A City In Japan Is Trying To Make Electricity From Snow (Cool Weird Awesome 925)
When the snow and ice comes, it makes me think of getting out the snowblower. But a snowy city in Japan thinks, we could power our lights with this.
High-Tech Clothes Could Also Be A Battery That We Can Power (Cool Weird Awesome 839)
We've known for years that there are ways to turn our movements into energy. A new project out of Singapore wants to turn clothes into high-tech batteries powered by our movement.
These Biofuel Cells Are Powered By Our Sweat (Cool Weird Awesome 525)
Wearables are big right now, and while they're increasingly useful, they're also limited by the batteries they require. A new effort out of Japan has developed a way to power devices through a chemical found in human perspiration. Plus: Airo is a self-driving concept car that is not only all-electric, it has a built in filter to clean the air it drives through.
Fuel Cells Are Strong To The Finish, When They’re Powered By Spinach (Cool Weird Awesome 418)
Fuel cells need a catalyst for an important reaction, and a team at American University has found that spinach may be the best raw material for a catalyst we've found yet. Plus: ever wanted to smell like old books? A new scent can help make it happen!
Going For A Walk Could Generate Wind Power (Cool Weird Awesome 390)
A small device created in China could turn anyone of out for a walk (and probably their dogs, too) into small scale power plants, just from the breeze they cause by walking! It's all thanks to what's called triboelectricity. Plus: a Swedish company wants to create OceanBird, a full-size cargo ship that runs on wind power.
The Cold Tube Saves Energy By Cooling Us, Not Our Rooms (Cool Weird Awesome 381)
The Cold Tube cools people off, similar to air conditioning, but using half the energy. Which sounds pretty cool. Plus: an experimental musician makes a delicious and funky new keyboard out of watermelon and kiwi.
The Game Boy That Doesn’t Need Batteries (Cool Weird Awesome 376)
A research project has built a handheld device modeled on Nintendo's Game Boy that gets its power from solar panels and the energy created by pushing buttons - no batteries necessary. Plus: a programmer has recreated the classic video game Doom inside an electronic pregnancy test. Technology is pretty versatile, isn't it?
A Brick House Could Also Be A Power House (Cool Weird Awesome 360)
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found a way to cover bricks with a special coating so they can store electricity, essentially turning bricks into batteries. Good news for the third little pig! Plus: Koji Kasatani is wowing the world with hyperrealistic, playful art made from ceramic bananas.
Solar Power, Meet Shadow Power (Cool Weird Awesome 315)
Researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed a "shadow effect energy generator" which can make the most of the contrast between bright and dark. Plus: many kickboxers can't compete or even train together now, so some have been taking part in a virtual shadow-kickboxing competition online.
Durian Fruit May Help Charge Our Cellphones, And Without That Smell (Cool Weird Awesome 255)
Researchers at the University of Sydney say they can turn the waste from durian and jackfruit into carbon aerogel, which can help store energy in what are called super-capacitors. And no, they don't smell. Plus: Daniele Barresi is a master of making ornate sculpted art from avocados.