Home » Archive

Articles archive for Year 2012

Tech»

Starch fibers could be used to create absorbable bandages

By Damir Beciri
3 May 2012
bandage-catFood scientists from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) devised a process that spins starch into fine strands that could be used to create new type of bandages, as well as produce less expensive and more environmentally-friendly toilet paper, napkins and other products. Once the process is scaled to industrial size, companies could use starch fibers… »

Bionics»

Using smart materials to mimic squid and zebrafish camouflage

By Damir Beciri
One Comment2 May 2012
color-changing-clothesInspired by extraordinary camouflaging abilities of organisms such as squid and zebrafish, a group of researchers from the University of Bristol have created artificial muscles that can change their state and appearance at the push of a button, and demonstrated two different transforming mechanisms that could lead to new clothes with camouflaging tricks analogous to… »

Architecture»

Green architecture – Primera Terra community

By Damir Beciri
One Comment1 May 2012
primera-terra-community-1Despite the fact this project isn’t new it earned its spot among our articles due to a different approach that increases sustainability. KB Home’s Primera Terra community serves as a great example to architects and builders which shows that you can gain a LEED Platinum certificate without power generation utilities – a part of most… »

Tech»

Festo shows operating concepts for human machine interaction

By Damir Beciri
29 April 2012
festo-cognigameAlthough Festo primarily represents a supplier of automation technology, our loyal readers have been introduced to them with various interesting biomimetic projects we covered through the years. On a recent Hanover Trade Fair 2012, Festo exhibited a couple of their new concepts, and in this article we’re going to write about human-machine interaction, music being… »

Bionics| Tech»

Nature inspires a new multifunctional glass surface

By Damir Beciri
28 April 2012
mit-multifunctional-glass-1Inspired by nature, where textured surfaces ranging from lotus leaves to desert-beetle carapaces and moth eyes have developed in ways that often fulfill multiple purposes at once, a group of researchers from MIT developed a glass that is self-cleaning, virtually eliminates reflections, and resists fogging and glare. These features could lower the maintenance expenses for… »

Tech»

Using luminescence to break the solar cell efficiency record

By Damir Beciri
One Comment26 April 2012
yablonovitch-solar-cell-1Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, came across a relatively simple solution based on a mathematical connection between absorption and emission of light that could lead to improvement of flat-plate solar cell efficiency. Although their concept is counterintuitive, the researchers managed to demonstrate that solar cells which are able to emit light more efficiently… »

Architecture»

Green architecture – El Cerrito Recycling and Environmental Resource Center

By Damir Beciri
24 April 2012
el-cerrito-recycling-and-environmental-resource-center-1We can all reduce our impact on nature by recycling, but why shouldn’t we make recycling centers more sustainable themselves? The City of El Cerrito held a ribbon cutting celebration for the new El Cerrito Recycling and Environmental Resource Center on Earth Day, Sunday April 22, 2012. The new facility is aiming to be certified… »

Tech»

Battery 500 Project – IBM’s lithium-air battery development

By Damir Beciri
3 Comments22 April 2012
ibm-battery-500IBM Research started the Battery 500 Project to develop lithium-air battery technology that could be used to power a family-sized electric car for approximately 500 miles (800 km) on a single charge back in 2009. The project has recently got additional support from Asahi Kasei and Central Glass – two companies with decades of experience… »