We already wrote about the Omega Center for Sustainable Living in Rhinebeck, N.Y., which got the Living Building Challenge certification (this project is also LEED Platinum certified), and in this article we’re going to write about Eco-Sense, a private home in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia, that’s been bestowed with “Petal Recognition” for conquering the Site,… »

Although systems that remove salt from saltwater (desalination systems) have existed for decades, they are typically large-scale installations that require lots of energy to operate.  A team of researchers from MIT has designed a solar-powered desalination system that could be rapidly deployed in remote areas, such as desert locations or farms and small villages in… »

A new technique developed by Princeton University engineers for producing electricity-conducting plastics could dramatically lower the cost of manufacturing solar panels. By overcoming technical hurdles to producing plastics that are translucent, malleable and able to conduct electricity, the researchers have opened the door to broader use of the materials in a wide range of electrical… »

Physicists Morgan Kjølerbakken and Vibeke Jahr were working on sonar technology when they came up with the idea for what they call a super-microphone while they were at the University of Oslo, Norway. Kjølerbakken and Jahr have now patented the device, dubbed it AudioScope, and founded a company Squarehead Technology where they commercialized their idea…. »

Physicists at Rutgers University have discovered that energy-carrying particles generated by packets of light can travel on the order of a thousand times farther in organic (carbon-based) semiconductors than scientists previously observed. This boosts scientists’ hopes that less expensive plastic solar cells based on this budding technology may one day overtake silicon solar cells in… »

Berkeley Bionics developed the first practical exoskeleton and the first untethered exoskeleton in the world. Later on, through a licensed agreement with Lockheed Martin Corporation, they came up with HULC exoskeleton which is meant for military use. A few days ago they unveiled similarly looking eLEGS, a wearable, artificially intelligent, bionic device that powers paraplegics… »

A new electro-fluidics design from the University of Cincinnati shows potential to improve the image capabilities of electronic devices. Similarly to the Qualcomm Mirasol display for color e-readers we described earlier, this display is able to display dynamic content while it is consuming low power. Its developers claim it will be able to provide high… »

Panasonic has been committed to the research and development of robots that assist people, both of those who give and receive health care and welfare services, in order to make everyday living safe, secure and comfortable. They have announced the development of an electric care assistance bed with an integrated wheelchair and a hair-washing robot… »