A round-up of the latest technology news from around the globe.
WEARABLE CRANE: A ruggedised version of Lockheed Martin's HULC Robotic Exoskeleton is more weather-proof, better fitting and easier to adjust and control. Designed for soldiers, it lets its wearer lift and carry loads of 90Kg, do sustained runs at 11Kph, crawl, and swap out modules for different purposes. Rechargeable batteries keep it working. And it folds away into a backpack. Explorers take note. More at Gizmag and video on YouTube.
SANDWICH COMPUTING: Gadgets could soon be faster and cheaper if manufacturers move away from silicon and transistors to MIM diodes. Metal-insulator-metal diodes sandwich an insulator between layers of inexpensive metal. Electrons tunnel through the insulator at high speed. Costs go down because the materials are cheaper, while speed
goes up. Faster and cheaper: the modern catch cry. More at ScienceDaily.
SKINJET PRINTER: Researchers are testing a printer that lays down skin cells to cover wounds. Two print heads express skin cells, fibrinogen, collagen and thrombin. Those components mix to create a crucial blood-clotting protein, then skin cells are printed on top. It's the feed tray that worries me. More at TechnologyReview.
SOLE CHARGE: The Lekker Mobil is an electric Audi A2. It recently drove the 600Km from Munich to Berlin on a single charge and in 7 hours. That's around 10 times as far on one charge as other electric cars manage. 600Km is around the distance from Wellington to Auckland. That distance really starts to make electric vehicles interesting. More at Physorg.
COLD HEAT: The solar fridge uses heat from the sun to cool food. A sealed inner cylinder containing food sits inside another cylinder that has holes in the side. The sun heats wet packing material between the two cylinders. Evaporation draws heat from the inner cylinder, cooling the food. Using no external power, this fridge is being used in hot countries such as Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Heat it up to cool it down. Nice. Details at the DailyMail.
- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz
