research

Israelis Convert Road Traffic to Electric Power

August 6, 2023 by noemi

When was the last time you got stuck in traffic as thick as molasses? If you live in a city like Manila (Philippines), and you are on the road everyday, then you have probably experienced some of the most irritating, road rage-inducing traffic jams. Truth be told, many major cities in the world are known for their awful traffic flow. That’s just part of urban living. You either bear it or move to the boondocks.

But what if something good can be harnessed from heavy traffic? Something like electricity, which is always a welcome thing. Scientists from the Technion Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel might be on to something. ((Source)) The basic idea is so simple that it is brilliant: create a road that will generate electrical power when vehicles pass over it.

The underlying science is not new, and you’ve probably encountered it before – piezo electricity. It is the same principle on which products such as self-charging touchscreen gadgets are based. This time, though, the project is on a much larger scale and arguably a more practical application.

The electricity-producing road has no name yet, but what the scientists have done is to place the piezo electric pads under a layer of tarmac – the surface which comes into contact with the tires of the vehicles. With the pressure of the vehicles and their movement as well, the pads are triggered and collect the energy that is produced. This energy is converted to electricity, which can be used to power practically anything.

The issue now is how many pads are need to supply power needs. So far, the tests show that many pads have to be placed over a span of hundreds of meters. More so, more power is generated when vehicles pass over the pads at fast speeds. That blows the idea of traffic jams being useful, doesn’t it?

While the tests show that street lamps can be powered by this set up, it is not inconceivable to generate more power in the future. Israeli scientists are continuing to study and test the setup to develop it for more applications. If this succeeds, then our dependence on fossil fuels might come to an end. A pretty, pretty thought!

Let Your Fingers Do the Charging: Possible “Everlasting” Battery

August 2, 2023 by noemi

If this new technology fully becomes reality, you might have no issues with your phone’s battery life anymore. Researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia have found a way to generate electricity in a manner that suits every touchscreen user’s habits – by applying mechanical pressure to piezoelectric thin films.

Think about your iPad (or Samsung Galaxy for that matter). Think about your iPhone or iPod Touch (or any other touchscreen device). Now think about how long the battery lasts. Depending on your usage and how “old” the gadget is, you probably have to charge your device every day.

Now imagine this scenario. The more your type or touch the screen of your device, the less need for charging it. I don’t know about you, but it is brilliant! No more having to lug around a cable just to make sure you don’t run out of juice while you’re on the go. No more worrying if you’re going to have enough power to last all night. All you need to do is keep on typing…

The science behind the idea I can’t spell out for you, but Dr. Madhu Bhaskaran – the lead co-author of the research – says “the research combined the potential of piezoelectrics – materials capable of converting pressure into electrical energy – and the cornerstone of microchip manufacturing, thin film technology.” He further explains that this concept has been proven and shown, although there remains the problem of implementation in the real world. ((Source: Physorg))

No doubt that the team – or some other guys – will be able to rise to the challenge of actually using this technology to benefit the countless technophiles all over the world. As for those who keep fiddling with their phones, you’ll finally have the excuse to keep on typing – you need more juice!

Photo credit

Mobile Phone Battery Dying? Talk Louder!

July 26, 2023 by noemi

Technology never ceases to amaze me, and even the most improbable ideas can turn into reality, thanks to some of the most creative minds in this world. In the future, if you are in the middle of nowhere without electricity and your phone’s battery is running out of juice, you might just have to talk louder to power up your gadget.

I kid you not – this is the technique that has been developed by some electrical engineers in South Korea. The idea is simple – sound waves being converted into electricity. The brainchild of Dr. Sang-Woo Kim of the Institute of Nanotechnology at the Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea, this technique holds a lot of promise for the average person today.

Not only can using the phone to make a call help to charge the battery, but the background noise can also be used to power up the device. Before you get too excited, you have to understand that there are limitations to the technology. For one, the power that can be derived from the sound waves may not be enough to charge the battery to its full capacity. However, if the technology works properly, the sound waves may at least be able to allow the device to keep on functioning until a proper outlet can be accessed. Even better, this technology can be applied to gadgets other than mobile phones. Think netbooks and laptops.

Here’s the science behind the idea: set up two electrodes with strands of zinc oxide in between. Attach a sound absorbing pad. When this pad vibrates, the zinc oxide strands move as well, the result of which is an electrical current. That is, of course, simplifying things, but the concept alone is enough to evoke some excitement as to its potential!

Via Crazy Engineers

HBOC201: “Unreal” Blood That Can Save Lives

July 25, 2023 by noemi

HBOC201. It may remind you of the ubiquitous TV channel, but it has nothing at all to do with that. This is the name of a synthetic blood substitute that has saved an Australian woman’s life. Tamara Coakley had a really bad car accident and was barely alive when she got to the hospital. She had only one liter of blood left in her body, and immediately needed a blood transfusion. Not to mention all the other complications, she is also a Jehovah’s Witness, meaning she couldn’t undergo blood transfusion. Technically though, using the synthetic blood is not blood transfusion as it is considered a blood substitute. ((I honestly am hard pressed to see the difference, but okay.))

In any case, HBOC201 is something that probably belongs to science fiction. This blood substitute contains a molecule that is derived from cow plasma. It was developed by the US Navy and can be used for a wide variety of conditions wherein a blood transfusion is required.

It may not seem an appealing choice, given that HBOC201 is essentially made of cow plasma. Then again, we already drink cow’s milk. This isn’t much different, is it? This blood substitute presents a lot of potential. For one, HBOC201 is not limited by blood type restrictions. Whatever your blood type may be, you will be able to receive HBOC201. Another thing is that HBOC201 is stored more easily. It can be kept without refrigeration for up to three years. This can mean a lot for those in areas where electricity is not taken for granted! And with the low supply of donor blood, HBOC201 just might be what is needed to save other people’s lives.

Science fiction? Amazing!

Computers “Given” Schizophrenia

July 25, 2023 by noemi

First they give computers a sense of humor – something that is totally cool, I think. Now they give them a mental disorder, specifically schizophrenia. We sometimes use the word loosely to make fun of people close to us who may exhibit erratic behavior, but schizophrenia is nothing to joke about. Especially when it comes to computers who might one day take over the human race.

All joking aside, researchers have turned to computers to try to gain more insight into the mind of a schizophrenic human. Some researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and Yale University have set up a neural network model ((Via: LabSpaces)) to represent the brain and tweaked things so that it simulated conditions wherein excessive levels of dopamine are present. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter which is present in large amounts in the brain of a schizophrenic.

So what did they find out? The neural network model showed that what the dopamine does is to mess with the brain’s ability to remember and forget things. So being schizophrenic is all about not being able to properly forget or ignore things. The result is that people who suffer from schizophrenia make connections that are not present or not real, hence the hallucinations and paranoia.

On the technical side, the creation of this neural network model is a big feat, which can make way for more studies in the future. However, my worrywart nature cannot help but assert itself. What if this computer schizophrenic state becomes the ground for “complications” in human-computer interaction in the future? Call me paranoid, but once artificial intelligence becomes full-blown, you never know. 😉

Image via Chris Devers

How Does Your Garden Grow? Atomically.

July 23, 2023 by noemi

Green thumbs, listen up! It is spring (well, depending on where you are, obviously), and it is the time to spend time in the garden tending to those plants that will give you a lot of pleasure in the ensuing months. That is, if you are into one of the most relaxing hobbies there is.

But have you ever heard of atomic gardening? I only came to know about this concept today when I was doing my daily Internet rounds. Apparently, after World War II, the great minds of that period were busy trying to find some useful purposes for atomic energy. There is no need to expound on how disastrous the effects of atomic energy can be, and many of those people experienced that firsthand.

One of the results of their efforts was the idea of atomic gardening. In a nutshell, the concept involves bombarding plants with radiation. The goal was to induce mutations in the plants, which could then lead to positive things such as being disease-resistant or cold-resistant. The bottom line: to create plant varieties that would help with dealing with problems such as famine, hunger, and poverty.

The atomic garden experiments were conducted in the United States, in parts of Europe, and in what was then known as the USSR. While the studies were done under strict control, some products actually reached the market via C.J. Speas (an entrepreneur) and the Atomic Gardening Society. These products came in the form of irradiated seeds, which we may still actually buy today. In general though, it seems that these atomic gardens are gone and have been largely forgotten.

To give you a glimpse of the past, here are some photos about the atomic gardens.

This is the first atomic garden in the US.

An ad for irradiated seeds

Real atomic peanuts

With what is happening in Japan’s nuclear reactor sites, the topic of radiation is brought up rather often these days. Who knows, we might even hear about atomic gardening – or something similar at least – in the future?

Read more about atomic gardening at Pruned.