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Michael Mulcahy
New GE LED outdoor lighting helps banish danger in parking lots
20:30 July 20, 2009 PDT
If you’ve ever crossed a parking lot at night and found yourself nervously hurrying from one reassuring pool of light to the next, you’ll be pleased to learn GE believes it has come up with a way to banish lurking shadows from large outdoor areas. The GE Evolve LED area light produces less glare and a more uniform level of light, reducing hot spots and dark spots. And, as an added bonus, it’s 30% more energy-efficient than traditional outdoor lighting. Read More
That 'small step for man' still very visible on the moon
07:28 July 20, 2009 PDT
Exactly forty years ago today, with fuel running short and alarms buzzing, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set their lunar module Eagle down on the face of the moon, and mankind took its very first step on another celestial body. Last week, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) returned its first imagery of the Apollo moon landing sites. Even after all these years, there’s something truly heroic about seeing those lunar module descent stages sitting silently on the surface, testament to man’s imagination and determination. Read More
The new space race: first courier service to the moon
23:05 July 19, 2009 PDT
As we commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the Apollo moon landing this week, it’s worth asking what happened to those old dreams of lunar colonies and missions to Mars. NASA is reportedly struggling thanks to a general lack of interest and, it claims, funding. But, even with USD$187 billion, their Project Constellation is unlikely to reach the moon before 2020. The best hope right now seems to be driven by the private sector: Google’s USD$30 million Lunar X PRIZE and one of its most promising contenders, Odyssey Moon, which has announced plans to become the first private company to supply payload delivery services to the Moon. Read More
Protecting world food supplies with salt-tolerant crops
20:59 July 16, 2009 PDT
Salt might be great with popcorn and peanuts, but it’s not so good with soil. The U.N. estimates that the world loses at least three hectares of arable land every minute because of soil salinity. Most crops simply can’t cope with too much salt. Which is why a breakthrough by a team at the University of Adelaide in Australia could have a profound effect on the food supplies of our future: they’ve found a way to genetically modify plants to become more salt tolerant. Read More
You gotta know when to fold ‘em: the furtive Flux chair
04:28 July 16, 2009 PDT
For purity of design and construction, the Flux chair is hard to beat. Fashioned out of a single piece of completely recyclable polypropylene, the Flux turns itself into a flat, self-contained “envelope” for ease of transport or storage. But then, in ten seconds, it can be folded out to transform into a beautiful piece of designer furniture. Read More
CR-Z sports hybrid to hit showrooms next year
04:55 July 15, 2009 PDT
Honda has announced that the CR-Z sports hybrid will be available for sale in Japan from January of next year. First unveiled as a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2007, the two-door sports hybrid is powered by Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system, which combines a small gasoline engine with supplementary power from a built-in electric motor. Read More
Nanotechnology breakthrough promises cheaper, more efficient solar cells
04:44 July 15, 2009 PDT
The quest for alternative fuels has become one of science’s major pre-occupations and finding ways to cheaply produce energy from the sun is a key battlefront. Researchers at Berkeley, California, have found a way to make cheaper, better solar cells using tiny nanopillar semiconductors measuring just billionths of a meter wide. The underlying theory is that a 3-D solar cell has more surface – and, therefore, will be a much more efficient light-collector – than the usual 2-D solar cell. Read More
How does your garden grow? Find out with the Brinno time-lapse camera
08:22 July 13, 2009 PDT
Budding David Attenboroughs now have a means of creating home-made documentaries of their own gardens with the Brinno GardenWatchCam. A sturdy little time-lapse digital camera, the GardenWatchCam allows you to literally watch grass grow, taking 1.3 megapixel macro images at intervals ranging from one picture a minute to one a day. Read More
Hyundai launches world’s first LPG-electric hybrid
22:13 July 12, 2009 PDT
Hyundai has entered the burgeoning hybrid market with a world first – an LPG-electric hybrid vehicle. The Elantra LPI Hybrid combines a four cylinder 1.6 LPI “Gamma” engine and 15kW electric motor to deliver fuel economy of 42mpg and CO2 emissions of just 99grams/km. Hyundai believes the combination of hybrid power and low-cost fuel will enable the Elantra LPI to pay its way faster than any other hybrid on the market. Read More
New storm guidance system might have averted Air France Flight 447 disaster
22:08 July 12, 2009 PDT
Pilots routinely fly over remote stretches of ocean with almost no weather information, apart from a pre-flight briefing and updates every four hours. Yet this is where some of the worst turbulence and, as Air France Flight 447 tragically encountered on June 1, most intense weather occurs. The National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is developing a new system that combines satellite data, weather models and A.I. to identify and predict rapidly evolving storms, enabling pilots to avoid areas of potentially severe turbulence. Read More
Calvin Klein shades boast built-in USB data storage
23:29 July 9, 2009 PDT
Given the increasingly-strange places USB Flash drives turn up these days – from Swiss Army knives to penguins – nothing should come as a surprise. But it still seems odd that ck Calvin Klein would decide that what the world wants right now is a 4GB USB data storage device built into a pair of designer sunglasses. Read More
What’s red on the outside and green on the inside? London’s new hybrid buses
17:47 July 9, 2009 PDT
There’s no better way to test the realities of hybrid technology than with public transport, where significant reductions in fuel consumption and emissions are not just desirable, but a commercial necessity. London got a little greener this week with the delivery of six new Volvo B5L hybrid double-decker buses to Arriva London. The new buses are powered by Volvo’s parallel hybrid I-SAM technology which, used on bus routes in Gothenburg, Sweden, has delivered fuel savings of 30%. Read More
The ultimate geek accessory? Orange announces touch-screen watch phone
01:59 July 9, 2009 PDT
Come on, be honest - wouldn’t you love to make some of those childish dreams of secret agent covert ops finally come true? Because Orange has just announced that, from next month, they’re making available the ultimate gadget: the world’s first touch-screen watch phone. The LG GD910 is 3G and video-calling capable, with in-built speaker, Bluetooth headset and full touch-screen interface. Read More
Old aircraft never die, they just land on desks
23:24 July 8, 2009 PDT
Using recycled materials is nothing new when it comes to making furniture. But rarely are the results – literally – this polished. Using pieces of vintage aircraft ranging from B-25 bombers to DC-9’s and B-747’s, the Los Angeles-based MotoArt liberates the sleek, metal beauty of planes and re-purposes the pieces as distinctively modern tables, beds, couches, chairs and desks. Read More
Goodwood Festival of Speed: faster, greener and partly pedestrian
21:33 July 8, 2009 PDT
Once a year, car connoisseurs and speed freaks gather together at Goodwood House, Essex, to witness the fast, the furious and the utterly fantastic. This year’s 17th Festival of Speed held last weekend was no exception. A crowd of over 150,000 saw the fastest man on earth drive Jaguar’s fastest, Renault’s zero emission concept, Ferrari climb the hill in under a minute, Audi celebrate 100 years, Maserati’s newest, and Porsche set a new world record…on foot. Read More
Unmanned mini sub will prowl ports and coasts for hidden threats
06:03 July 8, 2009 PDT
It used to be that shipping was most under threat on the high seas. But now authorities warn that terrorists are targeting vessels in port or close to shore. Which is exactly why BAE Systems have launched a tiny, unmanned autonomous submarine to detect and deal with such threats: the Talisman L weighs only 50kg, has a top speed of 5 knots, and can patrol at depths of up to 100 metres for up to 12 hours. Read More
Making cars a wee bit more efficient by turning urine into hydrogen
05:56 July 7, 2009 PDT
No-one should ever drink and drive, but there may soon be a good reason to drink a lot before you fill up your car – researchers at Ohio University have worked out a way to efficiently extract hydrogen from urine. It could provide a cheap, renewable fuel source for vehicles and, finally, a good use for the most abundant waste on Earth. Read More
BMW X1 to hit market in October
20:09 July 5, 2009 PDT
There’s no doubt that when BMW promises, it delivers. Last year we reported from the Paris Motor Show on the unveiling of the Concept X1, which BMW promised to have to market in 12 months. And, sure enough, one year later here it is: BMW’s first compact SUV (essentially it’s an X5 shrunk to a more city-friendly size) with a choice of two- or four-wheel drive and the first in the X series to have Auto Start-Stop. Read More
First glimpse of solar-powered plane draws big crowd
03:41 July 3, 2009 PDT
After six long years of planning, talking and hard work, the world has finally had its first look at the 100% solar-powered Solar Impulse HB-SIA. This remarkable feat of engineering, with the wingspan of a Boeing 747 but only the weight of an average family car, has over 12,000 solar cells powering four electric motors with a maximum power of 10HP. The aircraft prototype is expected to take its first flights before the end of the year. Read More
Shockproof speaker lets iPod come to the party
03:35 July 3, 2009 PDT
iPods might be extremely commonplace these days, but that doesn’t stop their owners obsessing about them. Now there’s a rather nifty accessory that’ll let you take your iPod poolside – or even to the beach – without having to constantly worry about it. This Portable iPod Outdoor Speaker is shockproof, water and dust resistant and, potentially, the ultimate party guest. Read More
Keyring device could save you from silent killer
00:00 July 2, 2009 PDT
You can’t see it, smell it or taste it but, in high enough concentrations, it can kill you within minutes. It’s carbon monoxide (CO), and it’s America’s leading cause of accidental poisoning, with an estimated 400 deaths and 20,000 emergency ward admissions annually. The Pocket CO, the world’s smallest renewable carbon monoxide detector, will not only immediately alert you to dangerous levels of CO, but also calculate your exposure on a daily basis. Read More
Like a cat outta hell: The ultra-luxury Aeroyacht 110
23:49 July 1, 2009 PDT
The Aeroyacht 110 has been dubbed “the world’s most innovative super catamaran” by its designers and, while that’s a pretty big claim, it’s certainly an audacious concept. Capable of speeds of over 32 knots but able to cruise effortlessly at 20, boasting a superbly-appointed 32ft wide salon with 360º sea views and with its own fold-up amphibious plane as a tender, the Aeroyacht 110 looks to be the ne plus ultra of luxury sailing. Read More
Converting light into energy with ‘artificial leaf’ one step closer
22:15 July 1, 2009 PDT
As an efficient, natural means of capturing solar energy, photosynthesis is hard to beat. But it’s also proving extremely difficult to duplicate. That’s why researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands are very excited at having built a light-harvesting antenna using the chlorophyll of the alga Spirulina: they’re now halfway towards the artificial leaf. Read More
Car share program launched with new Maya 300 electric vehicle
20:15 June 30, 2009 PDT
Baltimore has taken the environmental benefits of car-sharing programs a step further by launching one that features the all-electric, zero local emissions Maya 300. Powered by a lithium-ion battery, the Maya 300 seats five, can travel up to 120 miles on a single charge, has a top speed of 35mph and can be charged via a standard 110V household electrical outlet. Read More
Mobile makers agree on standard micro-USB charger for Europe
01:18 June 30, 2009 PDT
Are your cupboards full of old phone chargers? They seem to accumulate with every new mobile, and are rarely useful again. Hoping to change this wasteful scenario, the European Union have proposed – and ten leading manufacturers agreed to – a new standard that will see micro-USB charging devices used for all data-enabled mobile phones. The hope is that, within three to four years, mobiles and chargers will be sold separately in Europe, and they’ll all be compatible. Read More
John M
- November 25, 2009 @ 17:19 UTC
