Australia is a technologically advanced country where many innovations come from. These are some technologies currently being used in Australia.
Nuxaxovid To Be Available In Australia This Month
Nuvaxovid is a COVID-19 vaccine produced by Novavax. It was recently announced it will be rolled out in Australia on February 21. This was after it was provisionally approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which is the country’s drugs regulator.
Nuvaxovid can be given to people aged 18 or older. You need two doses spaced across three weeks. Moderna, AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech also have had their vaccines approved in Australia. Unlike the other mRNA vaccines, it can be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius. Novavax will produce 51 million doses of it for Australia.
New Technology Helps Deaf And Low Vision People Follow Australian Open Tennis Tournament
A new technology was introduced at the Australian Open tennis tournament that helps deaf and low vision people follow a game. If a view hears three pops on the left, for instance, that means the ball landed close to the line. A low-pitched clink means a player just returned a ball with a backhand stroke.
The technology is called Action Audio. Every match at the Australian Open was live streamed with this technology. In the past, deaf and low vision people relied on radio descriptions to follow what was happening during a match. However, the game goes so fast no announcer can keep up with the action. Details like how fast a ball was hit isn’t often described.
Scientists Use Recycled Urine To Fertilize Parks
Human urine contains things that are great for plants. However, it’s usually flushed down the toilet. Scientists want to recycle urine to fertilize city parks across Australia. They created “urine diversion toilets” to capture urine, so it can be treated and recycled. Urine contains nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Plants need these to grow and thrive.
The scientists created different toilet designs at the University of Melbourne. While human urine is sterile, it does contain undesirable things like hormones and antibiotics. Their technology will strip out what is undesirable, so only the good components are left. One of the challenges of incorporating the technology is getting people over the “yuck factor.”