Nov 19
Hydrogen is one of the most promising fuels of the future
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Nov 23
Anyone who’s experienced intercontinental jet lag will tell you that it really messes you up. My personal system involves doing an all-nighter the night before I get onto a plane, so that I crash when I land. These goggles might help me actually get more sleep and do away with this all-nighter foolishness.
The Re-Timer is designed to help reset your body’s internal biological clock so that jet lag effects can be minimized. The goggles emit a soft green light onto the eyes of the wearer, and this is supposed to improve your alertness level, and make getting out of bed easier. Its makers claim the reason why it works is because Re-Timer mimics the effects of sunlight, relying on light to stimulate a segment of the brain which is responsible for regulating our biological clocks.
With that in mind, wearing them could also help manage the effects of seasonal affective disorder (aka the “Winter Blues”), as well as to help those who work the night shift readjust their body clocks.
The Re-Timer was designed on the back of 25 years of research, so I would hope that they would be effective. A pair of Re-Timer goggles costs AUD$249 (~$258 USD).
[via Ubergizmo]
Aug 28
Spherical glass lens concentrates sunlight by up to 10,000 times, boosts solar cell efficiency
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Eking out more power from solar cells is an ongoing challenge for scientists, and now architect André Broessel has developed a spherical glass energy generator that’s said to improve efficiency by 35 percent. Acting as a lens, the rig’s large water-filled orb concentrates diffused daylight or moonlight onto a solar cell with the help of optical tracking to harvest electricity. In certain configurations, the apparatus can be used for solar thermal energy generation and even water heating. In addition to the oversized globe, Broessel has cooked up a mobile version of the contraption for domestic use and an array of much smaller ball lenses with dual-axis tracking that offers 40 percent efficiency. These devices aren’t the first venture into concentrated photovoltaics, but they are likely among the most visually impressive. If the Barcelona-based architect’s vision of the future comes true, you’ll be seeing these marbles incorporated into buildings and serving as standalone units. Hit the source links below for the picture spread of prototypes and renders.
Filed under: Alt
Spherical glass lens concentrates sunlight by up to 10,000 times, boosts solar cell efficiency originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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