Solar Nanotubes Make Light Work?
I have been reporting on developments in photovoltaic cells for as long as I can remember and there’s always some new technology or fabrication method that’s going to improve upon the woeful efficiency of today’s silicon based solar cells. I’m still waiting and outside the labs most commercial cells still only manage a fairly miserable 20 – 30 percent efficiency, which basically means that during their lifetime very few solar cells ever recover the enormous amount of energy put into their manufacture, let alone live long enough to generate ‘free’ electricity. I have no doubt that one day the problem will be licked and this might just be the development to do it. It’s a rolled up graphene layer nanotube and it’s the brainchild of a team of researchers at Cornell University. The first problem, though, is that it’s tiny, no larger than a DNA molecule, which means you’ll need an awful lot of them to do anything useful. The good news is that it’s very efficient and when exposed to light the tubular structure creates more electrons, and the cylindrical structure makes it easier for them to flow. I know, we’ve been here before so don’t hold your breath, but one day, it will happen, and maybe, just maybe this is where it started…
New shoes for better sex
In yet another first for the world’s premier athletic footwear manufacturer, Nike announced Tuesday the nationwide launch of the Air Fornicator, a lightweight copulating shoe designed to maximize sexual performance.
“Nike is proud to continue its commitment to new and innovative products with the first ever sneaker developed exclusively for sex,” president and CEO Mark Parker said. “Stylishly sculpted and contoured for enhanced comfort, the featherlight Air Fornicator provides superior energy return to reduce fatigue and boost the libido.”
“With this shoe you will last longer, experience more pleasure, and fuck smarter,” Parker added.
According to a Nike press release, the Air Fornicator’s cutting-edge support system creates maximum foot stability, which in turn improves coital alignment, increases clitoral stimulation, and deepens penetration. The revolutionary midsole component reportedly works to adapt to the user’s pelvic motions and cushions the overall shock of repetitive grinding. Read more
The batteries have been wondering about
Computer and video cards in our different types of components such as hard disk constantly renewed, but not in a big change. On the other hand, different features and peripherals as the continuous innovation and re-designed to provide again. As dependent on computers that are running around the outside of the user-friendly kind of portable devices is becoming increasingly common. That occur in technological progress can not stop stop the smart devices is causing to be indispensable. The best example of this recording, video player and camera features such as a host of smart devices. This smart device has such a kind that a single volume of seven different features can fit into. These devices are referred to as MP3 players, of course, but nice feature different products together. Read more
Power in your Pocket
How about this for green energy? A pocket-sized device developed by a US company called M2E (Motion 2 Energy) promises to generated enough electricity to charge cellphones, media players and such, just by rattling around in your pocket or handbag. The gizmo is full of coils and magnets that convert movement into electricity, which is stored in a rechargeable battery, ready to be let loose when you need it. Apparently it generates between three and seven times as much power as rival ‘kinetic’ energy systems. The company has also developed ‘D’ cell type batteries that self charge as they are moved around, a bit like those torches that light up when you shake them. Read more
Sunny Side Up
A student-led research team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed what is claimed to be the world’s most efficient solar dish. The prototype, which measures just over 3 metres wide, generates enough heat to melt solid steel, by concentrating the sun’s power by a factor of 1000. The prototype, which is made from a simple lattice of aluminium tubes, supporting an array of mirrors, generates steam, produced by focussing the sun’s energy on a coiled tube carrying water.
This stam can be used to power a generator or for heating or cooling buildings. The design is such that it can be easily replicated using cheap, readily available materials, making it ideal for both small and large scale installations, and it’s particularly appropriate for poorer countries where more exotic solar technologies can be prohibitively expensive.
Revolutionary Plastics May See Laptops Bend
When you hear ‘plastic’ the first thing that probably comes to your mind is ‘electrical insulator’. This is perhaps because most plastics have exceptional electrical insulator properties, albeit this doesn’t necessarily mean that all plastics share the same properties. It was proven some three decades ago that certain classes of plastics may conduct electricity and could be used to create some of the most amazing electronic devices ever seen, such as flexible laptops, electronic billboards or ultra-thin displays.
Imagine an electronic device made of plastic material only. The creation of such a piece of equipment would most certainly revolutionize the electronics industry. Let’s take the humble transistor for example, the building block of every electronic device today. Although it is usually made out of silicon, a lot of semiconductor materials can be used to manufacture transistors, neither of which very flexible. However, flexibility is not the only issue with transistors. By using plastics to build transistors the manufacturing costs could also drop considerably. Read more
Dell Goes Green
Like car manufacturers PC maker’s boastings used to be all about price and performance but the times they are a-changing and market leader Dell is now talking up the future energy efficiency of its products. Dell is aiming for a 25 percent reduction in power consumption on its desktop and laptop machines by 2010 – compared with today’s models – and leading the way will be a new range of ultra small machines, previewed recently at a Los Angeles environmental conference. According to CNET News the tiny PC uses a new mini ITX form factor motherboard, codenamed Eklo, which results in a system unit box that is around 80 percent smaller than current desktops and uses 70 percent less energy.
Sharper Fuel Cells
Sharp, in collaboration with MIT have announced an improved fuel cell technology that’s claimed to have the highest power density to date. Fuel cells have been around for yonks and basically convert chemical energy into electrical energy. It’s a sort of reverse electrolysis process (where water can be turned into hydrogen and oxygen by passing a current through it), using exotic materials that act as catalysts. In this case methanol is the fuel source. It’s a lot safer, cheaper and easier to transport than Hydrogen, which has been a popular choice with fuel cell developers in the past.
Sharp’s Direct to Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) prototypes are small enough to be used inside most gadgets, from mobile phones and GPS receivers to personal stereos and cameras and they say they’ll last around as long as lithium ion rechargeable batteries (3 – 5 years). Read more
How One-way Mirrors Work
A one-way mirror is basically just like any other mirror, just that it has the ability of reflecting light on one side while on the other, it is transparent. Typical mirrors achieve a high degree of reflectiveness on one side, leaving the reverse opaque to optical light. This is done by covering the glass layer with a silvered coating. One-way mirrors, however, use half silvered surfaces in order to achieve a balance between reflectiveness and transparency, in combination with carefully adjusted amounts of light.
Practically, the silvered coating is only half of that of a typical mirror, meaning that it reflects half of the incoming light, leaving the other half pass right through. The concept is relatively similar to that used in lasers. Inside a laser, photons of light are being bounced between two mirrors, one with 100 percent reflectiveness and the other with 99 percent. Read more
A Really Bright Idea
Californian company Luxim has developed a new ‘LIFI’ plasma light bulb. It’s not much bigger than a Tic-Tac, according to a report on CNET News, yet it gives off the same amount of light as a streetlamp. The bulb is driven by a RF generator, which creates a high frequency field around it that vaporises a mixture of gasses that changes to a plasma. The result is an intense light, available in a spectrum of colours. The bulbs are long lasting – up to five times longer than conventional lamps and they’re energy efficient too. Applications include street and stage lighting, video projectors, endoscopy and numerous industrial processes.
