This could be a great breakthrough and a real solution to the “dirty” CFL’s (compact fluorescent light bulb). Even though each CFL has a minute amount of mercury it will more than likely find its way into landfills. People are too used to throwing away regular light bulbs to be bothered recycling CFL’s.
A lighting revolution is on the way that could end at the flick of a switch the battle between supporters of conventional bulbs and the eco-friendly variety.
These LED's are three times more efficient than CLF's
Cambridge University researchers have developed cheap, light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs that produce brilliant light but use very little electricity. They will cost £2 and last up to 60 years.
Despite being smaller than a penny, they are 12 times more efficient than conventional tungsten bulbs and three times more efficient than the unpopular fluorescent low-energy versions. Continue Reading »
This is my favorite type of invention, observe nature, learn and then build something that imitates the process. Nature has been at it a lot longer than we have been on the planet and nature is a great teacher if you only slow down a little to watch and learn.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Inspired by the way beetle larvae wiggle to move across water, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a low-energy and low-maintenance system for moving small robots and boats in water.
The system, which uses electrical pulses in place of paddles, sails and motors, is designed for small boats and devices that monitor the water quality in reservoirs, oceans and other bodies of water. Such devices usually rely on propellers to move about. Continue Reading »
New Family Of Antibacterial Agents Uncovered – As bacteria resistant to commonly used antibiotics continue to increase in number, scientists keep searching for new sources of drugs. One potential new bactericide has now been found in the tiny freshwater animal Hydra. More of a discovery but could be a lifesaver.
A Breakthrough in Imaging: A New Way to See a Virus – Researchers at an I.B.M. laboratory have captured a three-dimensional image of a biological virus using, for the first time, a technique that has some similarity to magnetic resonance imaging, a tool routinely used by physicians to peer inside the human body.
36.5 Megawatt superconducting motor Successfully Tested at Full Power – American Superconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: AMSC), a leading energy technologies company, and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced today at the Surface Navy Association’s 21st National Symposium the successful completion of full-power testing of the world’s first 36.5 megawatt (49,000 horsepower) high temperature superconductor (HTS) ship propulsion motor.
IOC to open India’s first hydrogen fuel pump – Indian Oil Corporation, the country’s largest oil marketing company by sales, will open the country’s first hydrogen fuel-dispensing station in New Delhi next month. The new-age pump will be set up in Dwarka.
Prototype device detects, disables digital cameras – Proving once again that “outdated technology” still has its place among today’s high-tech products, old-school film cameras may soon be the only shooters not rendered ineffective in the face of a new device that promises to identify and disable their digital counterparts in secure environments.
Scientists Hack Cellphone to Analyze Blood, Detect Disease, Help Developing Nations – A new MacGyver-esque cellphone hack could bring cheap, on-the-spot disease detection to even the most remote villages on the planet. Using only an LED, plastic light filter and some wires, scientists at UCLA’s California NanoSystems Institute have modded a cellphone into a portable blood tester capable of monitoring HIV, malaria, leukemia and detecting diseases.
Mathematician Andrew Hicks was in his Drexel University office, puzzling over some problem he can no longer recall, when colleague Ron Perline walked in with a challenge.
Fresh from his morning bicycle ride from Germantown, Perline was unhappy with the rearview mirror mounted on his handlebars. Its tiny surface was curved, reflecting a wide-angle view of the road behind him, but the image was badly distorted.
Could math provide the path to better reflection? Perline asked.
Indeed it could. Eight years and numerous calculations later, Hicks is now testing a prototype mirror – for a car, not a bike – and he is in talks with a foreign manufacturer. As with the bike mirror, the rounded surface provides a wide field of view – so wide that it eliminates the dreaded, driver-side “blind spot” – yet the subtle mathematics of his design result in little or no distortion. Continue Reading »
Safe drinking water is something we take for granted here in America. But the majority of people on this planet struggle daily to find clean water. This is a great idea!
Eighth grader Charlie Sobcov wants to stop birds from dying in collisions with windows, but he doesn’t want to ruin anybody’s view.
For his latest school science fair project he has invented painted, plastic decals that can be placed — discreetly — right in the middle of a window pane.
“This paint is a colour that birds can see but humans can’t,” he said Wednesday on CBC Radio’s All in a Day. “It’s like putting a big stop sign in the middle of the window.” Continue Reading »
