Sea-bed ‘air batteries’ offer cheaper long-term energy storage

Israeli company BaroMar is preparing to test a clever new angle on grid-level energy storage, which it says will be the cheapest way to stabilize renewable grids over longer time scales. This innovative system lets water do the work.Continue ReadingCat… Continue reading Sea-bed ‘air batteries’ offer cheaper long-term energy storage

Longshot targets $10/kg launch costs with Nazi uber-cannon on steroids

Rockets are expensive, so a number of kinetic launch startups are working on ways to simply yeet payloads into orbit and bring costs down. This one’s very fun – a six-mile long concrete cannon that’ll squeeze launch vehicles to Mach 30 in one second.Co… Continue reading Longshot targets $10/kg launch costs with Nazi uber-cannon on steroids

Soft robotic gripper uses nothing but air to grasp and release objects

As is the case with any other electrical device, the less energy that a robot uses to perform its assigned duties, the better. A new soft robotic gripper was created with this fact in mind, as it grasps and releases objects without using any electricit… Continue reading Soft robotic gripper uses nothing but air to grasp and release objects

China turns on the world’s largest compressed air energy storage plant

The clean energy revolution will require huge amounts of energy storage, to buffer against the intermittent power delivered by solar and wind. Some of that will come in the form of big battery installations – but there’s a huge lithium supply shortage … Continue reading China turns on the world’s largest compressed air energy storage plant

Scope Atmoz lets cyclists adjust tire pressure while they’re riding

Bicycle tire pressure is a compromise – high pressure is best on smooth roads, whereas lower pressure is better on rough terrain. The Scope Atmoz system allows cyclists to incrementally switch back and forth between the two, while the bike is in motion… Continue reading Scope Atmoz lets cyclists adjust tire pressure while they’re riding