Cruise in comfort: the all-electric Sofa Boat

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Chester

The appropriately named 'sofa boat'

The appropriately named ‘sofa boat’ is essentially a sofa slapped on top of a floating platform that is sure to make maneuvering among other craft in crowded marinas a most relaxing affair. The all-electric craft employs a joystick for steering, a folding sun canopy covering for some protection from the sun’s rays and a solar version is on the way…

Tags: Boat, Electric vehicle, Marine

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Solar panels made three times cheaper and four times more efficient

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Chester

The Concentrated Universal Energy Solar System (CUESS) to be commercialized by Technique S...

As regular readers will know, we cover more than our fair share of breakthroughs promising next-generation super-efficient solar cells. Everything from growing photovoltaic crystals, applying special coatings or using carbon nanotubes teases us with cheaper, more efficient solar energy – eventually. In this latest news, scientists are using current technology in a new type of concentrating array which they say is four times more efficient and three times cheaper than current solar cells…

Tags: Electricity, Photovoltaic, Solar

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Artificial photosynthesis could power your house, even if it’s not green (video)

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Chester

It’s a sad state of affairs: your lawn is better at converting the sun into energy than that $23k solar array your neighbors just threw on their roof. Sun Catalytix wants to show that grass what’s what with a new process for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen — artificial photosynthesis. In a presentation at the ARPA-E conference (the Advanced Research Projects Agency — basically DARPA minus the military bent) Sun Catalytix founder Dan Nocera indicates that the process his company is developing could, with a photovoltaic array, four hours of sunlight, and a bottle of water, generate 30 kilowatt-hours of electricity. That’s enough to power an average home for a day — though hardcore gamers will probably need a bit more. The hope is that this will ultimately lead to cheap power for self-sufficient homes in the not-too distant future, but we’re still left wondering when that future’s going to come.

[Thanks, Jaden]

Continue reading Artificial photosynthesis could power your house, even if it’s not green (video)

Artificial photosynthesis could power your house, even if it’s not green (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Robo Cafe: robot waiters make a restaurant a one-man operation

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Chester

The Robo Cafe's waiter-bots

Back in the 70s, the robots were coming for our crappy manufacturing jobs. Now, it seems, they’re coming for our crappy table service jobs. Korean company ITM Technology has developed a restaurant concept around a cute little robot that fulfills the role of a waiter – it takes orders from customers, either verbally or through a touch screen, then relays them to the kitchen, and brings the food out when it’s ready. Robo Cafe eliminates ordering errors, reduces staffing costs dramatically for restaurant owners, and even brings the boss all the tips. It’s probably not going to be nearly as interesting to Tiger Woods, though…

Tags: Kitchen, Robot, Robotics, Touch Screen

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First Flexible Solar Retinal Implant Designed To Restore Vision For Some

Posted on January 6, 2010 by Chester

Less than a month ago, at the 2009 International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), researchers from Stanford University presented their solution for a retinal implant that has the potential to restore vision in those who lose sight due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinitis pigmentosa (RP), and certain other retinal disorders.