Showing posts with label green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green. Show all posts
Petri dish to dinner plate, in-vitro meat coming soon
"Cultured meat" -- burgers or sausages grown in laboratory Petri dishes rather than made from slaughtered livestock -- could be the answer that feeds the world, saves the environment and spares the lives of millions of animals, they say.
The first lab-grown hamburger will cost around 250,000 euros ($345,000) to produce, according to Mark Post, a vascular biologist at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, who hopes to unveil such a delicacy soon.
Experts say the meat's potential for saving animals' lives, land, water, energy and the planet itself could be enormous.
"The first one will be a proof of concept, just to show it's possible," Post told Reuters in a telephone interview from his Maastricht lab. "I believe I can do this in the coming year."
via Reuters
'True 3D' Display Using Laser Plasma Technology
Researchers at Burton Inc. (not the snowboard company) have demonstrated their True 3D display technology and the results are outstanding. Instead of using a screen, the lasers produce points of light from the plasma excitation of oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the air or water.
The lasers can create 50,000 dots-per second in mid-air at 15FPS. They are currently working on bring that up to 24-30FPS. Colours can be created by combining red, green and blue lasers. The additive color model is how your TV and computer monitor create colors. Hopefully we'll be able to watch 3D movies in actual 3D, not this fake shove-irritating-glasses-on-your-face 3D.
via Gizmodo
Flagships of the Future
Shipping operates out of the jurisdiction of any laws or regulations that cover emissions, but some companies are making attempts to reduce their footprint. One idea: good old-fashioned wind power.
Shipping has not exactly been at the forefront of clean energy innovation. While carmakers have built the Prius and the Volt, and airlines have tested fuels made from algae and jatropha, much of the maritime industry has kept on cruising.
Part of the reason for that is regulatory. Shipping is not covered by the Kyoto Protocol, and is exempted from schemes like the European Union's Emissions Trading System. There is also a lot of conservatism in the industry, according to Diane Gilpin, of B9 Shipping, which is developing some of the first ships running solely on renewable power--ships with sails.
"Shipping is offshore, so none of the emissions fall into national jurisdiction. There are also complex problems about accounting for carbon, and it is a relatively hidden industry. As consumers, we tend not to be aware of it," she adds.
Things could be changing, though. This week, a key U.K. committee recommended that shipping be included in plans to cut GHGs. Earlier this summer, California expanded rules aimed at cutting GHGs from in-bound boats. And, the UN International Maritime Organisation has pledged to improve fuel efficiency.
And, several environmentally friendly vessels have started appearing. There was the Auriga Leader, Toyota's 60,000-ton solar-powered car-carrier; this wave-powered concept ship from the Fraunhofer Center of Manufacturing Innovation; and the Swiss-built Türanor--the world's largest solar-powered yacht, covered in 6,458 square feet of PV.
Zero-Energy Bio Refrigerator
In a valiant effort to rethink the ubiquitous refrigerator — which has seen few design changes since the invention of freon refrigerators in the 1930′s — Russian designer Yuriy Dmitriev has unveiled a fresh-looking, gel-filled appliance of the future. His Bio Robot Refrigerator utilizes a special gel-like substance that suspends and cools food once inserted. Dmitriev’s design is one of 25 finalists in the Electrolux Design Lab competition, which challenged entrants with the task of redesigning modern appliances for the future.
via Inhabitat
Nest the Learning Thermostat
"Nest learns from your temperature adjustments, programs itself to keep you comfortable, and guides you to energy savings. You can control the thermostat from anywhere using a smartphone, tablet or laptop, and Nest never stops learning, even as your life and the seasons change."
Read more at the Nest website
Personal transport pods unveiled at Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport has begun to transport passengers in computer controlled, driverless, car-sized personal "pods".
Harvesting 'limitless' hydrogen from self-powered cells
US researchers say they have demonstrated how cells fuelled by bacteria can be "self-powered" and produce a limitless supply of hydrogen.
via BBC
Winning Designs For Skyscrapers Of The Future
Future cities could include pancake-shaped buildings, power plants that harvest lightning and ocean-based skyscrapers that produce potable water and clean up trash. Those are some of the visions in the 2011 eVolo Skyscraper Competition, a forum for futuristic - and even fantastical - ideas for new architecture.
via Evolo
The Social Web of Things
Ericsson believes that in the Networked Society, more than 50 billion things will be connected, in order to make our lives and our businesses more efficient and more enjoyable.
“Straddling” bus–a cheaper, greener and faster alternative to commute
A big concern on top of urban transportation planner’s mind is how to speed up the traffic: putting more buses on the road will jam the roads even worse and deteriorate the air; building more subway is costly and time consuming. Well, here is an cheaper, greener and fast alternative to lighten their mind up a bit: the straddling bus, first exhibited on the 13th Beijing International High-tech Expo in May this year. In the near future, the model is to be put into pilot use in Beijing’s Mentougou District.
via China Hush
First night flight ever by a solar plane!
The Solar Impulse HB-SIA, with André Borschberg at its controls, successfully landed this morning at 09:00, to the cheers of a crowd of supporters who came to celebrate this great milestone.
For more than 26 hours, André Borschberg expertly piloted the aircraft with its 64 meter wingspan. The plane was up in the air yesterday for the whole day, then through the entire night, flying solely on solar energy. This flight is the longest and highest in the history of solar aviation!
via Solar Impulse
15 Ultra-Efficient Vehicles Left in the Automotive X Prize Competition
The race to design and build a production-capable vehicles that exceed 100 Miles per gallon (or energy equivalent MPGe) is in full gear this summer as scores of ultra efficient vehicles compete in the Progressive Automotive X-Prize competition. After months of trials, races and multi-stage testing the knockout stage just ended, leaving 15 of the original 26 cars still standing.
via Inhabitat
The Future of Green Architecture: The Zero-Emissions Dice House
The Dice House looks like part of a Monopoly set, but the design has real-world ambitions. The 30-by-30-by-30-foot concept home, designed by the British architecture firm Sybarite, improves on standard building tech to erase its carbon footprint.
via Popsci
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