Hasta La Gadget!

Mosquito bites are perhaps the one thing that are worse than the heat in Japan during the summer. Not only do they itch the entire day, these pesky little blood-suckers annoy the general population with their loud buzzing and constant flying in circles. Sea’s Garden, a smart phone gaming and utility app maker, offers a solution to the terror that mosquitoes bring to man, without harming the environment.

The Mosquito Buster is an Android app (soon to be released for the iPhone as well) that acts as a mosquito coil, but instead of burning off insect killing smoke, it releases a high-frequency sound from your smart phone speakers which these insects detest.

The app is extremely simple to operate: users choose between 3 modes, each with corresponding frequencies. The first is obviously to avoid mosquitos, and the second, rodents. The third was what caught our attention and seemed particularly amusing. The third mode is titled “Avoid Children”, as it releases a frequency only detectable to children, as adult ears cannot hear the high pitched sound. It would be useful for parents who need a little bit of peace and quiet from their screaming, energetic toddlers. It’s nice to see useful utility apps like these that offer clever ways of solving consumer problems in an eco-friendly manner. Looks like I’m going to finally get a good nights sleep tonight without having to worry about pesky insects (or children for that matter) that bring a world of itchiness to my feet .

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Green transportation soared to new heights this week as Inhabitat showcased the world’s first true hybrid-electric airplane, and we spotted plans for a zero-emission hypersonic jet capable of traveling from London to New York in a single hour. Meanwhile, Japan gave the green for the construction of a blazing fast 313 MPH maglev train line, and we spotted a crazy high-speed rail concept that would allow passengers to change trains while speeding along the tracks. We also watched as an 11-year-old student piloted a 1,325 MPG hypermiling supercar and we saw an 8-ton Volkswagen beetle sculpture sink into the sea to start a new life as an artificial reef.

It’s been a scorching summer for solar power as Torresol opened the world’s first 24/7 solar plant in Spain, and Samsung unveiled the first photovoltaic-laden laptop to be sold in the US. We also saw Aquamarine Power break ground on a massive wave energy farm in Orkney, while Germany hatched a plan to store excess wind power in abandoned coal mines. Finally, we spotted several novel incredibly odd new energy-generating gizmos — a t-shirt that converts rock music into electricity and a power-generating USB camping pot that charges your gadgets as you cook.

Speaking of renewable energy, this week we caught a first look at the amazing EDV-01 shelter — a high-tech solar-powered building with a luminous LED facade that is capable of doubling its capacity with the flick of a switch. We also brought you Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill’s plans for the world’s 4th tallest skyscraper, and we showcased an ultramodern paperless office in the Netherlands that looks like a meteor fallen from space. Last but not least, we took an exclusive first look inside BIG’s mountainous green-roofed eco village in Copenhagen, and tech expert Peter Rojas tackled the question of whether it’s better to turn your laptop off or set it to sleep in our Ask a Tech Geek column.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: ’round the clock solar plants, USB camping pot and wave energy farms originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the recent eco and “setsuden” (energy saving) activities set in place in Japan since the disasters, Sharp has just announced a new concept, energy efficient, Eco House. Reported to have “zero CO2 emissions”, the new building combines the most recent green technology and Sharp’s newest energy-saving home appliances. The wooden two-story home is located in Osaka, well known for its heavy production of solar and LCD panels which are implemented throughout. Four researchers have resided in this trial house since May, measuring its effectiveness and comfort of living; Sharp’s ultimate goal is to minimize power consumption whilst providing a comfortable living environment.

Sharp proposes to save energy with this new concept in several interesting ways,including implementing throughout the house a number of key energy efficient home appliances which they have developed over the years. In descending order, air conditioners, lighting equipment, refrigerators, and televisions use the most energy, amounting to roughly two-thirds of the total power used in an average home. Installing the newest eco-friendly and energy saving devices, it is estimated that 30% of the average electricity bill could be cut.

Another technique they plan on using is allowing residents to “see” how much electricity is actually being saved/used. By using devices such as AQUOS LCD TVs and LCD tablets networked into the HEMs (Home Energy Management Systems), or the “brains” of the eco home, the amount of energy each individual appliance is consuming is displayed to the residents. With more aware consumers, it is said that this could save up to 15% of electricity due to a more eco-conscious attitude.

LED and photovoltaic (solar powered) panel-generated electricity will also be the primary sources of lighting in Sharp’s eco house. These will be evaluated for their energy saving performance and are also able to adjust the brightness and color of the lighting to provide a comfortable and relaxing living environment. There will be sensors located around the house to detect people’s movement and activate sufficient lighting accordingly, minimizing the waste of unnecessary usage. DC (direct current) appliances will be powered by solar energy, which are collected by panels and preserved in storage batteries so that they may event operate in blackouts. In addition, Sharp has created the concept of using the storage battery of electronic vehicles to power appliances through its new Intelligent Power Conditioner.

The gradual movement towards eco houses is prevalent in Japan and has been taken place even before the disasters in March, examples seen in Pasona’s green offices, and the Tokyo Green Building Program introduced in 2005. It will be interesting to see how the new energy concerns that have risen out of “setsuden” will spur on innovation in industries and areas across the board.

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With the recent disasters in Japan and shortage of electricity, comes a new era of vending machines that are both eco-friendly as well as energy saving. We have seen countless fascinating innovations in many sectors of Japan involving the recent trend in “setsuden” (energy saving) and “teiden taisaku” (blackout countermeasures). As we also know, vending machines are a significant part of Japanese culture, located on the corner of every street, entrance of a building, and even rows of them side by side. However, these convenient, but not-so-efficient ubiquitous machines, devour an astonishing amount of electricity for their size. Numerous measures have been taken up by JVMA (Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association) to reduce the use of electrical energy such as Zone Cooling (in which the machines only cool/heat the next few cans that are ready to be sold), a sensor which enables it to turn off its lighting system during the day and when there are nearby lights, and a “Vacuum Insulation” system where materials such as glass wool and metallic films are used to prevent heat and cold loss.

Fujitaka Corporation, commonly known for its digital signage systems and eco-friendly/labor saving machines, introduced at the Digital Signage Japan 2011 event, the Ranman, a vending machine that uses phosphorescence as a method for lighting. According to a spokesman, this simple but innovative idea will save up to 30% of electricity, compared to traditional vending machines, by using phosphorescent lighting (commonly seen in glow-in-the-dark sticks) at night and times of a blackout. Powered by fluorescent chemicals and solar energy, this lighting source has a life of several hours. Fujitaka Corp. plans to utilize this efficient source of lighting in populated areas such as subway stations (to light up stairs, emergency exits, signs, etc), hospitals, schools, public restrooms, and underground parking garages.

Another product on display was the “Disaster Information Transmission Vending Machine” (DITVM) produced by Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd (DNP). Unlike the Ranman introduced above, the DITVM operates solely on solar energy powered through inbuilt solar panels. More than just a vending machine the focus of the device is to provide realtime information instantaneously when a natural disaster occurs, and as happened during the earthquake in March, when other forms of media communication such as mobile devices are not available. It is connected to the internet through WiMAX and receives digital airwaves from Japan Television, which is broadcasted on the built in screen. When a natural disaster occurs, a flash light and siren atop the DITVM is triggered as police and evacuation directions are displayed, along with the information on the disaster for example location, magnitude and depth if an earthquake. Even at times of blackouts, a solar-charged battery kicks in to both operate the machine and transmit news. Similar to other vending machines the DITVM will also dispense drinks for free when it is alerted of a natural disaster. During normal and peaceful times, the display screen acts to provide daily news, weather information, and news bulletins about upcoming events.

Manufacturers within Japan have been quick to innovate from the earthquake and there was a distinct prevalence at the expo of a number of products that aimed at answering the new concerns that have arisen since the earthquake. Renewable power sources, information systems, communication alternatives are a sample of the focus that companies are putting into new products since the events in March.

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Signs of summer have started to creep up on us in Japan and with last years temperatures breaking record highs, the sweaty season isn’t always so welcome. In a bid to combat the heat this year, residents in Tokyo are being encouraged to plant their own Green Curtain with local councils starting to give out free kits and seeds.

Since the nuclear incident in March many households are worried about the electricity blackouts that may be imposed over summer. Therefore, as we have blogged before, many groups and companies are stepping up efforts to conserve energy to avoid cuts in electricity in the months ahead. One area of Tokyo decided to give out full green curtain kits to 1000 residents, consisting of 2 goya seeds (a japanese bitter gourd), a 90cmx 180cm net and a guidebook. Other local governments have teamed up with NPO’s to give workshops educating the public on how simple it is to grow their own green curtain and also how effective the plants are at tackling increasing temperatures. The movement seems to be catching on and many schools and public buildings have taken on the project.

Any visitor to Tokyo will note how little greenery there is in the city and despite an initiative developed in 2005 called the Tokyo Green Building Program there is a huge amount of wasted space atop buildings. The urban heat island effect contributes greatly to Tokyo’s oppressive heat and humidity each summer, according to a study by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government when the temperature of concrete rose to 55ºc the temperature on green areas was as low as 30ºc. More buildings adopting a green curtain or green roof similar to the Fukuoka Across Building, pictured below, would also have a great impact on the scenery around town, turning Tokyo into a greener concrete jungle, as well as providing relaxing areas for busy office workers to relax in between meetings.

With Germany recently announcing it is to cease operation of all nuclear power plants by 2022, not only Japan but the world is starting to look for alternative ways to save energy and explore renewable sources. Handled correctly Japan stands to be able to take a leading role now in how it deals with its energy demands, and the role sustainable business and technology can drive the economy.

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