Hasta La Gadget!

What can’t graphene do? The wonder material’s been at the heart of a stunning number of technological breakthroughs of late, and now it’s adding oil exploration to its long list of achievements. A team of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered that the flow of good old H₂O over a sheet of graphene can generate enough electricity to power “tiny sensors” used in tracking down oil deposits. The gang, led by professor Nikhil Koratkar, was able to suck 85 nanowatts of power out of a slab of graphene measuring .03 by .015 millimeters. The little sensors the researchers speak of are pumped into potential oil wells via a stream of water, and are then put to work sniffing out hydrocarbons indicative of hidden pockets of oil and natural gas. Of course, that doesn’t have a whole lot of practical application for your average gadget consumer, but Koraktar sees a future filled with tiny water-powered robots and micro-submarines — we can dig it.

Researchers use graphene to draw energy from flowing water, self-powered micro-robots to follow? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’ve got to hand it to IBM’s engineers. They drag themselves into work after their company’s 100th birthday party, pop a few Alka-Seltzers and then promptly announce yet another seismic invention. This time it’s a new kind of phase change memory (PCM) that reads and writes 100 times faster than flash, stays reliable for millions of write-cycles (as opposed to just thousands with flash), and is cheap enough to be used in anything from enterprise-level servers all the way down to mobile phones. PCM is based on a special alloy that can be nudged into different physical states, or phases, by controlled bursts of electricity. In the past, the technology suffered from the tendency of one of the states to relax and increase its electrical resistance over time, leading to read errors. Another limitation was that each alloy cell could only store a single bit of data. But IBM employees burn through problems like these on their cigarette breaks: not only is their latest variant more reliable, it can also store four data bits per cell, which means we can expect a data storage “paradigm shift” within the next five years. Combine this with Intel’s promised 50Gbps interconnect, which has a similar ETA, and data will start flowing faster than booze from an open bar on the boss’s tab. There’s more detailed science in the PR after the break, if you have a clear head.

Continue reading IBM develops ‘instantaneous’ memory, 100x faster than flash

IBM develops ‘instantaneous’ memory, 100x faster than flash originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Let’s be honest, it’s no big secret that we’re running out of dead dinosaurs to fuel our lives. And with recent natural catastrophes proving atomic energy isn’t what you’d call ‘safe,’ it’s a good thing the researchers down at the RMIT University in Melbourne have been hard at work figuring out how to turn you into a self-sustained energy source. Marrying piezoelectrics with a thin film microchip coating, those scientists Down Under have for the first time identified just how much energy your pressure can generate. This is certainly not the first time the tech has been put to use — Orange UK’s been doing something similar, albeit bulkier, for the Glastonbury fest each year. What are some practical uses, you ask? Imagine a gym powered by a sea of workout-hamsters, each producing significant energy from the soles of their feet. Curious for more? Try a pacemaker that runs solely on blood pressure, or a laptop charged by banging out Facebook updates. Who knows, maybe even RIM can put this to use in its next Storm. Just sayin’.

[Image courtesy Alberto Villarreal]

Thin film coating makes everlasting energy a piezoelectric possibility originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 02:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looking at vacation homes in Osaka, are you? If you happen upon a blueprint that looks anything like the crib shown above, we’re guessing that it’ll cost you a pretty penny. Er, yen. Sharp has just started the evaluation process on its newly completed Eco House — an abode that aims to emit precisely zero carbon emissions while not compromising on the technology within it. It’s outfitted with a cadre of energy-saving appliances and AQUOS TVs, all networked in via HEMS and programmed to display energy usage to whatever landlord decides to stop by for the day. Not surprisingly, some of the energy is being sourced from photovoltaic modules, and we’re told that a downright absurd 180-inch LCD will be “evaluated for suitability to today’s green-conscious world.” Something tells us the company won’t have too many issues finding volunteers to occupy the joint.

Sharp begins Eco House evaluation in Japan, aims for eco-friendly tech mecca originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 08:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple threw quite the wireless party by introducing PC Free and iCloud at yesterday’s WWDC keynote, but it seems that the engineers in Cupertino may have even more tricks up their sleeve. Judging by a recently filed patent application, the company’s hoping to add charging to its list of cord-cutting services. Specifically, the patent describes building a NFMR (near-field magnetic resolution) power supply directly into your iMac so it can charge your iPhone, iPad, or even peripherals — such as a keyboard or mouse, when equipped with a special antenna — without the assistance of your ol’ trusty charging cords or batteries. Sporting a somewhat mature iMac that’s operating sans NFMR? Pop a special USB dongle in that bad boy and presto, you’re good to go. The patent points out that the range is limited to one meter, though there may be ways to install repeaters in peripherals to extend that distance further. Of course, patents won’t guarantee we’ll be grabbing the scissors to cut our cords anytime soon, but at least we won’t have to rely on these things for the rest of eternity.

Filed under: Wireless

Apple patent app sheds light on wireless charging dreams, NFMR love affair originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 09:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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