British climate-tech innovator Global OTEC has announced the imminent deployment of its first energy-generating onshore pilot, the OTEC Power Module – a compact, modular power plant that turns the ocean’s natural temperature gradient into continuous, clean electricity. Unlike previous Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) projects, which have been primarily research-based, … [Read more...] about New modular power plant could be gamechanger for island communities
Technology
Study pinpoints weaknesses in hot water bottle design
Research from the University of Liverpool has highlighted weaknesses in the structural design of hot water bottles. Hot water bottles have been around for generations, yet there’s surprisingly little research into how they respond to external forces. However, increased reports of sudden ruptures causing burns prompted a research team from the university’s School of … [Read more...] about Study pinpoints weaknesses in hot water bottle design
Bionic hand ‘knows’ what it’s touching
Engineers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have developed a pioneering prosthetic hand that can grip plush toys, water bottles and other everyday objects like a human, carefully conforming and adjusting its grasp to avoid damaging or mishandling whatever it holds. The system’s hybrid design is a first for robotic hands, which have typically been too rigid or too soft … [Read more...] about Bionic hand ‘knows’ what it’s touching
3D-printed soft actuators could be used to create artificial heart
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) have developed a method of producing soft and elastic, yet powerful ‘artificial muscles’ using 3D printing. According to the researchers, in addition to potential applications in robotics, the soft actuators could be used to support people at work or when walking, or even replace injured … [Read more...] about 3D-printed soft actuators could be used to create artificial heart
3D-printed heat exchanger beats out traditional designs
Researchers at the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have used 3D printing to create a heat exchanger with a new design that offers dramatically improved performance. Billions of heat exchangers are currently in use around the world. These devices, whose purpose is to transfer heat between fluids, are ubiquitous across many … [Read more...] about 3D-printed heat exchanger beats out traditional designs