Clean clothes are vital but ever since the invention of the washing machine, people have only been too lazy and inconsiderate of how much water is being wasted and not to mention the huge water bills. So, Japanese Panasonic has come up with ‘the upright washing and drying machines that feature enhanced water-saving properties and reduced power consumption in China and other Asian countries’. It has already been released in Japan. It will have the “eco wash system” which uses water- and power-saving technologies. The system employs a water circulation system leveraging the rotation of a washing tub and a technology to control the stirring stream, which were developed to achieve high washing performance with small amount of water, as well as the inverter control and a motor integrated with a deceleration mechanism for reducing power consumption.
The current green trend of electric vehicles filling up our roads seems to be promising for a cleaner environment in the near future. But many such vehicles still lack the capacity to deliver the speed that gas-guzzling vehicles can do with ease. To overcome such obstacles, researchers in Japan have devised a new brushless high-efficient 100w dc motor. Such an invention helps to convert electric power to motor output at a conversion of 96% efficiency. Another noteworthy aspect is that such a motor can also maintain conversion efficiency in the range from 93% to 96% even as the output changes between 50 watts and 200 watts. However the only hitch is the high cost factor. This will postpone its applications in fields like commercial electric-automobiles as of yet. It will be limited to eco-racing cars only. Once again green technology surfaces but for a price that is beyond common man’s reach.
[Designboom]
Think twice before you stop your child from playing a PS3 henceforth. You will be stopping the kid from doing a green deed, indeed. I am not preaching that you allow your kiddo to get addicted to gaming consoles, but if you have to let him/her play then be sure that the console is Sony’s PS3. Reported to be the most eco-friendly system, it certainly scores high on green features in comparison to its competitors. In the Guide to Greener Electronics report released by Greenpeace, it is mentioned that “Sony products are 50% ‘greener’ than Nintendo’s, and roughly 40% more environmentally friendly than those from Microsoft.” Sony leads for its energy efficiency. Now gamers with eco-conscious have an excuse to not put the PS3 down.
[Trendhunter]
A couple of months back we told you about Samsung’s eco-friendly cell phone, Blue Earth, and now its time to know that another solar powered cell phone from the same company has actually hit the stores of Pakistan. Dubbed as Solar Crest, this green gadget comes loaded with energizing solar panels and allows three minutes of talk time by feeding on solar charge for 10 mins. Thus only a fraction of daylight hours will enable an extensive talk time to the users. You can also watch out for other techie specs like FM Radio, colored screen, torch, qibla direction, and polyphonic ring tones. Also estimated to be reasonably priced, the Solar Crest is definitely welcomed especially in countries where residents still consider undisturbed power supply as a boon.
The good thing about being intelligent to invent things and to recognize that the world we live in is going into danger is that it brings out options of improvement. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a surface treatment that boosts the light absorption of silicon photovoltaic cells in two complementary ways. This will help increase absorption both by trapping light in three-dimensional structures and by making the surfaces self-cleaning which will help allow rain or dew to wash away the dust and dirt that can accumulate on photovoltaic arrays and because of this ability it is called Superhydrophobic. They are predicting that this could potentially increase the final efficiency of the cells by as much as two percent with this surface structure.
Sharp is coming out with its solution of an eco-friendly alternative with a new line-up of ten LED-based outdoor lighting products. There will be four solar-powered LED lights that combine solar panels with newly developed high-intensity, long-life LEDs to achieve industry-leading brightness, two models of LED security (crime deterrence) lights and four LED lighting fixtures. The solar-powered LED lights will have newly developed LEDs with 30% higher luminous efficiency and a newly developed LED lens designed to spread this light over a broad area resulting in really bright light over a large area.
The quest to find the best ways to derive all kinds of alternative energy sources is a common thing these days. Now, a bunch of researchers are trying to harness electricity from walking. Yeah, a human being walking considering the rate of the heart beating or even the flowing of blood. They have discovered how to use zinc oxide or piezoelectric nanowires in order to generate an electric current when subjected to mechanical stress.
When gaming gets really serious you start thinking on a higher level of intellect. Like for instance these two gamers who found a brand new, cost effective, environmental loving alternative for your Nintendo Wii console. They have found a way to use the sun’s energy to power the Wii, a television and also a set of speakers. The TV and speakers will need around 130 watts to operate and the Wii will need between 40-45 watts. Under direct sunlight this the box with solar panels to which the devices can be connected, can get from 6 to 8 hours of game time.
These inventions are interesting… it gives us the thought – who would have thought of that! The 100% Off device will help reduce a tangible waste of money and energy. The idea was originally conceived as part of a study aimed at improving household energy efficiency by controlling the power consumption of individual appliances. It uses an 8-bit microprocessor programmed to run a mathematical algorithm that identifies different power modes. By measuring the current consumed during both normal operation and standby, the appliances can be automatically turned off when not in use. This device can apparently save up to 20% of electricity bill as well as reduce global CO2 emissions by 1%.
If Baywatch is going to make a comeback then this thing is for sure going to be the highlight, aside from the running lifeguards. It is called the Teseo + Arianna rescue kit for lifeguards and is designed by Davide Anazalone. How this design works is, it’s got two parts. The Teseo, shaped like a stingray, is named after Greek myth Thesus and Arianna named after Ariadne. The Arianna is a solar powered battery charger for the guard stand Teseo which uses these batteries to power its propulsion system and accept commands from the autopilot feature via Arianna.
