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More efficient Concentrated Solar Power plants inspired by sunflowers

By Damir Beciri
One Comment14 January 2012

ps10_solar_power_tower.jpgIn our article about solar power, we already wrote about concentrated solar power (CSP) power plants. In order to function, these plants need a lot of space and sunlight, and researchers at MIT collaborated with RWTH Aachen University in Germany to come up with a design that increases the amount of sunlight its mirrors collect,… »

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Stopping bleeding with nanoscale biological coating

By Damir Beciri
12 January 2012

thrombinMIT engineers have developed a nanoscale biological coating that can halt bleeding nearly instantaneously. Although such materials exist for nearly a decade, their success was in creating an easily portable version where thrombin – a clotting agent found in blood – is coated on sponges. The coating could be easily stored and carried for application… »

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ORNL researchers developing tech to improve prosthesis fitting and design

By Damir Beciri
30 December 2011

ornl-improving-leg-prosthesisOak Ridge National Laboratory biomedical engineers are perfecting a portable, wearable system to measure walking patterns that can be applied to real-world activities in a variety of settings. They are also developing a low-cost gait analysis system that can be used to analyze whether prosthesis fits the wearer, or if it is aligned correctly without… »

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Hydrogel shows potential for scar-free skin burn recovery

By Damir Beciri
One Comment29 December 2011

burn-hydrogel-1Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a simple wound dressing that included a specially designed hydrogel – a water-based, three-dimensional framework of polymers – that promotes the formation of new blood vessels and skin, including hair follicles. It could lead to greatly improved healing for injured soldiers, home fire victims and other people with third-degree burns…. »

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Creating biofuel from wrapping paper and greeting cards

By Damir Beciri
One Comment24 December 2011

wrapping-paper-carnageResearchers from Imperial College London did some interesting math related to holiday season and their research in which they process paper to create biofuel. According to them, you could run one of the iconic double-decker buses to the moon and back more than 20 times if you fermented the discarded wrapping paper and Christmas cards… »

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Self-healing electronics capable to regain conductivity

By Damir Beciri
20 December 2011

sottos-white-mooreCurrent electronic devices are becoming faster and denser, but such complex circuitry is prone to reliability problems, and once one tiny circuit within an integrated chip breaks, the whole chip or even whole device is unusable. A team of University of Illinois engineers has developed a self-healing system capable to repair a cracked circuit by… »

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High altitude wind power harnessing not as efficient as previously though

By Damir Beciri
One Comment16 December 2011

rotary-wind-turbine-kiteThe high winds were thought to be a rich potential source of renewable energy, however, a study by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany, shows that the near absence of friction and absence of strong propulsion cause the jet streams that sweep the upper atmosphere to harness about 200 times… »

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Smart Connector pinpoints problems in wired networks

By Damir Beciri
15 December 2011

smart-connectorResearchers at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) collaborated with PPC Corp., a telecommunications radio-frequency (RF) connector equipment company, in order to develop a new sensor that can be installed in the connecting units of coaxial cables in order to speed up the detection of equipment damage. Named Smart Connector, the sensor signals the exact location… »