Scientists at the University of Auckland have developed a soft, flexible, stretchable keyboard using a type of rubber known as a dielectric elastomer. The results are reported today, 25th November 2015, in the journal Smart Materials and Structures. “Imagine a world where you drop something, and it bounces back without any damage” says Daniel Xu, an […]
Making Cars of the Future Stronger, Using Less Energy
Engineers at The Ohio State University have developed a new welding technique that consumes 80 percent less energy than a common welding technique, yet creates bonds that are 50 percent stronger. The new technique could have a huge impact on the auto industry, which is poised to offer new cars which combine traditional heavy steel parts with lighter, […]
Study Urges Optimization of Solar Energy Development
With mounting vigor for combating global climate change, increasing the use of renewable energy resources such as solar, without compromising natural habitats, is a challenge to the traditional model of utility-scale solar energy installations. Such facilities use vast swaths of land for solar gathering and generating equipment. Until now, studies quantifying the effects on land-cover […]
Significant Advance in Stabilizing Perovskite Solar Cells
UCLA professor Yang Yang, member of the California NanoSystems Institute, is a world-renowned innovator of solar cell technology whose team in recent years has developed next-generation solar cells constructed of perovskite, which has remarkable efficiency converting sunlight to electricity. Despite this success, the delicate nature of perovskite—a very light, flexible, organic-inorganic hybrid material—stalled further development […]
A Rechargeable Battery to Power a Home from Rooftop Solar Panels
Google Can Tell You If Solar Roof Panels Will Pay Off
Google has got a good look at your roof, and can tell you if it is worth the investment to install solar energy panels. The US tech giant said its “Project Sunroof” online tool is now available in the area around San Francisco and Fresno in California and around Boston, Massachusetts. The new tool “uses […]