Today’s mobile devices allow users across the globe to communicate on-the-go and connect to the Internet. The compact size of these gadgets is made possible by tiny, highly powerful antennae based on the principles of fractal geometry. Invented by Catalan engineer Carles Puente Baliarda, fractal-based antennae have put global communications into the hands of millions.

The high-tech electronics industry has developed an unquenchable thirst for “ultrapure” water (UPW), but conventional water filtration methods prove highly energy consuming and unsustainable. Modelled on naturally occurring water-purifying proteins, so-called aquaporins, the water filters invented by Danish inventor Holme Jensen and his team provide an energy-efficient method for supplying ultrapure water on an industrial scale.

Protective headgear that is both functional and fashionable is in high demand as the fuel economy and environmental benefits push more and more citizens to commute by bicycle. The “invisible” bike helmet developed by Swedish designers Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin is the stylish and safe accessories cyclists have been waiting for.

Tuberculosis continues to claim more than 2 million lives annually. Even worse, the bacteria causing the disease are becoming increasingly resistant to existing medications. Enter a new anti-TB drug invented by Belgian researcher Koen Andries and team, a highly effective compound named bedaquiline that cuts off the energy supply in tuberculosis bacteria.

Thanks to an invention from chemist Luigi Cassar, building exteriors can now not only stay cleaner longer but also help neutralise pollutants and improve air quality. Just a thin layer of an innovative cement coating combined with sunlight enables cleaner facades – and cleaner air in the cities that surround them.

LCD technology

The ARM processor has transformed computing, especially in handheld devices such as smartphones, by enabling maximum processing speed and simplified task management with low power consumption.