Lifeboat Foundation

Company uses physics of thunderstorms to summon energy out of air.

Researchers in the US have proposed a new form of wind power: small, artificial, mechanical trees capable of producing energy from their vibrations. Working with the natural breeze, or small movements caused by other factors, the scientists hope that new forms of renewable energy can be developed in the future.

The idea is to create a device that can convert random forces – whether that’s from the footfall of pedestrians on a bridge, or a passing gust of wind – into electricity that can be used to power devices. And the researchers have found that tree-like structures made from electromechanical materials are perfect for the task.

“Buildings sway ever so slightly in the wind, bridges oscillate when we drive on them and car suspensions absorb bumps in the road,” said project leader Ryan Harne from Ohio State University. “In fact, there’s a massive amount of kinetic energy associated with those motions that is otherwise lost. We want to recover and recycle some of that energy.”

Continue reading “Tiny, artificial trees could form the next generation of windmills” »

Continue reading “C-1” »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIlmzFf19Mw

“We are from the future. Everything is going to be alright. The future is a beautiful place. But you will need some training in order to get there…” More: http://WeAreFromTheFuture.com

Words, Voice & Editing by Garret John LoPorto.
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& on Twitter: http://twitter.com/garretloporto
Music: “Time” by Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer feat. Satellite Empire — Time (The Machinist Remix)

Continue reading “We Are From the Future Let There Be Light” »

Government’s other big NextGen Program “Advanced Research Projects Agency-EnergyAdvanced Research Projects Agency-Energy” (ARPA) is funding a personal climate change solution with robots, foot coolers, etc. There is one fact; US Government does love their acronyms.

Why heat or cool a whole building when you could heat or cool individual people instead?

A Russian Megawatt-class nuclear propulsion system for long-range manned spacecraft must be ready by 2017, Skolkovo Foundation’s Nuclear Cluster head Denis Kovalevich said on Wednesday.

“At present we are testing several types of fuel and later we will start drafting the design,” Kovalevich said. “The first parts [of the nuclear engine] should be built in 2013, and the engine is expected to be ready by 2017.”

The engine is being developed for interplanetary manned spacecraft to ensure that Russia maintains a competitive edge in the space race, including the exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Continue reading “Russian officials again talk about a working lab prototype megawatt class nuclear propulsion system” »

Creation of first practical silicon-based laser has the potential to transform communications, healthcare and energy systems.

“Americans spend more on gas in a week than the government does on clean energy research in a year. Bill Gates does some back-of-the-envelope math to show how he arrived at that conclusion.”