BENDY BOAT: Protei is a sailing robot. The idea behind it is that it autonomously sails upwind dragging an absorbent oil-collecting material behind it. It's open-source, cheap and easy to manufacture using existing technologies. The designers envision it being used to help clean up heavy metals and toxic substances in waterways, the Pacific plastic garbage patch and oil spills anywhere on water. To sail upwind it uses an articulated design based on how fish swim. Sailing into the wind is a very clever trick. More at OpenSailing and video on YouTube.
WELCOME TO AFRICA: Africa should be getting more Internet bandwidth any day now. The 14,000 Km 5,120 gigabit West Africa Cable System is a fibre optic line that will connect directly to servers in Europe. Landfall should be within a few days. The cable connects 15 points along Africa's west coast with London and adds 23% extra capacity. More cables is something Kiwis understand. More at DiscoveryNews.
TUBULAR WHEELS: The Michelin Square Bike Tube is out to save cyclists from flat tires. The tube is square before inflation and has an uneven design that tends to compress and close up punctures rather than forcing them open as traditional tubes do. Not quite squaring the
wheel. More at GearJunkie.
BLUE FOOD: If researchers at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Modular Solid State Technologies have their way the packaging on your food will turn blue if the food's gone off. They've developed a new sensor film that reacts to biogenic amines - the molecules produced when food decays. The film releases a blue dye as it detects amines, gradually changing colour from yellow. No need to check dates any more: the package will shows what's off and what's not. More at DiscoveryNews.
SHOE POWER: Imagine creating electricity while walking, thanks to a generator in your shoe. At the University of Auckland bioengineers have created a prototype low-cost rubber power generator that could produce up to a Watt of power if embedded in a shoe. It uses flexible dielectric elastomer switches to reduce weight. They provide stretchable circuit elements. The generator itself consists of low-cost acrylic membranes and carbon grease mounted in a frame. I guess they're a kind of pump. Details at ITNews.
- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz
Tech Universe: Friday 15 April
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