Gizmodo: organic

Organic Chlorophyll Battery Can Charge Up Using Any Liquid

Sean Fallon — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:40:31 EST

A Taiwanese professor by the name of Chungpin Hovering Liao has created what he believes is the world's first chlorophyll organic battery. Precisely how the battery works is a mystery, but the inventor claims that it can use any liquid (even urine) to generate a charge within 10 seconds. He also claims that the storage capacity is double that of Japan's water-powered fuel cells, but it only puts out half the power of a traditional battery. Still, it would only cost 3 to 6 cents to produce a single, completely biodegradable unit. Liao has patents pending on his chlorophyll batteries, although I don't think pee-powered portable gadgets will be arriving on store shelves anytime soon. [eTaiwan News via Ecofriend via CleanTechnica]

Sony's Bendy Organic Screen Means Video Clothes, Animated Cereal Boxes At Last

Wilson Rothman — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:23:40 EDT

OLEDs are pretty much awesome, but the coolest application, the bendy one, is still tricky, because flexible plastic is more porous than stiff glass, and OLEDs get really upset when they come in contact with oxygen. Apparently, though, Sony and Germany's Max Planck Institute have cooked up a flexible and transparent organic display that will do alright, when it is released in the undisclosed future.

Since it's see-through, it will be able to be seen at all viewing angles (uh, including those greater than 180°) and because of its low power constraints it will be able to run with minimal battery support. Applications discussed by the Daily Mail include the usual roundup of not-entirely-brilliant suggestions, such as clothing-mounted displays, roll-up digital newspapers and cereal boxes with animated ads. The good news is, all of this brings us much closer to my idea of a good product: wallpaper TV.

There's a video of the above rabbit jumping along the 3-inch screen to prove the video capabilities; my problem with the vid (besides the fact that I couldn't embed it for you) is that while it shows the display bent, it doesn't show it being bent. That's what I'd like to see. [Daily Mail UK]

The Natural Radio Takes UIs to Strange and Stupid New Places

Sean Fallon — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:30:43 EDT

Imagine, if you will, stripping a radio of all its buttons and dials and replacing them with a set of scales. Now imagine changing the station or frequency on this radio by placing rocks on specific areas of the scale. The more rocks you place, the higher the volume and so on. Yeah...its never gonna happen. The idea behind this Natural Radio concept is that you would have "organic control" over the radio, but I like my gadgets like I like my fruit—big and shiny. Organics just don't cut it. [Yanko Design]

Self-Healing Organic Transistors, Wolverine Electronics

Mark Wilson — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 11:30:48 EST

Organic transistors are appealing for their cheap manufacture and flexible materials. But often when cooling, misaligned molecules trap electrons that destroy the chips' bandwidth. A new breakthrough in organic, pentacene transistors has found that when these chips are left to sit in a vacuum, the material "self heals" at room temperature, realigning the structure properly.

And according to NewScientistTech, these chips double their performance when left to sit for a week. We're guessing that the same healing principles could be applied to, say, normal wear and tear of hypothetical organically chipped laptops...if they were stuck in a vacuum for repair. But if we really knew if that statement were true, we'd probably also be able to invent said laptop. [abstract via newscientisttech] [image]

Yoga Mat Cleaner

johnb — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 18:04:48 EDT

With all the sweating, farting, and exertion of a regular yoga session, you'll probably want to pick up some sulfuric acid rather than this Jo-Sha wipe stuff. However, if you want to be a hippie, go ahead and buy these biodegradable wipes in flavors like peppermint, lavender, and tangerine.

The wipes are completely organic and come in recyclable packaging. Great for improving the karma after buying a big-screen TV, a bottle of Glenfiddich, and yelling at your kids.

Product Page [MatsMatsMats via TreeHugger]

Bacterial Glue

johnb — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 16:58:52 EDT

Indiana University researchers have found some sort of bacteria, C. crescentus, that secretes glue. Here's the story: This gross thing requires 70 newtons per square millimeter to remove from a glass pipette. That's equivalent to "five tons per square inch." It takes a mere 18-28 newtons per square millimeter to crack Super Glue. Hence, this bug glue is considerably better.

Best of all, it adheres even when wet. The plan is to use these things as a surgical glue or perhaps we can all fix that vase Peter broke while playing ball in the house even though Alice told us not to. Those poop-looking things in the picture are the bacteria and that stalk holds it to any surface.

Press Release [IU via MedGadget]

Bakery Makes East Village Green

tgrumet — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 17:35:36 EST

No, it's not painted green and it doesn't sell green muffins. This old-school bakery in NYC's East Village is green because of the way it's been overhauled, as completely safe for the environment. Now being dubbed the "Birdbath" Bakery, it was recently re-opened with only organic materials inside (including the food of course). Think cork floors, plywood made of bamboo, recycled wallpaper and paint made of milk. Wanna stop by? Addy is 223 First Avenue (south of 14th Street) if you're in the neighborhood.

The Green Bakery [The Green Bakery]