Over a year, an average of 342 watts of power is emitted on every square meter of the earths surface. The ability to harness this energy is vital for our future source of renewable energy.

There are many types of solar cells, one type is perovskite solar cells, which is an actively researched material that has the potential to be deposited onto most surfaces such a textured and flexible ones. 

It was a pleasure to talk with Robert Tirawat about perovskite solar cells, we touched on what they are, their benefits and the biggest areas of research in the field.

The waste plastic problem is not a stranger to anyone. Plastics are required for many of our daily activities, and it is not foreseeable to live without them. As such, it is important we find ways to prevent waste plastic from building up in our environment. 

I spoke with Dr. Kristoffer Kortsen about his work into this area, focusing on the different fates of waste that we might put in our rubbish bins, and the most sustainable and viable options for recycling and reusing these materials.

If you would like to check out his research, you can have a look here: https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/kristoffer.kortsen/publications/ 

The robots that most easily come to mind are production line robots, they will move where they are told to move, regardless of any obstructions on the way. This means that these rigid robots must be kept separate from humans over safety concerns. That is where soft robotics come in to play, completely safe robots that do not have the physical capabilities to cause accidental damage to humans. 

The field of soft robotics is a thriving area of research, and much work is ongoing to improve the control and movement of these robots. The end goal is to be able to aid humans alongside humans in environments where it is beneficial to automate repetitive processes.

I spoke with Dr. Daniel Bruder about his work in the field, looking into modelling soft robots to improve their properties.

Check out Dr. Daniel Bruder here: https://danielbruder.com/