Tech tool helps install underground power lines | A new disposable glove
Tech tool helps install underground power lines
CLEVELAND, OH–According to the Department of Energy, The U.S.’s electric distribution system has more than 5.5 million miles of power lines and more than 180 million poles. Extreme weather can wreak havoc on those systems, causing power outages. Kathryn Daltorio, an engineering researcher at Case Western Reserve University is developing a worm-inspired construction tool that can install underground power lines to offset this vulnerability. Daltorio was awarded $2 million in federal funding to forward the tool’s development.
A new disposable glove
DAYTON, OH–Two brothers in Ohio are hoping to revolutionize the disposable glove industry. Through their startup, called ARMA, Xavior and Ilyaas Motley have developed a device into which you insert your hand for 20 seconds and it applies a liquid foundation, then cures it with UV light. The gloves are moisture-wicking, antimicrobial, and allow uses to wash their hands up to 10 times with soap and water. After usage, they can be peeled off.
Biodegradable and edible food packaging
PITTSBURGH, PA–DisSolves is a startup that is bridging technology and food packaging. The company, which uses tech to create biodegradable and edible components for packaging materials, has been acquired by Generation Food Rural Partners (GFRP), a fund designed to drive economic growth in rural communities in the U.S. DisSolve’s tech uses biodegradable and edible components to create film and packaging materials.
IEDA approves funding for six startups
DES MOINES, IA–The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board approved innovation funding for six startups in Iowa: Rise Energy, which is commercializing a modular system that can deploy technology for industrial processors to generate value converting their existing biomass feedstocks into renewable fuels; PicklePlay, a digital platform that offers a comprehensive pickleball resource; Tumbleweed, a tech platform that supports end-of-life and post-loss planning; Spanton Board, a medtech startup that created the first, patent-pending, power-driven spine board to effectively safeguard athletes following a serious injury; Inseer, Inc, which leverages a proprietary AI computer vision system to enhance workplace safety; and UpStream, which launched tech to facilitate remote source water monitoring.