The Knowledge to Decide

With rapid urbanization and a rising global population – expected to hit 8.5 billion by 2030 – it is crucial to find innovative agricultural methods to sustain food supply. Touted as the future of food and agriculture, can indoor farming change the way we produce food? What is indoor agriculture? The art and science of sprouting crops in a controlled and sustainable environment with artificial lights and technology is known as indoor agriculture. With indoor agriculture, seasonal crops can be produced throughout the year using light-emitting diode (LED) lighting to trigger photosynthesis. Water fortified with minerals is used to substitute the functionality of soil. Indoor farming can increase crop yields by 50 per cent. Indoor farming can increase crop yields by 50 per cent, provided that growing conditions are optimal. Further advances in LED technology also assist to create an environment where vegetables can be grown – regardless of climate – to produce maximum yields

The global luxury industry is in a slowdown, thanks to China’s weakening economy, instability in the Middle East and decreased tourism in Europe – meaning only 1 percent year-on-year real growth in May 2016. But the face of luxury consumerism is changing as upstart brands show the way in terms of innovation and versatility. Diamond Foundry – a start-up based in San Francisco – creates lab-grown diamonds that are atomically similar to those found in nature. Tech CEOS and actors from Hollywood have invested in the company. This start-up aims to provide an ethical alternative to mining diamonds, an industry that is often associated with negative environmental and social impacts. Will innovation enable the luxury goods industry to adapt to a leaner economy? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/the-future-of-luxury-consumerism/

Singapore needs to harness its older workforce and instil confidence in the economy to survive the age of disruption. Can the nation continue to maintain its economic competitiveness? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in the Asian version of Japan’s Nikkei newspaper. With one of the worst total fertility rates amongst developed countries worldwide, Singapore needs to utilize the older workforce as a source of economic potential and also stimulate entrepreneurship among Singaporeans of all ages. This can be attained through policies that focus on managing the cost of living and enhancing retirement adequacy. The nation boasts of a good civil service and an efficient infrastructure which needs to be preserved. However, national competitiveness in the 21st century will hinge on innovation and entrepreneurship, arenas where Singapore has thus far been less successful than some other developed countries. There needs to b

Imagine the Nevada desert with thousands of mirrors arranged in concentric circles facing the sky, all lit up by the sun. The reflected sunshine is concentrated towards the top of a tower in their midst, at a height of 640 feet. Does this seem like a scene from a sci-fi movie? Wrong. This innovative power plant generates electricity and can carry on even when the sun sets. According to research, global energy storage installations are bound to rise from 1,750 megawatts (Mw) in 2016 to nearly 11,000 Mw in 2020. The lucrative business of harnessing sun and wind energy has picked up in Asia. For instance, Hindustan Power Projects Limited (HPPL) has investments worth INR17,000 crore (out of intended INR35,000 crore). It is also set to enter the wind power arena and set up 3 Gw of wind energy by 2020. Can solar and wind energy provide a safer, cleaner and more reliable form of energy for the 21st century? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/next-generati

What if a scanner could detect diseases even before a patient shows symptoms? The revolutionary break-through by Nanobiosym – a company based in Cambridge – provides handheld diagnostic machines that use nanotechnology to identify a range of serious diseases such as HIV in minutes. The precision control technology enables the diagnosis of a disease using genetic fingerprints in real-time. For instance, the device can detect the Ebola virus even before symptoms are visible in patients. With over 4 billion people worldwide who do not have access to basic healthcare, this kind of innovation can be a critical life-saver. Can nanotechnology revolutionize the detection of life-threatening diseases in real-time? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/the-nanotech-disease-detector/

Natural calamities and war often cause chaos, where many people become homeless or displaced. That is when people often want to contact their loved ones to tell them they are safe. However at such times, the communications infrastructure often takes a hit. Providing medical aid, food and shelter also becomes difficult for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and aid agencies without proper communications. This is where innovation can play a role. The Vodafone Foundation – the telecom giant’s charity – has developed an instant ‘network mini’ which is an 11kg backpack that contains a 2G mobile network. It offers a 1km coverage radius with a 6-hour battery back-up and a small solar panel. Is mobile technology set to change global disaster relief communications? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/mobile-technology-a-beacon-of-hope-during-natural-calamities/

Wearable technology may be quietly engineering a revolution in our lives. The full commercialization of wearable technology may liberate people from being tied to the home or office, increasing the importance of public spaces. And the merging of electronics with apparel promises to revolutionize the apparel industry in the same way that electronics revolutionized the automotive industry – up to one third of the value of a car now resides in the electronics. From Google Glasses and Apple’s iWatch to medical tracking devices, wearable technology is now within reach. How will it transform our lives? Market watchers have projected wearable technology to generate USD4.6 billion in revenue by the end of 2013. Approximately 10 million smart glasses are predicted to be available in the market by 2016, growing by 250 percent on average each year. Smart watches would also come into their own as a significant, high-growth market. Without a doubt, wearable tech will see massive, early-sta