Posts tagged with eco

Toyota working on new Prius

Posted on November 13, 2009 6:57 AM

Toyota's Prius has been a best seller since its inception, with more and more people gaining more awareness about going green. Well, the world's No. 1 automaker is now working on a larger version of its popular Prius hybrid which will also run on a new kind of battery - presumably one that lasts longer, packs in more juice and is lighter (that's the way innovation is supposed to be anyways). This new Prius could be either a station wagon or SUV, and ought to hit the market by the end of 2010. This will also be the first vehicle from Toyota that comes with a lithium-ion battery. It is speculated that the new Prius will retail for around $22,000, but that's about all the details that we are privy to at the moment.

Sun Drive keychain is unique

Posted on November 9, 2009 9:16 AM

The Sun Drive keychain is very different from most other keychains since this model sports a USB solar charger that allows you to juice up a range of USB-powered devices on-the-go. Even though it is small in size, it is still able to offer up to 35 hours of juice for most portable devices, or roughly the equivalent of 100 minutes of talk time on your cellphone. Apart from that, it can carry vital information within thanks to a choice of 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacity within. Prices start from a surprisingly affordable $23 a pop.

Stealth wind turbines cannot be detected by radar

Posted on November 4, 2009 6:44 AM

Worldwide installation of wind farms could be delayed or abandoned as objections have been raised from the aviation community or air defense interests. The main reason behind these objections concern low flying aircraft or wind turbines, where conventional radar can't tell the difference between either. The solution? Development of "stealth" turbine technology that might just do the trick. The integration of stealth technology into towers and nacelles as well as blades could potentially enable small remaining radar presence to be factored out of air traffic and air defense systems, essentially turning wind farms invisible to radar.

Mitsubishi offers solar-powered trucks

Posted on October 26, 2009 9:52 AM

Mitsubishi Chemical will harness the power of the sun by using solar cells to power its air conditioning system in trucks so that fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced in an effort to keep the earth as green as possible for our next generation. This 10-ton prototype truck will come with two types of solar cells which allows it to achieve a maximum output of 900 watts. Its storage battery enables it to see action regardless of whether it is rainy or cloudy, and calculations have shown that should all of the 1.4 million existing trucks in Japan were replaced by this model, CO2 emissions might eventually be reduced by 1.65 million tons per year!

Recycle Origami bin

Posted on October 23, 2009 11:10 AM

The Recycle Origami probably runs on magic - how else are you going to explain feeding it trash papers and having it spit out fancy origami creations made from the same, discarded paper? This concept device comes with a touchscreen navigation display for you to select the final 'product' that comes out, and we would prefer to have a random option thrown in for greater spontaniety and fun. There is no explanation on how the Recycle Origami bin is powered though, and neither do we know what sort of gremlins it has within working round the clock to create a slew of different origami designs.

Murakami Rocking Chair Is Eco-Friendly

Posted on October 17, 2009 5:31 AM

Everybody is going green nowadays, and while it’s always a good thing to see tech firms trying to do their part, it’s also nice to see simple items go down the same path. Such is the case with the Murakami chair designed by Rochus Jacob. Instead of wasting all that kinetic energy that rocking a chair generates, it instead uses advanced nano-dynamo technology that is built into the skids of the chair to power the OLED reading lamp above your head. The energy is stored into a battery pack, ready to spring into action when you need it at night. Simplicity at its best, don’t you think?

Solar-powered Clock

Posted on October 12, 2009 11:19 PM

Vienna-based design studio Vandasye has come up with a solar-powered clock prototype that well, basically tells the current time at a glance, being powered by solar energy - guess there is no need to change that pesky AA battery once every year or so, eh? Not too sure just how many batteries this will save in the long run, but it is nice to see solar powered devices gaining traction in mainstream consciousness.

Largest solar-powered footbridge in the world

Posted on October 12, 2009 6:41 AM

Brisbane now houses the world's largest solar-powered footbridge, featuring panels that will power its LED lights while feeding the main grid with juice, helping the government Down Under save up to 38 tons of CO2 each year. This bridge is tipped to see around 36,000 people walking/biking over it each week. Would be intereesting if they could incorporate some sort of mechanism to take advantage of all the kinetic energy generated by ordinary people walking across it.

Toyota FT-EV II does away with steering wheel

Posted on October 7, 2009 1:56 AM

Let's face the fact - driving a car without a steering wheel is not something which the world is ready for at the moment - or are we? No longer does this scenario remain in the realm of science fiction, as Toyota's FT-EV II is a concept vehicle that relies on the core technology of the Toyota Hybrid System, running on a lithium-ion battery that is able to provide enough juice for up to 90km on a full charge, hitting a maximum speed of more than 100km/h. You won't find any steering wheels with this puppy or foot pedals, making us wonder whether driving licenses will have to be divided into two categories in the near future...

OLED Chandelier

Posted on October 6, 2009 11:56 PM

[CEATEC 2009] As OLED becomes cheaper to produce, it will be used not only for displays, but also for lighting. The main advantage of OLED is that designers are given much more freeedom when compared to traditional or fluorescent bulbs. This chandelier was exposed in the “Green IT” section, although I’m not sure how low the power consumption is.

Sanyo Eneloops charged using renewable energy

Posted on October 6, 2009 6:59 AM

We all know that Sanyo's line of Eneloop batteries are as green as they can get, and further improvements to them has upped the ante since these newly upgraded Eneloops are able to be recharged around 1,500 times - a new record for the industry. Apart from that, the batteries will come pre-charged at the factory thanks to clean energy obtained from renewable solar power in order to make the cut for the Green Power Certification System. We are interested to see how this development will impact the overall market in due time - will other manufacturers follow suit?

DoCoMo Wooden Phone hands-on

Posted on October 5, 2009 8:39 PM

[CEATEC 2009] We had our hands on the Wooden phone concept (there are two) from DoCoMo that we published about recently. We've been told that the shell is made from compressed wood that is so tightly compressed that it is not porous. It should therefore resist water splashes, just like plastic phones. At the moment, this is just a concept, and there's no word on if or when it would make it to the market. I had not seen the QWERTY version before (above photo), but it didn't strike me as a great device. The pebble design is so much better, I think.

Solar Powered Courtesy Light

Posted on October 2, 2009 12:34 PM

There is nothing quite like having the power of the sun to keep your devices juiced up as with the Solar Powered Courtesy Light. Perfect for dark areas around your home (especially outdoors), it is able to throw out more than 26 feet of bright light thanks to its LED light that is equal to that of a 60-watt bulb. When triggered, it offers a full minute's worth of light thanks to its 100 degree infrared motion detection field, while others might prefer to turn its 3-way switch to “on” for an all nighter. Gizoo is carrying it for $32 a pop.

AUO LCD TV obtains carbon footprint verification

Posted on September 28, 2009 9:17 AM

AUO has successfully completed the carbon footprint verification on its 32" LCD TV set, complying with international carbon footprint standard PAS2050: 2008, making it the first of its kind in the world. This means watching your favorite shows on this display will consume 30% less electricity compared to other similarly-sized screens, and will comply with both 2010 EuP regulations and Energy Star 3.0 in the US. AUO also managed to reduce mercury level by a whopping 82%, resulting in a significant impact on keeping the earth green.

Guiding Light Mailbox

Posted on September 25, 2009 9:08 AM

There is nothing quite like renewable energy to keep things running without feeling guilty, and the Guiding Light Mailbox is one such home improvement idea where it will store up energy from the sun throughout the day, using it at night till the next morning in order to power the sign's backlight. In fact, just four hours of sunlight is enough to provide juice for up to four days. While most, if not all, people won't receive mail during the night, folks who tend to order pizzas and other delivery services will find an illuminated house number much easier to locate.

Show Me water consumption meter

Posted on September 25, 2009 9:07 AM

Check out the prototype of the Show Me water consumption meter, where it will let you know just how much water you have used up by visualizing the effect of a blocked drain in your shower stall. A blue LED will light up each time 5 litres of water is used in the shower, and this prototype has moved people to lower their water consumption by an average of 10 liters in trial runs. Unfortunately, not having the visual reminder undid all the good work beforehand. We do wonder, though, if this system could in installed in such a way where it disconnects the hot water once a preset limit has been reached ?

Touch Wood prototype phone

Posted on September 24, 2009 8:07 AM

NTT DOCOMO goes green by announcing a cellphone prototype that was manufactured using surplus wood of trees culled during thinning operations in order to maintain healthy forests. The prototype was developed as a partnership with Sharp Corporation, Olympus Corporation and "more trees," a reforestation project that was started founded by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto and other like-minded people. Using authentic cypress wood for its body, the handset is known as Touch Wood, boasting excellent durability and resistance to water, insects and mildew courtesy of 3D compression molding developed by Olympus Corporation. No two handsets are alike, as each of them comes with their personal grain patterns and natural coloring. Neither were colors or paints used in the process for an all natural look. No idea on when such handsets will become commonplace, but at least it is a step in the right direction. [Press Release]

Colored solar panels stuff of the future

Posted on September 21, 2009 8:39 AM

Boffins at Jerusalem have developed a new kind of solar cell that is able to generate juice from diffused light thanks to a specialized colored panel. They do resemble colored plexi-glass but in reality are panes made with fluorescent dyes and nanoparticle metals which could more or less eclipse traditional solar panels in terms of price and cost. This more efficient panel will utilize 80% less silicon compared to standard solar cells, where it is able to handle direct or indirect sunlight which diffuses right across, helping concentrate the sunlight to the edges where the silicon is. This has resulted in a 12% efficiency rate, pumping out $2.10/W compared to around $4.54/W for a conventional panel. It is hoped to reach an efficiency level of 20% in due time.

Cardboard computer chassis

Posted on September 21, 2009 7:46 AM

You surely can't get any greener than this - a PhD student from Texas came up with a cardboard computer chassis that could possibly enter production in order to reduce computer waste in the long run. Known as the Recompute case, student Brenden Macaluso is now starting to think of ways to market his invention to major computer manufacturers. We wonder whether this is fire-proof or not, and is it able to hold up to the rigors of heavy handed computing? After all, what happens when you transport this and it gets knocked around, being more than just dented - in fact, having a new hole (or two) torn? Guess that is something Macaluso will have to think of.

Power-hungry HDTVs to be banned in California

Posted on September 20, 2009 8:40 PM

California, a state that takes going green seriously, has seen their California Energy Commission consider new regulations which might see a ban on selected HDTVs from being sold in the state. This is a first-of-its-kind proposal for an efficiency standard, where it came about due to the drain on the state's electric grid. Assuming the bill gets passed, only energy-efficient models would be sold by 2011, while even tougher standards are due by 2013, making HDTV manufacturers look deeper into the type of HDTVs that they will market in California. Should it be approved, the proposal is touted to reduce California's electricity costs by $8.1 billion in 10 years, which more or less is saved by reducing the need to build new powerplants.