What If Electronics Had a Return Deposit?
A refundable deposit could turn forgotten electronics into visible claims on a return system—but only if it rewards reuse, protects access and makes safe hand-off genuinely easy.
When Plasma Instabilities Become Rocket Engines: A Roadmap to Space-Native Fusion Propulsion
Fusion rockets need not imitate power stations. Explore controlled reconnection, plasmoid thrusters, the limits of solar-wind harvesting, existing experiments, and a staged research roadmap.
Treat Every Roof as a Small Watershed
A roof does more than shed rain. Treating it as a small watershed reveals a measurable water budget—and the storage, health and maintenance choices hidden downstream.
What If Every Building Published Its Empty Hours?
Cities contain schools, halls and offices that sit unused for long periods. A room-hours ledger could reveal civic capacity—but only if access, care and responsibility are designed with it.
What If Every Product Had a Disassembly Time?
A repairability score can hide the obstacle that decides whether repair happens: access time. A small teardown audit could turn that friction into a public design signal.
What If Every Building Had a Heat Refuge?
A safe room for extreme heat sounds simple. Making it real means designing for solar gain, power failure, access and care—then testing the weakest link before the next heatwave.
What If a Neighbourhood Could Share Its Tools Reliably?
What if useful equipment were neighbourhood infrastructure? A library of things must solve peak demand, maintenance and fair access before borrowing can replace ownership.
A City Should Know What Its Buildings Are Made Of
What if buildings were a city’s future parts store? Material passports can expose reusable components—but only if timing, trust, labour and liability are designed too.
Ideas at the Limit: Following a Thought Until It Changes Shape
Alkemata’s new project dossiers take a modest idea, push it to its most consequential form, stress-test its effects, and work backwards towards a practical experiment.
A Social Network Designed to Leave You Alone
What if an online network protected attention instead of consuming it—and measured success by the understanding, trust and work that continued after people logged out?