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Bright ideas in 2021 - 5th April 2021

2021 has seen people continue to adapt to life under the Covid-19 pandemic, but in the face of extraordinary challenges, many have strived to innovate and overcome adversity.

Fashion designer Lakshmi Menon is one such innovator. She is lending a helping hand to India's Covid centres, which are struggling to obtain enough mattresses to meet demand. Menon has devised a unique method of producing cheap and sustainable mattresses for the centres by handweaving waste plastic from PPE factories.

Innovation has also been seen in efforts to combat East Africa's devastating locust plagues – the worst in 70 years – by Kenyan NGO The Bug Picture, which is encouraging affected communities to reconceptualise the pests as a crop to be harvested. The insects are then pulverised, desiccated and processed into a protein rich powder which can substitute more expensive ingredients in animal feed.

One wild African species has also been receiving special attention in 2021, with elephant conservation being innovated through Earth observation satellites and sophisticated machine learning. Elephants in images captured from orbit are identified and counted by a computer algorithm, greatly reducing the time and effort of surveying the gentle giants in the wild.

Meanwhile, another revolutionary technology is benefiting patients and doctors in the UK. The National Health Service has launched a large-scale trial of an ingestible miniature camera designed to detect early signs of bowel cancer without the need for more complicated and uncomfortable hospital procedures. Enclosed in a clear plastic capsule, the 'PillCam' captures 120 images per minute as it passes through the intestinal tract. Doctors believe that the PillCam has the potential to transform bowel cancer screening and reduce unnecessary deaths.

Technology is also beginning to show its potential to further revolutionise our diets. Singapore has granted regulatory approval to license the world's first 'clean' meat, which is cultured in a lab. Alternatives to farmed meat are on the rise as consumers become more aware of the ethical and environmental impact of their palates. Eat Just's 'clean' chicken will allow the carnivorous to nibble on nuggets guilt-free.

This year has also seen artistic endeavours recognised, as the 'Teeter Totter Wall' – a series of neon pink seesaws positioned on the US Mexico border – was awarded the prestigious Design of the Year prize. Erected in the summer of 2020, the installation was intended to spark debate on immigration and it received its award in January, an apposite time, as a change of administration inspired hopes of a sea change in US border policy.

At a time of darkness for many, these bright lights offer hope that humanity will continue to overcome obstacles throughout 2021 and beyond.