It sounds like science fiction, but Christopher Ottersbach’s concept airship may one day become a reality. The aerodynamic ship seats 2 to 4 people and could potentially travel for two weeks filled with helium. No infrastructure is necessary. Additional thrust and steering is provided by the crew’s pedal-powered propulsion.
Finding the space for wind turbines in urban areas is difficult—even for vertical turbines like Mariah Power’s Windspire. But a new design from Sridhar Condoor could drastically reduce the space requirements for wind turbines. Condoor’s turbine is hollow, cylindrical, and lacks a central hub. Its hollowness allows it to be … [continued]
if you’re like me, you’ve probably been caught numerous times with a dying cell phone and no outlet in site. That’s when a product like Freeplay’s ZipCharge comes in handy. You may remember Freeplay for inventing the world’s first hand-cranked wind-up radio in 1996. Now the company is back with … [continued]
In a first for the CD industry, Victor Creative Media Co Ltd. has begun taking orders for CD/DVD cases made with rice-based plastic. While rice accounts for less than 10% of the material, the composite plastic uses significantly less fossil fuel than traditional plastic. Victor’s product has previously been used … [continued]
LED light bulbs are already more efficient than your average bulb, but researchers at the Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new kind of LED that exhibits both improved energy efficiency and lighting performance. The researchers‘ polarization-matching LED shows an 18 percent increase in light output and a 22 percent … [continued]
We recently applauded Apple for its new energy efficient 17″ MacBook, but news that the company wants to stifle shareholder requests to publish a Corporate Sustainability Report has overshadowed our praise. The shareholder resolution was proposed by an environmental group called As You Sow, and asks for detailed information about … [continued]
Time for another addition to the growing collection of devices that claim to stop vampire power (AKA power used while electronics are in standby mode): the HiSaver. Astra Corporation’s product, which debuted at last week’s Consumer Electronics show, uses a motion sensor placed on top of your computer to control … [continued]
Chicago architecture firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz has produced the winning design for the US Department of Energy’s Solar Wall competition. SCB’s sun wall will be 32,000 square feet and will cover the south elevation of the DOE’s Washington DC headquarters.
With both the Consumer Electronics Show and MacWorld occurring this past week, I thought it was time to take a look at what happens to most fancy new electronics once they’re not so new and fancy anymore. The other day, I spoke to Barbara Kyle, the National Coordinator of the … [continued]
OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology is still new, but the Universal Display Corporation has already developed a flexible OLED wristband prototype. The prototype, which is supported by the US Department of Defense, is currently on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
