Siemens green LED provides more lumens for LED projectors

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments1 April 2011

siemens-green-ledProjectors in conference rooms have to be very bright for viewers to easily see the large images even in daylight. So far, light-emitting diode (LED) light sources have been used primarily in pocket projectors, cell phones, or home cinema systems, but the folks from Osram Opto Semiconductors came up with an extremely bright, green LED… »

Brain controlled Artificial Muscle-Operated (AMO) Arm

By Damir Beciri
31 March 2011

artificial-muscle-operated-amo-arm-1Two Ryerson University undergraduate biomedical engineering students are developing a prosthetic arm that is controlled by brain signals. The Artificial Muscle-Operated (AMO) Arm is controlled by the user’s brain signals and is powered by ‘artificial muscles’ ( simple pneumatic pumps and valves) to create movements, unlike traditional prosthetic limbs which  rely on complex and expensive… »

Green architecture – BMCE Bank, Morocco

By Rob Aid
29 March 2011

foster-and-partners-bmce-bank-1The first regional headquarters branches for Moroccan bank, Banque Marocaine du Commerce Exterieur (BMCE) have opened in Rabat and Casablanca, with a further branch in Fez due to complete shortly. The banks’ contemporary interior is wrapped by a traditional, energy efficient envelope and the design is based on a modular system, which utilizes local materials… »

Festo SmartBird mechanical bird inspired by herring gull

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments28 March 2011

festo-smartbird-1Inspired by the herring gull flight, the engineers of Festo’s Bionic Learning Network came up with SmartBird – an ultralight but powerful flight model with excellent aerodynamic qualities and extreme agility. It is capable to take off autonomously and lift-up in the air by means of its flapping wings alone, without the aid of other… »

Research led to faster charging batteries capable to retain capacity

By Rob Aid
One Comment26 March 2011

battery-braun-paulA group of researchers from University of Illinois developed a three-dimensional nanostructure for battery cathodes that allows dramatically faster charging and discharging without sacrificing energy storage capacity. Aside from quick-charge consumer electronics, batteries that can store a lot of energy, release it fast and recharge quickly are desirable for electric vehicles, medical devices, lasers and… »

Barobo iMobot – an intelligent reconfigurable mobile robot

By Damir Beciri
25 March 2011

barobo-imobotIn our previous articles, we wrote about many modular robots and spoke about their importance in exploration missions. iMobot is an intelligent, reconfigurable modular robot invented by a UC Davis alumnus and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and it is headed for commercial development with the help of a grant from the National… »

Solarball portable solar device creates drinkable water

By Damir Beciri
7 Comments22 March 2011

solarball-1One out of eight people in our world don’t have access to drinking water, causing nearly eighty percent of sickness and disease in developing regions. By harnessing the power of the sun, a Monash University graduate has designed Solarball – a simple, sustainable and affordable water-purification device, which has the potential to help eliminate disease… »

Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society and the Environment

By Damir Beciri
21 March 2011

robert-paine-scripps-forum-for-science-society-and-the-environment-1The Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society and the Environment is an oceanfront conference center that offers over 45 undergraduate courses covering a wide breadth of earth and marine sciences providing a broad interdisciplinary perspective with an applied environmental focus. The Scripps Forum is a part of UC San Diego and as such, they… »