Luminescent solar concentrators – power generating windows

By Damir Beciri
11 July 2012

tu-delft-luminescent-solar-concentrators-1There are various attempts to transform windows and glazed facades into means able to generate electricity, thus providing a potentially cheap and easy to implement power-generating opportunity. Researchers from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) are developing luminescent solar concentrators – a type of windows fitted with a thin film of material that absorbs sunlight… »

Green architecture – Anna Centenary Library

By Damir Beciri
10 July 2012

anna-centenary-library-1Named after C.N. Annadurai, Tamil Nadu’s former Chief Minister who was a bibliophile himself, the Anna Centenary Library is currently the largest library in Asia which features a more modern look compared to picture you imagine once someone mentions a library. The building is made in an environmentally responsive way which employs both passive design features… »

Liquid forging LED manufacturing process

By Damir Beciri
7 July 2012

etpl-liquid-forging-ledsResearchers from the A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) developed a new manufacturing system of next generation Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) which could dramatically improve the way small electronic devices keep cool. Named liquid forging, the new technique has taken the first leap from research laboratory towards the global market in high-powered lighting. Many… »

Moth-eyes biomimicry may enhance X-ray imaging

By Damir Beciri
6 July 2012

moth-eye-x-ray-improvements-1Using the compound eyes of the humble moth as their inspiration, an international team of physicists from the City University of New York and Tongji University in Shanghai applied biomimicry to develop new nanoscale materials that could someday increase the resolution of the resulting X-ray images without the need for larger radiation dosages which occur… »

Cooling emergency vest protects against neurological damage

By Damir Beciri
5 July 2012

cooling-pad-1Researchers from the Hohenstein Institute in Bönnigheim developed a system that can be used to prevent neurological damage after successful resuscitation of a cardiac arrest. It is a relatively simple and non-invasive method which employs surface cooling of the body without the need for  electric power. That makes these textile cooling pads ideal as additional… »

Feel-good glass coating could increase your quality of life

By Damir Beciri
4 July 2012

window-airyAs we previously mentioned in many of our articles about architecture, abundance of daylight  is very important since it influences our mood and efficiency since it stimulates the brain. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute have worked with industry partners to develop a coating for panes of glass that lets through more light at wavelengths which… »

Titanium dioxide coating + sunlight = self cleaning surfaces

By Damir Beciri
4 July 2012

cleaning-with-sunlightUnlike Alcoa EcoClean coating for panels which was developed to clean the air around us, the researchers from the Fraunhofer Photocatalysis Alliance, which includes researchers from ten Fraunhofer institutes, have decided to combine their expertise in this field to use titanium dioxide particles in a coating which could be used to destroy bacteria, fungi and… »

Augmented reality makes shopping more personal

By Damir Beciri
3 July 2012

ibm-ar-shopping-advisor-appShopping for groceries in supermarkets can sometimes be very exhausting, especially if they pile up similarly looking goods near each other. On the other hand, if you are exploring new products, you might have ended looking at the whole isle of products you haven’t tried before, and you don’t know does their composition suit your… »