recipe suggestions, deals, and purchasing.” It’s his recently launched iOS and Android app; however,…

Despite the various notable differences, we are in a space race. This time, as you all know, it is for Mars. We’ve written about Elon Musk’s plans for Mars in the past and how SpaceX’s numerous successes are visible, tangible markers on his road to that goal. To the likes of Elon, his goal of colonizing Mars is part of his vision for humanity and what is the most reasonable avenue of growth based on current projections. But amidst SpaceX’s many successes we forget the old dog in this race, NASA. And if you think they’re out for the count then you’d be underestimating an organization that has survived too many government regime changes to bow out now. As part of the Humans to Mars Summit held at George Washington University in Washington DC, NASA unveiled its plan for traveling to Mars via Greg Williams, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for…

  Grammarly, a web app and Chrome extension that proofreads while you write your emails, your social media diatribes, your 4chan manifestos, and everything else you type online, just received $110 million in funding in its first-ever round of outside investment. While this is good news for Grammarly’s users and fan base, and may eventually prevent dozens of rage-induced strokes among the Internets grammar nazis (myself included), there’s an element to Grammarly’s success that fills me with dread. Mostly it’s the people.   Not the people who founded the company in 2009, bootstrapped it to popularity and profitability, and finally managed to garner some investor interest (for years, VCs were exceedingly nervous about giving cash to a company that actually makes money from its web app). Those people seem fine and, for the purposes of this piece, aren’t especially interesting. No, the people who bother me are Grammarly’s users. You…

Today it seems like the average person carries hundreds if not thousands of dollars of electronics with them wherever they go. Laptops, tablets, and other gadgets are all essentials, yet most bags don’t do much to prevent theft. ClickPack Pro is an anti-theft backpack designed specifically to protect users from criminals. It’s built with slash resistant fabric, has a retractable metal cable lock, a TSA-compliant lock, is shock-proof, and is built to repel water.  It’s worth noting that the metal cable lock has a maximum bearing strength of 50kg. While traditional backpack zippers are vulnerable to puncture from pens and other items, the 8RCW zipper is an offering from YKK, which is a zipper with a double coil chain. Aside from physical threats, ClickPack also is designed to protect users from cybercrime with the built-in RFID-blocking pouch which prevents skimmers from accessing credit/debit card details. Aside from the anti-crime component of…

Every now and again a story will pop up about a cool new way someone’s discovered how to put virtual or augmented reality to use, as is the case with U.S. courtrooms adopting VR technology or the doctor who plans to use VR as a form of preparation for head transplant patients. There are definitely some crazy real-world applications for AR and VR floating around. But then Zappar comes along and promises to set everything right in our augmented realities by giving us the ability to create AR experiences.     Zappar Gives Businesses a “Magical” AR Solution Remember when Pokémon Go was the hottest craze and everyone was looking to cash in on this form of augmented reality? Then, as schools got back into session and all the hubbub around the game quieted down, we didn’t hear much about AR after that—at least not in that specific iteration. Well, Zappar has re-entered the…

Good news for food entrepreneurs who have amazing ideas for innovation but not the funding or sales-savvy to make them happen. Crowdfooding – a platform that connects food entrepreneurs with investors – is aiming to be the one-stop shop for food and drink entrepreneurs, through providing an investment matchmaking service that helps startups to raise the capital they need to develop their businesses or a Food Crowdfunding platform on which they can sell their product. Crowdfooding, itself a startup, is still at an early stage of development, having recently completed its first £10k funding project with Chocothon, an initiative that aims to create a shared value platform for a more sustainable Ghanaian cocoa supply chain. It has a mission of “bringing together food entrepreneurs, passionate foodies and established food organizations to create meaningful relationships and foster food innovation.” The recipe? Offering both crowdfunding and mentoring for startups, a platform for…