Tech & Biz

Invention special: Green technology

by Erik Larson | October 2, 2008 at 08:52 am

324 views | 26 Recommendations | 8 comments

Green inventions to get us off oil, produce clean electricity and fuel, power your iPod by banging your head, and more

As the evidence that humans have altered the Earth's climate and environment for the worst continues to grow, the race is on to produce technologies that will reverse or slow those ill-effects.

This week New Scientist looks at some recent patent applications that hope to be part of a new, greener, world.

Osmotic power generation
Osmosis – the way water automatically flows from a weak solution into a stronger one – is a fundamental to biological life. Now the process could also generate our electricity.

Grow-your-own biofuel refinery
Biodiesel has potential as a sustainable fuel that can be blended with or even replace fossil-fuel diesel. It is made from long-chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats.

Nod-powered headset
The energy harvester consists of a small flywheel in a magnetic field that rotates when the head shifts, thus generating current.

Inventions - read about all the most exciting, bizarre and terrifying new patented ideas in our continually updated special report
Energy and Fuels - Learn more about the looming energy crisis in our comprehensive special report.

The first comment on the article was amusing- about the nod-powered headset:

By Sid Rat

Tue Sep 30 14:28:24 BST 2008

I wonder if a heavy-metal rock concert could provide enough power for the bands' amplifiers.

;-)

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Heritage

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 09:07 on October 2nd, 2008

Erik Larson, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Amy Judd

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 10:19 on October 2nd, 2008

Erik Larson, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Interesting concept....

Fairbanks

at 10:28 on October 2nd, 2008

As the evidence that humans have altered the Earth's climate and environment for the worst continues to grow

The hype continues to grow, but climate change has been stalled for several years. If they wish to hawk pollution control they have valid points and new tech will matter, but the issues are separate.

IslesPunkFan

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 11:16 on October 2nd, 2008

*nod nod nod*

Erik Larson, I like this story. It's good stuff.

tataquax

at 16:16 on October 2nd, 2008

captured around Kashiwa, Japan.

tataquax has contributed a photo to this story.

BillFromSpokane

at 19:14 on October 2nd, 2008

A wind-generator farm under construction

Adjacent to the I-84 Freeway on BOTH sides of the Columbia River are massive fields of large wind-generators. A positive sign of the times!!!!!

BillFromSpokane has contributed a photo to this story.

kejojohn

at 23:37 on October 2nd, 2008

There has been a lot of stories about the effects of high voltage electricity as carried by the system shown. The jury apparently is still out. However it seems insane that you would build a playground for children to play in, right under such power lines. Children are more at risk because they are still growing.

kejojohn has contributed a photo to this story.

Jordan Yerman

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 04:17 on October 3rd, 2008

Erik Larson, I like this story. It's good stuff.

(Also capable of generating massive amounts of potential energy would be Busta Rhymes, who, by his own report, has "that head-nod sh&t [that] make[s] you break your neck".)