Posted on March 17th, 2011 by axb
An aerial view of damage to Wakuya, Japan, after March 11 earthquake and tsunami
Last Friday, Japan was hit with a devastating earthquake of 9.0 magnitude. In combination with the following tsunami, the earthquake caused immense damage to northeastern regions of Japan and severely compromised six nuclear power-plant reactors. Recent reports estimate the death toll at over 5,000, with another 9,000 people missing and 2,500 injured. Over 4 million households were left without electricity, and 1.5 million without running water.
Since the tragedy stuck, scientists and engineers have been working around the clock to find and help survivors, as well as to avert potential nuclear meltdowns.
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Filed under: Computer, e-News, Electrical, Environmental, Nuclear | 3 Comments »
Tags: Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Giving Back, Nuclear, Robotics
Posted on March 11th, 2011 by axb
The structure may resemble a postmodern radio tower or perhaps the lair of a James Bond supervillain, but it’s actually designed to be a hydrogen power plant.
Hydra, named after a tubular freshwater creature, is listed as an honorable mention in this year’s eVolo Magazine Skyscraper Competition (see more winning designs here). Its creators hail from Serbia, and include Milos Vlastic, Vuk Djordjevic, Ana Lazovic, and Milica Stankovic.
The most remarkable aspect of this structure is its ability to harvest energy from lightning bolts, which is then stored in several huge batteries at the base.
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Filed under: Architectural, e-News, Environmental | 1 Comment »
Tags: Architectural, Energy, Environmental, renewable energy
Posted on February 4th, 2011 by jxh
So far, 2011 has been full of winter storms and a whole lot of snow. And as a massive blizzard that just slammed the Midwest U.S. moves eastward, Japan might have a cute and innovative solution for scooping up all the snow.
Not only can shoveling be too strenuous for some people, such as the sick or elderly, but it can also leave massive piles of snow in roads or sidewalks.
Instead, winter storm victims could enlist the help of the self-guided robot Yuki-taro, which eats up snow and then excretes little snow-bricks.
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Filed under: Computer, e-News, Electrical, Mechanical | 3 Comments »
Tags: Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Green Technology, Mechanical, renewable energy, Robotics
Posted on February 1st, 2011 by axb
Every hour, the sun beams down more energy than the whole planet consumes in a year. Although solar cell technology has advanced considerably in recent years, many challenges related to reliably capturing and storing the sun’s energy still remain.
Sossina Haile, a professor of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at CalTech, is developing a new approach to solar power. Using cerium oxide (or ceria), a metal most commonly found in self-cleaning ovens, Haile and her research team have created a prototype reactor that has the power to transform sunbeams into clean fuel.
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Filed under: Chemical, e-News, Environmental, Nuclear | 4 Comments »
Tags: Chemical, Energy, Environmental, Green Technology, Nuclear, renewable energy, Solar
Posted on January 10th, 2011 by axb
Want to know more about how green design works, from an initial idea to a finished product? Are you curious as to why modern bicycles look so different from those built 200 years ago?
If so, we invite you to check out the Sustainability Workshop video series from Autodesk, an eGFI sponsor. Using animated drawings and real-world examples, these films explain essential concepts for every budding engineer.
Watch the complete series after the jump.
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Filed under: e-News, Environmental, Industrial / Manufacturing | 2 Comments »
Tags: Environmental, Green Technology, Industrial / Manufacturing
