Triboelectric devices hold promise for energy from everyday movement | Nanomaterials are seen as way to enhance plants | Toilet turns waste to usable substance Created for [email protected] | Web Version MARCH 17, 2014 Essential news for the global engineering community SIGN UP | FORWARD | ARCHIVE Todays Tech Buzz Triboelectric devices hold promise for energy from everyday movement A chance discovery of a triboelectric effect as a bonus when two polymer surfaces rubbed together in a piezoelectric device has led to TENG, or triboelectric nanogenerator. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have now used these in a variety of devices and products -- including shoe insoles, whistles and backpacks -- to harvest electrical energy from everyday movements. Yahoo/Asian News International (3/17) Share: Nanomaterials are seen as way to enhance plants Nanomaterials future might be used to modify plants in ways that enable them to monitor the environment and produce substances that can be used in solar cells, according to this article. The key, say researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is embedding carbon nanotubes in the chloroplast, with different kinds of nanotubes enhancing either the ability to capture light energy or detect nitric oxide in the atmosphere. MIT News Office (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (3/16) Share: Welcome Aboard: A Guide to Small Business Hiring Small Business Owners are powered by their people. To be successful, small businesses need to act thoughtfully when it comes to finding good candidates. They need to carefully review their labor needs, navigate the interview process to hire the best and recognize and reward employees achievements. In this white paper sponsored by American Express OPEN, learn how to hire smart. Download the free white paper now. Global Window Toilet turns waste to usable substance A solar-powered toilet developed for the emerging world turns waste into a substance called biochar. With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, researchers at Colorado University at Boulder developed the device, which uses parabolic mirrors to concentrate the suns energy onto a quartz-glass rod that heats a reaction chamber to 315 degrees Celsius, sterilizing the waste and converting it to biochar, which can be used as a fertilizer, soil amendment or even a smelly energy source, writes Andrew Tarantola. Gizmodo Australia (3/16) Share: Four Quick Ways To Unlock Hidden Manufacturing Capacity When manufacturing operations are running close to capacity, the traditional course of action would be either to make large capital investments or to outsource some of the new manufacturing demand. Luckily, there are ways to free up needed resources within your current operations. To learn more download the free whitepaper now. Spotlight on Energy Navy aims to tap suns energy in orbit for earthly use The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is developing satellite technology that would convert solar energy in orbit to radio waves that in turn would be transmitted back to Earth for conversion into useful energy, writes Allen McDuffee. The plan is to provide readily accessible energy for remote military deployments, thus saving money on fuel and making for less complex logistical support, he explains. Wired (3/17) Share: Not all wind turbines look alike Wind-energy researchers are reimagining the wind turbine to create potentially more efficient methods of harvesting the winds power. One turbine uses a giant tube to funnel and concentrate wind through a bladeless turbine system; another uses a sail-shaped system to capture wind. Theres a lot of new designs in the prototype phase that need to prove they can deliver and capture wind economically, says Emily Williams of the American Wind Energy Association. ThinkProgress.org (3/13) Share: How solar power helped renew a Nicaraguan community The once war-torn community of Sabana Grande in northern Nicaragua is now a showcase for the power of sustainable energy to renew local communities. The towns 2,000 residents use solar-powered lamps and ovens, and even use a bike-powered blender to make smoothies. Whats happening in this community is a good example of how people can learn to work together with nature, work within the limits and still make a higher quality of life, says engineer and nongovernmental organization worker Susan Kinne. GreenBiz (3/13) Share: Researchers tout thinness of solar cells made with tungsten diselenide Researchers at the Vienna University of Technology in Austria have developed a tungsten diselenide diode that could be used in ultrathin solar cells. The diode is only a few atoms thick, letting most light pass through it, but it is highly efficient at converting the light it captures into energy, the research team reports. CrazyEngineers (3/11) Share: Innovations & Trends Device-plus-app turns smartphone into cholesterol checker A tiny device that clamps over a smartphones camera lens uses colorimetric analysis to evaluate a bio-sample and gauge the users blood cholesterol level. The smartCARD developed by David Erickson, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and colleagues at Cornell University processes the sample of blood, sweat or saliva through separation steps and chemical reactions before analysis by an accompanying smartphone application, according to this article. ASME.org (3/2014) Share: Hot Topics U.S. regulator warned of potentially catastrophic problem before plane vanished NBC News Mechanical engineers help us see a panorama from atop 1 WTC in NYC The Oregonian (Portland) Ping-Pong game pits man vs. robot in ad for robotics company Adweek Folding microscope provides high magnification for pennies MedGadget System automatically inflates truck tires as needed Wired Leadership & Development Curiosity is a key resource for creative companies Curiosity is the key to creativity and innovation, writes Simon T. Bailey, CEO of Brilliance Institute. Unless employees are empowered to challenge orthodoxies and question the status quo, its hard for any organization to innovate effectively, he argues. American City Business Journals/Jacksonville, Fla. (3/13) Share: Creating a high-performance culture Theres no reason to be intentionally mean to your team, but it is fair to create a high-performance, demanding culture, writes Dan Pallotta, founder of Pallotta TeamWorks. You have to create and maintain a context in which people are expected to rise and want to rise to be their absolute best -- where you have peoples express permission to push them beyond their comfort zones, he writes. This begins with letting potential hires know what will be expected of them. Harvard Business Review online/HBR Blog Network (3/12) Share: ASME News Supporting the future of engineering Two ASME award winners -- John C. Wall, Sc.D., and Richard H. Lyon, Ph.D. -- are doing their part to ensure the future of engineering by donating the honoraria they received with their recent prizes to support programs for ASME student members. Read about their generosity. 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Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 21:17:19 +0000
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