design-molecule

A solar-powered, weatherproof sensor node with a common mounting, power and radio core, so any lab project that needs to measure something outdoors starts from the same tested base instead of a new enclosure and charger each time.

Walk-in evaporative cooling chamber with a solar fan that forces air through a wetted pad, and a controller that responds to humidity.

Bolt-together cargo tricycle whose frame is cut from flat sheet steel by any laser or waterjet shop, uses standard bicycle parts, and ships flat.

An acoustic leak sensor that clamps onto water mains and valves and listens overnight for the noise signature of leaks.

Walking-treadmill vehicle: the rider stands upright and walks at a normal pace on a short free-running belt between the wheels, a belt-speed sensor sets the assist of a 250 W hub motor, and the vehicle moves at e-bike speed (up to 25 km/h) on a shared SwapCell pack. Walking is the control input; the motor does the work.

An open battery management board for small LiFePO4 packs (4 to 16 cells) with cell balancing, protection and a documented state-of-charge estimate, reusable across the lab's vehicles, storage and field kits.

A second-life battery cell grader: it measures capacity, internal resistance and self-discharge of salvaged lithium cells and sorts them into matched groups for rebuilt packs such as SwapCell.

A window-mounted heat recovery ventilator for single rooms: two small fans and a counterflow core bring in fresh air while recovering most of the heat or cool from the outgoing air.

Open-standard swappable battery pack and wall dock for e-bikes, scooters and cargo trikes, with a defined connector, CAN-based BMS protocol and state-of-health logging.

Batch retort kiln that turns biomass into biochar, with a secondary burner that cleans up the syngas and a jacket that recovers heat for hot water.

A sealed, swappable phase-change thermal cartridge in a few standard temperature ranges (cold chain, comfort and hot holding) that stores heat or cold and drops into coolers, cabinets and heat exchangers.

Retrofit kit that turns a manual pallet jack into a powered, walk-behind unit with a UWB follow-me mode and layered stopping.

Tethered tracked crawler with a camera, lights and laser ring profiling that measures pipe deformation and blockage.

A standard controller and safety module (open motor controller, e-stop, speed limit and brake interlock) with a named reference hub motor, which the lab's mobility and automation designs bolt on rather than re-engineer.

An open streetlight controller that dims LED streetlights by schedule and presence, reports faults and hosts other city sensors on the lamp pole.

A curbside loading bay occupancy sensor that shows delivery drivers which bays are free and gives cities data on curb use.

A well and borehole water level logger with a submersible pressure sensor and FieldNode telemetry, showing seasonal drawdown so communities can manage shared groundwater.

A modular fixture and workbench standard: a 25 mm hole grid plate with printable and machined clamps, stops and jigs, so community workshops can hold, assemble and test parts repeatably.

3D-printed Turgo runner in a printed or PVC nozzle housing, driving an off-the-shelf BLDC motor used as a generator, with an MPPT dump-load controller.

Standalone multi-input power station built around a SwapCell battery pack. It charges from a solar panel, the grid or a SunSpoke bike, and powers devices through USB, 12 V DC and a small AC outlet. It never connects to household wiring.