Green Technology Forum

Prana the Dinosaur is an inflatable “smart” sculpture built by the Contemporary Art and Technology class at Cypress College. The design enables the sculpture to monitor and visualize current air quality data of North Orange County, CA.

Prana (”breathing”, the breath of life) is described on Wikipedia as a Sanskrit word that refers to a vital, life-sustaining force of living beings and vital energy in natural processes of the universe. Prana is a central concept in Ayurveda and Yoga where it is believed to flow through a network of fine subtle channels called nadis.

Prana has been programmed to change color in accordance to the current air quality data extracted from airnow.gov, a cross-agency government website. Airnow.gov is dedicated to transmitting U.S. air quality conditions and forecasts. The hope for this project is to inform our school community with specific air quality data and to spark critical dialogue on campus. This sculpture was inspired by the many other air quality related projects studied in the course.

Source: air-dino.info

Researchers at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign have developed a simple process to grow upright copper nanowires on different surfaces. The nanowire arrays could find use in field-emission displays, a new type of display technology that promises to provide brighter, more vivid pictures than existing flat-panel displays. In such an application, the nanowires would be used to fire electrons at phosphor particles on a screen, lighting them up.

The new manufacturing method, developed by Kyekyoon Kim and Hyungsoo Choi, leads to copper nanowires between 70 nanometers and 250 nanometers wide. The researchers can use the process to grow the nanowires on various surfaces, including silicon, glass, metal, and plastic. They describe the nanowire array and demonstrate a prototype field-emission display in an online Advanced Materials paper.

Source: technologyreview.com

In keeping with its penchant for innovation in the mobile space, Samsung has announced the development of a cell phone that is powered by a fuel cell that uses water to begin the chemical process. Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ research center developed the fuel cell and water-induced process.

When the mobile is turned on, metal and the water that has been added to the phone react to produce hydrogen gas. The gas is then sent to the fuel cell where it reacts with oxygen in the air to generate power. The micro fuel cell and hydrogen generator can charge mobile devices for 10 hours (about 3 watts), and uses just ordinary water to start the chemical process.

“If the user uses the phone for four hours a day on average, they would have to change the hydrogen cartridge about every five days,” Oh Yong-soo, vice president of Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ research center, said.

Source: brighthand.com

The trouble with a lot of the corporate speak about going green is the promises can seem abstract, or worse, like just another PR campaign. Xerox Corp. is working on a green technique that’s as plain as the stack of papers on your desk. Scientists at Xerox can make the print on documents appear — then disappear in time, allowing paper to be reused.

Using a molecular compound similar to the one on tinted eyeglasses, which darken or lighten depending on the amount of ultraviolet (UV) light in the environment, Xerox labs have developed paper that changes color when exposed to UV light. Unlike tinted glasses, however, which change color instantly upon walking outside or into a building, the print on Xerox’s paper fades gradually over 16 to 24 hours, or it can be erased instantly by heating the paper.

The goal is to produce an erasable paper that costs two to three times the price of regular paper but can be used hundreds of times. People can relate, Xerox scientist Paul Smith said.

“We got enormous feedback from customers. They loved this concept of a green technique,” said Smith, laboratory manager at Xerox Research Centre of Canada, near Toronto.

Source: searchcio.techtarget.com

US firm MTI Micro Fuel Cells intends to be first to bring a fuel cell product to the market with a direct methanol-based device next year which will allow you to recharge a mobile phone seven times before it needs a top-up of methanol.

Albany, New York-based MTI Micro said that methanol-based fuel cells have been approved for use in aircraft by the aviation authorities in the UK, Canada and Japan and should be approved by the US Department of Transport this year.

“We see it as a universal charger,” Peng Lim, company CEO told Electronics Weekly, “there’s no more need to plug into the wall.”The firm’s approach is to use a passive, direct methanol fuel cell. A feature of the technology, which is claimed to make it easier to manufacture, is the integration of the power module with the water conditioning system. This internal flow of water takes place without the need for any pumps, complicated re-circulation loops or other micro-plumbing tools.

Called Mobion, the device has demonstrated power of over 50mW/cm sq. while producing 1.4Wh/cc of energy from the fuel.

Source: electronicsweekly.com

Nokia has taken the idea of mobile phones as fashion accessories to its logical conclusion.

Researchers from Nokia have collaborated with Cambridge University’s Nanoscience Centre to produce the Morph phone. The Morph utilises nanotechnology to break down the stale shape relations of the “brick” phone.

The morph phone uses radical wiring and materials in order to allow bending, rolling and folding – so that the phone presents as a bracelet. The Morph has the added appeal of being self-cleaning and energy efficient.

The Morph is still very much a concept phone, currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as part of the Design and Elastic Mind exhibition.

The nanotechnology used in design is a prelude to tangible benefits in handheld communication, lower cost manufacturing and energy rationing. The Morph serves as a fresh example of successful collaboration between industry and technical colleges.

Source: smartcompany.com.au

Hirsch Electronics, a leading manufacturer of access control and identity management solutions, today confirmed its Verification Station’s biometric technology passed the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) rigorous testing and was placed on the TSA’s “Biometrics for Access Control” Qualified Products List (QPL).

According to the TSA’s website, “Airport operators are encouraged to use the qualified products list to improve upon their existing access control systems by incorporating biometrics technologies.” The requirements for QPL biometrics were spelled out in detail in a 140-page “Guidance Package — Biometrics for Airport Access Control” that establishes the criteria and standards that TSA believes biometric products should meet for acceptable performance for airport access control systems.

Hirsch developed the Verification Station, model family RUU, in conjunction with Cogent Systems (Nasdaq:COGT), a global biometric identification solutions provider. Hirsch’s RUU integrates Cogent’s ID-Gate biometric subsystem, one of only two products that met TSA’s testing requirements for airport physical access control. “Hirsch chose to integrate Cogent’s technologies, because we knew their quality solutions would support and enhance Hirsch’s reputation for high security and product reliability,” stated Kevin Reyes, Hirsch’s manager of strategic OEM partners.

The biometrics in the Hirsch Verification Station passed the extensive TSA tests including requirements for a failure-to-enroll rate less than 3 percent and a 99.86 percent operational availability rate. TSA’s test required a false rejection rate (FRR) of less than 1 percent; the RUU biometric’s FRR is just 0.01% - 0.001%. TSA’s test required a false acceptance rate (FAR) of less than 1 percent; the RUU biometric’s FAR is only 0.01% - 0.0001% FAR. TSA’s test required a transaction time of less than six seconds; the RUU biometric extraction and ID time is only 1.5 seconds.

“We believe the Hirsch Verification Station is an excellent choice for airports, ports and other high-risk sites, uniquely providing the highest standards in identity management and access control,” commented Chris Crump, Cogent’s director of commercial business.

source: businesswire.com

By 2014 the Army may issue more than combat gear to deploying soldiers. University of Connecticut researchers are developing an implantable chip that would be injected under soldiers’ skin to help monitor vital health information while they are out in the field. “It sounds like science fiction but it’s not,” said Fotios Papadimitrakopoulos, professor of chemistry and associate director of the Institute of Materials Science at UConn.

“We’re taking components from traditional biology and nanotechnology and trying to marry them.” Six UConn faculty members have been working to create a nanosensor, just millimeters in length and width, that will be used to monitor soldiers’ glucose and lactose to make sure the soldiers are not exhausted and are receiving proper nutrition. While the research has been ongoing for the last decade, the Army has become involved over the past five years in helping develop the technology. The $471 billion defense spending bill that President Bush signed on Nov. 13 included $1.6 million for UConn’s program.

“The Army has a tremendous interest in the well-being of their soldiers and they want to make sure they are in tip-top shape,” Papadimitrakopoulos said. “The Army has made a big effort in monitoring their soldiers remotely.” The silicone nanosensor will be small enough to pass through the tip of a standard hypodermic needle, which will be used to implant the device in the wrist. The soldier will wear a watch-like transmitter that will receive readings of the soldier’s glucose and lactose levels.

“Glucose is like fuel for soldiers,” Papadimitrakopoulos said. “Lactose is what makes us tired.” Embedding the sensor is more complex than simply getting a shot in the wrist, because of the body’s immune system reaction. “The (body’s) reaction is inflammation, what you typically see if you get scab or splinter. Inflammation is the body’s reaction to get rid of foreign matters,” said Dianne Burgess, professor of pharmaceutics at UConn and member of the research team.

After the nanosensor is implanted, the immune system sends “scavenger cells,” she said, to try to eat it. When that fails the immune system cocoons the sensor in fibrous tissue. Unlike pacemakers and defibrillators, nanosensors cannot function while so entombed. To trick the body into not attacking the sensor, researchers have created a gel coating that contains time-release anti-inflammatory medication. Burgess said they have created a sensor that would stay implanted in a person for at least three months.

A prototype of the sensor has been assembled and the university will use this new grant to work on synchronizing the implantable nanosensor with the wrist transmitter. UConn researchers believe a fully functional device is five years away from human testing.

source: nanowerk.com

Nanoident Technologies AG, the technology leader in the development and production of printed semiconductor-based optoelectronic sensors, today announced that it has been selected as one of the 2007 Red Herring 100 Global, an elite group of innovative companies that are driving the future of technology.

Red Herring 100 winners and finalists from North America, Europe and Asia of the last three years were eligible for this award. The Red Herring editorial team used a very competitive process to whittle down this pool of 1800 eligible promising companies to the 100 winners of this first-time award. All Red Herring 100 companies are evaluated based on both quantitative and qualitative criteria such as financial performance, technology innovation, management, and ecosystem integration; Global winners are also judged on global strategy, and must be set to handle the challenges of internationalization and a global presence.

“We are extremely pleased to again be recognized as an innovative global leader,” said NANOIDENT CEO Klaus G. Schroeter. “By making it possible and cost-effective for electronic components and even complete circuits to be placed directly onto a variety of surfaces, printed semiconductor technology has the power to change the face of countless industries, enabling new products that will enhance healthcare, security, and the environment.”

For NANOIDENT, the year 2007 has been full of significant achievements; in March Red Herring named the company a finalist for its 100 Europe 2007 list, and in October Ernst & Young Austria awarded NANOIDENT’s founders the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Meanwhile subsidiary BIOIDENT was also recognized both by analyst firm Frost & Sullivan and with the Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award. In March NANOIDENT opened the doors to its ORGANIC FAB, the world’s first factory for printed semiconductor-based sensors, and the company is developing groundbreaking solutions in partnership with a number of leading companies in the medical diagnostic, environmental testing, security and IT industries.

The winning companies were announced and celebrated at the Red Herring Global event in Seattle, WA, on December 3 – 5.

About Red Herring 100 Global

For 10 years, Red Herring’s editorial team has diligently surveyed entrepreneurship around the globe. Technology industry executives, investors, and observers have regarded the Red Herring 100 lists as an invaluable instrument to discover and advocate the promising startups that will lead the next wave of disruption and innovation. Past award winners include Google, Yahoo!, Skype, and YouTube. In 2007, for the first time Red Herring has evaluated the winners and finalists of its regional awards to identify the top global leaders, the Red Herring 100 Global.

source: Nanoident

The World Economic Forum today named 39 visionary companies as Technology Pioneers 2008. Cima NanoTech, Inc., based in St. Paul, Minnesota, has been selected as one of these Technology Pioneers for advancing the field of nanomaterials in electronic applications.

Technology Pioneers are companies that have been identified as developing and applying highly transformational and innovative technologies in the areas of energy, biotechnology and health, and information technology. To be selected as a Technology Pioneer, a company must be involved in the development of life-changing technology innovation and have the potential for long-term impact on business and society. In addition, it must demonstrate visionary leadership, show all the signs of being a long-standing market leader – and its technology must be proven. Previous Technology Pioneers have included Business Objects, Cambridge Silicon Radio, Corel Corporation, Encore Software, Google, Mozilla Corporation and Napster.

Cima NanoTech’s advanced nanomaterials enable electronics manufacturing methods that can lower costs and improve the performance of electronic devices. In electronic display, solar and smart RFID packaging markets, the company’s technology can enable reduced material usage, improved manufacturing methods and reduced hazardous waste, while increasing electronic performance.

“We’re applying nanomaterials technology to solve the environmental and performance limits of today’s electronic circuitry,” said Jon Brodd, chief executive officer of Cima NanoTech. “This technology will change the way electronics are manufactured. We can enable lower-cost, higher-performance circuitry, while greatly reducing the amount of materials used and environmentally damaging waste streams generated throughout the manufacturing processes.”

source: BusinessWire.com