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External Combustion Kraftwagen
Now here is something you do not see every day – the $999.95 External Combustion Kraftwagen that is actually a vehicle to help you get around for your daily work. Yes sir, this is a fully operational car that is powered by an external combustion Stirling engine. As with many reliable machinery in this world, this is made in Germany from machine-tooled solid brass, stainless steel, and aluminum. How does it get to work though? Does it run on oil? No, it relies on the thermodynamic principle of a regenerative heat engine, using the expansion and compression of air to get the job done.
There is also an alcohol burner that is placed in the rear heats a cylinder, where a quick twist of its brass flywheel will set the engine’s displacement and working pistons into motion up to 2,000 rpm. Four flywheels will spin in unison to drive the couple of 3.5″ diameter rubber-bound wheels, while a third wheel located right in front is able to be manually turned 360º, letting the car to perform autonomous circles while it putters efficiently.
This is a green vehicle since it emits non-toxic exhaust fumes from a full burner of ethyl alcohol, where the engine can operate for up to 20 minutes at a go.
World’s Largest Solar-Powered Boat on a World Tour
I really like the look of PlanetSolar’s TURANOR. Not only does it look like a spaceship on water, but it is very eco-friendly as well.
As you might have guessed, the boat is covered with solar panels, about 5,380 square feet worth. In case you are wondering, the solar panels aren’t as fragile as they look. There are pictures from my Source of people walking on it.
These solar panels power two electric motors that can reach a speed of 15 miles an hour. Yes, that is pretty slow, and the TURANOR is on a long world tour.
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Nokero solar powered phone charger
Many of us go to bed at night with our smartphones hooked up to a charger, making sure that we would be more than ready for the next day’s gruelling office run, where you have phone calls to make, text messages to send, emails to reply to, and even checking in your Foursquare account to make sure that you have not lost Mayor status at your favorite coffee haunt. That sounds like the norm for plenty of folks, but wait a moment and spare a thought for those who live in less developed countries, where getting an iPhone 4 is practically out of the question.
Those folks will have to settle for feature phones with monochrome screens instead, and forget about 3G or Wi-Fi connectivity. Heck, chances are pretty good they won’t even have access to electricity in their own homes – up to 500 million of them, according to a Hong Kong and Denver-based company who is currently trying to push their solar-power charging panels which targets those who live in off-grid, often impoverished regions of the world.
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Solar Butterfly flits around endlessly
As long as the sun is out, the Solar Butterfly that you see here will definitely flit around your garden joyfully, even though there is nary a single flower for it to feed on, seeing nothing but patches of weeds everywhere. All you need to do is place the stake with solar panels in your garden outdoors, although you can also opt for your favorite potted plant if you want to, and the Solar Butterfly will flutter around, moving its wings just like the real deal.
Of course, during those downcast, rainy days, if you’re so used to having a faux butterfly move around during the mornings, there is always the option to throw in a single AA battery to keep its fluttering action going. The solar stake stands at 16″ tall, where the butterfly is 2.5″ tall and 2″ wide. You will be able to choose from Orange Monarch or Yellow Swallowtail, and this is one butterfly that won’t die after a few days.
How much, you ask? The Solar Butterfly can be part of your garden’s make up for $11.99.
DIY electric bicycle comes with three power modes
Bicycles are supposed to be a healthy mode of transport to help you get around from one point to the other without emitting any more greenhouse gases than you should, while helping you break a sweat so that you can burn off that Whopper from Burger King you had for lunch earlier in the day. Well, sometimes you might feel too tired to cycle all the way back – which is where an electric bicycle comes in handy, as that particular mode of transport will have a small motor to ferry you across those steep uphill slopes as you take a break.
A designer from Ventura, California, recently came up with his very own home-built electric bicycle that will come with not one, but three power modes. This enables the rider to select from pedal-assist, pure electric motor or standard biking whenever he/she is on the road.
Known as the eCortina v2, this electric bicycle that could will run on a 48 volt lithium polymer battery system, where it ought to deliver up to 15 miles of range although Prince, the inventor, hopes to throw in even more batteries so that the range can be further extended to 23 miles.
Prince also did mention that his eCortina v2 that comes with a 3 speed rear-hub for gear optimization, and radio controlled, brushless magneto-electric motors, will tip the scales at around 60 pounds thereabouts. Despite the weight (and if you take into consideration the rider’s weight as well), the eCortina v2 is able to hit a rather impressive top speed of 45 miles per hour.
The eCortina v2 is for sale at the moment. Too bad there is only one of its kind at the moment, and Prince is still mulling over how much the price of his bicycle is going to be. Do you think he is better off selling his idea to someone who has the resources to churn out the eCortina v2 on a large scale?
Philips AmbientLED receives ENERGY STAR rating
Generally, I usually do not review light bulbs on this blog. After all, it is a light bulb, a device that has been around since the time of Thomas Alva Edison. It’s hardly the coolest thing out today in our technological society.
However, it would appear that Philips has improved upon the device that changed everything. The AmbientLED can replace a 60 watt incandescent A19 bulb with a light output of 800 lumens, a voltage of 120 volts, and an energy use of just 12.5 watts. That all adds up to a life of about 25,000 hours, which the company somehow calculated to 15 years of use. I did the math, and it is about 3 years of use if the light is left on 24/7.
The AmbientLED has achieved an ENERGY STAR label, and, as you can see, the AmbientLED line has a unique A-shape. You may also have noticed that it is orange on the top. Believe me, it glows a Warm White when on, and it is quite bright.
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Sprout Biodegradable Watch
Sorry to cover news about timepieces today, but I surely could not let the $34 Sprout Biodegradable Watch pass by on my watch! Why so, you ask? Well, if you are the type who has taken all the efforts to go green, why not do the same with a watch? Most of us would think that watches are made out mostly of metal and plastic, and the more expensive ones are meant to be passed on from one generation to another, so why bother getting something biodegradable?
Let’s face it – kids can’t appreciate a Rolex, and chances are they’ll thrash an expensive watch like that before they know just how valuable it is. The Sprout Biodegradable Watch plays a cool role here – it has an organic cotton band, is made out of biodegradable corn resin case, while a sustainable bamboo dial and mineral crystal lens makes sure the whole thing will return to dust eventually when you bury it after it gives up the ghost.
NASA has a way of turning urine into a sports drink
Remember the opening shot of Waterworld where Kevin Costner pees into a cup, puts it through a machine, and drinks it? Would it greatly surprise you to know that NASA is working on giving this technology to the astronauts?
The process uses forward osmosis, which is “the natural diffusion of water through a semi-permeable membrane from a solution of a lower concentration to a solution with a higher concentration”. This allows you to urinate into a bag, and then use the syringe attached to the receptacle bag to turn your liquid waste into a sugary electrolyte drink.
That’s right, you can turn your pee into Gatorade! I’m not certain whether I want to be the first to drink this. Some of you are probably finding this entire subject matter to be “gross”, and I think that is a perfectly human response. I would imagine that someone has to go against their natural instincts and actually try to drink the filtered urine.
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