Addicted to Twitter
They say the first step towards curing an addiction is admitting it. Whether you are looking to cure your addiction to Twitter or not, this piece of research might be of interest to you. As studies usually go, there is a lot of data involved, and even more analysis. The bottom line of this recent study is this: Twitter is more difficult to resist than cigarettes or alcohol.[Read More]
RoboCop
What we just might see in the future is not a murdered policeman turned cyborg, though, but technology that will enable people working in the law enforcement and security sector to have capabilities similar to what RoboCop had. The technology is basically augmented reality software and is being developed by Appear and Ryerson University’s Flybits. Appear is a mobile application platform provider in Sweden and Flybits is an R&D group based in Canada.[Read More]
Self-powering Road
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!
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!
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