We love stuff that works without batteries and electricity. Just recently, Renesas Electronics Corp developed a near-field wireless communication technology that’s capable of transmitting data without batteries. Using environmental radio waves to send data to Bluetooth– and wireless LAN (WiFi)-compatible devices, the system is sure to give rise to a bunch of products that could do with non-battery data transmissions.
During the heated months, we all tend to stay in the shelter of our homes and offices for longer, without spending too much time exposed to the sun, instead preferring air conditioning to keep us cool. For those who spend most of their time outdoors, even during scorching summers, here’s a perfect way to stay cool and healthy even with the sun shining down heatedly. Called the Omni-Freeze Ice clothing range, this apparel uses material made of flat fibers that bring 35 percent more surface area in contact with your skin than traditional round yarns. In short, the more the cloth touches you, the cooler it keeps you, absorbing heat and chilling your skin. Also, the material contains a chemical, so good, that when put in a glass of water, can actually chill the water!
Audemars Piguet, renowned watchmakers hailing from Switzerland, decided to bring a dash of green to the 65th Annual Tony Awards held recently, and joining hands with Patagonia Sur, has come up with a green and eco-friendly Green Room for VIPs at the award function. Giving the Green Room a whole lot of green, the timepiece brand set about planting 300 trees in an effort to offset carbon emissions from the Green Rooms as well as the 100 award presenters and nominees flying in. planted at a 140-acre Audemars Piguet forest, currently home to about 7,500 trees, the firm also used seagrass carpeting woven from natural fibers, zero-toxin aubergine paint and LED lighting in the green rooms.
Our apartment homes in future will be a lot more efficient than they currently are. Entwining technology with home electricity use, systems like IBM’s latest software will help users keep tabs on just how much energy they’ve been using, helping cut down unnecessary electricity usage during peak hours, indirectly cutting short electricity bills by considerable lengths. IBM’s new software works on a building’s energy efficiency as a whole, using multiple analytical tools to keep a wary eye on just how much energy residents use and check the energy consumption of heating systems, cooling systems, ventilators, refrigerating systems and the HVAC-R too, and also does good at pointing out problems in these systems.
If you’ve been under the impression that Barbie dolls are nothing but a pack of joy and a pink girly obsession, completely harmless and innocent, think again! These dolls most of you might have spent your childhoods with have had their share in having a bunch load of trees disappearing from the surface of the earth. To create the packaging for these dolls that have been known to set free the imaginations of kids, hardwood trees far out in Indonesia meet their end with axes and chainsaws. And as the Indonesian rainforests disappear, so do orangutans and tigers, as they lose their homes due to deforestation.
The Paris-Amsterdam rail link is geared up to play host to Europe’s first solar powered tunnel. Running a length of 2.1 miles, the tunnel will use about 50,000 solar panels that will bath in the sun and generate enough energy to satisfy the tunnels electricity-appetite. The energy will, besides powering up the electric trains passing by, also be used to power the lights in the tunnel and will be installed by Belgian solar power company Enfinity. Covering an area equivalent to that of eight football pitches, these solar panels will cost a mighty £12.6 million and will generate an annual estimate of 3,300 MWh, enough to power up 950 homes.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been known to be the world’s oil-well, one of the main sources of fossil fuels for the world. Now, in an ironic turn of events, Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal has stated that oil prices need to be pulled down. And why the sudden change of heart? Well, Saudi’s been worrying about losing one of its most loyal customers, the West, to alternative energy sources, that work out inexpensive in the long run, and keep clouds of smoke out of the air too. Currently, the oil prices have been soaring at about $100 and Prince Talal thinks the ideal price should drop down to $70 or $80.
A retreat out in a desert landscape can be a difficult dream to pursue, due to lack of electricity supply and water. American designer Michael Jantzen however has come up with an innovative way to vacation in a desert landscape. Called the Eco-Desert Retreat, aptly named for what it is, this set of structures includes small vacation retreat shelters and a bunch of support facilities, all sustainable and green. Using natural cooling methods, plenty of ventilation and shaded exterior decks just in case you prefer sitting outdoors and closer to nature, the Eco-Desert Retreat is a perfect way to vacation out in the wilderness. That’s not all. This one also packs a vertical axis turbine with a shaded bench underneath to generate electricity for the shelter.
We’ve had quite a few ways to burn those extra calories and generate a trickle of renewable energy before. Here’s one more. Called the S770 Pinnacle Trainer, this exercise machine by SportsArt Fitness does a lot more than just exercise your muscles and bones and generates energy while keeping you in shape. Using a kinetic energy-generating system that can generate up to 2,000 watts when in use, exercising on a machine like this could cut short your electricity bills by a sweet $3,000 a year!
