The tablet is referred to as a “backcountry survival tablet,” and it comes with all the features that most hikers would want out of such a device, including the typical wireless connections including NFC, as well as GPS with topographical maps that are preloaded onto the tablet. There’s a two-way walkie-talkie built in to chat with other hikers who have an Earl tablet as well.

The device sports a 6-inch e-ink display, so it’s certainly nothing that you would watch movies or play games on, and there’s also no camera to take photos, but we’re guessing you’d use your dedicated shooter anyway if you wanted to take photos of the beautiful scenery. It won’t be a tablet for most everyday users, but it seems that it’s an option for the survivalists.

As for price and availability, the Earl tablet is actually trying to raise money to fund its production. The tablet’s website is currently taking pre-orders at $250 a pop, which is 30% off the retail price of the tablet when it eventually launches. The company is seeking $250,000 and they’ve raised almost $13,000 so far as of this writing, with 32 days left to go.

[via Android Community]

The product can give solar panels a run for their money, but the scientists aren’t going to stop there. They intend to find a way to use this technology to produce a paint that can be used for homes, as well as other objects. However, Professor Kostya Novoselov, one of the scientists who discovered graphene, stated that the development of the paint isn’t going to happen until much later in the future.

The graphene paint can be used to power a number of devices, with one emphasis being on mobile phones. The scientists believe that graphene paint would bring in a “new generation” of mobile phones that are solar powered and are ultra-thin. Not only can graphene paint be used to power objects, scientists believe that they will be able to make it change colors on-demand as well.

The scientists are optimistic about the development of graphene. Not only is the material harder than diamond, and able to conduct electricity, there are many more possibilities for it as well. Professor Novoselov stated that they would be able to use graphene to develop different types of products with a variety of properties other than producing solar powered energy. He states,

“We have been trying to go beyond graphene by combining with with other one atom thick materials. What we have been doing is putting different layers of these materials one on top of the other and what you get is a new type of material with a unique set of properties. It is like a book – one page contains some information but together the book is so much more. The implementations would go much further than simple solar powered cells”

[via Telegraph]

Solar Impulse has a wingspan of 207 feet, which is 2/3 the length of an American football field and the same wingspan as many commercial jets. The plane also sports 12,000 solar cells and 900 pounds of batteries to keep it going for a prolonged period of time. The team of two tested-flew the plane in 2010, and it was able to stay in the sky for 26 hours straight.

However, only Piccard will be making the journey across the country, but it won’t be as fast as what a commercial jet could make the trip in. Solar Impulse has a top speed of around 50 miles per hour, so it’s expected to take a few days for the plane to reach New York, whereas a jumbo jet could make the trip in just a few hours.

If the Piccard name sounds familiar, than you’re on to something (no, not Star Trek). In 1999, Piccard circled the globe in a gas-powered balloon, and his father, Jacques Piccard, was the first person to descend to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 1960. After Piccard completes the flight across the US, his next goal is to take the plane around the entire world, just like he did with the balloon.

[via Smithsonian Magazine]

Shams Power Company has opened the new Shams 1 concentrated solar power station that has a capacity of 100 MW and can power up to 20,000 homes and save up to 175,000 tons of CO2 every year, which according to Shams, is the “equivalent to planting 1.5 million trees or taking approximately 15,000 cars off the road.”

The Shams 1 CSP plant uses over 258,000 parabolic mirrors that collect sunlight and concentrate it onto oil pipes that flow through the center of the mirrors. This heats the oil, and after being moved on to a heat exchanger, the heat creates steam that powers turbines that generate electricity. The entire plants covers just over 1.55 square miles.

Of course, this isn’t the first CSP plant to be built. These types of solar power plants date back to the 1980s where the first ones were built in California in the US. However, it wasn’t until today when the Shams 1 plant took the crown for the world’s largest CSP plant. Of course, we’ll most likely see larger ones being built in the future as green tech becomes more popular.

[via TreeHugger]

Yesterday the US Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple patent #8,368,654 titled “Integrated touch sensor and solar assembly.” According to the patent’s abstract, the solar cell array consists of “electrodes that are used both for collecting solar energy and for sensing on a touch sensor array,” meaning that the touchscreen can also act as a solar panel.

The diagram above shows off how the solar cell array would work. It’s not much to look at really, and it’s a very basic illustration, but it provides a bit context to what seems like a nearly impossible concept. However, the illustration shows that the technology can automatically switch between solar-charging mode and touch mode once it detects a finger tap.

Obviously, this is just a patent and it doesn’t prove anything as far as if Apple will actually release a solar-powered device, but it does make us curious as to what the Cupertino-based company has cooking. Of course, if a solar-powered iPhone is indeed on the way, it certainly won’t be for quite a while, so be prepared to wait it out.

[via Forbes]

Luci is unique and what the company calls “solar justice” and the reason behind that is many solar devices don’t seem to work as advertized, or always take forever to charge. MpowerD’s little lantern is only about 5-6 inches tall, and almost something you’d find floating in the pool during the summer months. For those granola types who are always out camping, you’ll want to check this out.

Luci puts out 1200 lumens of bright light using LEDs, and will last anywhere from 8-12 hours depending on charge. Using a few extremely durable and lightweight solar panels you’ll have a full 8-12 hours of light in just 4 hours charge time. Take it camping and charge her up at night, then use Luci to keep camp bright all night long. With a clear plastic round design the light emits in all directions, and Luci states she’ll brighten a 15 square foot area for hours.

“Just charge in the sun, open, and light up your world.”

MpowerD’s new little lantern that is powered by the sun has a few awesome things going for it. It’s extremely lightweight, durable, and completely collapsible to be under an inch tall and smaller than your hand. Then open it up and light up your world — as they say. For the low price of $15.99 Luci can be lighting up your campsite all summer long. It features low, high, and SOS emergency settings with the touch of a button. I’ll be taking this little lantern on a few mountain bike trips this summer. That is for sure.

The total solar eclipse will occur on the morning of November 14, 2012 and will be visible in the north of Australia. Panasonic says that it will use only its HIT solar panels paired with its lithium-ion batteries for storage to produce a live broadcast via USTREAM. Regular updates for the project and the broadcast will be posted to Panasonic’s Facebook page and Twitter account.

This will be the second live broadcast Panasonic has made of a solar eclipse. In May of this year, Panasonic broadcast an eclipse from Mount Fuji in Japan. The specific equipment Panasonic will be using in the broadcast includes its HIT Solar Panel VBHN235SE10×9 for power generation.

The power will be stored using Panasonic’s Portable Power Storage CB-LS01H×30. Panasonic will capture the video using its full HD camera, the Lumix GH2x6. The eclipse will be streamed from the Sheraton Garage Port Douglas Resort in Cairns, Australia.

Wired commandeered a 1949 Piper PA-11 (Cub Special) spy plane in order to snap the photos of the work in progress at Apple’s data center. Work is currently underway not too far from the main server farm, indicating the site where the company will lay its 4.8 megawatt biogas plant, converting the gas produced there into electricity. Meanwhile, the 100 acre 20 megawatt solar farm is still under construction, with a second installation located only a few miles away.

Curiously, there’s a smaller “tactical” data center located next to the main 500,000 square foot installation that Apple is staying quiet about. It’s significantly smaller at 21,000 square feet, but John Engates, Chief Technology Officer at Rackspace, believes the space could be used by Apple’s partners for testing iCloud and other online services without giving up access to the main data center.

Apple’s goal is for 60% of its power requirements to be met by the renewable energy projects found on site. The other 40% will be purchased from local and regional companies, which will also come from renewable sources such as wind, solar, and biogas.

The liquid solar cell technology can be implemented under a low-temperature process, which means that it can be printed on plastic instead of glass without concern of the plastic melting. This would allow for cheap, flexible solar panels and more options in applying the solar technology.

Although the new liquid solar nanocrystals are cheaper than traditional single-crystal silicon wafer solar cells to produce, they are also much less efficient. In order to keep the particles stable, organic ligand molecules are used to attach to the nanocrystals to keep them from clumping, but in effect, also insulates them and reduces their conductivity.

Additionally, the current nanocrystals used are made of the semiconductor cadmium selenide, which is considered toxic and is restricted in commercial applications. The researchers are still working on alternative materials for the nanocrystals. Hence, it will still be a few years before we see this technology in commercial use.

[via Gizmag]

The most interesting part of the report is about Apple’s Maiden, North Carolina data center. The facility has some sort of white cool-roof for increased solar reflectivity. The most interesting part though is a massive on-site solar array Apple has planned. Apple intends to surround the facility with the largest end-user owned on-site solar array in the country. The gigantic solar array will sit on 100 acres of land and generate 20-megawatt of power.

Apple notes that is 42,000,000 kWh of clean renewable energy to be generated by the solar facility each year. Solar power isn’t the only thing Apple is using at this facility; it will also be installing a five-megawatt non-utility fuel cell installation at the data center as well. That fuel cell will provide 40,000,000 kWh base load renewable energy each year. That is one heck of a lot of clean, renewable power. The facility uses so much renewable energy that it is the first data center of its size to achieve the LEED Platinum certification.

[via 9to5Mac]

The wedge-shaped structure consists of various stacked layers, with the more private areas of the house – such as bedrooms – shifted further back and away from public view. Modular and pull-out cabinets, seating and other furniture increases flexibility in use, while the bathroom is a wetroom with a sunken bathtub.

Up to 45 solar panels can be mounted on the roof, providing three times the energy than the CHIP home actually requires. LED lighting and wireless switches mean less power, fewer bulbs and no complex tangle of wiring, while HVAC energy use is reduced by implementing a large water storage tank. This maintains a thermal load, cutting down on water-heating costs as well as drawing off excess heat in summer.

As for tech, the iPad is used to remotely control the wireless ZigBee Control4 lighting and other kit, as well as show real-time information on power consumption, while the Kinect means you can control the CHIP’s various systems using gestures and pointing. Sensors mean CHIP can turn on specific hardware when you sit in certain chairs, close blinds when it’s bright, and automatically lower shutters to avoid passive heating.

The 750 square meter house is an entry into the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

[via SmartPlanet]

The 7.9 x 4.7 x 0.72 inch case holds the Kindle in place using foam inserts, and controls are limited to a single power button. An LED indicator shows battery status – either red, amber or green – and an hour of direct sunlight is apparently good enough for three days of ereading.

As for the LED light, that’s an 800 lux lamp for bedtime or airplane reading, pivoting out of the top section of the case and illuminating the non-backlit epaper display. A pass-through USB port recharges both the Kindle and the case.

It’s available for order now, priced at $79.99.

The study on this proposed solution to all of our energy problems was billed as “the first broadly based international assessment of potential paths to collecting solar energy in space and delivering it to markets on Earth via wireless power transmission” – quite a mouthful! This study noted that government funding would be needed to get the project activated and sustained as private-sector funding doesn’t work so well with such “economic uncertainties” and time lags involved in development. This project notes that the space solar power solution would be a long-term energy fix for Earth that would include a potential for “essentially zero” terrestrial environmental impact.

The study’s environmental impact bit is according to the National Space Society advocacy group who is set to hold a news conference in Washington this week to publicize the 248-page IAA report. According to the plan, one satellite would be launched, then another, then eventually batches of satellites capable of collecting solar power would be in geosynchronous orbit around the equator. Each of these satellites would be collecting sunlight for up to a full 24 hours a day across their up to several kilometer wide bodies. Power would be converted to electricity onboard and sent to Earth by lasers or large microwave-transmitting antenna.

Once the power was sent to Earth, it would be fed into a power grid where it could be distributed to all the kids playing Xbox and Playstation and everyone reading their favorite book Ender’s Game by the lamp in the middle of the night.

[via The Vancouver Sun]

Samsung isn’t simply doing this out of the goodness of their own hearts, but it’s nice to see initiatives like this appear to be so close to real action in the world. This project is in place as a result of CSR requirements — Corporate Social Responsibility, that is, and thus far the project is set for greater Africa. For the betterment of Africa too, if I do say so myself. This project will yield units that are both easy to transport to remote areas and able to withstand inclement weather.

The first version of this project’s units are 40-foot shipping containers equipped with rubber solar panels. These panels are able to power the classroom within for up to 9 hours each day and can retain power for up to 1 and a half days without any new sunlight. Inside the unit there are, of course, a whole slew of top of the line Samsung products such as the Galaxy Tab, a 50-inch electronic board, solar powered netbooks, and more.

Inside the first unit is a refrigerator, UPS, a router, Virus Doctor air-purification, Wi-fi enabled camera, and of course a file server. This file server works via a 3G connection and will house the entire South African school curriculum. Sounds like a pretty nice little unit, wouldn’t you say? Certainly seems nicer than the one-room schoolhouses of the generations before us, that’s for sure.

[via Samsung]

This keyboard comes in three light color combinations with a blue, pink, or green top, or a slightly darker silver covering most of the face with a black accent at the top, or a fully black option. As you’ll see in the video, each color combo is live in effect except for the all-black version. In addition to the keyboard itself, you’ll be working with a USB stick (or tiny USB dongle) to connect to your Mac – a MacBook Air here, for example. Each keyboard, they say, for up to three months in total darkness – in the video we see our helpful rep note “three hours”, but we’re going to guess that this is a mis-spoken factoid since all of the press on this device says three months otherwise.

The entire keyboard is only 1/3-inch thick, the keys are set up in a familiar Mac fashion, and all of the keys have a Logitech-specific concave key-cap design. There’s also a Logitech Solar App that you can download along with the keyboard that lets you know what your current battery power is and how much power you’re getting from your sunlight source or desktop lamp at any given time – yes, that’s correct, you don’t need direct sunlight to make this device work. The keyboard can grab power from indoor lighting as well!

You get a 3-year warrantee with purchase, the entire 432 x 157 x 7.5 milimeter keyboard weighs in at only 750 grams, and you can grab one right this second from http://logitech.com/ for $59.99.

Sound good?

You can also check out the rest of the awesome Pepcom Holiday Spectacular 2011 action by hitting the [Pepcom Holiday Spectacular 2011 portal] – hands-on videos and photos of awesome gadgets, gizmos, and tech-tacular items galore!

In fact, Google says its data centers use around half of the power that rivals demand, with a significant reduction in facilities costs – such as cooling and powering the servers themselves – being the main reason. Meanwhile around 35-percent of the power Google uses is from renewable sources: the solar panels at its Mountain View campus, for instance, are good for 3m kWh of electricity each year.

Meanwhile further investments are set to unlock 1.7 GW of renewable energy – or enough power for over 350,000 homes – from external projects. Google’s obvious hope is that businesses and individuals will shift their email and other activities to the company’s servers instead, but it all makes for interesting reading if you’ve ever wondered how much power it takes to run your online life.

The solar array cost the park $5.8 million to install and is the largest solar installation to ever be added to a national park. The $5.8 million system generated 672 kW of power total, has 2,800 PV panels, and can provide 12% of the total energy needs for the park. A savings of 12% may not sound like much, with the energy consumption of the park that adds up to about a $50,000 yearly savings in electricity.

The installation includes a 500kW solar canopy over the parking area, a 100kW rooftop array, and a 72kW wall array. The system was designed and installed by Suntrek. The park also expects to receive a $700,000 energy rebate from Pacific Gas & Electric Co over the next five years.

[via Inhabitat]

The Nexus S 4G smartphone hit Sprint and Best Buy stores yesterday, looking very round, and running Gingerbread.

Some new HP notebooks are here, for both business and consumers, the HP ProBook 5330m and the EliteBook 2560p and 2570p, plus the HP Mini 210.

Moar tablets! That’s what we say. Here are two: The BeBook Live is an affordable Android option, coming this summer, and the Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 is running Windows and channeling a netbook.

The HTC Salsa and ChaCha Facebook phones dance in for pre-order.

That’s it for our Morning Wrap-Up, stay tuned as the day goes on for more news and analysis.

This is your average looking iPhone or iPad dock that is made to be portable to allow you to listen to your tunes on the go from anywhere the device is a triangular shape with a mostly black case and some red accents. It looks really cool and the Soulra XL is the larger sibling to the original Soulra from last year. The big solar panel on the top is 72 square inches, and it charges the internal 2000mAh battery.

The dock is good for about five hours of continuous playback if you set it in the sun where the solar panel can soak up the power. It has eight speaker drivers and 22W of total power output. The device has buttons to control the playback across the tip of the dock and the Apple device sits behind a plastic screen. I am wary of any device that requires my iPhone to stay in the sun. It gets too hot in Texas to leave something like the iPhone in the sun without it shutting down due to overheating.

[via Ubergizmo]

The Purdue team car can achieve nearly 2,200mpg and competed in the 2011 Shell EcoMarathon that was held this week in Houston. The vehicle prototype the team fielded was called The Celeritas prototype. The car is small, but it is designed to hold a full-size driver (as opposed to the miniature version) behind the wheel in an upright position. The car also has headlights, taillights, a trunk and lots more things that your average car has.

The vehicle uses energy regenerative braking and has a suspension that can handle potholes. The prototype racer was able to generate so much power from the solar cells on its body that it was in danger of overloading the onboard batteries. The team says that in the future models of the car might have an AC system onboard to make the vehicle more comfortable. The car is street legal and the team has applied for a VIN number and a license plate. The prototype took a year to design and $90,000.

[via Purdue]

Earth day was this week, so we have featured some green concepts and innovations. We always like seeing more efficient ways of doing things, and a road that powers its own lighting and traffic systems is a great example of that. But first, the world’s first hybrid car.

World’s First Hybrid Car

If you had to quickly think of a hybrid car, the Prius would probably be the first vehicle that would come to mind. But the very first functional hybrid car was the Porsche Semper Vivus, built way back in 1900. Back then, the battle between electric and combustion engines had not yet been won, and nobody knew for sure which way things would go.

Porsche has rolled out an exact replica of the very first hybrid car, which was painstakingly recreated by a dedicated hobbyist, and gave some journalists a ride around in it. The Semper Vivus had two electric motors, one on each front wheel, and two combustion motors which power the car and also charge the electric motors. Pretty cool! You can check out the action in the videos below.

Solar magnetic energy, the future of solar?

Researchers at the University of Michigan have discovered a new property of light that allows them to harness its magnetic attributes.

Electromagnetism is a classically unified force, the relationship between light and magnetism is well known, but the magnetic component was thought to be weak enough that it could be safely ignored. Stephen Rand, a professor at UMich, said, “You could stare at the equations of motion all day and you will not see this possibility. We’ve all been taught that this doesn’t happen. It’s a very odd interaction. That’s why it’s been overlooked for more than 100 years.”

This could lead to a new kind of solar cell without semiconductors and without absorption to produce charge separation,” Rand said. “In solar cells, the light goes into a material, gets absorbed and creates heat. Here, we expect to have a very low heat load. Instead of the light being absorbed, energy is stored in the magnetic moment. Intense magnetization can be induced by intense light and then it is ultimately capable of providing a capacitive power source.”

Using this magnetic property of light would only require glass, for lenses to focus the light and fiber to guide it. Transparent ceramics are also a possibility. This would be much cheaper than solar cells which are expensive to produce. This could be the breakthrough that makes solar power cheap enough for widespread adoption.

Sidewalk, Heal Thyself

We use concrete for so many things, and it is a great building material: inexpensive, durable, easy to shape. But it can develop micro cracks very quickly when under tension, sometimes in a matter of weeks. Once that happens, water can seep in and the deterioration process begins.

Researchers in Belgium at Delft University have a great solution to this problem: bacteria. They say that they will be able to commercialize a “biological concrete” within two to four years that can heal itself in much the same way our bodies do.

The concrete uses a specially selected bacteria from the genus Bacillus, with a combination of calcium lactate, nitrogen and phosphorus to create a healing agent inside the concrete. If these agents are not exposed to water, they can remain dormant inside the concrete for centuries. But as soon as water seeps in, the bacteria spores germinate and feed on the calcium lactate. This process consumes oxygen, which converts the calcium lactate into limestone that solidifies and seals the surface. As the oxygen is removed, this also protects the steel reinforcement.

’We use clay pellets that are around 2-4mm wide to make sure that the agents are not activated during the mixing process,’ said Dr Henk Jonkers. ’The problem with this is we have to use relatively high volumes of this porous aggregate within the concrete mix. As a result, you gain self-healing but you lose the strength of the concrete.’

In fact, the concrete becomes about 25 percent weaker, which is far too much for applications that require high compressive strength. Jonkers is working on using a compressed powder rather than the pellets, that will hold the self-healing agent in less than one percent of the volume of the concrete.

Researchers at Ghent University are taking a different approach, using a hollow glass capsule to contain the healing agents, which they make out of Bacillus sphaericus and urea. The capsules range from 0.8 to 4mm in diameter. If the concrete cracks, the capsules break, releasing the healing agent. This method retains the strength of the concrete, but sounds more expensive.

Bacteria struggle to fill cracks larger than 300mm. Synthetic agents can fill larger cracks, but they can also make the concrete brittle, and are not sustainable. The scientists hope to find a way to improve their organic healing method, and are already working on a new solution that would make the cost of the self-healing concrete (which now is double the cost of traditional material) on par with regular concrete.

If this material is able to be made commercially, it could save huge amounts of money on road and other infrastructure repairs. 50 percent of Europe’s annual construction budget is spent on rehabilitation and repair of existing structures.

It’s a very green concept, as it is sustainable and also would prolong the life of a building material, so that less would be chucked into landfills.

Solar Roads

And in another case of the Dutch doing crazy things with concrete, how about road with solar panels built in?

The project is called the Solaroad, and was developed by the Dutch research firm TNO. Here’s the idea: a layer of concrete forms the road, a centimeter thick layer of crystalline silicon solar cells is laid on top, and then the whole thing is covered by a layer of toughened glass. Sounds slippery, and expensive. But let’s continue.

The road could produce as much as 50kWh per square meter per year, which could power street lighting, traffic systems, and households. The idea is still in development, and it would be first applied to bike lanes. The first Solaroad is scheduled for installation next year, and then they hope to study it and expand the roads throughout the country. Would this ever make it to the US? Who knows, but probably not in the near future. It will be interesting to see how it works out for the Dutch.

Medical Innovations: Artificial Pancreas, Hand Transplant, Bionic Leg, and an App for Knee Surgery

Artificial pancreas

The pancreas is such an incredibly complex organ, producing needed horomones for the body such as insulin, and also aiding in digestion. It is part of both the endocrine and digestive system. The thought of actually producing an artificial pancreas is staggering. So it isn’t too surprising that this artificial pancreas really isn’t one. It doesn’t actually replace a person’s pancreas. It only fulfills one of the pancreas’ functions, supplying insulin.

The system has three parts: a small subcutaneous patch to monitor blood glucose levels, sending the results via radio frequency to a small computer that calculates the correct insulin dose, and an insulin pump that delivers the dosage.

“The system has the potential to improve the safety and effectiveness of insulin delivery and may allow more flexible lifestyles in the future,” said Dr Roman Hovorka of Cambridge University, who led the study. He said that the system could be exceptionally useful at night, when dangerous blood sugar drops often happen.

There are currently systems that allow a patient to wear a patch that monitors their blood sugar, and a small, cell phone size insulin pump to deliver a steady dose throughout the day. But these still require input from a clinician or a patient. This system is closed-loop, intended to be completely autonomous, just like an organ. It was tested by 12 diabetics overnight, after consuming a large meal with carbohydrates and alcohol (sounds like a joke: 12 diabetics walk into a bar…). The patients had a 22 percent improvement in keeping blood-glucose levels in a safe range, and the incidence of low blood-glucose levels was cut in half.

This technology would be a great improvement in the quality of life for many diabetics. Now, to make it widely available, and affordable.

Hand Transplant

In another amazing medical accomplishment, a woman from Yuba City, California recieved a hand transplant. Emily Fennell is a single mom, and lost her right hand in a car accident in 2006. She had adapted to using her left hand for daily tasks, and had a prosthesis, but it was less than satisfactory. So, in an amazing 14 1/2 hour operation at UCLA Medical Center, which required a team of 20, her bones, blood vessels, nerves and tendons were connected to the donated hand.

This is the 13th such transplant in the US, and the first at UCLA. Fennell will have to take medication for the rest of her life to prevent rejection of the hand, but with some intensive rehabilitation (she is spending more than 8 hours a day in therapy now), she will be able to regain significant use of the hand. It will never be fully functional but she will regain 60 percent of function. She was able to move her new fingers soon after the surgery, but still has no feeling in the hand. The surgery cost $800,000, but it was experimental, so she did not have to pay.

A surgeon who has performed the transplant surgery on another patient, Dr. Linda Cendales, described the function of a transplanted hand this way, “They will never have a normal hand. But they do recover enough sensation to differentiate between temperatures, and rough and smooth surfaces.” They can open doors, tie shoes and turn pages. Not a bad deal, all things considered.

Bionic Leg

There have been great advances in the use of prosthetic limbs, making them lighter, more comfortable, and easier to move. But many of the current prosthetics are operated manually, by the person swinging their leg out to step forward. Scientists at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s Center for Bionic Medicine are working on a project to create a robotic prosthesis that would be controlled by the person’s own nervous system, and powered so that it can move on its own.

One patient that is testing the new technology is Hailey Daniswicz, 20, who lost her lower leg to bone cancer in 2005. Daniswicz is training a computer avatar to recognize slight movements in her thigh. She has electrodes attached to nine different muscles in her thigh, and can see her progress on the screen as she flexes and moves her muscles. The computer begins to recognize the intent of the user over time.

She is participating in a clinical trial sponsored by the U.S. Army using electromyography (electrical signals produced by muscles) and pattern recognition computer software to control the next generation of robotic limbs. She will eventually be fitted with a robotic limb.

“We’re really integrating the machine with the person,” said Levi Hargrove, a research scientist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s Center for Bionic Medicine who is leading the project. The researchers have already developed prosthetic arms that use nerve impulses to operate. A leg is the next step. It is too early to say now when these would be available, but we are closer than we’ve ever been before.

Knee Surgery? There’s an app for that.

Is there anything you can’t do with an app? There’s even an app that assists with knee surgery. The app is called DASH and is developed to work on an iPod touch to aid doctors through complex knee and hip replacement surgery. There’s of course more equipment needed than just the iPod touch, but the device is an integral part of the system.

Doctors at Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai successfully performed three knee replacement surgeries using the new technology. The system involves slipping the iPod touch into a case that has precision measuring instruments attached to it. The surgeon then positions the iPod touch to read the data from the high-resolution screen to accurately mark spots to cut and properly align new components into the joint.

“Accuracy in positioning the new joint is what decides how well the patient walks post-surgery, how much the knee bends, and even how long it lasts,” said Dr. Arun Mullaji, who demoed the new system.

There are already precision technologies that help with the complexity of knee surgery, but they are bulky and complicated to operate. The DASH software along with the use of an iPod touch makes the process more portable, intuitive, and affordable. The system was developed by Smith & Nephew along with Brainlab and already has a CE certification for Europe. It is waiting for approval in the U.S. A free demo of the app is available for download called DASH Learn.

See the video of how it is done here:

And Now For The Robots…

SARCOS: A robot you can push around

The Sarcos is a full body humanoid robot that stands and balances on its own two feet with movements that are fluid thanks to the use of hydraulic actuators. Ben Stephens, a Ph.D. research student at Carnegie Mellon, works with Sarcos to develop its balancing abilities. In the first video below you will see him demonstrating Sarcos by having it perform a dance that was programmed from recording human movement via motion capture.

The second video actually shows Sarcos getting pushed with a stick and being able to step forward to adjust its balance without falling over. That’s a good skill to have considering Sarcos is probably not cheap nor lightweight and could cause both monetary and physical damage. What’s interesting in both videos is that Sarcos is not just playing back programmed joint movements, but is actively adjusting balance throughout each movement.

Now, if they can make him cordless, and give him some skin, that guy is going to be really freaky.

iRobots in Fukushima

On Sunday April 17th, iRobot packbots entered the Fukushima Daiichi reactor building 3 to explore parts of the plant that have been closed to people since the facility was evacuated. Japanese nuclear workers were entering some locations in the plant just after the disaster, but now they’ve mostly pulled back to safe locations. The shorter term radiation doses were relatively safe, but at sustained elevated levels the threat of damage grows. The repair efforts continue with support from a number of robotic helpers.

The packbots had the important job of taking radiation and temperature readings from inside the rooms that had been sealed since the disaster. TEPco has not released these findings to the public yet, but rest assured, you don’t want to go in there. The bots also feature a video camera with a live-feed to operators at a safe location. The iRobot packbots are notable for their use in US Military operations in Iraq and Afganistan as bomb defusal bots.

See the video of the packbots entering the plant:

That’s a wrap for SlashGear Science week in review. Thanks for reading, and see you next week. We always appreciate your feedback, so feel free to send in your suggestions, or leave them in the comments.

“This could lead to a new kind of solar cell without semiconductors and without absorption to produce charge separation,” Rand said. “In solar cells, the light goes into a material, gets absorbed and creates heat. Here, we expect to have a very low heat load. Instead of the light being absorbed, energy is stored in the magnetic moment. Intense magnetization can be induced by intense light and then it is ultimately capable of providing a capacitive power source.”

Right now solar power cells are expensive and somewhat dirty to produce as they are made from semiconducting wafers. This will allow solar collection apparatus to be constructed from much more common materials. This could be the breakthrough that makes solar power cheap enough for widespread adoption.

“To manufacture modern solar cells, you have to do extensive semiconductor processing,” Fisher, a PhD student involved in the research, said. “All we would need are lenses to focus the light and a fiber to guide it. Glass works for both. It’s already made in bulk, and it doesn’t require as much processing. Transparent ceramics might be even better.”

This could be a major breakthrough, focusing the light into a usable beam and creating voltage potential with cheaper materials is going to be the ticket to ending the world’s dependence on fossil fuels once and for all. There isn’t going to be a magic bullet that’ll solve all of these problems, solar power is a major component. Efficient energy storage solutions like flywheel energy storage systems are also going to be an important part in leveling out the grid.

[via Earth Techling]

The search giant has announced that it has invested €3.5 million into a solar photovoltaic power plant in Germany. The transaction will require formal approval by German regulators before it is complement and the deal is subject to customary closing conditions. The plant sits on 116 acres in Brandenburg an der Havel near Berlin and has a peak capacity of 18.65MWp making it one of the largest solar plants in Germany.

The facility will be able to provide clean power to more than 5,000 homes in the area and the site of the solar plant was formerly a Russian army training ground. This marks the first clean energy project investment outside of the US for Google. Google purchased 49% of the plant from Capital Sage AG.

Plastic Made From Mystery Meat

Since Mad Cow disease made it clear that using old meat and bone meal (MBM) as animal feed was a really really bad idea, millions of pounds of the stuff are ending up in landfills. Scientists, presenting research at a meeting of the American Chemical Society, have proposed a new use for the nasty stuff.

The ground up animal slurry can be used to make partially biodegradable plastic, which uses less petroleum. Then, when the material is mixed with ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), it creates a very durable material with the bonus of being partly biodegradable. And any of the infectious agents in the material would be removed during manufacture.

Okay, but don’t ask me to eat off of it.

[via American Chemical Society]

Clouds, Contrails and Climate

The air travel industry has been under fire for the carbon emissions generated by planes and their possible impact on the climate, but carbon emissions might not actually be the biggest climate problem associated with air travel. According to a study in the journal Nature Climate Change, the clouds, or contrails generated by planes may have the biggest impact.

Over time, the clouds produced through contrail water vapor evolve into “contrail cirrus” clouds, losing their linear features and looking more like naturally occurring cirrus clouds. The problem is that though low-altitude clouds cool the planet by reflecting sunlight, high altitude clouds such as cirrus are insulating and cause more warming. Though these aircraft-generated clouds suppress the formation of natural cirrus clouds, partially offsetting the impact they make, they are still the largest contribution to climate related to aircraft.

One upside is that if we can find a way to change the cloud formation caused by aircraft, the impact would be seen immediately.

[via Wired]

Artificial Leaf Could Provide Cheap Power to the Developing World

Scientists at the 241st Meeting of the American Chemical Society released details on a new design, an advanced solar cell married with fuel cells. Instead of transforming sunlight into stored sugars for a plant’s metabolism, the artificial leaf uses the energy to transform water into hydrogen and oxygen for later combustion.

Daniel Nocera, the MIT chemist responsible for this amazing piece of technology, said: “Nature is powered by photosynthesis, and I think that the future world will be powered by photosynthesis as well in the form of this artificial leaf.”

Researchers claim that this device could power a home in the developing world. Wired UK reports that the scientist has negotiated with Tata Group of India to produce a power plant smaller than a car. Should we think of that like an artificial tree? Nocera said, “One can envision villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology.” The deal is slated to wrap up late 2012.

The fuel cell technology sounds a bit similar to the Bloom Energy Server we wrote about recently.

A commenter on our story expressed skepticism that big power companies would ever let something like this come to light. Here’s hoping he’s wrong about that, and that the spread of information and easy access to it will make it harder for things like this to be squashed.

[via Kevin Fubar, SlashGear]

Fighting Fires – No Water Needed

In more news from the recent meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), a new application of an old technology could aid in fighting fires – sans water. The device is a backpack with a wand attached, which shoots a beam of electricity into flames. The electricity can snuff out the fire, or at least make fighting it easier. Ludovico Cademartiri, Ph.D., and his colleagues in the group of George M. Whitesides, Ph.D., at Harvard University, “described a discovery that could underpin a new genre of fire-fighting devices, including sprinkler systems that suppress fires not with water, but with zaps of electric current, without soaking and irreparably damaging the contents of a home, business, or other structure.”

The concept of using electricity to control flames is around 200 years old, but there has not been much research done to develop the technology. But now, researchers have connected a 600 watt amplifier to a wand, and used it to beam electricity into flames reaching one foot or higher. In the tests, the flames were quickly snuffed out over and over again, using only electricity. It appears that carbon particles, or soot, is the key to this phenomenon. Soot particles can become easily charged, and respond to the electric field, making the flames unstable. “Combustion is first and foremost a chemical reaction – arguably one of the most important – but it’s been somewhat neglected by most of the chemical community,” said Cademartiri. “We’re trying to get a more complete picture of this very complex interaction.”

This could potentially be used remotely, when firefighters cannot easily get to the flames, and the researchers note it is best used in tight spaces. And best used with caution, since 600 watts could do quite as much damage to a person as it would to the flames.

[via TreeHugger]

Offshore Solar Power Plants

In more environmental news, Australian solar power company Sunengy is partnering with India’s Tata Power to build a floating solar power plant off the shore of India. Sunengy, whose mission is “To bring viable and affordable solar power to the world,” produces Liquid Solar Arrays or LSAs. The LSA uses traditional Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) technology, consisting of a lens and a small area of solar cells that tracks the sun throughout the day.

Since the LSA floats, it doesn’t need expensive supporting structures. The lenses submerge in bad weather, and being on the water has the additional benefit of cooling the solar cells, increasing their life-span and efficiency. Construction of the pilot plant in India will begin in August, and Sunergy plans to go into full production sometime after 2012.

Here is the LSA in action.

[via TreeHugger]

T-Rex’s new cousin, or at least, his cousin’s jawbone

Palaeontologists have identified a giant predatory dinosaur, similar in size and stature to the Tyrannosaurus Rex. The dinosaur is named Zhuchengtyrannus (meaning “Tyrant from Zhucheng”) magnus, and was probably about 4 meters (13 feet) tall, 11 meters (36 feet) long, and weighed 6000 kg, or 6 1/2 tons. The palaeontologists have only found some skull and jaw bones, so the actual size is estimated. However, the bones are only a few centimeters smaller than the largest T. rex specimen. The bones were found in the city of Zhucheng, in the Shandong province of eastern China.

The dinosaur ran on strong back legs, with puny front limbs, just like the T. rex. The Zhuchengtyrannus is different from other tyrannosaurines because of some unique features in the skull. Scientists found a piece of lower jaw containing seven partly to fully erupted teeth, and another piece of jaw bone containing eight teeth. The bones were found in a quarry which contains one of the largest concentrations of dinosaur bones in the world.

Read the full paper here.

[via BBC]

And now for the robots…

iMobot Intelligent, Reconfigurable Modular Robots

The iMobot robots are small modules that link together like a chain to form larger robotic modules. The modules have two joints at the center which can rotate 180 degrees. The robots have four degrees of freedom, so they can stand themselves up, roll end over end, stack themselves, and inch along like a caterpillar. And, they are going to be available commercially soon. See them in action:

And read the full story here.

[via SlashGear]

Robotic surgical instruments make tiny paper airplanes

From Shane McGlaun, SlashGear:

I guess considering that these little robot tools can be used to fix hearts and other critical parts of the human body I shouldn’t be surprised that the things can fold tiny little paper airplanes, but I am. I had no idea these tools had so much dexterity.

This isn’t what bored docs get up to just to stay warm in surgical suites; this is how Dr. James Porter shows off how precise his fancy da Vinci robot really is. I am impressed Dr. Porter, but can it make an origami swan?

[via SlashGear]

Reeti puts the “personal” in personal computer

If you’ve ever wished that your computer was more personable, and could maybe even have a conversation with you, Reeti might be just what you’re looking for.

From Chris Davies:

The desktop companion is both a PC, a webcam and a telepresence ‘bot, capable of streaming live video from his webcam eyes, responding to touch thanks to various embedded sensors, and making facial expressions.

Inside is a 1.8GHz dual-core Atom CPU paired with NVIDIA Ion 2 graphics, a 500GB hard-drive, WiFi b/g/n, ethernet, three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, digital audio outputs, Blu-ray, and more, running Ubuntu with some custom robotics tools preloaded. Hooked up to a display, keyboard and mouse, and you can use REETI as your regular desktop.

Your normal PC probably doesn’t have cheeks that light up in various colors depending on mood, a head that can turn and track people in 3D (or be remotely controlled by an iPad app), or respond and track sound and key commands. REETI is also capable of reading out RSS, Facebook, Twitter and other sources, or acting as a robotic receptionist to welcome people to your business.

See the cute little guy in action:

[via SlashGear]

Daniel Nocera is the MIT chemist responsible for this amazing piece of technology. He says of this.

Nature is powered by photosynthesis, and I think that the future world will be powered by photosynthesis as well in the form of this artificial leaf.

Researchers claim that this device could power a home in the developing world. Wired UK reports that the scientist has negotiated with Tata Group of India to produce a power plant smaller than a car. Should we think of that like an artificial tree? Nocera said, “One can envision villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology.” This deal is slated to wrap up late 2012.

[via Wired UK]

Video demo after the cut

Together, the two sources are good enough to power a portable TV for 4.8hrs, though you can connect two units together to double the runtime. The flexible solar panel sheet is developed by Fuji Electric Systems, and the internal battery can be recharged from a 12V DV input.

There’s also a standard USB port for hooking up portable gadgets like cellphones. OS began shipping the GSR-110B back in January, with the device priced at 60,000 yen ($730).

[youtube XjL1mQFlp7A]

[via OhGizmo]

All of those mirrors are combined with an existing combined-cycle natural gas power plant. The solar panels use tech that allows them to track the sun during the day to harness the free solar energy and reduce the need for the power plant to burn fossil fuels.

The plant creates 75-megawatts of power and gets enough power from the sun to run 11,000 homes annually. FPL expects the solar energy to reduce the fossil fuel consumption by about 41 billion cubic feet of natural gas and to save more than 600,000 barrels of oil. The reduction in burned fossil fuels will prevent the release of about 2.75 million tons of greenhouse case and save the power customers $178 million in fuel costs over the 30-year life of the new plant.

The first hydrogen powered house is in Kings Point, Long Island, just outside of NYC. It was built by the New York Institute of Technology. The house is tiny, only 800 square feet, and has a solar-hydrogen system that was engineered by the US Merchant Marine Academy. It uses a Proton Energy Systems HOGEN 40RE Electrolyzer, Plug Power GenCore 5 kW Fuel Cell and 54 Sanyo HIT 200 Photovoltaic panels. The solar panels generate electricity, which powers the electrolyzer. That in turn creates the hydrogen by splitting the molecules that make water. Then the hydrogen is stored in tanks until needed.

The New Haven project, at 360 State Street (building pictured in the first shot) encompasses the full block. It is 700,000 square feet and has 500 apartments, a grocery store, retail, a parking garage, and an early childhood education center. The cost of the development was about $260 per square foot. The fuel cells used in the building weigh over 60,000 lbs and provide 400 kilowatts of energy by converting natural gas to hydrogen, then converting hydrogen and oxygen into energy and heat. The project was completed in 2010.

These hydrogen powered buildings are a smart way to supplement solar power, since solar can have a tough time providing 100% of the energy, especially for a large building. Hopefully we will see more of this technology in the next few years.

[via TreeHugger]

The phone could also be great for travelling. But for daily use, leaving your phone out in the sun for 2.5 hours at a time probably isn’t realistic. More likely, the phone would charge for 10-15 minutes throughout the day in between uses. In the event the phone goes completely dead, it would take up to 17 hours in the sun to charge it back.

While it is great to be able to use the sun to charge your phone, even supplementally, there are things to consider. Like, will the solar panel get scratched up in your pocket or purse? Will the phone get damaged by extended exposure to sunlight? Maybe a solar powered removable case would be a better idea.

There are two models: one for the US (MTK6573) with support for 850/1900Mhz bands, and one (MTK6516) that works in Europe and much of Asia.

Specs:

• 3.2″ 320×480 Display
• 1GB storage internally, with a microSD card slot
• FM Radio
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
• 3 megapixel rear camera
• 3.5mm audio jack

[via Treehugger]
from MobileCrunch

The cost of the death ray? Only about $90. We wonder if this could have useful properties, other than destroying things. Solar energy, maybe? The video is here.

Unfortunately, the solar death ray was destroyed by, you guessed it, fire. He is working on a new, more powerful version.

[via HotHardware]

This 5th Marine Regiment has been using a program by the name of Experimental Forward Operating Base, aka ExFOB. This program uses an array of panels that can absorb solar power, then they’ve got equipment that can transmit that power to the equipment they use daily, this process saving them a MINIMUM of 8 gallons of diesel fuel a day. That’s a lot considering the tinyness of a single regiment. Think of this program applied on a large scale.

Staff Sargent David Doty notes, “Our generators typically use more than 20 gallons of fuel a day. We are down to 2.5 gallons a day. The system works amazing. By saving fuel for generators, it has cut back on the number of convoys, meaning less opportunity for one of our vehicles to hit an IED.” The array consists of flexible/portable panels that are both carried by troops and placed over tents during the day, each of them efficient enough to power four computers at once.

[Via Good Clean Tech]

The Ocean Empire has 4,305 square feet of solar panels installed on its frame. There are large areas of the ship that have been labeled “fishing accommodations.” And, a pair of hydroponic farms. The solar panels are capable of capture somewhere near 70 kW of power, while the 861 square-foot skysail is able to grab another 200 kW of power on its own.

However, that’s not all. The designers also included a Motion Damping Regeneration system, which will make sure that the super yacht doesn’t capsize in rough waters. The system is also capable of pulling down another 50 kW of power in its own right. If you find yourself on the Ocean Empire at some point in the future, it looks like you won’t ever have to worry about running out of power, as there’s plenty of different ways the ship will attain it, and then provide it.

[via DVICE]

Solar power is becoming a common addition to some gadgets. Yet, it’s mostly tied to accessories that charge our more important devices, rather than being an integral part of them. That looks to be changing for at least one company, as Apple has recently been awarded a patent for solar-powered devices. Generally speaking, the patent describes solutions for charging devices that range from smartphones, to laptops and tablet devices, courtesy of solar power.

The general description of the patent goes into detail about the devices that would be included, which describes about as generally as possible any of the devices aforementioned. It goes on to say that these things could be charged from several different sources, and that solar power would be part of that method. This particular patent was originally filed by Apple way back in the first quarter of 2009. Rumors about a solar-powered Apple-branded device haven’t been as rampant as others, but they are out there, and this awarded patent would suggest that the company is certainly looking into the possibility.

[via TechCrunch]

The integration of the solar cell directly into the chip allows the chip to take up less space and generate their own power. The solar cells placed directly on top of the electronic components means that the chips need no batteries. The design of the solar cells means that the chips must need less than 1milliwatt of power according to the researchers.

Like those calculators I mentioned before, the solar panels can collect enough juice to allow the chips to be used indoors. The major risk in the construction of chips with integrated solar panels is that the production of the solar panels might damage the electronics so the chips function less efficiently. The chip is used as the base for the solar panels and then the solar array is put onto the chip layer by layer. To reduce the chance of damaging the chips the researchers use solar cells made of amorphous silicon also known as CIGS.

Utwente.nl via SlashDot

Finding alternative energy sources is a cause that many corporations and companies are attached to. And governments, along with entire cities, aren’t new to clinging onto new methods for saving energy, and costs. California, which has been known in the past to incorporate solar and wind energy, is now looking at opening a new solar plant, which uses molten salt to store and release energy. The permit was just approved recently, the company behind the plant, SolarReserve, announced late Wednesday.

SolarReserve is a California-based company, out of Santa Monica, and they are moving forward with their Rice Solar Energy Project, which they will launch 30 miles from Blythe, California. The 150-megawatt solar plant is said to be able to power the equivalent of 68,000 homes over the course of a year. Together with a 25-year power purchase agreement with Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the plant should be able to bring plenty of energy to California over time.

SolarReserve isn’t new to the solar plants powered by molten salt. They have plans to build a plant in Spain, and they are also looking to build more in Sicily and Nevada. With the solar plant opening near Blythe, giant mirrors that are controlled by computers to judge the best point to reflect the sun’s rays will be used to point that energy at a single tower at the center of the plant. They will point that energy at the tower, which will then lead to a series of pipes where a molten salt mixture will be stored. That mixture of molten salt will be able to store the collected energy, as the heat from the sun heats up the liquefied salt to over 1,000 Fahrenheit. The molten salt, heated, is then transfered to a generator where it will be turned into electricity. The cooled salt is then transferred to the pipes above, where it will be heated again.

While the initial permit for the solar plant has been approved, SolarReserve is now waiting for approval from the Bureau of Land Management, as well as the Western Area Power Administration, before they can move forward with the construction and usage of the plant.

[via CNET]

Sony says that the tech costs less than the average solar technology today and it installs easily into already existing buildings. Neato! Sony says it cannot say when these cells will be available commercially. Let’s hope for asap.

[Via EcoFriend]

What a magical assortment of parts – each of them cut with precision to provide you with a greener way to display the time on your wrist. Can you imagine a future where the only thing that’d make you replace a device is a damaged part, and the only power source needed is the sun? Welcome to that future.

[Via Akihabara News]

The set has green features and needs only 40W of juice in eco-mode and is made from recycled aluminum. It also and has a 0W mode when turned off. BORING. What’s not boring bout the set is its remote control. Philips bundles a remote with the TV that is solar powered. That is something you don’t see on every TV.

The solar remote has been designed to be green and needs no batteries. Few details are actually offered about the remote, but I can say I wish my Harmony One were solar powered. It will run for just long enough on a charge for me to forget the thing needs to be placed on the charge cradle across the room. The Philips solar remote appears to lack multi device control capability. The downside to solar power is that you will need to be able to set the thing near a window and if there isn’t one near your set that can be a pain.

The restaurant used several different energy conserving technologies and green design ideas in its efforts to be more environmentally friendly. These include a light colored landscape to reduce heat emissions. The native plants used in the landscape are drought tolerant so less water is needed and low flow pluming is used to conserve water inside the restaurant.

The big green feature for the location is the addition of 294 photovoltaic panels that generate some of the power the restaurant needs to operate. The exact percentage of the power needed that the panels are able to generate is unknown. The restaurant even uses recycled denim inside the walls for insulation.

The backside of the Eclipse is one big solar panel so the device can get the juice it needs directly from the sun rather than batteries or AC power. The concept has Bluetooth connectivity to stream music, podcasts, and weather updates from a smartphone or computer.

Other features of the concept are a pop out holder for your PMP that looks like a cassette deck from the 80′s. Speakers are integrated into the design and a supporting app for the iPhone would let the user get screen savers to go along with the songs being played. The Eclipse was designed by Hoang M Nguyen and Anh Nguyen.