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Image: Invelox
Invelox wind turbine claims 600% advantage in energy output
News on the wind power front! The US-based energy technology company SheerWind claims that, during tests, their “Invelox” wind turbine generated six times as much energy as its traditional equivalent, as well as with cheaper costs that allow it to compete with natural gas and hydropower.
According to a news release by SheerWind the Invelox wind turbine can also:
operate at wind speeds “as low as 1 mile per hour”
features an installation cost of “less that $750 per KW”
increases “energy production capacity to record high of 72%”
minimised environmental impacts
What makes Invelox different? According to gizmag:

“Invelox takes a novel approach to wind power generation as it doesn’t rely on high wind speeds. Instead, it captures wind at any speed, even a breeze, from a portal located above ground. The wind captured is then funneled through a duct where it will pick up speed. The resulting kinetic energy will drive the generator on the ground level. By bringing the airflow from the top of the tower, it’s possible to generate more power with smaller turbine blades”

As with all emergent energy technologies, especially those claiming a performance breakthrough, there results need to be treated with caution. Especially as

“SheerWind makes the claim based on its own comparative tests, the precise methodology of which is not entirely clear.”

Large-scale availability of the Invelox turbine is slated for 2014. 
Continue reading / SheerWind Press Release
Further reading:
Rethinking wind power - Harvard research suggests real-world generating capacity of wind farms at large scales has been overestimated
Japan to replace nuclear plant with world’s largest wind farm
Wind, solar power paired with storage could be cost-effective way to power grid
Japanese breakthrough will make wind power cheaper than nuclear
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punks not dead

Heosemys spinosa is an endangered species. 

punks almost dead
ikenbot:


‘Smart Skin’ Transistors Give Robots “Sense of Touch,” Better Interaction With Touch Screens for Humans

The creation of an array of piezotronic transistors using nanowires that convert mechanical motion to electronic controlling signals means we will now have better touch-screen interactions with our tablets and smartphones—but also robots that have “a sense of touch.”
The arrays contain about 8,000 touch-sensitive transistors called taxels that are thin, clear, flexible sheets that wrap around a robotic limb like our skin.
“When we [humans] touch fire, we know it’s hot. [This technology] can allow robots to have that human sense - in other words, make robots more like humans,” lead researcher Zhong Lin Wang told TechNewsDaily.
The achievement of mimicking touch through electronic devices came through measuring changes in resistance caused by mechanical touch.
“Any mechanical motion, such as the movement of arms or the fingers of a robot, could be translated to control signals. This could make artificial skin smarter and more like the human skin. It would allow the skin to feel activity on the surface,” said Zhong Lin Wang, from the Georgia Institute of Technology and one of the study authors.
“This is a fundamentally new technology that allows us to control electronic devices directly using mechanical agitation,” Wang added in a news release. “This could be used in a broad range of areas, including robotics, MEMS, human-computer interfaces and other areas that involve mechanical deformation.”
The study was published in the journal Science.

From left Sherri Mishikawa, 4, Janet Hirata, 5, and Elizabeth Dobashi, 7, listen to Aileen Tanimoto, 10, play koto, a traditional Japanese instrument during celebration of Japanese Girls Day at Robert Hill School… It was the school’s first observance of Japanese Girls Day patterned after Japan’s traditional festival of the Doll. The idea of the holiday was projected by the principal, Mrs. Isabelle Ames, who spent three years in Japan as a child.
Los Angeles Times
March 4, 1964