Need to know
10 : 09 : 17

US – Google has launched a pair of earbuds capable of translating 40 languages in real time. Users of the Google Pixel Buds touch the right earbud while speaking to translate the phrase into their chosen language, which they can then repeat out loud. Users can then pass their phone to the person they are talking to and receive an audio translation as they speak.

Although not the first such device of its kind – Waverly Labs announced it was launching a similar instant translation earpiece earlier this year – Google’s Pixel Buds will be sold at the much lower price of £121 ($159, €135), compared with £189 ($249, €212) for Waverley Labs’ Pilot, and the scale of Google is likely to ensure much greater adoption.

As New Bricolage Living becomes increasingly pervasive, brands are exploring new ways to facilitate communication between cosmopolitan consumers.

UAE – Danish architect Bjarke Ingels is working with Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre and the Dubai Municipality to design a space simulation campus designed to mimic the harsh conditions found on Mars.

The project, Mars Science City, will consist of domed structures erected over 17.5 hectares of the UAE desert. Emirati scientists will inhabit the city for a year, tasked with devising new methods of self-sufficient energy, food and water production. The £103.6m (AED500m, $136.1m) initiative forms part of the United Arab Emirates’ Mars 2117 Strategy, which aims to see the first inhabitable settlement built on the Red Planet within 100 years.

In 2015, LS:N Global introduced our macrotrend The Immortal Brand, an exploration of how brands need to move away from short-term thinking and adopt a more enduring approach to the future.

US – Combining the health benefits of kombucha with alcohol, Kombrewcha aims to provide an alternative to cocktails, beer and wine for calorie-conscious consumers. The new range, which comes in four flavours – original, berry hibiscus, lemongrass lime and royal ginger – has an alcohol by volume content of 3.2%, similar to that of low-alcohol beers, and will be available from Whole Foods Market in Miami and New York as well as selected bars and restaurants.

‘We decided to increase our alcohol content to push ourselves into social occasions, while still keeping a low abv,’ says CEO Garrett Bredenkamp. ‘We are keenly aware that sessionable drinks are leading the way among health-conscious consumers, and at 3.2% abv we are giving consumers a way to socialise without compromise.’ With awareness around healthy eating at its peak, consumers are searching for ways to improve their wellbeing without having to compromise in their social lives. For more, see our Alco-health microtrend.

Parents in China are more likely than people anywhere else in the world to pay for private tuition for their children, according to a recent report by HSBC. The findings suggest that parents are prioritising education above other luxury spending, such as going on holiday and leisure activities. ‘This is the luxury I didn’t get to enjoy when I was young, and I hope to start early on my kid’s elite education so that he can stand out among his peers as he grows older,’ Linda Xu, a parent and operations manager in an international automobile company, told Jing Daily. See our Emerging Youth: China Market for more.