New Hybrid Electric Motorcycle Wins Hearts And Minds In Unlikely Places
Your tax dollars at work: this new off-road hybrid electric motorcycle will help you sneak past the enemy and charge up your electrical devices, too.
DARPA
Columbia Scientists Produce Cleanest Graphene Contact Ever
A research team at Columbia University has figured out a way to bridge the gap between our three-dimensional world and the two-dimensional world of graphene, an alluring but notoriously fickle “miracle material” only one atom thick. The finding brings us one step closer to a new generation of smaller, lighter, … [continued]
Cutting Edge Portable Solar Power Module Fits On A Backpack
Ascent Solar Technologies Inc., one of the world’s top thin-film solar cell companies, has just announced the launch of its first solar power backpack for the consumer market. The new the EnerPlex Packr™ integrates Ascent’s proprietary thin film solar technology, and if you decide to get one of these puppies … [continued]
1966: Back To The Future Of Fuel Cell And Electric Vehicles (CT Exclusive)
Hydrogen fuel cell and electric vehicles are widely considered the future of clean transportation. We’re all familiar with the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt, but did you know a major automaker built EV and fuel cell vehicles back in 1966?
I got a chance to go back to the future and check out the ancestors of today’s cutting-edge alternative fueled vehicles in person during a tour of the General Motors Heritage Center.
Hey Makers, Try this DIY Graphene!
An international research team has developed a way to manufacture graphene without using any specialized equipment. For an idea of how important this breakthrough could be, consider the difference between today’s smart phones and the stationary touch-tones that represented the peak of telecommunications tech just a generation ago, and translate … [continued]
President Obama Ups the Clean Energy Ante by a Cool $150 Million
Clearly undeterred by the GOP’s ongoing effort to cut federal support for clean energy, the Obama Administration has just announced a new $150 million round of funding for cutting-edge research into solar, wind, geothermal, bio-based energy and ocean power along with dozens of other categories related to renewable energy and … [continued]
Smack! Was that a Mosquito You Killed, Or a Drone?
…Or maybe that high-agility flying robot was a tasty snack for an artificial toad. In a real-life nod to the classic science fiction novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University is helping to develop a micro aerial vehicle (MAV for short) that will … [continued]
Forget the Moon Colony, Newt: DARPA Aims for 100 Year Starship
Mitt Romney had a chuckle over Newt Gingrich’s proposal to build a colony on the Moon but DARPA is already working on the interstellar 100 Year Starship project.
Clean Energy, Green Jobs and National Security are Next on the Chopping Block
Federal funding for advanced clean energy technology is due for a severe cut, as the House Majority has proposed axing the entire project funding budget for ARPA-E, the federal agency tasked with promoting next-generation renewable energy. The fallout from such a move, though, undermines the Majority’s interest in stimulating job … [continued]
DARPA Wants Your Ideas for the Mother of All Star Trek Conventions
DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is going all out for its upcoming 100 Year Star Ship Symposium, and they want to hear from anyone with an interest in space travel. The agency has issued an open call for abstracts and discussion topics on everything from energy harvesting to religious and philosophical issues. If you don’t have a tech background, don’t be shy, because according to DARPA “this is a great opportunity for people with interesting ideas to be heard, which we believe will spur further thought, dreaming, and innovation.” Yeah that’s right — it’s like a Star Trek convention, only for real.
