Today's Interesting Engineering

DaveM · Jun 20, 2015

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

The Solar Pocket Factory takes 15 seconds to print out a solar panel

The Solar Pocket Factory is the brainchild of Alex Hornstein and Shawn Frayne who are hoping to change the small scale solar panel business. They developed the photovoltaic panel printer in their backyard and have had it on Kickstarter raising funds for their device that is able to print out a solar panel every 15 seconds.

[Image Courtesy of The Solar Pocket Factory]

The pair has made just about everything solar and they found out that the micro solar panels that they used to power up their devices were expensive, while being made poorly and they were brittle. What makes the majority of panels expensive was the assembly and found that around 15% of panels had flaws and materials often disintegrated within a few years.

[Image Courtesy of The Solar Pocket Factory]

The pair decided that if they could automate production of the panels around 25% of the price could be reduced along with the amount of defects. They chose to use materials of higher quality to create panels and they were more efficient along with lasting longer and being able to gather more light. The Solar Pocket Factory was born through their findings. This is a small machine that automatically sends out panels, rather than making them in a huge factory. The device takes on the appearance of a 3D desktop printer that will be able to make a panel in just 15 seconds with it potentially being able to power around 1 million devices every year.

[Image Courtesy of The Solar Pocket Factory]

Via [The Solar Pocket Factory]

The post The Solar Pocket Factory takes 15 seconds to print out a solar panel appeared first on Interesting Engineering.

DaveM · Jun 20, 2015

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Abandoned airport turned into Berlin’s biggest park

The former Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, carries a long history since it was first built in 1927. It’s been through World War I, then the Second World War and continued being used between 1950 and 1970 as one of the most important airports in the world. It was abandoned after being shut down in 2008, but gained new life as a green public paradise, which became the city’s largest park.

Image source Bart Bernardes

In a 300 hectares area, up to 52 foreign and 40 domestic flights arrived and departed daily from the airport in it’s pre-war days during 1938–1939. Tempelhof was one of the most iconic pre-World War II airports and was the centre of the Berlin Airlift of 1948-1949. The airport’s main building was once among the top 20 largest buildings on earth.

After closing all operations, Tempelhof opened as a city park in May 2010. Newly reformed, the area now counts with many public recreational activities such as a 6km bike path, a running track, skate park, a barbecuing area, a four-acre dog walking field, plus a huge space for picnics, yoga enthusiasts, and layabouts. The airport is also adapted to host large events and music festivals. Entrance is free and park hours are from 6 a.m. until sunset.

Source: Tempelhofer Feld

The post Abandoned airport turned into Berlin’s biggest park appeared first on Interesting Engineering.

DaveM · Jun 20, 2015

DaveM said:
Text message is sent to Swedish blood donors when they save a life

Now this is a great idea

DaveM · Jun 21, 2015

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Hawaii plans to turn old buses into shelter for the homeless

The architecture firm Group 70 International is planning to turn old city buses into temporary shelters for homeless people in Honolulu, Hawaii. The idea is to use the renovated buses to work in fleets to provide shelter, showers and recreation for the homeless.

“We’re fitting some out to be bathrooms and showers, we’re fitting some out to be sleeping areas, and the design completely folds away like a little Japanese tatami mat,” Ma Ry Kim, one of the members of Group 70 International and creator of the project, told Hawaii News. “It’s completely organic, and we when we started did not even realize number one what a need there was for this, and number two how people can benefit from it…but mostly how many people want to help.”

Kim explained that it can be built entirely by a team of volunteers. “The entire design is based on the premise that you could walk in to a hardware store, buy everything you need in one go and build everything with no trade skills.”

LIFT, the organization that is voluntarily helping to run the project, hopes to two buses by the end of this summer.

Source: Hawaii News

The post Hawaii plans to turn old buses into shelter for the homeless appeared first on Interesting Engineering.

DaveM · Jun 21, 2015

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Health Effects of Caffeine – Good, Bad, or a Little of Both?

At fifty five years of age, I don’t have many active vices left; coffee, really good coffee, is pretty much it. I roast my own, from single source, organic, fair trade green beans. I’ve got a very good grinder, and an excellent drip brewing setup. Like I said, it’s really good coffee; so good that you literally start to get a buzz just breathing in the steam from a fresh cup. Caffeine – That’s what it’s all about, and that begs the question – What are the health effects of caffeine – Is it good, bad, or a little of both for us humans?

Caffeine is arguably the most widely used central nervous system stimulant in the world, with coffee and tea drinking accounting for the lion’s share. In addition to coffee beans and tea leaves, caffeine is found in cocoa beans, kola nuts, mate, guarana, and some 50+ other plants around the world. Caffeine wielding plants use it as a pesticide, to discourage competing plants from getting too close, and as a reward enhancer for bee pollinated species.

The U. S. Food & Drug Administration doesn’t require manufacturers to disclose the amount of caffeine in food products, but the European Union does. It shows up in a myriad of products, quite a few in which you might not expect to find it in, non-cola sodas, energy drinks (including energy waters), painkillers, breath fresheners, and even sunflower seeds can all pack a significant caffeine buzz.

Pure caffeine was first isolated by German and French chemists in the early 19th century, and scientists have been messing with it ever since. An alkaloid with an aromatic core, it’s a white, odorless, water soluble powder.

Before looking at caffeine’s specific effects, it’s important to note how good it is at getting into our systems. It’s a relatively fast acting drug, reaching peak bloodstream absorption as quickly as 15 minutes. Its half life, (the time it takes to lose 50% of its effectiveness), is 3 to 7 hours in adults. The next consideration is bioavailability; this is a measure of absorption, expressed as a fraction – how much of a drug reaches the blood system. A drug injected intravenously has 100% bioavailability: The bioavailability of caffeine is 95%. Thirdly, there’s protein binding, a measure of efficiency determined by the percentage of a drug that becomes bound by proteins within our blood plasma. The lower the protein binding fraction, the more unbound drug, and the greater its ability to do what it does. Protein binding for caffeine is around 30%, meaning 70% of the caffeine that hits our blood stream is available to do its thing. The bottom line? Caffeine is exceptionally active within human beings.

Caffeine is a stimulant, which it does by blocking adenosine receptors in the brain and inhibiting drowsiness. That same quality allows it to act on the autonomic nervous system, appreciably speeding up our reaction time. Additional known benefits include increased metabolism, more efficient energy use, as well as enhanced concentration and problem solving skills. There are ongoing studies to determine caffeine’s efficacy in reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as providing some level of protection against Parkinson’s disease and certain cancers.

Yet all is not wine and roses. The list of known and potential negative side effects of caffeine is easily as long as that of its benefits. Insomnia, disrupted sleep patterns, significant withdrawal issues, problems during pregnancy including miscarriage, low birth weight, and withdrawal issues for newborns, (the half life of caffeine for neonates is 60 – 120 hours). Add high blood pressure, high blood sugar, decreased bone density, anxiety, and chronic headaches, and you’ve got more than enough reasons to be careful with this stuff.

Naturally, the next question is, how much is too much? Numerous factors have bearing on the answer, from gender and age, to health, body weight, and metabolism. The general consensus indicates that an intake level under 400 milligrams a day is safe; that’s something on the order of 3-4 cups of brewed coffee, 4 shots of espresso, and up to 10 cups of tea. And For the record, yes, caffeine can be fatal at very high doses; it would take something on the order of chugging 80 to 100 cups of coffee to get there.

Caffeine doses vary quite widely

The obvious and sensible answer is, of course, All things in moderation. The simple solution is to avoid all that ‘energy’ crap and stick to things that allow you a reasonable degree of control over your intake.

The post Health Effects of Caffeine – Good, Bad, or a Little of Both? appeared first on Interesting Engineering.

CarlS · Jun 21, 2015

I was a regular donor for years. I can't donate any more, though.

DaveM · Jun 21, 2015

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Swirl faucet saves water and makes nice patterns

Designer Simin Qiu has designed a tap concept that allows for the saving of water while at the same time making the water coming out of the tap prettier to look at as it makes nice patterns. The student from the London Royal College of Art designed the faucet to limit its water flow amount by 15% over a period of 1 minute. The tap comes with a nozzle allowing the user to choose from three different patterns of swirling water.

[Image Courtesy of ScienceAlert/Behance]

The Swirl tap took the iF Design concept award last year and to stop unnecessary heating of the water it has a pre-set temperature. While it is in the concept stage at the moment it would add a touch of luxury to anyone’s bathroom as the design is one of the most elegant we have seen.

[Image Courtesy of ScienceAlert/Behance]

Simin took inspiration from nature and the fact that a lot of things in nature feature swirls, this includes water going down a drain, swirling of sand along dunes, leaves unfurling and of course the ocean and streams where water swirls along. Water is for the most part gentle and swirls around and it is these two elements that gave the designer the idea to come up with the Swirl faucet.

[Image Courtesy of ScienceAlert/Behance]

Simin thought that water coming out of the faucet should be enjoyable to look at and of course energy saving is something that everyone likes, so this feature was implemented in the concept too. The touch faucet can save 15% water during the same pressure within a period of 60 seconds and from a single touch of the faucet the water comes out 0.4 seconds faster than the typical faucet in homes today. The swirling water patterns not only look great but also feel better and are gentler on the hands with better impact when it hits.

[Image Courtesy of ScienceAlert/Behance]

Via [ScienceAlert]

The post Swirl faucet saves water and makes nice patterns appeared first on Interesting Engineering.

DaveM · Jun 21, 2015

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Scalevo wheelchair has treads to go up steps

LARA CAN YOU ADD IN THIS VIDEO PLEASE (https://youtu.be/3lb_8nmy90c)

Wheelchair design has been changing for the better thanks to advancements in technology. We have seen wheelchairs that can take their occupants over the roughest terrain imaginable and now there is the Scalevo wheelchair, a chair that is able to go up and down steps.

[Image Courtesy of Scalevo]

The Scalevo wheelchair is able to tackle steps thanks to its design of tank like treads of rubber that have been placed on the bottom of the chair. To go up steps the user simply turns their back to the steps and goes up them with their back facing them. The treads come out of the bottom and they lift the wheelchair, to tilt it at an angle, which allows it to safely crawl up the steps with the user being seated level at all times while it is climbing the steps. The chair also features headlights and taillights and comes with two sets of wheels that are able to pop out when the user reaches the least step to ensure a smooth transition when going back to ground that is flat.

[Image Courtesy of Scalevo]

The wheelchair started out life as a project for students in the summer of last year and now 10 industrial design and electric engineering students from the Zurich University of Arts and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology are at work on it. One of things the design for the wheelchair took inspiration from was the Segway.

The designers working on it are hoping that they will have the Scalevo wheelchair ready in time for the Cybathlon championship race for people with physical disabilities, which will be held in 2016. People taking part in the race rely on robotic technology such as exoskeletons along with equipment that electrically stimulated their muscles.

Via [Scalevo]

The post Scalevo wheelchair has treads to go up steps appeared first on Interesting Engineering.

DaveM · Jun 21, 2015

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Students create self-sanitizing door handle that kills 99.8% of germs

We all know everyone should wash their hands after going to the bathroom, before eating and handling anything that could get contaminated. But how many people actually follow all of these recommendations? While many diseases are transmitted through the air, many others are spread by touching door handles, handrails, countertops, etc. But how could we make sure that these surfaces are always clean?

Sum Ming Wong and Kin Pong Li came up with the brilliant idea that these germ-spreading surfaces should be able to disinfect themselves. The two Hong Kong teenagers created a special door handle, which in lab tests was able to kill 99.8% of germs and bacteria. They found out about a mineral called titanium dioxide, widely used in manufacturing paints and sunscreens, which has the property of killing bacteria. They also discovered that this specific mineral has its efficiency enhanced when exposed to UV light.

The solution they came up with was to create a glass handle that emits UV light and that has a coating of powdered titanium dioxide. The most ingenious part is that the light shines using energy generated from the movement of opening and closing the door. Best of all, the boys only spent about US$13 to create the handle. The product is not on the market as it was only a science project for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, but let’s hope the idea catches on.

Via: Yahoo News

The post Students create self-sanitizing door handle that kills 99.8% of germs appeared first on Interesting Engineering.

DaveM · Jun 23, 2015

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Russia’s haunting abandoned hangar photographed

Photographer Ralph Mirebs has taken some stunning photographs showing a haunting abandoned hangar in Russia which houses two prototype shuttles belonging to the Buran shuttle programme that was ill-fated. The programme was supposed to mirror the success of NASA and their 30 years. However only a single test flight took place in 1988 of the Buran shuttle, it along with the other vehicles was scrapped.

[Image Courtesy of Roger Ressmeyer]

While the unmanned orbital flight was a success, it and the vehicles were scrapped due to budget cuts and all of the vehicles and equipment were left. The photographs captured by Ralph Mirebs shows off the eeriness of the abandoned hangar, which was once a hub of activity being situated close to the Baikonur Cosmodrome.