Navarre Bartz – Page 16 – WindowsTechs.com

Synthetic Spider Silk

Posted on February 9, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

A line-art diagram of the microfluidic device. On the left, in red text, it says "Fibrillization trigger (CPB pH 5.0). There is a rectangular outline of the chip in grey, with a sideways trapezoid on the left side narrowing until it becomes an arrow on the right. At the right is an inset picture of the semi-transparent microfluidic chip and the text "Negative Pressure (Pultrusion)." Above the trapezoid is the green text "MaSp2 solution" and below is "LLPS trigger (CPB pH 7.0)" in purple. The green, purple, and red text correspond with inlets labeld 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Three regions along the arrow-like channel from left to right are labeled "LLPS region," "pH drop," and in a much longer final section "Fiber assembly region."

While spider silk proteins are something you can make in your garage, making useful drag line fibers has proved a daunting challenge. Now, a team of scientists from Japan and …read more Continue reading Synthetic Spider Silk→

Popup Playground Roams Around

Posted on February 4, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

A child in a red shirt and blue pants balances on a board suspended across two small, green sawhorses. An astroturf hill and blue elephant-esque cart are in the background.

Going to the park is a time-honored pastime for kids around the world, but what if there isn’t one nearby? COMPA Teatro Trono and the International Design Clinic have designed …read more Continue reading Popup Playground Roams Around→

A Wiper Motor 101

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

A white male in a green shirt sitting next to a tall rectangular robot made of green and black components with an aluminum frame. In front of him are a variety of components from several windshield wiper motor assemblies. Casings, gearboxes, and the like are strewn across the wooden table.

Need a powerful electric motor on the cheap? [Daniel Simu] and his friend [Werner] show us the ins and outs of using windshield wiper motors. Through many examples and disassembled …read more Continue reading A Wiper Motor 101→

Open Vehicle Monitoring System is the Window to Your EV’s Soul

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

A black PCB with a cellular modem board piggy backed on top. It has a micro-USB and DB-type connector on the end facing the camera.

Electric cars have more widgets than ever, but manufacturers would rather you don’t have direct access to them. The Open Vehicle Monitoring System intends to change that for the user. …read more Continue reading Open Vehicle Monitoring System is the Window to Your EV’s Soul→

FairBerry Brings the PKB Back to Your Smartphone

Posted on January 24, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

An image of a smarphone sitting on a lightly-colored wooden table. It has a tan case surrounding it on the top 2/3, and a copper case holding a BlackBerry Q10 keyboard jutting out over the bottom of the phone.

Missing the feel of physical keys on your phone, but not ready to give up your fancy new touchscreen phone? [Dakkaron] has attached a BlackBerry keyboard to a slightly more …read more Continue reading FairBerry Brings the PKB Back to Your Smartphone→

AI on the Hunt for Better Batteries

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

Two researchers, a white woman and dark-skinned man look at a large monitor with a crystal structure displayed in red and white blocks.

While certain dystopian visions of the future have humans power the grid for AIs, Microsoft and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) set a machine learning system on the path of …read more Continue reading AI on the Hunt for Better Batteries→

Can Car Parts Grow on Trees?

Posted on January 20, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

A black plastic trim piece from a vehicle interior. It has slight flecking in its texture. It is sitting on an off-white bench overlooking a workshop.

Cars don’t grow on trees, but Ford is designing car parts from olive tree cuttings. [via Electrek] Ford is no stranger to designing parts from plants for their vehicles. Henry …read more Continue reading Can Car Parts Grow on Trees?→

You Wouldn’t Download a House

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

Shelter is one of the most basic of human needs, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that we continually come up with new ways to build homes. Most building systems …read more Continue reading You Wouldn’t Download a House→

Succulents into Supercapacitors

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

a) Schematic illustration of energy storage process of succulent plants by harnessing solar energy with a solar cell, and the solar cell converts the energy into electricity that can be store in APCSCs of succulent plants, and then utilized by multiple electrical appliances. b–d) The energy is stored in cactus under sunlight by solar cell and then power light strips of Christmas tree for decoration.

Researchers in Beijing have discovered a way to turn succulents into supercapacitors to help store energy. While previous research has found ways to store energy in plants, it often required …read more Continue reading Succulents into Supercapacitors→

Digital Master Tapes Seek Deck

Posted on January 5, 2024 by Navarre Bartz

As a nerdy kid in the 90s, I spent a fair bit of time watching the computer-themed cartoon Reboot. During the course of making a documentary about the show, [Jacob …read more Continue reading Digital Master Tapes Seek Deck→