Mastering the perfect golf swing is a lot harder than it looks, and putting is even harder than blasting a golf ball down the fairway. So while it will probably never be approved for use in PGA tournaments, the Jedi Putter—designed by students at Rice University—provides real-time feedback helping an amateur golfer master their putting game.
Have you ever been playing around with molten metal salt, when you accidentally created hollow, soft-shelled particles that could one day increase hard disk storage or power future QLED displays? Us neither, but that’s exactly what happened to scientists at Rice University when they were researching “tetrapods” to make solar panels more efficient. Through an apparently wacky coincidence, they removed a single ingredient from the tetrapod stew, which left behind tiny droplets of cadmium nitrate. Selenium then melted around those drops, which completely dissolved away, leaving a melted selenium ball with a hole in the middle. It turns out that those selenium “doughnuts” can be packed tightly onto a metal surface without touching, thanks to their soft shells, which could allow more bits to be packed onto a hard drive, or be used in quantum computers and next-gen displays. Since the dots are smaller than a living cell, it took the researchers an entire year to figure out what they’d made and how they did it — luckily they didn’t just bin the whole thing and start over.
Filed under: Displays, Storage, Science, Alt
Via: Extreme Tech
Source: IOP Science
A stroke can cause permanent paralysis even if a patient’s cognitive functions recover. But those thoughts, if a revolutionary new robotic orthotic succeeds, could be all it takes to help stroke victims’ bodies recover a greater degree of limb function. More »
LED technology shone brighter than the summer sun this week as artist Bruce Munro unveiled plans for his largest lighting installation ever — a field of thousands of LED flowers that will spring up next year at Australia’s Ayers Rock. Best of all, the entire installation will be powered by solar energy! We also saw Rice University flip the switch on its new Epiphany Skyspace — a green-roofed pavilion that’s topped with a brilliant blue canopy of light. If you’re still not convinced that LEDs are the future, we recently produced two videos that are sure to show you the light — check out our interview with five professional lighting designers on today’s state of the art LED bulbs and watch as we give Inhabitots editor Julie Seguss a light bulb overhaul that shaves over $400 off her utility bills. And if you’re ready to make the switch, check out our guide to 24 gorgeous green lamps that look great with LED bulbs.
This week saw some exciting new developments in the realm of renewable energy. First, a group of scientists in the UK developed a new energy-harvesting device that attaches to the joint between the thigh and shin. The device could be used to power monitors and mobile devices, to name a few possible applications. Meanwhile, scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have invented a new toilet that turns human waste into electricity while reducing the amount of water needed for flushing by up to 90 percent. That’s what we call, win-win!
Inhabitat’s Week in Green: energy-harvesting toilet, LED lightbulb overhaul and a floating, solar-powered resort home originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Liquid solar cells are pretty neat, to be sure, but current-generating paint can be a hard color to match. Good thing, then, that researchers at Rice university have developed the perfect complement: a spray-on battery. By carefully layering five coats of specially formulated paint, the team has found a way to apply a thin coat of lithium ion storage to multiple surfaces, including glass, ceramics, steel and flexible polymers. Early experiments are promising — after applying the process to nine ordinary bathroom tiles, the painted batteries were able to power a small array of LEDs (spelling “Rice”) for six hours, consistently pumping out 2.4 volts of electricity. After 60 charge / discharge cycles, researches say the batteries retained most of their capacity. Neelam Singh, Rice graduate student and lead author of the team’s report, says the technology will only improve when coupled with modern methods. “Spray painting is already an industrial process, so it will be very easy to incorporate this into industry,” she said. “We really do consider this a paradigm changer.” Scope out the processes (and its fruits) for yourself after the break.
Continue reading Rice University researchers create spray-on battery, powered bathroom tiles
Rice University researchers create spray-on battery, powered bathroom tiles originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 01:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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