ARPA-E is Long on Promise – Short on Specifics

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) recently held its annual conference, where investors and scientists gather to discuss the future of energy. The agency’s director Ellen Williams said the battery storage technology developed under her organization’s oversight is “on the verge of transforming America’s electrical grid” within the next five to 10 years. ARPA-E researchers … Read more

3 GW of Wind Power

Australia achieved 3 GW or 3,000 MW of wind power generation for the first time. The largest wind power inputs came from South Australia with 1066 MW, and Victoria with 1021 MW. Australia’s largest wind farm contributed 388 MW. Australia has excellent wind power potential, especially in some of the coastal areas. A study found … Read more

$9 Computer with Built-in WiFi

Its Kickstarter description says CHIP is a computer for students, teachers, grandparents, children, artists, makers, hackers, and inventors. It includes a fully integrated battery power circuit that allows you to make your project mobile with just a 3.7v LiPo battery. The dev board-looking device has specifications at par with standard traditional computers: 1GHz processor, 512MB … Read more

Color 3D Printing

Mosaic Manufacturing recently made waves with the launch of the Palette, a system for printing multi-colored 3D objects. It prints in multiple colors by cutting snippets of colored filament from different spools and then melting them together inside the device’s plain enclosure. A separate sensor can tell the current filament position and ensures that the … Read more

A 3D-Printed Jet Engine

Researchers at GE recently built a miniature, backpack-sized jet engine that they made entirely from 3D-printed parts. And not just for looks, either. They were able to fire it up and get it moving to 33,000 rpms. The engine was built over the course of several years, using a 3D printing technique that melted thin … Read more

Game Changing Battery

Tesla will finally be passing along details on its long-awaited batteries designed for home use, plus a “utility-scale” battery. They will likely be manufactured in its new Gigafactory in Nevada. A Tesla spokesperson has confirmed the announcement: “We have decided to share a bit about what we will announce on the 30th,” Jeff Evanson, Tesla’s … Read more

Nutrition Trends: 2014-2020

A team of scientists has forecast the direction of nutrition research. The panel identified the following ten areas of research which they believe will be the focus of nutritional scientists in the next six years: (1) Global Food Security: The scientists predict that global food security, food safety, and sustainability will occupy the spotlight by … Read more

Consumer Sovereignty and the Apocalypse-proof Dream

Dreaming tiny dreams has become a favorite pastime in the past five or 10 years.  The “tiny house movement” is gaining greater traction as ever more people choose to downsize for economic or ecological reasons. A small house, usually being defined as one offering less than 400 sq ft of space, offers a stimulating challenge about living … Read more

A Cheaper Way to Make Solar Cells

“The way solar is progressing it will just be a matter of time before it becomes competitive with fossil fuels and eventually replace them.” So says Dr Jon Major who led a team at Liverpool University that has found a way of replacing one toxic element, used in the process of manufacturing solar cells, with … Read more