by: Ecofriend, 2011-06-28 08:38:24 UTC
DATTATREYA MANDAL:
Echo Spin ConceptConcept cellphone by Jung-woo Choi
Mobile consumers are aware of the fact that dual SIM phones are all the rage in the contemporary market. Korean designer Jung-woo Choi has gone in a different path altogether by conceptualizing the Echo Spin mobile phone concept. Instead of adverting to rampant commercialism, the conception clearly alludes to the sustainable side of affairs by incorporating dual battery modes as an intrinsic part of the whole setup.
Now the question may arise - How does the dual battery mode equate to enhanced sustainability? In this case, the designer has thought of two battery modes pertaining to two different user interface capabilities. The two types of batteries will be the Metal and the Black Crack (coming in two different color combination). The battery system of Black Crack will insinuate a business type user interface with all the modern services. On the other hand, the battery system of Metal will correspond to an eco friendly mode with low energy requirement for functioning and maintenance. The user can personally change the mode according to his/her personal preference.
Coming to the other convenient and practical feature, this mobile phone can also be easily recharged by a simple mechanism. The rear end of the contraption will feature a circular button, and the phone can be recharged by directly pressing it and rotating in circular motion.
Wait WHAT? Cue GaGa’s monsters in 3, 2, 1… because these are for real. It’s a collection of fashionable eyewear exploring the potential of human hair. The UK beauty industry imports 15 million pounds worth of human hair a year. Human hair has been reimagined as a viable and renewable material. Hair Glasses comprises of human hair with bioresin as a binding agent, the frames are 100% biodegradable and no harmful substances are released during production.
Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
by: Tech-On! : tech news - straight from Asia., 2011-06-29 07:47:00 UTC
Toray Industries Inc synthesized a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by using only biomass-derived materials and made a film of it in collaboration with the US-based Gevo Inc (Inglewood, Co.).
China a world leader in clean vehicle production? Well, that’s the aim. As China moves to reduce their swelling greenhouse gas emissions, the central government has announced they will commit 1.5billion dollars annually to developing the electric vehicle industry over the next ten years. Kicking off the program in Shenzhen — one of the fastest growing cities in the world — the government has just put a trial electric taxi project in play. If successful, the program will result in half a million electric vehicles and plugins throughout the country by 2015.
by: Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine, 2011-06-29 02:30:37 UTC
Traditional solar cell production techniques are usually time consuming and require expensive vacuum systems or toxic chemicals. Depositing chemical compounds such as CIGS on a substrate using vapor phase deposition also wastes most of the expensive material in the process. For the first time, engineers at Oregon State University (OSU) have now developed a process to create "CIGS" solar cells with inkjet printing technology that allows for precise patterning to reduce raw material waste by 90 percent and significantly lower the cost of producing solar cells with promising, yet expensive compounds...
Continue Reading Researchers cut waste and lower cost of 'CIGS' solar cells using inkjet printing technology
by: Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine, 2011-06-29 13:35:58 UTC
The U.S. Army has opened a System Integration Laboratory (SIL) at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, modeled after forward operating bases in Iraq and Afghanistan to test technologies aimed at creating more energy-efficient base camps. The various energy-efficient technologies being tested are expected to reduce base camp fuel requirements by 20 percent or more and water demand by up to 75 percent. ..
Continue Reading U.S. Army aims for more energy-efficient base camps
by: Greentech Media: Headlines, 2011-06-29 15:30:37 UTC
SAN CARLOS, CALIF. --- Most internal combustion engines operate like trumpets, with punctuating valves controlling the flow of air, fuel and exhaust in and out of the cylinder.
Pinnacle Engines has come up with an engine that operates more like a trombone.
The company, founded in 2007, has developed a somewhat novel opposed piston engine that controls the flow of gases with a sliding cylinder sleeve -- typically an inert component that separates the cylinder from the rest of the engine -- instead of traditional intake valves.
The cumulative architectural changes allow Pinnacle’s engine to improve fuel economy by 25 percent to 50 percent, the company claims.
An Asian manufacturer has already agreed to adopt it -- assuming development continues as planned -- for two- and three-wheeled vehicles, said CEO Ron Hoge.
“We should be in production with our first engines in 2013,” he said.
The engine will cost more initially than other engines, but the premium can be made up in fuel economy, he added. With Pinnacle’s engine, three-wheelers, a common mode of transportation in India, can go 45 kilometers on a liter of gas instead of the usual 36 kilometers.
Put another way, a car with a six-piston Pinnacle engine can get the same mileage, but sport better performance, than a car with a standard four-piston engine.
Although electric cars tend to grab most of the headlines, established companies and a select group of startups like Achates Power and EcoMotors are tinkering with ways to improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines. Electric car advocates like Nissan’s Carlos Ghosn and Elon Musk of Tesla Motors predict that electrics might constitute 10 percent to 13 percent of the car market by 2020. Thus, 87 percent of the market will need technology to meet the more stringent mileage standards in place in the EU, the U.S., China and other nations.
The big question is whether and how these startups will fare. Large auto companies historically have been reluctant to license outside technology, particularly from young companies. Only a few companies ever adopted the Wankel engine. Scuderi Engines has spent years on its engine but has yet to graduate beyond simulations.
Many others have extensive programs underway, as well. Ford, for instance, is concentrating most of its fuel economy efforts on its EcoBoost engine, a diesel-like gas engine that can boost fuel economy by 10 percent to 15 percent.
Hoge, though, points out that transportation will grow more rapidly in emerging economies like China and India and many of these new car companies don’t have decades of engine R&D or worldwide teams of engineering.
And, despite the fact that emerging nations often don’t have a great reputation when it comes to protecting intellectual property, Asia has become a destination for intellectual property startups. Most of the customers of Innovalight, which makes an ink to enhance solar panels, hail from China.
Pinnacle's engine, invented by Monte Cleeves, shares similarities with the engines from Achates Power and EcoMotors. All three are based around an opposed piston design. In most engines, a cylinder contains a single piston. In these engines, two pistons face each other from opposite ends of the same cylinder. The change effectively gives these engines a dynamic, more efficient compression chamber for burning fuel. Think about how it is easier to squeeze a rubber ball with your two hands instead of pressing it with one hand onto a flat, immobile table.
Combining two pistons into one cylinder also reduces the number of parts, leading to lower costs and, ideally, lower maintenance requirements. (Subaru and Porsche have boxer engines, which sport pistons positioned opposite from each other, but the pistons sit in their own cylinders.)
All three have a heritage that goes back to World War II. Junkers, the plane manufacturer of the Third Reich, developed opposed piston diesel engines for planes. The British used sliding sleeve engines in the Bristol and other planes.
The engines from Achates and EcoMotors, however, run on diesel. Pinnacle’s engine runs on regular gas, which is easier to find and doesn’t have the same baggage when it comes to particulate matter. It can also run on compressed natural gas or ethanol.
The Pinnacle engine is also a four-stroke engine (i.e., there are four separate segments to the compression cycle). The company calls it the “Cleeves Cycle.” Achates has a two-stroke cycle.
The sliding sleeve is also unique. With a sleeve, the port for letting in air and fuel or letting out exhaust can be as big as the entire circumference of the cylinder. It’s a void that is open and shut by sleeve. Traditional valves have smaller circumferences. Greater potential intake leads to performance gains.
Pinnacle’s biggest challenge in development has revolved around figuring out a way to keep the sleeve lubricated while simultaneously keeping oil out of the cylinder.
Right now, the company only has prototypes. (See video. That's Cleeves, by the way.) A pre-production version of the engine is due in around six months.
While Pinnacle will produce engines, it will also explore licensing and joint ventures. With the first customer, you won’t see the Pinnacle name on it. Instead, the engine will bear the name of the vehicle manufacturer, but it will be touted as the Cleeves Cycle engine.
NEA, Bessemer Ventures and Infield Capital put $13.5 million into the company in March.
by: Greentech Media: Headlines, 2011-06-29 17:00:34 UTC
On the island of Jeju off of South Korea, a smart grid revolution might be underway. The project, which has already been in the planning stages for years, is not merely a pilot to test a home area network or a few smart switches on the grid. Instead, Korea Electric Power Company test bed is the world’s largest smart grid community to try out business models and technologies and then translate them into a plan for the rest of the country.
One of the recent developments is the Total Operations Center that will be operated by IBM, one of the many corporate partners involved in the project. The center is an integrated energy management system, not just for KEPCO, but also for the other 160 companies -- including SK Telecom, Hyundai and LG -- operating at Jeju to monitor smart grid data and information on international markets.
"This collaboration with KEPCO will not only improve operational efficiencies at the complex but will also help drive the development of international standard technologies in the Korean smart grid market, allowing domestic businesses to operate and compete at an international level," said Guido Bartels, General Manager, Energy and Utilities industry at IBM and Chairman, Global Smart Grid Federation.
The data is useful to different players in different ways, said Michael Valocchi, VP and Industry Lead for Global Business Services, Energy & Utilities at IBM. Someone might want to get 15-minute interval data and look at it every two hours, while another company might want to analyze three-hour data once a day. “It’s a more robust and complete solution,” he added. The advantage of having it all in one place, rather than companies sharing it on an ad-hoc basis, also means that the best solutions are likely to come to market faster.
The announcement of the center was made at IBM’s semi-annual Global Intelligent Utility Network Coalition (GIUNC) meeting. KEPCO, which is a coalition member, will also be sharing many of the results of the test bed with the other GIUNC members.
The Jeju model could have worldwide implications for smart grid technologies if cheaper, better solutions can be hashed out instead of relying on the piecemeal pilot approach of other regions, such as the U.S. South Korea sees energy and energy efficiency as one of its next big export markets. Samsung has laid plans to become the world’s largest solar provider by 2015 from a base in 2009 of effectively zero. The company recently agreed to build $1.6 billion worth of factories and other facilities in Ontario, Canada. Both LG and Samsung have also unfurled initiatives to reduce power consumption in their upscale household appliances.
Within South Korea, it is assumed that Jeju will result in the world-class smart grid that can be implemented in the whole country. Last year, the country’s Ministry of Knowledge Economy released a two-page report that hits all the high points in its plan for smart grid deployment through 2030, with hard targets for everything from advanced metering infrastructure to EV quick-charging stations and microgrid communications.
To get to a whole solution, “you really need something like this,” said Valocchi. By doing individual pilots, “We might get to the complete solution eventually, but there’d be more trial and error." But South Korea is looking to make a splash, not a trickle, into the smart grid market. “The time to market is going to be very rapid,” said Valocchi.
by: The Design blog, 2011-06-29 07:19:57 UTC
Jaspreet Walia:
Plug it in_01Plug it in headphones comes with gold plated jack plugs.
A good headset can add to the whole musical experience. But, if more than one person wishes to enjoy the same piece of music, they have to use a speaker instead with no option to connect two headsets with one player. Keeping this flaw in mind, Dorien Van Heijst has designed a unique product christened Plug it in.
It allows multiple listeners to savor same tunes emanating from a single player. These fine-looking headphones have been crafted from leather, porcelain and wood. The product has been fitted with a wire (enveloped in cotton) that has gold-plated jack plugs. These are used to attach an additional headset, which will form a musical connection.
Plug it in_02Plug it in headphones comes with gold plated jack plugs.
Plug it in has been designed in a manner, which will not allow sound to escape out. This will make sure that others don’t get disturbed, while you listen to your favorite songs. Sharing is caring, and this product will do exactly that and form a strong bond between you and your loved ones.
Plug it in_03Plug it in headphones comes with gold plated jack plugs.
by: The Design blog, 2011-06-28 10:28:54 UTC
Jaspreet Walia:
Golden Gate 1An electric camper pod by Jay Nelson
Camping is a fun way to escape the hustle-bustle that cities come caked in. However, here is a piece of good news for all such avid campers who like exploring the surroundings. Designer Jay Nelson has designed the Golden Gate to make this outdoor recreational activity all the more enjoyable.
The camper has a toilet, stove, a table, a convertible bed and a water tank
The electric camper pod is like a home away from home. It comes enveloped in a fiberglass casing, which has all the basic facilities. The pod looks like a small chopper and comes wedged with a stove, cabinets, foldable table, convertible bed, water tank and a toilet. This house on wheel is light in weight and can be carried anywhere. It won’t consume much space and will bow down to all your basic needs.
It can be further customized as per a user’s whims and fancies. The Golden Gate works on electricity and will make sure the environment remains clean and green. It will make sure you don’t miss your home and carry things that are important for you. Cook food, read, write or simply relax, the Golden Gate will make you connect with nature like never before.
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2011-06-07 07:11:40 UTC
The Ribbon Lamp, designed by ECCO Design for Top Brilliant Technology Ltd. (TBT), offers a revolutionary and sustainable new approach to task lighting. ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2011-06-06 03:07:21 UTC
Comieco started in 1985 as an association of environment‐friendly paper mills and paper and board manufacturers; today it gathers over 3,500 italian ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2011-06-03 14:12:33 UTC
THIS IS FUN!
A world leading new concept in personal entertainment! The SPIN™ Media Player gives you the freedom to listen to all your favourite ...
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