Designers help people to see and medicine to hitch a ride with cola
“Designs of the Year” include two to improve the health of people in developing countries. A pair of spectacles has lenses filled with liquid silicon via mini-syringes hidden in the arms. The wearer simply adjusts a dial to fill the lens (so changing its shape) until the world comes into focus. With optometrists in short supply in these countries, these spectacles eliminate expert fitting and 1 billion people could finally see for the first time. Another design enables lifesaving oral rehydration salts to reach children with diarrhea by hitching a lift in a crate of cola!
A breakthrough for Golden Rice
More than 10 years after the release of Golden Rice – rice genetically modified to contain high levels of provitamin A – trials are about to begin in Bangladesh and the Philippines to assess whether eating Golden Rice really does increase vitamin A levels in the body. Vitamin A deficiency is a cause of blindness…