Hoverboards and certain cell phones powered by lithium-ion batteries occasionally go up in flames. Scientists now have a new plan for squelching these fires before they flare out of control: incorporating a flame retardant in the battery that’s released if temperatures get too toasty.
Within lithium-ion batteries, ions travel between positive and negative electrodes through a liquid called an electrolyte. But commonly used electrolytes are highly flammable. And if a short circuit in the battery produces enough heat, the electrolyte can ignite.
In a mobile-first, cloud-first world, conversing with a computer through your smartphone may be the best way to communicate. Microsoft’s research is heading that way.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 exploding battery fiasco has stirred major concerns whether smartphone batteries are really safe. In an effort to prevent these disasters from happening, a group of Stanford scientists have developed a lithium-ion battery pack, which includes a capsule filled with triphenyl phosphate (TPP). Once the battery’s internal temperature reaches a certain point, the capsule will melt releasing the TPP and extinguishing the fire.
The team working on the project found out that TPP is a type of chemical-fire retardant. The chemical is capable of extinguishing an exploding battery in just 0.4 seconds, according to 9to5Google. The team also set the temperature threshold at 302degrees Fahrenheit, at that point, the capsule will melt releasing the TPP chemical.
It was not so long ago that sequencing even tiny snippets of DNA was a costly, cumbersome process that required access to a state-the-art lab. Today, we are inching close to putting a DNA sequencer in every pocket.
Teleport is a telepresence robot that can be used by people with a disability to attend school or work remotely. It can be controlled using an internet browser, Android phone, and now brain control.
Scientists have developed a new 5D technique for analysing images, an advance that may make it easier to quickly find tell-tale signs of diseases from pictures taken using cell phones. Called “Hyper-Spectral Phasor” analysis, or HySP, it is much faster and far less expensive than current techniques, and may be useful for diagnosing and monitoring diseases by using cell phone images, researchers said.
Through the new imaging technology, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) in the US have used fluorescent imaging to locate proteins and other molecules in cells and tissues. It works by tagging the molecules with dyes that glow under certain kinds of light – the same principle behind so-called “black light” images.
Fluorescent imaging can help scientists understand which molecules are produced in large amounts in cancer or other diseases, information that may be useful in diagnosis or in identifying possible targets for therapeutic drugs.
Pre-order at http://www.superpedestrian.com This is the first commercial version of the Copenhagen Wheel. Now available for sale. Own a limited edition, hand-crafted Copenhagen Wheel, invented and built in Cambridge, MA.
The Copenhagen wheel Technical specifications: MOTOR US: 350W / EU: 250W WEELE SIZE 26″ or 700c rim BATTERY Removable 48Volt Lithium CONNECTIVITY Bluetooth 4.0 BATTERY LIFE 1000 cycles SMARTPHONE OS iOS, Android CHARGE TIME 4 hours COMPATIBILITY Single Speed or 9/10 Speed Free Hub (email us your bike specs if you have doubts: [email protected]) TOP SPEED US: 20 mph EU: 25 km/h BRAKE TYPE Rim brake and regenerative braking (downhill and back-pedal) RANGE Up to 50 km / 31 mi WEIGHT 5.9 kg / 13 lbs DROPOUT 135 mm
Video: Directed by : Alon Seifert Concept & script by Assaf Biderman Production: papush.net Supervised by Nili (Onili) Ohayon Lead Photographer : Frank Sum Animation director: Omer ben David Photographers: Danny Dwyer, John David, Habib Yazdi Additional 3D animation: Yishay Shemesh Video editor: Alison Mao Additional Editing: Habib Yazdi Narration by Andrew Finn Magill Additional animation: Dan G Windsor Additional graphic design: Eitan Cohen Music by The secret project sound mix by Nili Ohayon Stills photos and additional production: Dan Mason Bike Mechanic: Edward Thomas
Riders: Chris Green, Frank, Nili Ohayon, Eli Pe’er
Special thanks to the Superpedestrian Team: John Ibsen, Basak Ozer, Ruben Cagnie, James Simard, Julian Fong, Eric Barber, Jon Stevens, Nili Ohayon, Jeanne Dasaro and of course: Assaf Biderman. Extra thanks to Chris Green for script assistance.
Special Thanks to Harris bicycle Shop in Newton MA.
If SANTOSH Ostwal and his wife, Rajashree Otswal, were to calculate the number of electricity units saved or the amount of water conserved in terms of money, thanks to their invention, it would be enough to set up a small power plant or building a small dam. The end to a farmer’s daily drudgery and sleepless nights, though, is hard to convert into currency. But then money is something the Ostwal couple have not seen much of in their long journey of taking technology to the farms.
Much before information and communication technology (ICT) for agriculture and rural development became buzzwords and ‘e’ got hyphenated to everything, the Ostwals, both engineers, ventured into wireless irrigation and mobile-to-mobile (M2M) communication systems for agriculture. A remotely controlled pump using the mobile phone and combing it with some clever electronics was the innovation that has made the lives of farmers easier.
The Ostwals’ invention has impacted the lives of four lakh farmers with 50,000 installations in the last 12 years. A smart and affordable device, Nano Ganesh, saves farmers from making treacherous trips in pitch dark to their farms at midnight to access their water pumps and operate them, a daily reality, especially with erratic power supply. When the tired farmer fails to go out and switch off the water pump, there’s wastage of water and electricity. In addition, the excess water damages the soil and crop, hurting them further. If that is not enough, there is the theft of water pumps and cables to be dealt with. These are the problems that the couple set to solve.
