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Posts Tagged “

Electricity

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power

Huge Rubber Snake is No Joke, Generates Power From Waves

For some reason or other, we've shown you a lot of robotic snakes here on Giz. But this new one is kind of a robot snake in reverse: it's designed to float just beneath the surface of the sea and capture wave energy, which it then turns into electrical power. A science team in the UK has been working on the design, and is now testing small versions in a test tank: ultimately the "real" machines would be 23 feet across and 650 feet long, and be able to generate 1 megawatt. Check out the video to see how "Anaconda" works. More »

11:00 AM on Sun Jul 6 2008
By Kit Eaton
33,808 views, 43 comments

Latest by Twp3pf2: I'm impressed by the generally on-topic nature of comments. I came here looking for the "my anaconda makes waves resulting in an increase of energy, hurr hurr" comments. Whoops, mission accomplished, I guess. more »

turbine

Democratic Ecology: Philippe Starck's Cheap Designer Wind Turbine For Your Home

Famous designer Philippe Starck recently revealed he felt a certain shame that all the things he'd designed were not essential for living. This turbine, which he designed with the help of generator company Pramac, can theoretically provide a single home with 20-60% of all the electricity it needs. The name, which needs work, or at least the prefix "turbo" in front of it, is "Democratic Ecology." If the performance is indeed true, at $633, it's actually a steal and I'd order one right now. [inhabitat via Boingboing]

4:30 PM on Wed Jul 2 2008
By Brian Lam
9,067 views, 24 comments

Latest by n/a: $633 for a generator that could provide the average american home with 40 to 60 percent of it's electricity needs is something on the order of Tony Stark's "Arc Reactor". Free power. If the total unit, not taking into the more »

healing

Bandage That Electrocutes Your Wounds Is Much Better Than It Sounds

Mixing water and electricity is never a good thing, unless it's in the style of the new "CMB Antimicrobial Wound Dressing with PROSIT" bandage. When you wet it, it generates a small voltage which prevents pesky microbes, fungus, mold and yeast from getting through its treated polyester fibers. Good news if you've got an open wound, and good news if you're a fan of the old electric-shocker handshake joke. Just kidding: This is pretty clever stuff, particularly as it's also been shown to reduce pain. Currently you can leave it in place for three days, but maker Silverleaf Medical Products is working on extending that, and bringing PROSIT to saleability with FDA approval. [Medgadget]

4:47 AM on Wed Jul 2 2008
By Kit Eaton
2,186 views, 21 comments

Latest by nutbastard: @Elliuotatar: patented in 1956 and in medical use 1966, was originally for gun sight lenses - so not so much an urban legend as it is a chronological juxtaposition. more »

solar power

Japan to Build Huge Solar Power Plants to Power Sharp Factories

The city of Sakai in Japan is going to have a glittering new "green" addition in 2010, when Sharp and Kansai Electric Power build two massive solar-electric power plants there. In a bid to make Sharp's factories more eco-friendly, the two plants will generate 10 megawatts and 28 megawatts of electricity and reduce CO2 emissions by 10 kilotons yearly. Apparently the "Sakai City Waterfront Mega Solar Power Generation Plan" will be among the biggest like it in the world, and is part of a bid by Sakai to become a leading eco-friendly city. Smashing, and means Sharp gadgets can be bought with a clearer conscience. [Crunchgear via Dvice]

5:10 AM on Wed Jun 25 2008
By Kit Eaton
2,893 views, 14 comments

Latest by johnnyabnormal: @pevans34: That, and the coastal dwellers wouldn't want to repair them all the time when the flyovers start riding ATV's on the panels. :) more »

electricity

Electricity Generator Gets Its Power From Waste Heat

Dallas' Southern Methodist University is now recycling energy with one of the first commercial electricity generators that use thermoelectricity—the act of drawing power from waste heat. The machine operates by using heat given off by other processes (such as manufacturing) to boil liquids, which then turn into steam, which then turns an electricity-generating turbine. More »

7:00 PM on Sat May 31 2008
By Elaine Chow
5,522 views, 33 comments

robots

Robot Climbs Walls With Static Electricity

This unnamed robot by SRI International has a useful trick—it can climb walls using the principle of electro-adhesion (what we generalized as "static electricity" as kids, when we'd rub balloons on our heads and stick them to walls). But what's most promising is that the robot needs only a "very small amount of power" to stick to surfaces that can be covered in dust and other debris. The link has a video of the robot in action. SPOILER ALERT: robots climbing up drywall is more boring than you'd think. [Popular Mechanics]

4:00 PM on Tue May 20 2008
By Mark Wilson
7,384 views, 44 comments

Latest by n/a: @LindsayJoy: Yeah, sorry. more »

question of the day

Question of the Day: How Much Was Your Electricity Bill Last Month?

A lot of factors come in to play when it comes to how much people spend on electricity each month, but given the movement towards towards eco-friendliness and the poor state of the economy, it seems like an interesting question. Plus, most of us are probably running a fair amount of gadgets around the house which can bring those bills up in a hurry. Electricity usage can fluctuate wildly throughout the year, so to keep things simple I have narrowed the question down to a single month. So, how much did you spend on electricity in April? More »

7:30 PM on Thu May 8 2008
By Sean Fallon
17,397 views, 81 comments

Latest by Kendra: Things are so bad that I'm plugging in gadgets at work and skipping home charging altogether. It's not our usage, it's the outrageous premiums in the Southern Hemisphere. more »

zap

The Best Way To Cook Hot Dogs: by Tesla Coil

The most exiting way to cook hot dogs: connect a chain of 12 of them up and send bolts of multi-thousand-volt electricity through them. Awesome, and all thanks to the Nevada Lightning Lab and their 10-foot Tesla coil at Maker Faire '08. And amazingly, the coil they used is just a prototype for a 122-foot version they want to build for lightning experiments. Imagine the light show and cookability you'd get from that! [Lightning Lab via Oh Gizmo]

5:59 AM on Tue May 6 2008
By Kit Eaton
3,876 views, 26 comments

Latest by n/a: Reminds me of the way Doc Brown made ice tea in Back to the Future Part III for some reason.And the whole hot dog vendor idea had me wisecracking to myself the protagonist of the future Grand Theft Auto games more »

power strip

Cost Control Power Strip: See How Power-Thirsty Your Gadgets Are

The Cost Controller power strip lets you hook up eight gizmos, protects them against voltage spikes, and also shows you how much power they're drawing so you can worry about your electricity bill well ahead of time. It actually shows consumption in kilowatt hours along with the frequency and voltage characteristics of your power line, if you're into that sort of data. At least watching those usage digits mount up on its LCD display might prompt you into eco-friendly behavior, like not leaving stuff on standby. Available now for $99.99. [Computer Gear via Red Ferret]

6:04 AM on Tue Apr 29 2008
By Kit Eaton
3,668 views, 15 comments

Latest by Canoehead: The best part is, the less power we use, the more they will charge us for each kw/hr that we do use, so generally bills will be the same for less product. more »

piezing

Piezing Dress Concept Generates Electricity as She Walks

Oasis were right, she is electric, or at least she would be with the Piezing dress concept, designed by Amanda Parkes. The concept was shown off at the 2nd Skin: Imaginative Designs in Digital & Analog Clothing event in San Francisco, and it uses piezoelectric material around the joints to generate electricity when motion is detected. Unfortunately, the current isn't used instantaneously as some sort of nipple stimulator, instead it is stored in a small, removable battery, which can then be discharged when required.
More »

10:30 PM on Sun Apr 27 2008
By Haroon Malik
3,819 views, 14 comments

Latest by Gann: @Michai: Yes, but this does not do that. And tapping the 'waste' energy in water pipes would just lower your water pressure, and as Frizzaper points out, the flooring concepts make walking harder. The door thing has merit, but only more »

booze

Put Some Age On Your Cheap Booze With the Help of 15,000 Volts

Why get drunk on cheap booze when you can get drunk on cheap booze that actually tastes good? That is the question Jon Sarriugarte asked himself when he and a buddy set out to solve the problem of how to artificially age brandy. Inspired by a single sentence in a book from the 1930s, they decided that electric current would do the trick. Fortunately, John already had a luminous transformer in his basement (don't we all), and he proceeded to pump 15,000 volts into a glass of bitter brandy. To his surprise, the taste had mellowed considerably. More »

6:10 PM on Thu Apr 24 2008
By Sean Fallon
11,231 views, 32 comments

Latest by Ben Zvan: I'm late to the party on this one, as usual, but if the hooch is in copper pipes, how does the electricity get in there. Wouldn't it just flow through the copper? more »

mods

DIY Project: Motorbike to Electric Motorbike

There's a new Instructables page up that shows you how to mod your regular motorbike into an eco-warrior electric cycle. You'll be able to hit a top speed of 70mph after shelling out $3000 to complete the project. Thankfully, you'll probably make the money back in saved fuel in approximately a days use. The machine pictured above is a mid-mod bike. Sure, the 72v motor is held in place by rope, but it isn't properly finished yet, so give the modder a break. If you have the time, spare cash, a bike that's looking at you with contempt and the technical know how, give it a shot and then send us a video of the finished article. Hit the link if you're tough enough. [Instructables via Hack n Mod]

10:00 AM on Sun Apr 13 2008
By Haroon Malik
7,089 views, 20 comments

Latest by toyotaboy: optima batteries are horrible expensive, and better suited to cranking amps as apposed to maximum amps for electric applications. He would have been way better off using smaller 22ah AGM batteries for about 1/2 the cost. more »

cameras

This Camera Is Shocking (Sorry)


Forgive the headline, but it's true! The annoying background music is ripped from Noah Kalina's 'net famous "everyday" video, but it's laid over a montage of the camera's (re)construction, which re-routes the battery's juice through the hand of the sucker holding the camera, giving them a nasty little shock. For your own safety, if you nail someone with this, make sure they're either a) smaller than you or b) incapacitated by the jolt. [Pyro Electro, Thanks Chris]

9:30 PM on Tue Mar 18 2008
By matt buchanan
5,457 views, 20 comments

Latest by rimplestultskin: and @cad3: so fucking true! lmao more »

energy

Daylight Saving Time Jump May Actually Waste Energy

It may not require 1.21 gigawatts of electricity for you to spring forward tonight—that is, tomorrow at 2 a.m.—but a new study does show that rather than save energy, Daylight Saving Time may very well lead to added energy consumption, potentially costing the country many billions of dollars. More »

7:00 PM on Sat Mar 8 2008
By Wilson Rothman
17,090 views, 96 comments

electric wall

Philips Patents Electric Wallpaper, For Your Socket Convenience

The eggheads at Philips research department have filed a patent for wallpaper that's embedded with conducting metal strips so you can hook up electrical items anywhere on the wall. Don't worry though: having a leak from the upstairs apartment or hammering in a nail won't kill you as it offers a range of voltages for low powered devices only. More »

2:20 PM on Thu Feb 14 2008
By Kit Eaton
3,891 views, 11 comments

nanotech

Nanowires Could Turn Your T-Shirts Into Nano-Power Stations

A nanotech invention by a US research team offers an intriguing glimpse of the future: slip on some nanowire-embedded clothes, plug your MP3 player or cellphone into them, and as you dance or walk around, your outfit generates enough power to run the gadget. More details on how the fabric works, and some nano-imagery after the jump. More »

8:54 AM on Thu Feb 14 2008
By Kit Eaton
5,459 views, 18 comments

Latest by xxenclavexx: combine this with wireless charging and you would have something truly amazing more »

electricity

Fluxxlab Revolution Door is Eco-Friendly, People-Powered Power Station

The Revolution Door is a concept from New York designers Fluxxlab that puts otherwise-wasted kinetic energy from a revolving office door to good use—generating power. Fluxxlab's rationale is that humans exert a chunk of their own energy when pushing a revolving door around, and it may as well be captured via gears and an electricity generator. If you think about the thousands of doors across the country spinning around all day, everyday, then maybe they've got a point. Obligatory design diagram, and a schematic showing how the idea turns your breakfast into green lightbulb-lighting power after the jump. More »

8:25 AM on Fri Feb 8 2008
By Kit Eaton
6,611 views, 29 comments

Latest by rimplestultskin: @weatherman: the american way: convenience. oh, i'm so proud to be from this great nation of 300 million couch potatos. i live not too far from the city, so i can tell you: given how many revolving doors are more »

electricity

Knee Brace Charges Your Cellphone

A knee brace that generates enough electricity to power 10 cellphones was demonstrated by scientists recently. The brace harvests the energy of a person's knee braking after taking a step, similar to the way hybrid car brakes collect energy to charge their batteries. The device only weighs 3.5 pounds, and does not need the intense effort that other human-powered energy generators such as hand cranks require. And while the cellphone measurement given by the creators is pretty useless, they do have several practical applications in mind. More »

10:48 PM on Thu Feb 7 2008
By Benny Goldman
25,786 views, 19 comments

Latest by ANoel: hey... howabout a combo cigarette holder/lighter with an embeded whizzer propellor that charges the unit with evey puff, saving tons of propane every year!Additionally with non-tobacco sources you could reverse it for a puff-powered cannon. more »

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