Latest Inventions

posted by admin on Dec 16

Welcome to the final Blog Carnival of 2009 - And Best Wishes for the New Year!

Let’s begin with the very thorough and interesting article by Mary Jones who details 25 Everyday Technologies That Came from NASA. Neat!

And welcome back to a regular writer on e-books - Marco Gustafsson with his article this time on the Cool-er EBook Reader: Intuitive Marketing or Blatant Copying?.

The third article is about the planet - and lists lectures that could change the way you think about biology, technology and the world itself - let Linda Jones share with you 50 Fascinating Lectures on the Future of the Planet.

A little story about the Eco Rally that took place earlier this year by 00FF00 has some great info and some nice photos too! So, read here about The Revolve Eco Rally

And finally, the obligatory ‘Apps’ listing article this month is from Carolyn Friedman who tells us about the Top 20 iPhone Apps for Business Travelers but is joined by a very in-depth article on just 1 particular app - John presents us with his article on A Bird-finding App for iPhone and iPod Touch

See you in 2010!

posted by admin on May 31

They are at it again! 

Tesla are now in production with a family electric car to fill the gap in the market.  After the unbelievable success of their ground-breaking Roadster (article name and link) they thought that they had better slow down and think of a different demographic.

There is still a waiting list for the Tesla Roadster after it’s launch a while back, so why a whole new design now?

The Model S
A-top-of-the-range shiny new sporty-looking hatchback that can travel 300 miles on a single charge! And can seat 7 people!

The prototype was shown to all and hopes to be ready for 2011 - with plans to churn out 20,000 the following year.

It’s not going to be a cheap family car, but the costs of running will be so much cheaper than gas - estimates reckon that the 4 hour full charge on the cars 8000 fuel cells will cost a tiny $5 at today’s electricity prices!

That really is cost effective! 

Bearing in mind that the shortage of oil will no doubt push up already high gas prices - and the pressure of crops for bio-fuel could be making it unpopular.

It has been calculated that owners could save around $15,000 on fuel costs over the life of the car - and obviously help to save the environment at the same time (if using wind-produced electricity rather than coal!).

What Else Is Out There? 
Competition is on the horizon from several rival firms - none of whom are in production either!

First up is the Lightning with many claims including 0-60 mph in just 5 seconds and with a charge time of just 10 minutes for 200 miles of driving - get yours reserved with just a £15,000 deposit!

Also the Volvo 3CC is set to revolutionise electric vehicles.  With a claimed 0-60mph in 10 seconds and a top speed of 85mph, it will do the trick - but it looks a bit futuristic with flap up doors and a clear roof!

The Future:
However, should new cars be like old cars?  Should there be a new way of looking at cars as transport?

Electric car are still just cars - usually with just 1 person in them driving in traffic in the sweltering heat!

Maybe we need to design them to be most fuel efficient with only 2 people inside as this is how most of them are used!

posted by admin on Mar 4

Is it the car that makes it green or the fuel it runs on? One car manufacturing is racing to be the best in the new battle to become ‘green’.

Many new cars are focusing on offering ‘greener’ fuels for their cars and getting them to drive more economically - but this company are trying to make their entire ethos green, and are taking steps to become ‘responsible’.

Who Are They?
Well, this company are Lotus. They are trying to be the greenest car-maker in the UK, and are not keeping shy about it. They have a new eco-friendly car on the cards - although it’s nowhere near mass-production - but they want everyone to know about it. And everything else they are doing to be ‘green’.

After the huge success of the Tesla Roadster - the very popular all electric sports car (even George Clooney has one!) Lotus want more. They have created a sports car that actually has non-metal components on it’s shell and doesn’t have the ubiquitous leather seats!!!

So What’s New?
The Eco Elise as it’s name suggests, is based on the original sports car version of the same name - however, you will notice some differences. For starters, on it’s roof you will find some solar panals which will power the stereo and the air-conditioning rather than using it’s fuel. Running your hand over it’s bodywork, you may notice that not all it’s panals are metal - some are infact hemp. Yes - the well known plant!

You of course would not know that the paints used for it’s glorious coating were actually water-based products produced by DuPont - which are not only good for the environment in production but also less polluting when disposed of.

Moving inside as you slip into the drivers seat, you notice that the seat covers are made of wool - quite a surprise really - and nothing like the knitted surface you may have expected! As expected though - it will drive like a dream - all the mechanics of the car run the same as it’s namesake.

It’s Competition:
There are other classic car companies on it’s tail though, with the 2 below offering green credentials for their new models:

Jaguar - The Limo Green is their attempt to turn the company ‘green’ which should be coming about later this year. It is a series hybrid vehicle - basically an electric car that has it’s own onboard generater. Ideally it will run at around 120g of carbon per kilometer - but may even get below the 100g/km threshold that will save you paying road tax in the UK.

Land Rover - The Rehav, which is in effect a diesel hybrid verison of the classic style 4×4 vehicle. With little other green modifications bar that, it hopes to offer as little as 130g/km carbon release - now that really would be a first for these giant so called ‘gas-guzzling’ giants!!

The Next Step?
Companies used to be seen as reasonably ‘eco-friendly’ when they converted from oil-based fuels, but now the world is realising that this is a comparitively small step when cars like the Eco Elise start to have less impact on the environment around their factories and supply chain.

Moving towards creating a responsible company rather than creating just an eco friendly car seems to be the most logical step forward - and Lotus have taken that step!

posted by admin on Jan 13

A Flying Car - At Last!!!!

Well, it sounds a lot better than Road-Going Plane - which is really what it is if you want to kill the James Bond moment right here. If not, then read on!

Someone has finally invented the flying car - and they reckon that it could take to the sky in then next few weeks for it’s maiden voyage. Yippee!!!!!

Basically, it is already a road-legal ‘car’ and you can drive it all over town if you want, fuelling up with ordinary premium unleaded petrol - although you would look a tiny bit silly with the giant wings folded up to the rear of the vehicle as you pulled in to the services!

Why haven’t we had one before?

Well, after changes in the licencing of pilots in light aircraft in the US, there is a new category of ‘light sports aircraft’ for 2009 which this vehicle fit’s into. There are also less regulations to fly one in terms of ‘pilot flying hours’ and you only need 20 or more hours to gain this license (as long as all other requirements are met).

There have been numerous improvements in the field of avionics too - this is the new technology that helps you to fly a plane. There are no longer whole panels of instruments and controls to watch over - it all got a lot simpler. GPS does your navigation, the weather is just displayed on a screen rather than having to run calculations and use charts, and they have automatic throttles.

So, who did it?

A company called Terrafugia (Woburn, Massachusetts) are behind this one, and Carl Dietrich - one of the bosses - describes it as ‘a little Transformer’. However, push all ideas of your car turning into a robot and running across fields - and even forget about your car looking like a regular car. This machine just does the basics at the moment.

So, imagine flying your small 2-seater light aircraft with a ‘fold wings up’ button on the dashboard (obviously don’t press it while flying). Then imagine landing your ‘plane’ on a small runway, and taxing off to the side. You then press your little red button and within 15 seconds the wings have folded neatly away to the sides and you can then drive out through the parking lot and then head straight off to that all important meeting.

Obviously, you need a full pilots licence as well as a driving license for this one, but how cool to avoid all that tiresome commuting every day! You could fly over interstate traffic rather than sitting in it! No need to follow the ring road around a town or city - just pass right on over it!

There will also be no annoying check-in at airports for those shorter business journeys or weekend get-aways - just load up your car with essentials - drive to the airport and press your little button. You fly off and when you land at your destination - press the button again - and drive to your cabin in the woods. Imagine the day trips you could have with this baby!!!!

The facts:

The Terrafugia Transition (it’s full name) is currently a road legal car but is still working on the plane bit. Currently, there are some issues with insuring the vehicle as companies are not sure whether it should be a car that flies or a plane the goes on roads.

When extended, the plane has a 27.5ft wingspan and can fly at around 115mph - covering up to 500 miles on one tank of petrol.

When it’s a car, it drives as an automatic (as there is no gearstick). It has 100bhp and can be driven by anyone with a licence. It fits into a standard garage and saves you having to tow your own plane or pay hangar fees.

The company already have orders for 40 even though it’s not off the ground in both senses of the word!

The competitors:

Believe it or not there are several other companies using the new ‘light sports aircraft’ category to produce their own flying vehicles in 2009. And here are just 2 of these new vehicles/big boys toys:

Parajet Sky Car - Basically a dune buggy with a giant fan attached to the back and a parachute on top. This British invention can travel 100mph as a car and 80mph as a ‘plane’. They even have a pitch for a ’sports’ version and are planning to travel from London to Timbuktu to get publicity.

Pal-V Europe BV - Not so catchy a name, but this invention is a 3-wheeled gyrocopter, with full vertical take-off and landing ability! According to the manufacturers, it is as agile as a motorbike on land and the single rotor folds completely away. As it flies so low, you apparently don’t have to log your flight as you would do with the Transition.

Literally - the sky is the limit now for your childhood dreams to come true!

posted by admin on Nov 6

There is talk of another attempt to beat the land speed record.

A British team have come up with a car that has the potential to break the current land speed record of 763 miles per hour, held since 1997 by the Thrust SSC (super-sonic car).  And by some way.

The Bloodhound SSC:
Their new vehicle will apparently cover the length of a soccer pitch in the blink of an eye - literally. In one sixth of a second it would have travelled the entire distance at 1.4 times the speed of sound, and it would only take 34 seconds to travel 10 miles…..

Made from carbon fiber and precision made titanium parts, this vehicle will be assisted by not only a Typhoon jet engine, but also a Falcon Solid-Fuel rocket engine and a V12 racing engine.  The jet engine fires first getting the vehicle up to 100mph in 5 seconds, then the rocket engine takes over, powering from 300mph to over 1000mph.

It would have hit the speed of sound at 761mph, so there would have been an ear-shattering sonic boom as the car just kept on accelerating.

After having only traveled just over 1 mile, the record will have been broken and the vehicle will be coming to a stop, with the engines cut, the brakes deployed and the parachute inflated.

Why Do This? 
If successful, this record will also have overtaken the low-altitude flight speed record too - which currently stands at 994mph.

Out of the 109 years the land speed record has been contested, it has been held by the British for 65 of those.

Due to the immense forces of the speed and acceleration, the vehicle needs to withstand more pressure than a submarine - requiring the protection from forces of around 12 tonnes per square meter.  The wheels will be turning a over 10,500 revolutions per minute creating a g-force of around 50,000 times that of gravity.

When Will It Happen? 
Needless to say, the construction of such a precise machine has yet to be authorised, but if allowed, the crew are hoping to begin work next year (2009) and they hope for a world record attempt by 2011.

Who is crazy enough to drive the super sonic machine?  Who has the experience to handle such tough conditions?  Why, Andy Green - the RAF pilot who currently holds the land speed world record of course!

To see The Guardians computer generated video of the Bloodhound in action, go to their site.