連浴室也折疊 !!

現代人生活節奏快，生活壓力非常大，許多場合都會讓人感到緊張焦慮。這款小型電子產品可以幫您緩解緊張感，消除壓力。您只需將一個手指頭放入儀器中，儀器會自動感應您手指中的脈搏並將您的心跳圖像在螢幕上顯示出來。根據您的心跳狀況，這款儀器會給出您合適的呼吸節奏，您只需根據提示呼氣，吸氣，漸漸就可以平復心情。據製造商稱，大多數人在經過一段時間的練習之後，都可以有效利用這款產品快速消除緊張感。

Hermes Auto Feet

The Hermes X is designed to be cross training shoes that will last you for a very long time. Its been conceptualized with body made out of Kevlar and the sole made out of natural and synthetic rubber. Although Kevlar has many applications ranging from bicycle tires and racing sails to body armor because of its high tensile strength-to-weight ratio, it’s the first time I’m hearing of it being considered for shoes. Moving on, the inner part is single unit injected foam, which can be replaced if necessary. Needless to say, Omer turned to the auto industry for his inspiration!

Fruity Water Gate

This project is completely apolitical. It IS literally a gate of water. This project goes by the name of “Water Shade” and keeps a shield of H2O around the fruit it is sworn to protect. It’s both a dish and a cover, working with water to keep freshness in and everything larger than Oxygen OUT! Designer Yitu Wang doesn’t want to keep you from your delicious apples though, so there’s a built in detector that sees your hand in approach, and thus is does desist.

最環保自來水發電機

自來水可不可以發電？因為孩子一句好奇又純真的問話，鄧鴻吉與他8歲的兒子在動手做的過程中，歷經4個月的嘗試與改良，最後以作品「水渦輪磁場發電機」獲台北發明展環保綠能類第三名。

經營電子公司的鄧鴻吉，帶著兒子鄧立維到日月潭遊玩，為兒子解說明潭水庫洩洪可以用來發電的原理，卻為兒子一句「自來水是不是也可以發電」，而排除種種困難，發明了最環保的自來水發電系統「水渦輪磁場發電機」。

鄧鴻吉說明發電原理，是利用水塔下流的水，帶動渦輪轉動磁場發電機，產生電力。現場的實驗模組，即是以每秒0.2公升的水通過時，就能產生2.5V的電力，並儲存在電池中，隨時可以取用。

鄧鴻吉表示，一棟大樓中，以用戶自來水從水塔下流速度以及水量，就可以發電，隨時有流水通過，就隨時可以充電，積少成多後，就足夠提供大樓電力了。

雖然發電量不大，鄧鴻吉以自家150戶的大社區計算，每月可以省下8萬元公共電費。這套系統若再運用到自來水公司的水管裡，一般家庭甚至可以儲存電力，回賣給電力公司。他說明系統符合大樓的自來水管設備，每套花費不到1,000元，而相關設備改裝也不到10萬元，所以只要到第3個月就可以回本，開始有盈餘了。

「水渦輪磁場發電機」預計可以為全國省下可觀的電力，也引起發明展的注意，雖然在研發的過程中，都是鄧鴻吉一人歷經無數次的模擬研究，8歲的兒子並幫不上忙，但是兒子的創造力，還是推出產品的第一步，鄧先生已經為產品申請擁有14年的發明專利。

(大紀元)

Bulletproof Custard: Liquid Armor That Can Stop Bullets

When it comes to bulletproof material, I think of strong, dense objects like concrete and really thick glass. I've never thought of liquids. But British scientists have, and they say liquid armor is better than ordinary Kevlar.

They're calling it "bulletproof custard" because once struck, its molecules lock together to create a denser surface. According to the scientists who've developed it, the liquid armor works by absorbing the force of the bullet strike and responding to it by becoming much thicker and more sticky.

But the idea behind liquid armor isn't to replace Kevlar but rather to complement it to create a sort of super armor that's lighter, more flexible, and of course, stronger. In tests, a 10-layer Kevlar and liquid armor vest outperformed a 31-layer ordinary Kevlar vest. Cutting out layers of Kevlar without losing any of that bullet stopping effectiveness is a win for everyone. I'm sure 50 Cent is happy.

(BBC)

Today’s wind turbines have a limit on how much electricity they can produce, which is partly because they can’t reach the altitudes where most of Earth’s winds is blowing.

They have designed large kites that can fly at altitudes between 1,640 to 3,281 feet (500 to 1,000 meters), where “strong and persistent winds blow practically everywhere in the world,” said Mario Milanese, founder of Kitenergy, an Italy-based company developing kite-power technology, and professor at Polytechnic University of Turin in Italy.

Recent studies in atmospheric dynamics have shown there is nearly four times more power available at these high altitudes than those accessible by wind turbines, Milanese said.

So far Kitenergy has built a prototype unit capable of generating 40 kilowatts  (0.04 megawatts) of power. The company plans to have a 1-megawatt prototype in one to two years and commercial units in about five years.

The commercial kites, which would be about 10 times larger than the kinds used for kite-surfing, could potentially capture 5 megawatts of power, or enough to power 1,000 homes.

Yo-Yo power

Here’s how the kites generate electricity:  Each kite is connected with two cables to a generator – a device that turns mechanical energy into electricity – located on the ground.

When the wind blows, the kite flies in a figure-eight pattern creating a pulling force that drives the generator. Once the maximum length of the cables is reached, the kite retracts. Specialized software controls a steering device connected to the kite to continue this yo-yo flight pattern.

The kite’s flight pattern is “highly complex and difficult to control,” Milanese told TechNewsDaily.

That’s why kite energy, which was discovered in the 1970s, wasn’t realistic without today’s modern control technologies, he added.

Before the kites can be used commercially, the researchers now have to figure out how to keep them stable over the long-term.

Measuring up

If they can live up to their expectations, kites could rival other forms of renewable energy – wind turbines and solar panels, for example.

“Kitenergy technology is able to generate energy at half the cost of wind turbines and 10 times less than solar (and also at costs somewhat lower than coal and gas),” the company said.

While solar panels cost, on average, U.S. $377 per kilowatt-hours (kWh), Kitenergy costs an average of $30 per kWh.

Conventional energy such as that produced by coal and gas costs about $50 per kWh.

Bendable bicycle wraps itself around a pole - by design

通過植入微型放大鏡治療眼部黃斑變性

眼部黃斑病變能引起不可逆的中心視力的急劇下降，很難再治癒好，是目前導致中老年人致盲的重要病發因之一。一種將微型放大鏡移植到眼睛中的眼科手術，日前已經獲得美國食品和藥物管理局的批准。這項手術的對象為罹患中晚期黃斑變性的老年人，通過對200多名患者進行的臨床試驗證明，約75%的患者術後眼部的重度損傷得到有效改善（變為輕度或中度）。這項手術過程中需要對眼部進行角膜移植（移植角膜面積為：置入裝置大小），因此手術仍然存在一定風險。這項手術費用高昂，達到1萬5千美金。

rgb light: because a cmyk light would be too gloomy

Soon Eye-Tracking Technology Will Reveal If You're Lying

It seems that The Eagles were on to something when they sang that "there ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes," because researchers are working on eye-tracking technology which will detect dishonesty better than a traditional polygraph test.

This promising-sounding technology is being researched by some folks at the University of Utah:

The researchers determined that lying requires more work than telling the truth, so they look for indications that the subject is working hard. For example, a person who is being dishonest may have dilated pupils and take longer to read and answer the questions.

Of course, it'll be a little while before this eye-tracking lie-detection system is perfected, so don't start worrying about someone scanning your eyes for fibs during a conversation just yet. [Physorg via Dvice via Neatorama]

Photo by orangeacid