There’s a lot to love about USB. The plugs are small and convenient. The cable can carry both power and data. Plus, USB is, well, universal. This is why USB is considered by some to be the future of electricity. Smart grids, more convenient storage, solar power—according to a new Economist report it’s all easier with USB.
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When you think of Disney, most typically think of animated movies and theme parks, but Disney also has a research arm that looks into all sorts of future technology. Researchers at Disney have created an interesting and very cheap power generator that uses pieces of paper. This won’t create enough power to run your computer, but it does generate enough electricity to make LEDs glow, make sounds, or turn on an e-book display.
The generator uses sheets of conductive Teflon to create an electrical charge as users rub, touch or tap its surfaces together. Circuits are then able to take advantage of that electric charge and harness it to create power for small electronic devices.
The researchers say the generators are extremely cheap and convenient to produce. Such generators could to add interactivity to just about anything you can think of. Disney sees the potential for such generators to be used to power interactivity in books, papers, magazines, posters, and a number of other places.
Researcher Ivan Poupyrev said, “This simplicity leads to countless applications enabling interactivity everywhere and anytime. My overall goal is to make the whole world interactive, and creating ubiquitous power supplies is a key step in that direction.”
[via French Tribune]
Google’s goal of meeting its electrical needs with renewable sources got another big boost today. The Happy Hereford wind farm in Texas will produce 240 megawatts of juice, and all of that output has been bought by Big G. That power won’t flow directly from the turbines into Google’s data centers, instead it’ll be fed into the regional grid when Google sells the energy on the wholesale market. The 240 renewable energy certificates (REC) acquired in the deal will be retired in support of mother earth, and any additional REC’s created by the wind farm will be used to “reduce our [Google’s] carbon footprint elsewhere.” According to Google, this is similar to other green energy deals it’s done in Iowa and Oklahoma, so it’s highly likely we’ll be seeing more such deals in the not-so-distant future. Of course, no one will be receiving any of that Happy Hereford wind power just yet — the farm won’t be sending out any renewably-sourced electrons until late 2014.
Filed under: Misc, Alt, Google
Source: Google Official Blog
Ever get that feeling that the speakers in your living room are too, well, opaque? Wouldn’t it be cool if it looked like they were just floating there in mid-air blasting jams for all to hear? It’s a heck of a dream, and thanks to a team of Harvard scientists, it might just come true for you.
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After a bit of a foot-in-mouth mention of a high-speed transit system between the two ends of the country earlier this year, Elon Musk is today ready to bring a bit more heat to the very real possibility of this Hyperloop system. In a release made through Tesla Motors, Musk suggests that this next-generation system […]
This afternoon, ConEd issued a statement pleading with New Yorkers to use less energy—and thus prevent brownouts. Why? Because today at 2pm, the company broke its official energy usage record.
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There’s a petition out there in Washington summond by the public on behalf of Tesla Motors, and as of the first of July, it’s reached 75,000 of the 100k it needs to be seen. While the end result of the petition gaining its full set of signatures isn’t entirely clear*, the sheet’s aim is this:
While solar power promises a lot, it’s only ever going to help satisfy our energy needs if it becomes efficient enough. Fortunately, Sharp has just made the world’s most efficient solar cell, which converts a staggering 44.4 percent of incident light into electricity. Take that, fossil fuels.
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Unnamed United Stated officials, both current and former, spoke with the folks at the Wall Street Journal, revealing that hackers backed by the Iranian government have ramped up cyberattacks against the US, specifically zeroing in on the control systems that manage the energy industry. Unlike the Chinese hackers who have infiltrated various US companies, the intent behind the Iranian hackers appears to be sabotage.
The United States is no stranger to cyberattacks from Iran, which has been carrying on DDoS attacks against various bank websites for some time now. The difference with the latest attack from the nation is the potential for damage it provided, as well as showing a different area of intent behind the hackers’ motives, one that points toward wrecking havoc and causing disruption.
Reportedly, this newest attack by the hackers, according to a former US official, provided them with access to the control system for various gas and oil pipelines. Such a breach went “far enough to worry people.” That’s not all, however, with it also being reported that the hackers are using surveillance to access data, having accessed information on how to destroy or otherwise harm the systems controlling company operations.
It was suggested by one official that Iran could end up provoking a response from the United States if it does not back off its cyberattacking efforts: “This is representative of stepped-up cyber activity by the Iranian regime. The more they do this, the more our concerns grow. What they have done so far has certainly been noticed, and they should be cautious.”
Which oil, gas, and electric companies are being targeted was not specified, with the officials only saying that some of them lie along the US and Canadian border. Likewise, the proof that Iran is behind the attacks wasn’t specified either, with the officials merely saying that there is “technical evidence.” Not surprisingly, Iran denies having engaged in any such activities, but did point out that it has suffered these kind of attacks from the US.
SOURCE: Wall Street Journal
Image via Energy.gov
US energy industry under cyberattack by Iranian hackers is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
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One thing everybody does is walk. You could drive a car or ride the bus to work or to school, but you’d still have to walk to do various stuff throughout your day. Now a group of students called the ‘Agitation Squad’ from Rice University are taking that very basic action and coming up with ways to use that kinetic energy, starting with the PediPower.
The PediPower is a prototype device that’s meant to be attached to the heel of your shoes. Energy is generated every time the heel hits the ground (or with every step that you take), and the PediPower harvests this as you go along. The device has an arm attached to the heel of the shoe which hits the ground first and moves up as the person puts his or her weight on the foot. The arm, in turn, is attached to a gearbox, where gears turn with every step to drive a motor that has been mounted on the side of the shoe.
This movement generates electricity, which is transported via a voltage regulator and through wires to a belt-mounted battery pack.
The initiative was a response to a challenge from Houston-based company Cameron International, which called for the creation of a device that could harvest energy from human activity.
The Agitation Squad gives an overview of the PediPower in the clip above. Check it out to see how putting your foot down will one day generate energy to maybe even power up your gadgets!
[via Gizmag]
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