New Lithium-Air Battery Technology

New Battery Technology with Higher Energy Density than Any Existing Battery

Lightweight batteries that can deliver lots of energy are crucial for a variety of applications - for example, improving the range of electric cars. For that reason, even modest increases in a battery's energy-density rating - a measure of the amount of energy that can be delivered for a given weight - are important advances. Now a team of researchers at MIT has made significant progress on a technology that could lead to batteries with up to three times the energy density of any battery that currently exists. Doctoral student Yi-Chun Lu holds an experimental lithium-air battery that was used for testing at MIT. Photo: Patrick Gillooly Yang Shao-Horn, an MIT associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering, says that many groups have been pursuing work on lithium-air batteries, a technology that has great potential for achieving great gains in energy density. But there has been a lack of understanding of what kinds of electrode materials could promote the electrochemical reactions that take place in these batteries. Lithium-oxygen (also known as lithium-air) batteries are similar in principle to the lithium-ion batteries that now dominate the field of portable electronics and are a leading contender for electric vehicles. But because lithium-air batteries use lightweight porous carbon electrodes and oxygen drawn from a flow of air to take the place of heavy solid compounds used in lithium-ion batteries, the batteries themselves can be much lighter. That's why leading companies, including IBM and General Motors, have committed to major research initiatives on lithium-air technology. In a paper published this week in the journal Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, Shao-Horn, along with some of her students and visiting professor Hubert Gasteiger, reported on a study showing that electrodes with gold or platinum as a catalyst show a much higher level of activity and thus a higher efficiency than simple carbon electrodes in these batteries. In addition, this new work sets the stage for further research that could lead to even better electrode materials, perhaps alloys of gold and platinum or other metals, or metallic oxides, and to less expensive alternatives. Doctoral student Yi-Chun Lu, lead author of the paper, explains that this team has developed a method for analyzing the activity of different catalysts in the batteries, and now they can build on this research to study a variety of possible materials. "We'll look at different materials, and look at the trends," she says. "Such research could allow us to identify the physical parameters that govern the catalyst activity. Ultimately, we will be able to predict the catalyst behaviors. " One issue to be dealt with in developing a battery system that could be widely commercialized is safety. Lithium in metallic form, which is used in lithium-air batteries, is highly reactive in the presence of even minuscule amounts of water. This is not an issue in current lithium-ion batteries because carbon-based materials are used for the negative electrode. Shao-Horn says the same battery principle can be applied without the need to use metallic lithium; graphite or some other more stable negative electrode materials could be used instead, she says, leading to a safer system. A number of issues must be addressed before lithium-air batteries can become a practical commercial product, she says. The biggest issue is developing a system that keeps its power through a sufficient number of charging and discharging cycles for it to be useful in vehicles or electronic devices. Researchers also need to look into details of the chemistry of the charging and discharging processes, to see what compounds are produced and where, and how they react with other compounds in the system. "We're at the very beginning" of understanding exactly how these reactions occur, Shao-Horn says. Gholam-Abbas Nazri, a researcher at the GM Research & Development Center in Michigan, calls this research "interesting and important," and says this addresses a significant bottleneck in the development of this technology: the need find an efficient catalyst. This work is "in the right direction for further understanding of the role of catalysts," and it "may significantly contribute to the further understanding and future development of lithium-air systems," he says. While some companies working on lithium-air batteries have said they see it as a 10-year development program, Shao-Horn says it is too early to predict how long it may take to reach commercialization. "It's a very promising area, but there are many science and engineering challenges to be overcome," she says. "If it truly demonstrates two to three times the energy density" of today's lithium-ion batteries, she says, the likely first applications will be in portable electronics such as computers and cell phones, which are high-value items, and only later would be applied to vehicles once the costs are reduced.

Coming Soon: Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging

Looks like we released our electric vehicle charger slideshow just a little bit too soon. Autobloggreen reports that a wireless charge station may be released sometime in the next few years courtesy of Evatran, a mysterious startup with the tagline "Energy without limits."

Evatran's Plugless Power charging station, unveiled this week at the Plug-In 2010 Conference, consists of a a permanently mounted car adapter along with a fixed parking block and control tower. An adopter-equipped vehicle need only pull up to the parking space, and the parking block automatically begins charging. Evatran explains the technology behind the station:

Plugless Power electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) connects the on-board EV battery charger inductively to the electrical power source. Simply put, the two halves of the electric transformer are separated--one installed on the vehicle and one installed on the floor of a garage or parking space. When the two pieces are brought together, electrical current flowing in the parking block from the electrical grid causes current to flow into the vehicle adapter, thereby charging the battery. With the Plugless Power dual-component EVSE, current flows from one source to another without using a plug and a cord, enabling "hands-free" charging.

It all sounds plausible enough, but the technology isn't quite ready for prime time yet. The first version of Evatran's charger, set to be released this December, uses a cord. Evatran hopes to have a wireless version ready in April 2011, at which point customers who have shelled out the $3,000 for the cord charger can upgrade for another $800.

There's just one problem: the Plugless Power station doesn't always work. According to Evatran, the charger will be about 90% effective, which means that the other 10% of energy released is wasted. Still, it's a start. And just imagine how much easier EV charging will be when we don't have to think about it.

The Most Beautiful Sexy Robots

A gynoid is a humanoid robot designed to look like a human female, as compared to an android modeled after a male. The term gynoid was coined by Gwyneth Jones in her 1985 novel Divine Endurance to describe a robot slave character in a futuristic China, that is judged by her beauty. The term is not common, however, with the masculine term android being commonly used to refer to both “genders” of robot. The word fembot (female robot) has also been used. Gynoids have also been used as a metaphor in feminist discourse, as part of cyborg feminism, representing female physical strength and freedom from the expectation to reproduce.

Female-appearing robots have also appeared in real-life, with early constructions being crude. The first gynoid was produced by one British company, for use as a “pleasuring-aid”. It was called simply “36C”, from her chest measurement, and had a 16-bit microprocessor and voice synthesiser that allowed primitive responses to speech and push button inputs. Female-appearing robots have also generated controversy. In 1983 a “busty female robot” was removed from a display at Berkeley college after a petition was presented claiming it was insulting to women. The robot’s creator called this “censorship” by the “feminist movement” and akin to book burning.

The fetishization of gynoids in real life has been attributed to male desires for custom-made passive women, and has been compared to life-size female dolls. The reaction of people to robots that appeared female to different degrees has been studied. The reaction of people to such robots has been attributed in part to gender stereotypes. This research has been used to elucidate gender cues, clarifying which behaviours and aesthetics elicit a stronger gender-induced response.

Artificial women have been a common trope in fiction and mythology since the writings of the ancient Greeks. This has continued with modern fiction, particularly in the genre of science fiction. In science fiction, female-appearing robots are often produced for use as domestic servants and  slaves, as seen in the film Westworld, the Paul McAuley novel Fairyland (1995), and the Lester del Ray short story Helen O’Loy (1938) as opposed to male-appearing robots who are traditionally warriors, killers, or laborors.

A long tradition exists in fiction, of men attempting to create the stereotypical ideal woman, and fictional gynoids have been seen as an extension of this theme. Examples include Hephaestus in the Iliad who created female servants of metal and Ilmarinen in the Kalevala who created an artificial wife. Probably most famous, however, is Pygmalion, one of the earliest conceptualizations of constructions similar to gynoids in literary history, from Ovid’s account of Pygmalion. In this myth a female statue is sculpted that is so beautiful that the creator falls in love with it, and after praying to Venus, the goddess takes pity on him and converts the statue into a real woman with whom Pygmalion has children.

Fiction about gynoids or female cyborgs reinforce essentialist ideas of femininity, according to Magret Grebowicz. Such essentialist ideas may present as  gender stereotypes. Among the few non-eroticized fictional gynoids include Rosie the Robot Maid from The Jetsons. However, she still has some stereotypically feminine qualities, such as a matronly shape and a predisposition to cry.

The stereotypical role of wifedom has also been explored through use of gynoids. In The Stepford Wives, husbands are shown as desiring to restrict the independence of their wives, and obedient and stereotypical spouses are preferred. The husbands’ technological method of obtaining this “perfect wife” is through the murder of their human wives and replacement with gynoid substitutes that are compliant and housework obsessed, resulting in a “picture-postcard” perfect suburban society. This has been seen as an allegory of male chauvinism of the period, by representing marriage as a master-slave relationship, and an attempt at raising feminist consciousness during the era of second wave feminism.

In a parody of the fembots from The Bionic Woman, attractive fembots in fuzzy see-through night-gowns were used as a lure for the fictional agent Austin Powers in the movie Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery. The film’s sequels had cameo appearances of characters revealed as fembots. Judith Halberstam writes that these gynoids inform the viewer that femaleness does not indicate naturalness, and their exaggerated femininity  is used in a similar way to the title character’s exaggerated masculinity, lampooning stereotypes.

Hyundai’s Car For Family In 2020

Hyundai shows its concept car scheduled to be launched in 2020. Hyundai and Nicolas Stone coming up with a new car concept and people will start again call it a family car.

This car will not need any kind of fuel to generate the energy. Only water and sun will be enough to run this just like plant need. Exterior of this will have solar plate which will get the energy from sun.

This concept car is equipped with transparent solar cells to generate electricity from ambient light, which is afterwords used to carry out electrolysis of water finally generating hydrogen, which fuels the car.

The only by-product of the car engine will be clean potable water and breathable oxygen. Utilizing a new energy model, the vehicle uses the electricity to stimulate a central water tank, splitting the water into hydrogen and oxygen.

The hydrogen gets stored in special reserve tanks, while the oxygen gets expelled into the air as exhaust. So, no emissions, since this cute little car functions exactly like a plant, being powered by an artificial system of photosynthesis.

Urbee Hybrid is world’s first 3D printed car

Henry Ford revolutionized automobile relese Urbee Hybrid is world’s first 3D printed car.Urbee Hybrid run solely on renewable energy or get over 200 mpg at highway speeds.Urbee Hybrid car shows on 2010 SEMA car show in Las Vegas.This car is created using Dimension 3D Printers and Fortus 3D Production Systems…..

Minneapolis-based Stratasys Inc has announced that it is creating a fuel-efficient and environment-friendly vehicle named Urbee, which will be on display at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas from November 2 to 5.The maker of additive manufacturing machines for prototyping and producing plastic parts said it is partnering with Winnipeg engineering group Kor Ecologic to build the first-ever prototype car that will have its entire body 3D printed with an additive process.

Stratasys said all the various external components of the car including its glass panels have been created using Dimension 3D Printers and Fortus 3D Production Systems at its digital manufacturing service “RedEye on Demand”.With more and more automobile companies claiming to offer effective and sustainable solutions to reduce GHG emissions and thereby reduce the dependence on petroleum, the Urbee is likely to undergo close scrutiny and speculations. The various stages of the development of the car have already been chronicled by the Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet for future broadcast.

The electric/liquid fuel hybrid delivers over 200 miles per gallon on the highway with an impressive 100 miles a gallon in the city. Also, the car can be charged overnight from any standard home electrical outlet. Alternate charging options include renewable energy from a windmill or a solar-panel array small enough to fit atop a single-car garage.For combined city and highway use, the Urbee gives about 150 miles per gallon, costing about 2 cents a mile, which is about 10 percent of the fuel consumed by a typical SUV.

The world's only immortal animal

The turritopsis nutricula species of jellyfish may be the only animal in the world to have truly discovered the fountain of youth.

Since it is capable of cycling from a mature adult stage to an immature polyp stage and back again, there may be no natural limit to its life span. Scientists say the hydrozoan jellyfish is the only known animal that can repeatedly turn back the hands of time and revert to its polyp state (its first stage of life).

The key lies in a process called transdifferentiation, where one type of cell is transformed into another type of cell. Some animals can undergo limited transdifferentiation and regenerate organs, such as salamanders, which can regrow limbs. Turritopsi nutricula, on the other hand, can regenerate its entire body over and over again. Researchers are studying the jellyfish to discover how it is able to reverse its aging process.

Because they are able to bypass death, the number of individuals is spiking. They're now found in oceans around the globe rather than just in their native Caribbean waters. "We are looking at a worldwide silent invasion," says Dr. Maria Miglietta of the Smithsonian Tropical Marine Institute. 

4 October 2010 Last updated at 11:47 GMT

Toshiba show 3DTV without glasses

Toshiba has launched what it claims are the first 3D television sets that do not require special glasses.

The two sets are able to create 3D effects in real time from standard film and television pictures.

The televisions use a special lenticular sheet to create an array of nine overlapping images.

A viewer sees different images with each eye, creating the illusion of a 3D picture.

The system is similar to that used in the Nintendo 3DS handheld console.

Both Toshiba televisions use the Cell processor - originally designed for the PlayStation 3 - to process the pictures.

Masaaki Oosumi, president of Toshiba Visual Products said it was "obviously more natural to watch TV without glasses".

However, the technology requires a person to be sat in an optimal position to see clear 3D images.

The electronics giant suggests a person sits 90cm (35in) from its 20in set and 65cm (25in) from the 12in screen. The picture is also best viewed with a 40-degree "sweet spot" in front of the set.

These limitations are why most manufacturers - including Sony, Samsung and Panasonic - use glasses to generate 3D effects.

These rely on images for each eye being broadcast one after the other in rapid succession.

Filters in the glasses flash on and off in sync with the picture, filtering the correct image to each eye. The brain recombines the image into a 3D picture.

3D TV is still in its infancy, but broadcasters are already ramping up efforts to provide content in the UK.

Last week, Sky launched Europe's first dedicated 3D television channel, whilst Virgin has launched a 3D movie channel.

Toshiba said the smaller version of its new sets will cost about 120,000 yen ($1,400), and the larger one will be double the price. It is also working on a larger 56 inch model.

It said it hoped to sell 1,000 units a month but currently has no plans to sell the sets abroad.

They were unveiled at the Ceatec electronics show in Tokyo, Japan.

A distant Earth-like exoplanet 'could have life'

By Katia MoskvitchScience reporter, BBC News

An artist's impression of Gliese 581g and its parent star

Astronomers have detected an Earth-like exoplanet that may have just the right kind of conditions to support life.

Gliese 581g lies some 20 light-years away in its star's "Goldilocks zone" - a region surface temperatures would allow the presence of liquid water.

Scientists say that the newly found world could also potentially have an atmosphere.

Their findings, made with the Keck telescope in Hawaii, appear in the Astrophysical Journal.

The researchers, from the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) and the Carnegie Institution of Washington, have been studying the movement of the planet's parent star, a red dwarf called Gliese 581, for 11 years.

Their observations have revealed a number of exoplanets spinning around the star.

Possibility of life

Recently they discovered two new alien worlds, so together with the previous findings, this brings the number of planets orbiting Gliese 581 to six.

But the most important new revelation is that one of those worlds might be the most Earth-like planet yet identified.

"Our findings offer a very compelling case for a potentially habitable planet," said Steven Vogt, an astronomer at UCSC.

"The fact that we were able to detect this planet so quickly and so nearby tells us that planets like this must be really common."

Gliese 581g has a mass about three to four times that of Earth. It orbits its sun in 37 days and is thought to be a rocky world. It has enough gravity to possibly have an atmosphere.

Another Earth-like planet, Gliese 581c, was discovered a few years ago

Gliese 581g is located in its star's "Goldilocks zone" - a zone in space where temperatures are neither too hot nor to cold for liquid water.

Such a zone defines the region in a star-centered orbit where an Earth-like planet could sustain that water on its surface - and therefore life.

"We had planets on both sides of the habitable zone - one too hot and one too cold - and now we have one in the middle that's just right," said Dr Vogt.

The planet's average surface temperature is estimated to be between -12C and -31C.

But unlike Earth, this alien world has one side always facing its sun and the other side constantly in the dark. So in-between the two sides, between shadow and light, there could be an area where life could potentially thrive.

"Any emerging life forms would have a wide range of stable climates to choose from and to evolve around, depending on their longitude," said Dr Vogt.

Alien worlds

The first exoplanet orbiting a star was detected more than a decade ago.

Since then, nearly 500 other worlds have been found beyond our Solar System, many of them Jupiter-like gas giants.

Now, astronomers are hoping to spot more exoplanets where life could be possible.

"We're at exactly that threshold now with finding habitable planets," said Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution, a co-author of the study.

Dr Vogt agreed: "The number of systems with potentially habitable planets is probably on the order of 10 or 20%, and when you multiply that by the hundreds of billions of stars in the Milky Way, that's a large number," he said.

"There could be tens of billions of these systems in our galaxy."

Any emerging life forms would have a wide range of stable climates to choose from and to evolve around, depending on their longitude”

Steven VogtUniversity of California, Santa Cruz

Michael Dell shows off new 7-inch Android tablet

Posted in Dell by Conner Flynn on September 22nd, 2010

Michael Dell loves to tease. Word is that Dell’s big cheese has just pulled out yet another Android tablet from his very large and mysterious pocket. This time it’s a 7-incher. Mr. Dell didn’t let loose any dates and specs, but this could be the long-rumored Looking Glass.
Dell also announced that the smaller Streak is heading to Best Buy next month. We hope that this bigger tablet won’t disappoint us with an outdated OS this time.