Japanese scientists invent printable lithium battery The lithium-polymer battery developed by the group is flexible and designed for flexible solar batteries, flexible displays, or attachment to curved surfaces. It is manufactured using printing technology, which means it can be thinner (around 500 μm) but have an increased surface area than other batteries. It can be produced cheaply, is rechargeable, and can also be laminated.
Teenager Wins Science Fair, Solves Massive Environmental Problem Researchers have been wracking their brains for years to figure out a solution. But leave it to a Canadian high school student to leave them all in the dust. Daniel Burd, an 11th grader at Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade in as little as three months—a finding that won him first prize at the Canada-Wide Science Fair, a $20,000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.
The real Frankenstein experiment Professor Henry Markram, a doctor-turned-computer engineer, announced that his team would create the world’s first artificial conscious and intelligent mind by 2018.
Micro-Machine Harvests Energy from Vibrations Highways, train stations, and even dance floors: the world is full of vibrating surfaces that could yield a rich trove of clean, sustainable energy. It’s called piezoelectric energy, formed by the conversion of mechanical strain into electrical current. Now a team of researchers in Europe has developed a micro-scaled piezoelectric device that could harvest energy from machinery as well as from infrastructure and buildings.
Japanese researcher unveils ‘hummingbird robot
The robot, which weighs 2.6 grams (0.09 ounces), can fly in a figure of eight more stably than a helicopter with rotor blades, said Liu, 46, who specialises in developing robots based on living creatures.
Grow your own teeth The British institution of dentures sitting in a glass of water beside the bed could be rendered obsolete by scientists who are confident that people will soon be able to replace lost teeth by growing new ones. Instead of false teeth, a small ball of cells capable of growing into a new tooth will be implanted where the missing one used to be.
Viruses could power devices Engineered viruses to work as batteries! The research team used viruses to construct the negative electrode, or anode, of the battery. In the new work, the researchers engineered viruses for the positive electrode, or cathode. When the two are put together, the virus batteries should perform better than traditional lithium ion batteries and also be environmentally friendly.
New Cold Fusion Evidence Reignites Hot Debate New evidence presented by U.S. Navy researchers of high-energy neutrons in a now-standard cold fusion experimental setup—electrodes connected to a power source, immersed in a solution containing both palladium and “heavy water.†If confirmed, the result would add support to the idea that reactions like the nuclear fire that lights up the sun might somehow be tamed for the tabletop. But even cold fusion’s proponents admit that they have no clear explanation why their nuclear infernos are so weak as to be scarcely noticeable in a beaker. Come on guys lets get this working!
World’s Most Powerful Laser has the Energy of a Hydrogen Bomb At a cost of $3.5 billion and more than a decade of work, the 192 laser beams are billed as the most powerful in the world. The Energy Department is expected to announce that it has officially certified the National Ignition Facility, which would clear the way for a series of experiments which scientists hope will eventually will mimic the heat and pressure found at the center of the sun.
‘Star Wars’ Laser Kills Mosquitoes Physicists have created a laser weapon that targets mosquitoes. It is hoped that by finding an effective weapon against mosquitoes, the incidence of malaria could be reduced. Today, malaria kills about one million people every year around the world.
New gel is stronger than steel Muscle-flexing robots with superhuman strength could become a reality thanks to a new expanding material that is stronger than steel. Scientists have created a gel that acts like muscle when charged with electricity but is far more powerful. The “aerogel” is almost as light as air, as stretchy as rubber, and stiffer than steel by weight.
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.
Plumbing the oceans – “This has the potential to become the biggest source of renewable energy in the world,” says Robert Cohen, who headed the US federal ocean thermal energy programme in the early 1970s.
A superhard substance that is more slippery than Teflon could protect mechanical parts from wear and tear, and boost energy efficiency by reducing friction.
Some musical shake, rattle and roll has led Belgian physicists to develop a new kind of levitation. It only works for tiny drops of liquid, but could provide a new way to handle biological or forensic samples without contaminating them.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Wausau, Wis., company have come up with a 37-inch, bullet and bomb-proof Humvee tire based on a polymeric web so cool looking there’s no need for hub caps.
Researchers at Ohio State University have accidentally discovered a new solar cell material capable of absorbing all of the sun’s visible light energy.
Fishermen in the village of Maruata, which is located on the Mexican Pacific coast 18 degrees north of the equator, have no electricity. But for the past 16 years they have been able to store their fish on ice: Seven ice makers, powered by nothing but the scorching sun, churn out a half ton of ice every day.
Buckypapers outrun carbon nanotubes as they combine nano and textile technologies.
A Californian company is developing a new technique for recycling carbon dioxide, or CO2, and turning it back into fuel.
Cool Earth Solar’s design is unique in the solar energy world. The company uses an inflatable plastic thin-film balloon (solar concentrator) that, upon inflation, focuses sunlight onto a photovoltaic cell held at its focal point. The design produces 400 times the electricity that a solar cell would create without the company’s concentrator.
The device, called the Glove and invented by two Stanford biologists, is used by the San Francisco 49ers during games and at practice for players’ health. But its applications are far broader: from treating stroke and heart attack victims to allowing soldiers to remain in the field longer under intense heat.
