Environmental News, Eco-Friendly Gadgets - FreshAirTimes.eu

Eco Factor: Aircraft with an electric engine aims to set world record.

The SkySpark project was officially underway at a press conference in Turin. The attempt is to develop a 100% electric aircraft that could reach speeds in excess of 300km/h, thereby setting a new record. The project is supported by several private sponsors and by the local government as well.

The aircraft is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell capable of providing 65Kw of green electric power. The aircraft will be piloted by Italian astronaut Maurizio Cheli. Navigation technology for the green flier will be provided by NavSAS, which will provide accurate positioning of the plane during the record-setting attempt.

The Dark Side:

A speed of 300km/h might look like too much if you are a car owner, but it’s too little if the aircraft is ever commercialized. Moreover, the range of such an aircraft, owing to its electric engine, could be an issue that needs some technical intervention.

Via: GalileoSystem 

Eco Factor: Boat made from recycled materials runs on solar energy.

The design team of one of the most discussed green cars, the Aptera, is not just relaxing and enjoying the success their creation got but is working their way from the road to the open waters. The design team that includes Jason Hill of Design11 and Nathan Armstrong ofMotive Industries has designed a solar-powered boat known as the Loon.

 The boat comes with a solar roof capable of generating 1000W of green power, enabling the pontoon-shaped boat to cruise at a speed of 7 knots for an estimated range of over 35 miles. The solar roof is foldable for you to enjoy the sun after shutting down its electric power house. Made from recycled materials, bamboo and natural fibers, the 22-foot-long boat can also transfer electricity to the grid if the boat is anchored to the dock for the day.

The Dark Side:

The boat is still in the concept stage and more details on the boat would only surface after a prototype has been developed. If it comes at an affordable price, it could definitely green some inland waterway boating trips.

Via: Engadget/AutoBlogGreen 

Toilet technology is fast becoming a major talking point in the scientist community with developers using the pot for a variety of purposes including letting you have access the net! Researchers have announced plans for a new device that can use the energy generated during flushing of the toilet as an alternative power source. The gadget will use hydroelectric power created during the flushing of the loo to power other home appliances. Though the researchers are as yet keeping the specs close to their hearts, we’re sure we’ll soon have a whole line up of loo-power compatible devices out in the market! Watch this space for more!

Source: Keetsa

Gone are the days when you had to sulk in hot desiccating summer or spend a good sum on buying room coolers and air conditioners that used to take a lot out of your bag. Coming are the days when you can experiment with science and apply a masterwork of a journalist who built his own air conditioner, home-based, that too at a much lesser cost than you can expect. Moreover, this home-based air conditioner or cooler doesn’t need a bustling electric supply to work on, this way shedding the burden on energy and environment.

Local products are usually ignored by us citing reasons beyond imagination. However, when sizzling hot summers stand tall on your head and the need of the hour is a cooling temptation, and the burden on your pocket drags you two steps back, why not try home-based air conditioner that would help reduce the burden on you, your pocket, environment, and energy. Snowbreeze, as its progenitor has nicknamed the indigenous air conditioner, needs tons of ice, a rotating 23-watt fan, a container bucket, an ice drum to keep pounds of ice, an aluminum foil, and two wheels to move the gadget on. The safer part is that the gadget can be made in two days with least expenses. All you need is two carpenters and the above-mentioned products that are easily available everywhere without burdening your pocket much.

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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.
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Japanese homes are already familiar with solar panels and technology thanks to the warm spring, summer and autumn seasons in the country. Still with so many solar panels installed in the country, it still contributes 12% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. But now a new innovation by Sharp will drastically change these statistics. The company has partnered with Eliiy Power to create the world’s first storage battery for household electricity systems.

These cells will store the electricity that is generated by normal roof top solar panels and will be so efficient that they will be able to run the house for a day and a half. With this system Sharp has addressed the main problem with solar panels that they themselves cannot store any electricity and hence provide power just for half of the day. Sharp’s new lithium-ion cell based system, which costs about ¥500,000 (£2,350) will surely refine solar technology. This system is expected to debut next year.

Via: Tech.co.uk

Cellphones have become a part and parcel of our everyday routine and living without this device is completely not possible for anyone today. But do we really think about the environment when we purchase a new phone? The answer is a simple no and even some cellphone designers know about this. So when customers don’t think about the environment, designers have taken it into their own hands and have developed concepts such as the LINC which is much more than a simple phone.

In first look LINC seems to be a typical touch screen smart phone with all the connectivity and features that you expect in your smart phone. It has a media player, a web browser, GPS, downloadable content, Bluetooth, Wifi and the latest 3G network. Still we say that it’s much more than a simple phone, because the phone is leased to the user as a service not a product. The user makes use of the device for about an year or so and when the next generation technology hits the market, the user receives a new LINC in the mail. The phone informs the user of the hardware upgrade, transfers the digital account wirelessly and before being shipped back to the manufacturer the phone also informs the user of the next part of its journey.

When the manufacturer receives the device, it removes valuable components such as aluminum, glass and electronic chips from the phone for re-use. This step ensures that hazardous chemicals don’t reach the landfill. Disassembling the LINC is also automated as a directed radiant heat beam targets its internal memory latch, releasing the assembly. In just one step the phone disassembles into its components. From here parts such as glass and aluminum are sent for re-use where are the outdated graphics cards are used in devices such as gaming systems.

Via: The Greener Grass

Every day you see that companies are launching new cellphone models and each of them comes with a new type of battery and a new charger. So what about all those chargers and batteries you have collected in earlier years. Simple, you just throw it into the landfill where hazardous chemicals present in the batteries reach the water channels and come back to your home. Have you ever thought of a safer alternative to all this pollution? This problem would not have been as great as it is today had cellphone manufacturers developed similar batteries and chargers for all the models.

However, that is something we wish and for now we have to think about some other alternative. The Green Cell Battery is one such alternative. It’s a safe, ecofriendly battery that is made without any toxic chemicals and the best part is that whenever it runs out of charge, it can easily be exchanged for a fresh battery at a local vending machine.

Designed by Theo Richardson with Charles Brill and Alex Williams of RBW for the Greener Gadgets Competition, this battery ensures that used batteries don’t enter the landfill, but are efficiently recycled in the best possible way. Another good feature is that the battery has been designed to operate with all the electronic gadgets that are presently in the market so that users don’t have to change the cell when a new model comes in the market.

Via: Inhabitat

Overheating laptops will do more than just burning your legs if this amazing mouse makes it to the stores. No, I am not joking but am saying this because the designers of this mouse believes that they can make use of the heat generated in your notebook computer to power this trendy looking mouse dubbed the DORmino.

Actually the whole mechanism does not rest in the mouse but in the giant mousepad that extends from under the notebook to the right hand side where the mouse rests. The mouse pad absorbs all the heat that is expelled from the notebook to power the mouse. This amazing concept comes from Cheong Yian Ling and his team from Singapore, who have submitted the design to the Greener Gadgets Design Competition 2008. If this amazing concept ever becomes a reality it will surely give a different meaning to your burnt legs!

Via: TrendHunter / Core77

It may be just a concept as yet, but the solar-powered notebook promises to revolutionize the way we utilize energy resources. The concept is developed around attaching a wide solar-panel to the laptop making it totally independent. The detachable panel is to be put away in the sun for recharging while the notebook functions on a smaller battery that charges itself when DC power is plugged into the system. The laptop is also equipped with satellite link GPS, internet access, and satellite telephone services making it the world’s first fully independent and universal communication tool that can be operated from literally any spot on the planet making it an ideal research and travel companion for scientists and explorer who often have to live in places that have no access to electricity.

Source: Tuvie