Facebook wants even more people to know its name. Yesterday, the social network released more information on its drone, Aquila, which aims to give the remaining 10 percent of the world who are offline an Internet connection (and probably a Facebook account). The carbon-fiber drone prototype weighs between 880 pounds and 1,000 pounds, has a wingspan like that of a Boeing 737, and can fly for three months at a time, using solar power. Aquila will deliver Internet connectivity and data exchange through laser technology developed by Facebook’s aptly named laser communications team. [Mashable]
Chinese company ZhuoDa Group erected a 3D-printed, two-story villa in Xian, China, in less than three hours. Granted, 90 percent of the house was completed off-site. ZhuoDa vice president Tan BuYong says the company sources its proprietary, fireproof, and waterproof printing material from industrial and agricultural waste. [Inhabitat]
Another use for Tyvek: Artist Camilla Hempleman created a dynamic map using thermochromic inks and Tyvek fabric that reveals the best places to visit in her hometown of Bath, England, depending on the weather. [Designboom]
Trees make people feel better—a lot better, according to a study conducted in Toronto. For every 10 trees planted per block along the street or in front yards, residents felt 1 percent healthier—the equivalent of giving “each household in that neighborhood $10,000,” University of Chicago psychology professor and lead researcher Marc Berman told The New Yorker. [The New Yorker]
To help hand over a new building, Autodesk released Building Ops, a mobile app that delivers operations data collected during the design and construction phases of a BIM project and entered in Autodesk’s BIM 360 Field to the facility manager and operator. [Autodesk In the Fold]
Photos taken inside one of Amazon’s 1-million-square-foot advanced fulfillment centers show even fewer people than we had guessed. [MIT Technology Review]
The general public may be able to glimpse Apple’s main
building on its massive Cupertino, Calif.–campus after all. Plans filed with
the city show a visitor center complete with a store and viewing platform. [Silicon
Valley Business Journal]
