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Elliot Chang writes:
IKEA’s upcoming 2014 catalog will allow customers to preview products in their own homes using augmented reality via iOS and Android phones.
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Elliot Chang writes:
BMW debuted its 2014 i3 EV in New York City this morning. The new car is the world's first purpose-built electric vehicle made primarily of lightweight carbon fiber. See photos of the i3 here.
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Elliot Chang writes:
A team from UCLA has developed a new transparent solar cell that has the ability to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside. In short, they’ve created a solar power-generating window! Described as “a new kind of polymer solar cell (PSC)” that produces energy by absorbing mainly infrared light instead of traditional visible light, the photoactive plastic cell is nearly 70% transparent to the human eye—so you can look through it like a traditional window.
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Elliot Chang writes:
NASA reports that the pollution caused by Space Shuttle launches at Kennedy Space Center in Florida will cost the government $96 million and will take 30 years to properly clean up. NASA officially ended the Space Shuttle Program on July 21st as the Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down for the final time at the Kennedy Space Center. It seems that the plumes of smoke resulting from the 135 shuttle launches caused toxic chemicals to seep into the sandy soil around the space center.
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Elliot Chang writes:
Over the last five years the world’s honey bee population has been steadily dwindling, with many beekeepers citing 2010 as the worst year yet. In order to save these extremely important insects, scientists are working on breeding a new super honey bee that they hope will be resistant to cold, disease, mites and pesticides. If all goes well, the new and improved insect will continue to pollinate our crops for years to come.
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Elliot Chang writes:
Last month Germany announced plans to completely phase out the use of nuclear power by 2022 in favor of renewable energy sources — however what is to become of the nation's nuclear plants after they have been shut down? Enter East Germany's Wunderland Kalkar — an incredible adaptive reuse project that transformed a never-used nuclear reactor into an amusement park! The remarkable renovation took a power station in Kalkar and turned it into a park that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
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Elliot Chang writes:
The University of Technology in Sydney recently unveiled a new type of graphene nano paper that is ten times stronger than a sheet of steel. Composed of processed and pressed graphite, the material is as thin as a sheet of paper yet incredible durable — this strength and thinness gives it remarkable applications in many industries, and it is completely recyclable to boot.
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Elliot Chang writes:
Flexible gadgets are undeniably sexy – but Japanese electronics giant Sony wasn’t content stopping there. For their newest display, they decided to also throw in ultra-thinness (just 80m or a bit thinner than a human hair) and the energy-saving power of OLEDs into the mix. The new prototype is so bendy that it can be wrapped around a pencil while still STREAMING VIDEO! From electronic newspapers to LED garments, just think about the applications such a display could be used for!
