11 01, 2023

A City In Japan Is Trying To Make Electricity From Snow (Cool Weird Awesome 925)

By |2023-01-11T08:55:16-05:00January 11, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

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.

31 08, 2022

High-Tech Clothes Could Also Be A Battery That We Can Power (Cool Weird Awesome 839)

By |2022-08-31T09:32:46-04:00August 31, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

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.

29 04, 2021

These Biofuel Cells Are Powered By Our Sweat (Cool Weird Awesome 525)

By |2021-04-29T09:20:12-04:00April 29, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

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.

12 11, 2020

Fuel Cells Are Strong To The Finish, When They’re Powered By Spinach (Cool Weird Awesome 418)

By |2021-06-28T11:51:44-04:00November 12, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

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!

28 09, 2020

Going For A Walk Could Generate Wind Power (Cool Weird Awesome 390)

By |2020-09-28T08:16:35-04:00September 28, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

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.

15 09, 2020

The Cold Tube Saves Energy By Cooling Us, Not Our Rooms (Cool Weird Awesome 381)

By |2020-09-15T08:05:58-04:00September 15, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

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. 

8 09, 2020

The Game Boy That Doesn’t Need Batteries (Cool Weird Awesome 376)

By |2021-06-28T11:52:26-04:00September 8, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

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?

17 08, 2020

A Brick House Could Also Be A Power House (Cool Weird Awesome 360)

By |2021-02-09T10:36:24-05:00August 17, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

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.

8 06, 2020

Solar Power, Meet Shadow Power (Cool Weird Awesome 315)

By |2020-06-08T08:14:07-04:00June 8, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

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.

10 03, 2020

Durian Fruit May Help Charge Our Cellphones, And Without That Smell (Cool Weird Awesome 255)

By |2021-03-12T09:36:29-05:00March 10, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

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.

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