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Leaf
Good vibrations: Lotus leaf's secrets revealed
By Jeff Salton
23:13 October 25, 2009 PDT
The ancient lotus leaf has natural properties that scientists believe could prove beneficial in today's modern world. Already Gizmag has featured articles about the lotus leaf surface, including a self-cleaning cup and a transparent coating for space suits. Recently, though, in an effort to improve the efficiency of modern engineering systems, such as power plants and some electronic equipment that must be cooled by removing heat through water evaporation and condensation, engineers at Duke University have been studying the lotus leaf. Using an ultra high-speed camera, a powerful microscope and an audio speaker, scientists were able to observe water as it condensed on the leaf's surface, and more importantly, how the water condensate disappeared. Read More
Lotus leaf inspires dust-busting shield for space gear
By Paul Lester
16:56 September 27, 2009 PDT
Finding inspiration from nature in order to refine and advance modern technologies is nothing new; Mercedes’ bionic car was an interesting example and we’ve also seen a new ‘smart fabric’ based on the design of pine cones. Perhaps one of the most inspiring species, certainly in the plant world, is the lotus, which has already contributed to the development of fog-free windscreens and other surfaces along with improving the efficiency of solar cells. Now NASA is looking to the Lotus Leaf to develop a non-stick surface for use on spaceflight equipment. Read More
Concept bracelet phone leaves electricity behind
By Jeff Salton
20:53 August 25, 2009 PDT
For fashionable folk who enjoy the simple life but still need to be in contact with the rest of the world, comes the Leaf wearable bracelet phone concept. Great if you’ve run out of pockets or don’t want to carry a handbag, the Leaf is a wearable bracelet phone that incorporates solar cells for power on its front panel. Inspired by photosynthesis, the Leaf is pretty basic - good for making calls and texting only. However, designers Seungkyun Woo and Junyi Heo say it’s main objective is to “remind people that they can contribute to energy efficiency.” 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
Leaf's 56-megapixel AFi 10 medium-format digital camera
By Tim Hanlon
00:08 August 1, 2008 PDT
August 1, 2008 We brought news of Hasselblad's 50-megapixel H3DII-50 earlier in the month - now Leaf has announced the 56-megapixel AFi 10 medium-format digital camera. The AFi 10's True Wide Frame (TWF) 56x36 mm sensor delivers 56 megapixel resolution across the entire width of the 6x6 sensor area. This technology, found in the AFi 10 imaging module and Aptus 10 camera back, is also compatible with over 80 large-format cameras. Read More
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- November 21, 2009 @ 03:30 UTC
