Taming the jungles in your backyard definitely requires some patience, especially if you’re doing that during summers. Those who don’t want to leave the comfort of their air-conditioned living rooms for the sake of a clean garden must try the Southern RobotX. Equipped with tank-like treads, the lean machine can tackle just about any terrain and with the effective cutting units, the system promises you clean lawn in just minutes.
The unit is operated by a remote control, which features an easy-to-use joystick. The feature that attracts us most is its self-charging system that approximately consumes 40% less fuel than a conventional ride-on lawnmower. The system is powered by an electric motor, the batteries of which are recharged by the gas motor which is used to power the cutting unit, so you don’t always have to worry about a dead battery leaving the mowing job half done.
Eco Factor: Unmanned aircraft powered by solar energy.
Aurora Flight Sciences has announced that the company successfully flew their latest solar powered UAV, the SunLight Eagle. The flights took place at the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Test Center operated by the Physical Science Laboratory of New Mexico State University. The news came just days after the company announced the successful completion of a solar aircraft from DARPA’s Vulture Program.
Solar energy is one of the most impressive and easily available sources of green energy that has the potential to power everything from the PMPs we carry to the cars we drive. Toyota has already started exploring the potential of solar energy by announcing that it will use solar panels in its next-generation Prius hybrid car. While this car would just use the energy to run the car’s AC, some designers have shown the way cars could completely be powered by the energy falling from the sun. Check out ten such concepts one of which might just be your ride into the future.
Does the very thought of dripping sweat, wet clothes and clammy hands deter you from carrying out your work-out sessions- especially in summers? Would you rather stay fat and flabby than perspire over a treadmill or a stationary bike? Well now, help is at hand with this simple but revolutionarily innovative piece of exercise equipment called “Cycool”. True to its name, this is your regular stationary bike with a fan attached to the front which keeps you cool and dry as you peddle those pounds away. What’s more, the speed of the fan is regulated by the speed of your peddling. Talk about custom made comfort! While you burn an equal number of calories, you are spared the discomfort of a sweaty session. The fan is strategically positioned so that it blows air on your face and entire upper body. (more…)
In the days when the environment is suffering increased degradation, the news of a completely eco-friendly city being planned to be built indeed comes as a welcome news. The project under consideration is Zorlu Ecocity in Istanbul, Turkey.
Zorlu Ecocity, a Llewelyn Davies Yeang project, has been planned as a ‘city within a city’. The project adheres to the original planning strategies of Istanbul of relieving the pressure on the city’s core by developing more urban centers in the entire Marma region. Zorlu Ecocity has been designed as a mixed-use development project, and would be located at the southern extremity of Buyukdere Street in Istanbul. (more…)
Are you aware of the enormous amounts of kinetic energy lost everyday that could have been used otherwise? Do you realize that, at the current power-consumption levels, all batteries in the world together are not enough to run the modern electric and electromechanical toys, even for a single week? Indeed, it’s high time we started using toys and gadgets that can save power and energy.
Chris Clemmer, an expert designer, has done precisely that. A parent himself, Clemmer, together with his colleagues, has come up with several unique toys that would enable even a kid to start making use of kinetic energy that would otherwise have been wasted. In fact, these innovative energy-saving toys get charged even when the kids are playing with them! (more…)
Several new types of electricity-saving devices are becoming common. These gadgets rely on electronics to operate an appliance more efficiently. Perhaps the best known example is the Green Plug, which adjusts the voltage applied to motors to improve their performance. The power planner reduces wasted energy supplied to cell phones, printers, laptops, cameras, modems and many other portable electronic devices.
Green plug is leveraging the universality of the USB connector for delivering power to low-power devices. Unmodified, standard USB cables can be used to connect green plug-enabled power supplies to low-power devices that get power over their USB connectors. Since USB provides for low-power only, green plug has extended the connector in a very innovative way such that high-power devices can all use the universal connector for power.
Is it a car or a motorcycle? Something so small yet powerful that it seems too good to be true. A first look at it, tells me it’s a car, but when I go into the details, it gives me the impression that makes it much more than just a motorcycle. A car, that is as compact and efficient as a motorcycle in the busy traffic, only superior to it in safety and performance. Meet Tango, an urban automobile solution that is being offered with zero emissions and high speed performance, well suited for the city.
With over 1000 pounds of torque, it can leap from zero to 60 mph in four seconds without any differential, it finishes a standing quarter-mile in about twelve seconds at over 100 mph. Tango may easily belong to the race car category, the only difference is that this small but mighty car is much safer and its four pint harnesses are much easier to get into. The side protection is estimated at 4 timed higher than that of a typical SUV.
U.S. Ausra, Inc. is going to establish the first solar thermal manufacturing plant in Las Vegas, Nevada. It has been announced that the plant will be 130,000 sq. ft. in area. It is going to have highly automatic manufacturing and distribution center and will produce the key components of the company’s solar thermal power plants.
The headquarter of Ausra is in Palo Alta, CA and this company has signed agreements so as to provide solar thermal power plants to several places of utility. The latest one is for California where a plant of 177 MW is planned to be build for Pacific Gas & Electric. The best among other qualities of solar thermal power plants is that it will provide electricity at zero pollution level and that too at the market rate. Its capacity is to produce 700MW per year and is more than sufficient for 500,000 homes.
Thinking about making a low-cost, easy-to-install wind power device that provides a safe and attractive method for harnessing power from the wind? Virtually all modern wind turbines convert wind energy to electricity for energy distribution. So why not follow these steps and make your own Vertical Axis Wind Turbine or VAWT that stands on the ground and can accept wind from any direction, a unit that will potentially experience high winds, above 25MPH.
Vertical–axis wind machines have blades that go from top to bottom and look like a giant two-bladed egg beaters. The advantages of this arrangement are that generators and gearboxes can be placed close to the ground, and you need not worry about the wind direction. It is easier to maintain because most of their moving parts are located near the ground and there are no emissions or pollution produced by its operation. For those who live in areas with high winds and want to curb their electric bills, this option can be highly efficient and moreover an attractive energy source.
