News 26.05.2020

Need to Know

Apex makes at-home spinning affordable, Singapore’s urban farming future and consumers turn to physical books to disconnect from Covid-19.

Moxie teaches emotional intelligence to Gen Alpha

Moxie designed by Fuseproject for Embodied, California

California – The robot is designed to promote social, emotional and cognitive development among children.

Designed by Fuseproject for the start-up Embodied, Moxie was originally imagined for children on the autism spectrum, but now is targeted at all young children. Through a subscription model, Moxie teaches its Generation Alpha users new educational content each week, learning more about the child over time in order to personalise its content.

Learning themes range from empathy and respect to eye contact and problem-solving, and the child’s development progress is available for parents to monitor via an app and dashboard. ‘Moxie is a game-changing technology that has the potential to transform the way that children build social, emotional and cognitive skills,’ says Wendell Brooks, president of Intel Capital, one of Embodied’s investors.

As well as tapping into the rise of Edu-play-tion, Moxie hints at how, in a post-Covid world, new forms of Neo-kinship may be established to fill the social gaps created by a lack of human interaction.

Apex wants to democratise at-home spin bikes

Apex in partnership with Boom Cycle, UK Apex in partnership with Boom Cycle, UK
Apex in partnership with Boom Cycle, UK Apex in partnership with Boom Cycle, UK

UK – As at-home fitness accelerates amid Covid-19, new-to-market Apex wants to make indoor bikes more inclusive.

With the strapline ‘Join a community, not a class’, it’s positioning the £1,200 ($1,511, €1,332) bike as a premium product to compete with the likes of Peloton and SoulCycle, albeit at a more accessible price.

The £30 ($38, €33) monthly subscriptions are delivered in partnership with Boom Cycle, one of London’s most popular spin studios, featuring dedicated classes from its expert instructors. Using Bluetooth technology, Apex users fit their own tablet or mobile device to the front of the bike or they can cast classes directly to their TV, which means they are not paying for additional technology.

‘With classes created by world-class trainers, Apex is here for everybody that can get on a bike – whether it’s 15 minutes of pushing those pedals when you can squeeze it in, or a sweaty session before work,’ reads a statement from the brand.

Apex is just one of a new wave of devices making At-home Fitness more immersive, efficient and affordable.

Singapore transforms car parks into urban farms

Singapore – Nine multi-storey car park rooftops across the city state have been converted into urban farms.

Each site, which is up for tender for a term of three years, will be used to farm vegetables and other food crops, as well as packing and storing produce. The initiative is one of the key strategies undertaken by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) with a view to achieving Singapore’s goal of producing 30% of residents’ nutritional needs locally by 2030.

‘We are heartened by the growing interest from both the industry and the public towards urban farming in community spaces,’ says Mr Melvin Chow, senior director of SFA’s Food Supply Resilience division. ‘Residents in the area have been able to enjoy fresh produce from the farm at nearby supermarkets, and can witness at first hand the hard work involved in bringing our food from farm to fork.’

As cities around the world contend with feeding their ever-growing populations, the rise of New Urban Farms is paving the way for more sustainable agricultural practices.

Urban Living by Chris Barbalis

Stat: UK adults read books to escape the pandemic

Love Reading Love Life by Shanghai Book Fair, Asia Love Reading Love Life by Shanghai Book Fair, Asia

Consumers are changing their reading habits during lockdown, according to new research by Nielsen. The study found that two in five UK adults say they are consuming more books since lockdown, with readers almost doubling their total reading hours per week, from three to six hours.

This rise could be down to the notion of escapism among readers. Nielsen found that 35% of adults say that books provide an escape from the crisis of Covid-19. Furthermore, consumers’ preferred reading format is physical printed books, with one-third reading more physical books, compared to just 18% reading more e-books, hinting at a desire to disconnect from their devices.

With brands such as Wild Detectives recognising the escapism that reading can offer, the lockdown is an ideal time for our pursuit of Enlightened States to accelerate.

Previous News Articles
Burberry revives archival outerwear for National Geographic documentary

News

Burberry revives archival outerwear for National Geographic documentary

Burberry’s latest archival display at its London Regent Street store celebrates Sir Ernest Shackleton’s legendary 1914 Antarctic expedition.
Luxury : Pop-culture & Media : Fashion
Gob launches mycelium-based earplugs

News

Gob launches mycelium-based earplugs

Gob is revolutionising the earplug market with a mycelium-based alternative that promises to eliminate the environmental impact of traditional disp...
Sustainability : Health & Wellness : Design
Brenda Lee’s holiday classic enters the AI era with Spanish re-release

News

Brenda Lee’s holiday classic enters the AI era with Spanish re-release

Brenda Lee’s iconic holiday song, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, has been re-imagined as Noche Buena y Navidad in a Spanish-language release po...
Technology : Pop-culture & Media : Society
Stat: US Gen Z are the most likely to hide their voting choices

News

Stat: US Gen Z are the most likely to hide their voting choices

An October 2024 Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll reveals that nearly half of Gen Z voters (48%) in the US have lied about their voting prefere...
Society : Youth : Politics
Camdom is the world’s first digital condom for safer intimacy

News

Camdom is the world’s first digital condom for safer intimacy

This Sexual Health Awareness Month, condom brand Billy Boy and creative agency Innocean Berlin unveiled Camdom, an app that acts as a digital condo...
Health & Wellness : Technology : Pop-culture & Media
Resting Reef memorialises pets as eco-friendly marine reefs

News

Resting Reef memorialises pets as eco-friendly marine reefs

Eco-friendly funeral company Resting Reef has launched a pet memorial service that blends pet ashes with crushed shells to create eco-friendly unde...
Design : Health & Wellness : Sustainability
Netflix new unveils Moments feature to save and share scenes

News

Netflix new unveils Moments feature to save and share scenes

Netflix has launched a new feature called Moments, allowing subscribers to bookmark, save and share their favourite scenes from shows and movies.
Technology : Pop-culture & Media : Society
Stat: Mars’ study reveals strong pet devotion

News

Stat: Mars’ study reveals strong pet devotion

Mars has unveiled ‘the largest global pet parent study to date’ of more than 20,000 pet owners across 20 countries.
Pets : Society : Retail
Samsonite’s new durable suitcase can survive travelling to the edge of space

News

Samsonite’s new durable suitcase can survive travelling to the edge of space

Samsonite has unveiled its latest innovation, the Proxis Space collection, setting new standards in travel gear with sustainability and advanced te...
Luxury : Travel & Hospitality : Design
The Saudi Investment Bank celebrates national identity with bespoke typeface

News

The Saudi Investment Bank celebrates national identity with bespoke typeface

The Saudi Investment Bank and creative agency Impact BBDO have launched I am Saudi, a campaign celebrating national heritage with a bespoke typeface.
Design : Advertising & Branding : Finance
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN