Sure, you could build your own similar device for far less than $4.4 million (Australian) but would it look nearly as awesome as the vest that the bad mamma jamma on the left is wearing? My position is “no, it would not.”
The aforementioned money was given to Australia’s national science agency as a grant in the hopes that it could develop an “electrojacket” that “uses what are called Piezoelectric materials to transform kinetic energy into storable power.”
Its intended use will be for military personnel and will (hopefully) allow them to eschew all the little battery packs needed to power the many various gadgets they have strapped to them while in the field of battle. The energy that’s created by the soldiers’ movement will theoretically power many of those devices. The technology could also have practical applications in the private and medical device sectors as well.
A jacket to keep you warm and powered [bit-tech.net]
A few TV manufacturers and broadcasters have joined forces to develop 10 minutes of boredom as a standard way of measuring energy use. Apparently energy consumption varies based on the genre so the clip combines all of them into one including soap operas, sports, and nature programs. It would be assumed that porn uses up the most energy and as a result we encourage everyone to cut back and go outside. You know, for the sake of the environment and all.
The clip will become an International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard and will be used to measure the efficiency of TV’s world wide.
World’s most boring TV show to measure energy use [Reuters]
Neon signs will always looks cool when one is inebriated, but what happens when these signs get old and die? They go out to the deserts of Las Vegas, where they remain still in time forever. Some are beautiful, some are ugly, all are old and overused. Quite beautiful actually.
Neon Graveyard [Cool Hunting]
Across the pond at the University of Southampton, a teeny-tiny generator powered by ambient vibrations could be the next big thing for pacemaker-packing patients. The less-than-one-cubic-centimeter device is said to be 10 times more efficient than current devices and eliminates the need to change out the batteries, something that’s long-been a tricky task. In a pacemaker, the device would draw power from the vibrations created by the beating of the human heart. Unreal.
By removing excess wires and batteries, these devices are now able to be placed in previously hard-to-reach places and can be fitted with larger sensors. Beyond the benefits to the pacemaker crowd, these devices could also be used to monitor structural conditions in roads and bridges.
Although in its current state this generator is only able to produce mere microwatts of electricity, one would think that eventually this technology could be used to power all sorts of low-energy devices like the keyfob that you use to unlock your car or maybe even your TV’s remote control.
Good vibes power tiny generator [BBC News]
Jadoo Power Systems announced today that it has received a contract to develop advanced fuel canisters for use with hydrogen fuel cells. Using a proprietary digital interface technology called N-Stor, the new canisters can utilize a chemical hydride derived from ammonia borane. This process drastically reduces the weight of the new canisters, making it ideal for space objectives.
Jadoo
