CLOTHES FORCE: GO Collection clothes from Silvr Lining will chargeyour MP3 player or smartphone for you. Adorned with 15*20 cm solar panels they supply 5 volts through a USB port. The current collection includes trousers, jacket, utility vest and overcoat. Just keep facing the sun. More at DiscoveryNews.
BLUE RAIN: The United Arab Emirates is known for heat and deserts. Last year UAE scientists claim to have created 50 rainstorms by generating fields of negatively charged particles. Towers release electrons into the air where they attach to specks of dust. Heat carries the dust up where the negative charge attracts moisture and creates rainfall from clear skies. That's some good blue skies thinking. More at the DailyMail.
BUYING'S HOT; PAYWALLS ARE NOT: A Pew Internet survey found that around 65% of US users have paid for online content such as music, software, ebooks and ringtones. Only 11% spend on premium website content such as the Wall Street Journal though. It's a tough sell when the competition's free. More at ArsTechnica.
HANDY CANE: The iSonic adds a little something to the standard white cane blind people use: it vibrates to let you know when you're within 2 metres of an object. It can also identify certain colours and announce them. But if it doesn't vibrate do you have to guess whether it's because there's nothing there or the cane ran out of juice? Details at UberGizmo.
GREEN FOR STOP: Piracy's quite a problem at sea - there were 430 pirate attacks in 2010. A new technique using lasers though could deter pirates while not actually wounding them. A metre-wide green laser beam targets the entire vessel and its crew, temporarily blinding the pirates and leaving them unable to operate. I guess the pirates should make sure to wear eye patches. More at NewScientist.
- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz
Tech Universe: Friday 14 January
Solar panels for your pants. Photo / Thinkstock
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
