Remoticon 2021 // Jay Bowles Dips Into The Plasmaverse

Every hacker out there is familiar with the zaps and sizzles of the Tesla coil, or the crash and thunder of lighting strikes on our hallowed Earth. These phenomena all …read more Continue reading Remoticon 2021 // Jay Bowles Dips Into The Plasmaverse

Thermoelectric device wraps around hot pipes to generate electricity

We’ve already heard about hoses that get wrapped around existing hot water pipes, using heat radiated from the pipe to heat water inside the hose. A new wrap-around device, however, uses that same pipe-heat to generate electricity.Continue ReadingCateg… Continue reading Thermoelectric device wraps around hot pipes to generate electricity

Ocean Battery stores renewable energy at the bottom of the sea

As useful as renewable energy sources are, they need to be backed up by storage systems that hold energy for times when the Sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. Ocean Battery is a new design for an energy storage system that functions a bit lik… Continue reading Ocean Battery stores renewable energy at the bottom of the sea

Wireless power transmission tech demo uses lasers to run 5G station

Wireless power has the potential to be very useful, but range is a major hurdle. In a new proof-of-concept project, Ericsson and PowerLight Technologies have demonstrated a technique called optical beaming, using a laser to transmit power to a portable… Continue reading Wireless power transmission tech demo uses lasers to run 5G station

Silver-infused bacteria build more efficient microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells are a promising new technology for generating electricity, but so far they’re plagued by inefficiency. Now, researchers at UCLA have found a way to wring more energy out of them, by feeding the bacteria silver to make them more con… Continue reading Silver-infused bacteria build more efficient microbial fuel cells

Accordion-inspired supercapacitor blends flexibility and high capacity

Flexible electronics could open up some interesting possibilities in bendy displays, wearable devices or solar energy, but developing flexible energy storage devices to power them is another challenge entirely. Scientists in China have demonstrated a c… Continue reading Accordion-inspired supercapacitor blends flexibility and high capacity

Nanogenerator wooden flooring powers lightbulbs with footsteps

The idea of using human movement to generate electricity is something we’ve seen applied to many areas, including footwear, roads and, just this week, motion-powered mesh that heals injured tendons. Among these possibilities is flooring that can genera… Continue reading Nanogenerator wooden flooring powers lightbulbs with footsteps

Wireless charging room takes plugs out of the picture

Plugging a phone in at night could one day seem quaint – eventually widespread wireless charging could keep our devices juiced up indefinitely. A new breakthrough has been made in that direction, as researchers in Japan have developed a system that can… Continue reading Wireless charging room takes plugs out of the picture