Light Bulbs with a 60 Year Lifespan

This could be a great breakthrough and a real solution to the “dirty” CFL’s (compact fluorescent light bulb).  Even though each CFL has a minute amount of mercury it will more than likely find its way into landfills.  People are too used to throwing away regular light bulbs to be bothered recycling CFL’s.

Article: Great bright hope to end battle of the light bulbs

A lighting revolution is on the way that could end at the flick of a switch the battle between supporters of conventional bulbs and the eco-friendly variety.

Professor Humphreys says the LED bulbs developed at the centre are three times more efficient than the unpopular fluorescent low-energy bulbs

These LED's are three times more efficient than CLF's

Cambridge University researchers have developed cheap, light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs that produce brilliant light but use very little electricity. They will cost £2 and last up to 60 years.

Despite being smaller than a penny, they are 12 times more efficient than conventional tungsten bulbs and three times more efficient than the unpopular fluorescent low-energy versions. Read more

Baby Beetle Inspire Small Boat Propulsion

This is my favorite type of invention, observe nature, learn and then build something that imitates the process.  Nature has been at it a lot longer than we have been on the planet and nature is a great teacher if you only slow down a little to watch and learn.

Article: Baby Beetles Get Through Water Efficiently, So Can Small Boats

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Inspired by the way beetle larvae wiggle to move across water, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a low-energy and low-maintenance system for moving small robots and boats in water.

The system, which uses electrical pulses in place of paddles, sails and motors, is designed for small boats and devices that monitor the water quality in reservoirs, oceans and other bodies of water. Such devices usually rely on propellers to move about. Read more

Math Mirrors

Add a little math to that mirror!

Math Mirrors

Article: At Drexel, he designs amazing mirrors

By Tom Avril
Inquirer Staff Writer

Mathematician Andrew Hicks was in his Drexel University office, puzzling over some problem he can no longer recall, when colleague Ron Perline walked in with a challenge.

Fresh from his morning bicycle ride from Germantown, Perline was unhappy with the rearview mirror mounted on his handlebars. Its tiny surface was curved, reflecting a wide-angle view of the road behind him, but the image was badly distorted.

Could math provide the path to better reflection? Perline asked.

Indeed it could. Eight years and numerous calculations later, Hicks is now testing a prototype mirror – for a car, not a bike – and he is in talks with a foreign manufacturer. As with the bike mirror, the rounded surface provides a wide field of view – so wide that it eliminates the dreaded, driver-side “blind spot” – yet the subtle mathematics of his design result in little or no distortion. Read more

Aquaduct: Mobile Filtration Vehicle

Safe drinking water is something we take for granted here in America. But the majority of people on this planet struggle daily to find clean water. This is a great idea!

Don’t Give Up!

Here’s an interesting story about a boy who invented a way to protect birds from flying into windows.

Article: Ottawa boy’s invisible invention warns birds about deadly windows

Charlie Sobcov
Eighth grader Charlie Sobcov wants to stop birds from dying in collisions with windows, but he doesn’t want to ruin anybody’s view.

For his latest school science fair project he has invented painted, plastic decals that can be placed — discreetly — right in the middle of a window pane.

“This paint is a colour that birds can see but humans can’t,” he said Wednesday on CBC Radio’s All in a Day. “It’s like putting a big stop sign in the middle of the window.” Read more