Tuneable smart window coating traps heat in winter, reflects it in summer

Windows may be important for letting natural light and warmth into a room, but sometimes they let in too much, or let your artificial warmth out instead. Researchers at Oxford have developed a new smart window coating that can be tuned on the fly to em… Continue reading Tuneable smart window coating traps heat in winter, reflects it in summer

Smartwatch-based system warns its wearer if they’re getting too hot

Heat stroke is one of those things that can really sneak up on a person, potentially resulting in death if not quickly rectified. A new smartwatch-based system is designed to help, by warning its wearer before it’s too late.Continue ReadingCategory: He… Continue reading Smartwatch-based system warns its wearer if they’re getting too hot

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

Earth’s interior may be cooling down faster than we thought

The extremely hot interior of the Earth is slowly cooling down, but exactly how fast remains unknown. By studying how well a common deep-Earth mineral conducts heat, researchers from Carnegie and ETH Zurich have found that the planet’s interior may be … Continue reading Earth’s interior may be cooling down faster than we thought

Modular building facade heats and cools rooms with solar power

Heating and cooling buildings is a major consumer of energy, especially older ones that weren’t built with modern energy efficiencies in mind. Now, engineers at Fraunhofer Institute have developed a modular facade powered by solar panels that can heat … Continue reading Modular building facade heats and cools rooms with solar power

Smart roof coating reflects heat in summer and traps it in winter

Berkeley Lab engineers have developed a roof coating that can keep a building warmer or cooler, depending on the weather. When it’s warm out, the material will reflect sunlight and heat, but this radiative cooling automatically switches off in winter, … Continue reading Smart roof coating reflects heat in summer and traps it in winter

Switchable window material stays clear while blocking the sun’s heat

As sunlight passes through a building’s windows it can cause indoor temperatures to rise, to the point that the structure’s power-hungry air conditioning system has to be used. A new switchable window material, however, blocks incoming heat while remai… Continue reading Switchable window material stays clear while blocking the sun’s heat

Electrochromic material could help buildings heat up and cool down

You may have heard of electrochromic windows or sunglasses that can be electronically switched between clear and tinted states. Well, the same technology has been applied to a new material that could both heat and cool buildings, if mounted on their ou… Continue reading Electrochromic material could help buildings heat up and cool down

First 2021 Nobel Prize awarded to pioneers of biology behind touch

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian, for their work uncovering the receptors that allow us to perceive temperature and pressure.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTags: No… Continue reading First 2021 Nobel Prize awarded to pioneers of biology behind touch

Twisted material conducts and insulates heat at the same time

Managing heat is a major challenge in electronics and engineering, and it’s controlled using materials that either conduct or insulate heat. A new material blurs that line by blocking heat in one direction but conducting it in another.Continue ReadingC… Continue reading Twisted material conducts and insulates heat at the same time