Daily Tech News

Engineers from South Korea developed very thin, flexible solar cells that can wrap around an average pencil.  Photovoltaics  like this could be used to power wearable electronics such as fitness trackers and similar products. The photovoltaic cell they created is 1 micrometer thick, or just about a millionth of a meter. It is thinner than the average human hair. The engineers from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea used the semiconductor  gallium arsenide . They directly stamped the cells into a flexible substrate without addition of any adhesive. It was then “cold welded” to the electrode on the substrate. Then the photoresist was removed to have direct metal to metal bond. The metal bottom also serves as a reflector for stray photons. Tests show that it is as efficient as thicker solar cells and that it could wrap around objects with radii up to 1.4 millimeters small, and are comparably less fragile. Source: Latest Science

The stylish Smartflower  Solar Panel  uses two-axis tracking to follow the sun during the day, resulting in up to 40% more efficiency than traditional solar panels. In the morning,  Smartflower unfolds itself completely automatically. It directs its solar modular fan (with a surface area of 18 m2) towards the sun and begins producing electricity. Thanks to dual-axle sun tracking, the fan moves reliably along with the sun throughout the day. In comparison with the static rooftop system, the unit starts earlier to produce the exact amount of electricity you need. It consistently maintains the electricity supply and even uses the energy from the last sun rays efficiently enough to cover your early evening electricity requirements. Only then, does it close up automatically to its secure place. Thanks to its extraordinary construction and the perfectly synchronised components, the system delivers, on an average, approx. 4,000 kWh per year, thus fulfilling the complete average electr

Video game company Square Enix and its subsidiary  Eidos-Montréal  teamed up with low-cost prosthetic company  Open Bionics , Intel, and Razer to give amputees two Deus Ex-inspired prosthetic arm designs: the Adam Jensen Arm, based on the hero of Mankind Divided, and the Deus Ex Universe Arm. The Adam Jensen Arm is fully functional with flexing fingers and a rotating wrist, while the Deus Ex Universe arm is sharper, geometric, and more sinister-looking. Video game-inspired prosthetics  have been making a huge buzz recently, and have been giving amputees a renewed outlook on their condition. This could be a mainstream opener for human augmentation, especially in the midst of controversies over AI– whether or not they would be a threat to humanity, or if we should try to achieve symbiosis with machines. And the best part–these designs are royalty-free. Anyone can 3D print their own bionic arms using the designs and be a  total  badass.

Last year, Dr. Sergio Canavero created quite the ruckus (to put it mildly) when he vowed to be the first person to transplant a human head onto a deceased donor’s body. Yes, he is planning on attempting the world’s first human head transplant (or body transplant, depending on how you look at it). In fact, it has been about a year since his initial proclamation, and the Italian neurosurgeon still stands firm on his declaration, despite claims from other experts that it is nothing but a PR Stunt (at best) or a  hoax. Some have even hypothesized it’s all just a plot  meant to promote Metal Gear Solid . This last claim is due to the doctor’s uncanny resemblance to one of the game’s main characters (it must be noted that there is scant evidence to actually support this hypothesis beyond this). Honestly, it has been a story full of drama and sensationalist publicity. This whole mess went so far that  talks of lawsuits  were flying all over the place. But Canavero stands firm, insisting t

Harvard Professor of Energy, Daniel G. Nocera, was able to genetically engineer bacteria so that it absorbs hydrogen and carbon dioxide to convert into alcohol fuel. The goal was to achieve a significant level of efficiency that could surpass plants. And this month, Nocera announced that his bacteria can convert sunlight 10 times more efficiently than plants. “Right now we’re making isopropanol, isobutanol, isopentanol,”  Nocera said  in a lecture to the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago. “These are all alcohols you can burn directly. And it’s coming from hydrogen from split water, and it’s breathing in CO². That’s what this bug’s doing.” The bacteria , called ralston eutropha, takes hydrogen and CO² then converts it into adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by inserting genes that will allow the ATP to convert to alcohol fuel. The practical applications of a bacteria that can breathe in CO² and produce energy are unlimited. With the results of the study soon to be published, Nocera i