In this edition of the Worldwide Wrap: a germ-killing robot designed to rid a room of dangerous viruses in minutes is being used to keep hospitals Ebola-free; and a new app lets anyone with an Android smartphone or tablet change tracks simply by waving their hands in the air. Get the details on these stories and more below.
Ebola-killing robot
A germ-killing robot designed to rid a room of dangerous viruses in minutes is being used to keep hospitals Ebola-free by damaging viral DNA using pulses of ultraviolet light.
It is being used in 250 hospitals and health facilities across the US.
Via: Daily Mail
Booths turn charging stations
Kirsty Kenny and Harold Craston have founded SolarBox, a company with plans to transform phone booths into free solar-powered phone charging stations. The company's retrofitted phone booth chargers are painted bright green, and they now bring solar energy to the selfie-addicted masses.
Each green box is equipped with a 86-centimetre-long, 150-watt solar panel mounted to the roof, which provides enough power to charge 100 phones per day.
Via: Inhabitat
Wave to change song
A new app, dubbed Brainwave, now lets anyone with an Android smartphone or tablet change tracks simply by waving their hands in the air.
The app uses the device's front-facing camera to follow movements from a user's hands, allowing them to control music without ever touching their phone.
Via: Daily Mail
Virtual mirror
Developed by L'Or'eal in the US, Makeup Genius is a beauty app that uses facial mapping technology to transform a user's iPhone or iPad's front-facing camera into a virtual mirror where they can 'try on' L'Oreal Paris products - including eyeliner and lipstick - in real-time.
The app captures 64 data points on user's face, making it intuitive enough to discern between the skin of the lips, eyes and other facial contours.
Via: Telegraph
Animals streamed live
London Zoo is working with UK regulator Ofcom to test so-called TV white space (TVWS) technology.
TVWS uses gaps in the spectrum assigned for television transmissions. Videos of the animals will be streamed to YouTube 24 hours a day.
Via: BBC
Kids power up field
A new project helps give kids a safe place to play soccer in a Rio de Janeiro favela by using kinetic-energy harvesting tiles to produce electricity for keeping the lights on.
The field features the tiles underneath a layer of astroturf as well as a few solar PV panels around the perimeter of the field. Together, the two technologies generate electricity, which is stored on site and then used to power the field's floodlights.
Via: Tree Hugger