Gizmodo: Heating

MIT Thermoelectric Device Could Revolutionize Home Heating

Jack Loftus — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT

With gas prices approaching "damn, I'm going to have to start walking more" levels here in the States, everyone's doing their part to increase efficiency and reduce energy consumption, and that includes the genius farm MIT. The institute already produces 80% of its own energy, courtesy of its on campus "cogeneration plant," but a few students have found a way to make the system even more self-sufficient using a new thermoelectric prototype. The great thing is the device has the potential for applications beyond the walls of MIT, and already the students are examining ways to apply it to the home heating industry in general.

The beauty of a thermoelectric device is that it has no moving parts, making it extremely durable and easy to produce. The high durability means students were able to install it in flues at the cogeneration plant, where it will capture waste heat and use it to create more energy for the campus air conditioning, heating and electricity. Eventually, the team hopes to install the device in the waste heat nirvana, hot water pipes, which could ramp up that 80% number a few more percentage points.

In addition to increasing the efficiency of the MIT campus, the device could also have an effect on the environment by trapping waste heat before it's ejected into the atmosphere as exhaust. And after that, home heating in general could be revolutionized as consumers install the device in their home furnaces.

Ultimately, said Daniel Kraemer, graduate students in mechanical engineering, this simple device could work anywhere there's excess heat. Gizmodo writers are pretty full of hot air, Kraemer, why don't we start here? [MIT]

Octocube: What the Heck is This?

Kit Eaton — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:02:00 EDT

If you can guess what this is at first glance then you're a better man than I ...

At second glance you might wonder about those pipes. And then you might realize it's actually a radiator, built entirely from 90-degree pipe pieces. It's designed to be a sculptural heater that fits in with any interior, according to designer Vivien Muller. At least there's some physics in there, though: a large surface area heater like this would be a good compromise between heating efficiency and compact size.

One thing, though: Vivien can't do much of the cleaning at home... can you imagine the dust this thing would collect? Just a concept. [Vivien Muller via Yanko designs]

Swiss Swimming Pool Warmed by Surplus Server Heat and Alliteration

Kit Eaton — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:57:22 EDT

There's clearly something going on with the Swiss and hot water: first "extreme jacuzzi-ing" on top of Mont Blanc, and now they're going to use waste energy kicked out by servers to warm a swimming pool. It's a simple concept: take the heat from the server room air-conditioners at a new data center, and direct it through heat exchangers to the water in the town pool. The town, Uitikon, will get a hot pool and all they had to pay for was some of the connecting gear since the heat would otherwise have been vented. Cool! ... or rather, hot! Darn eco-friendly too. [Sydney Morning Herald]

Electroscape LED Fireplace Brings the Aurora Borealis to Your Crib

Kit Eaton — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 07:08:08 EST

The Electroscape fireplace from Platonics has a remote-controlled LED lighting system built in. Ahh—nothing warms you up on a frosty 21st Century morn better than some funky LED lights that you can mix, from single color to multicolored, from the cozy comfort of your armchair. You can even specify what arty "fire" objects are displayed inside: driftwood, pebbles or gravel. The fireplace pumps out 2kW of heat from its element, though, rather strangely, Platonics says this is an optional add-on. Maybe those LEDs get really hot. Available now for around $3100 in the UK. [Platonic fireplaces and Ubergizmo]

Aquavision Bathroom TV With Heating Rack Keeps Towels Toasty

Jason Chen — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:10:18 EST

There are two things we really like about this Towel Rail TV. The first is, of course, the fact that it puts a television in your bathroom (newspapers and magazines are for chumps and literates). The second is the heated towel rack that's attached to the TV. Why would you wipe yourself off with a cold towel? What are we, animals? Do we live in zoos? Does it say "Ape Habitat" on our door? C'mon people, this is the 21st century. Bathroom TVs and heated towels are the least we can do to differentiate ourselves from our parents. [Aquavision via Uber Gizmo via DVice]

Thanko USB Heating Pad

Brian Lam — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 23:37:15 EST

The Thanko USB Heating pad has the unique position of being potentially useful as we enter the colder months. Then again, there's no way this thing puts out more heat than a modern CPU/GPU combo. Just put your notebook on your lap, and watch your man-bits. [Akihabara]

USB Infrared Heating Pads

Mark Wilson — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 08:59:17 EDT

The USB Far Infrared Pad is pitched as a solution for those aches and pains that are the natural byproduct of ~~working~~ sitting at one's computer. We don't know the $21.99 pad actually adheres to skin, but once ~~stuck to~~ carefully balanced upon the area of pain, 1.2W of USB juice heats the pad to between 104° and 113° F. We'd be more interested if the pads served a more interesting function, like electrified nicotine transmission to help us start smoking. But go ahead, pick one up for the crazy hypochondriac at the office (and send in a picture when they use it). [usbfever via ubergizmo]

Kenwood Response Kettle Changes Color As it Heats

Jason Chen — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 20:00:29 EDT

Being as into tea as the British folks this Kenwood Response Kettle was made for, we're definitely looking forward to marveling at its color-changing capabilities. Not only is it a container to keep water from spilling all over the place while you heat it, the exterior actually shifts from blue (cool) to red (hot) while it's being heated. Plus, it also has the option for shutting down when it gets to 80 degrees, which is supposedly the perfect temperature for coffee and herbal tea. Only available in the UK for now. [KenwoodWorld via ChipChick via Apartment Therapy via PopGadget]

46 Million Nokia Cellphone Batteries May Overheat, Cook Your Genitals, Buttocks

msparkes — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 06:02:11 EDT

Nokia has announced today that 46 million of their batteries are at risk of overheating, offering to replace them free of charge. There is a chance that a short circuit could occur during charging, and apparently 100 cases have already been reported. The batteries in question were all made by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006, and are all of model number BL-5C. [Reuters]

Warm Sewage Keeps your Bottom Toasty on the Concrete Bench

Travis Hudson — Fri, 04 May 2007 18:00:54 EDT

Unlike the Turd Twister and Bathroom Louie, this fecal idea is pretty useful. A Quebec design student has created a concrete bench that heats by pumping water heated by warm sewage through the bench. In Montreal the sewer temperature stays at a toasty 60 degrees Fahrenheit most of the year. This bench uses pumps connected to the sewer pipe to pump water warmed by the sewage through the bench, therefore keeping your bum warm. Ironic? Yes, a little. Hit the jump to see a video explanation (don't worry, no sewage is shown).

Concrete Bench Heated by Warm Sewage [Treehugger]

Motorola Releases Rugged Laptops, Includes Heating Mechanism?

Travis Hudson — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 15:45:06 EDT

The inclusion of a heating mechanism in Motorola's new laptops isn't that far-fetched after all. The MW810 and ML910 are rugged laptops that include the usual array of features such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and even GPS, but most interesting is the heating device integrated into the laptop. No, it isn't an instant lawsuit creator (see: laptop fires), but the device will slightly warm up the hard drive in extreme cold situations to ensure that it will spin up.

Thinking about climbing Everest in shorts? This may be the perfect laptop for you. The MW810 and ML910 will be on display at FOSE 2007 in Washington, D.C., with a release coming in the later months. –Travis Hudson

Motorola Unveils New ... Computers [Devicepedia]

Thanko USB Warming Mouse Reviewed (Verdict: Good Heater, Lousy Mouse)

Jason Chen — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:55:22 EST

Though most may scoff at the Thanko Warming Mouse, people like us with bad circulation have no choice other than dressing warmly, using a heater, or exercising more to keep our hands warm. Extremetech took it out for a review, and found it actually did what it said.

Within eight minutes, the mouse went from 71 degrees to 107 degrees, providing a toasty-enough mousing surface to keep all but the most frigid of hands warm. The only flaw was that only the center of the mouse gets warm, and the sides are all room-temperature.

As for the mouse itself, the 800 dpi optical sensor was adequate, and the 4-foot mouse cord was kinad short. The buttons are rigid, and the scroll wheel is a "challenge when working in a program that needs precise one-line-at-a-time scrolling".

So it seems you should probably skip this mouse, buy a good one and just go for some usb heating gloves instead. – Jason Chen

USB Warmer Mouse II [ExtremeTech]

USB Heating Blanket Keep You Warm, Actually Looks Like a Cape

Travis Hudson — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:49:14 EST

Global warming, schmobal warming. I don't know about the rest of the country, but it is cold as hell in the Midwest. And for those cold WoW session, this USB heating blanket should do the trick. It is available for $25 from Brando. Add in some USB heating gloves and slippers for the ultimate toasty computing experience. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Red Ferret]

Thanko Heated Mousepad Looks Odd, Gets the Job Done

Travis Hudson — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 10:27:12 EST

Just in time for the cold and blistery winter season comes this device from Thanko. It is quite possibly the weirdest looking mousepad out, but it gets the job done, so I'm not complaining. This fish-looking sleeping bag will ensure your hand stays nice and warm while mousing at the computer. Oh, you crazy Thanko. What will you think of next? – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Akihabara]

Keep Your Drinks Hot or Cool USB Style

Jason Chen — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 07:46:14 EDT

While us hairy Americans are stuck in the stone age with plain old thermoses to keep our drinks warm or cold, the Japanese have found their black monolith and released a USB device that does the same thing. From what I can make out from the Google translation, the device operates in either "hot" or "cool" mode, retaining the temperature of your beverage for up to 4 hours. Just make sure you don't switch this baby to "hot" when you've just taken out a Sierra Mist from the fridge. Unless you like warm soda. Weirdo.

These space age Japanese proprietors even wrap your box in one of 3 fancy "packing paper" colors. Google translate calls it "Lapping for present", but we all know how old that joke is.

Hot or Cool [via digg]

Cool or Heat: Temperature Controlled Seat Cushion

johnb — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 16:54:17 EDT

If the impending arrival of peak oil and the effects it will have on heating costs have you in a tizzy, look to the new temperature adjustable seat cushion from Cool or Heat. It's not much to look at, but this back-and-ass-pad is capable of being powered by the included AC and car adapters. This means comfort in your home, your office, or your home office. Because once gas hits $10 a gallon, we're all going to be working from home.

Cool or Heat [Cool or Heat, via digg]