Through his methodology, Mirchandani printed four different typefaces on cardstock paper and graphed the ink usage. His discovery found that Garamond, with its thinner strokes, his school district could reduce ink consumption by 24%, saving up to $21,000 annually.
ERO the Concrete Deconstruction Robot (Concept)
The cost of demolishing an existing old building can sometimes rival what is spent on building a new structure. Today, there is an established industry of building recyclers that reprocess concrete, metal, glass and wood for use in new ways. But it is a complicated, time consuming and messy job sometimes involving hazardous materials.
Designer Omer Haciomeroglu … set out to develop a solution that was more efficient, cleaner and safer for workers. ERO is a Concrete Deconstruction Robot concept designed to disassemble reinforced concrete structures and enable the building materials to be re-used for new pre-fabricated concrete buildings.
As global sea level rises, coastal cities and islands face a growing risk of being washed away. (via What America Will Look Like Under 25 Feet Of Seawater, Part 2 | Business Insider Australia)
Source: Business Insider
SONTE Film is the first ever Wi-Fi enabled digital shade that instantly switches windows from opaque to clear in less than a second. (via SONTE: iPhone/iPad Android DIY WiFi Digital Shades by SONTE — Kickstarter)
Underground Bicycle Parking Systems in Japan
Danny Choo demonstrates Japanese robotic underground parking systems for bikes - video below:
Too many bicycles and not enough space in Japan - so what do they do?
They dig wells in the ground and build robotic systems to store your two wheelers underground - safe from harsh weather and naughty thieves.
CFM International, the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial airline engines, is using some 3D-printed components to help improve the fuel efficiency of its new line of jet engines by 15 percent. (via 3D-printed jet engine parts help increase fuel efficiency by 15 percent | The Verge)
Every Last Drop is a single page Web site by Waterwise, a UK NGO focused on water issues, to demonstrate how and where you can conserve water on a daily basis.
Earlier today we posted on repetition in Web design so count this among the ways to do it better.
Our sophisticated internal critique of the site ran something like this:
Michael: You want to see something neat. [Sends URL]
Jihii: Oh my God, I can’t even take this, it’s so cute.
Jihii: Oh my God, I love this little man.
Sophistication, FJP style.
Image: Partial screenshot, Every Last Drop. Select to Embiggen.
GravityLight addresses the fact that more than 1.5 billion people on the planet have no access to reliable electricity. The clean, green LED lamp only requires users to lift a 20-pound weight every 30 minutes. As the weight descends the attached tracks, it powers an internal dynamo which in turn lights the light. It’s the same concept we’ve seen used with hand-cranked gadgets for years, just with less overall effort required of the user thanks to gravity’s help. (via Ingenious Lamp Lights Third World With the Power of Gravity | Gadgets, Science & Technology)
The Belkin WeMo Switch, lets you turn electronic devices on or off from anywhere inside—or outside—your home. The WeMo Switch uses your existing home Wi-Fi network to provide wireless control of TVs, lamps, stereos, and more. Simply download the free WeMo app, plug the switch into an outlet in your home, and plug any device into the switch. You’ll be able to turn that device on or off using your iPhone or iPad. You can even set schedules for your devices and control them remotely using a mobile Internet connection. You can also add additional switches to your home to control more devices. (via WeMo Switch | App Enabled Accessories | Mobile Accessories | Products | Belkin USA Site)
A convex logo substitutes colorfully sprayed can. Naked can help to reduce air and water pollution occurred in its coloring process. It also reduces energy and effort to separate toxic color paint from aluminum in recycling process. Huge amount of energy and paint required to manufacture colored cans will be saved.Instead of toxic paint, manufacturers process aluminum with a pressing machine that indicates brand identity on surface. (via COLORLESS on Behance)
The system works like this:
- Urine is put into an electrolytic cell, which separates out the hydrogen.
- The hydrogen goes into a water filter for purification, which then gets pushed into the gas cylinder.
- The gas cylinder pushes hydrogen into a cylinder of liquid borax, which is used to remove the moisture from the hydrogen gas.
- This purified hydrogen gas is pushed into the generator.
1 Liter of urine gives you 6 hours of electricity.
In an effort to debunk tradition and reduce the use of the world’s oil supply—Indian auto manufacturers Tata Motors has planned to release a car powered by compressed air.
Called the ‘Tata Airpod’, the tiny car’s engine works by extracting air pressure from its 175-liter tank—and does not contribute to air pollution.
Using technology developed by MDI, the car’s tank can be refilled through a charging station, or take in air while driving with the help of its electric engine—for a full tank, it takes two minutes to refill.
The Tata AirPod is able to travel at a top speed of 28 to 43 mph (45 to 70 kmh)—and travels up to 200km on a full tank. (via A Car That Runs On Air: The Future Is Here? - DesignTAXI.com)
german born, barcelona-based architect andré broessel has sent us images of his latest development of a spherical glass solar energy generator. the project uses the advantageous strategy of implementing a ball lens and specific geometrical structure to improve energy efficiency by 35%. in contrast to its traditional photo-voltaic ‘dual-axis’ counterparts, the device incorporates a fully rotational weatherproof natural optical tracking device that is adequate for functioning on inclined surfaces and curtain walls, empowering any building surface. the new solar generating concept has capabilities that concentrate diffused daylight or moonlight for a more effective site context application. (via spherical glass solar energy generator by rawlemon)
UCLA researchers have developed a new transparent solar cell that is an advance toward giving windows in homes and other buildings the ability to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside. (via UCLA researchers create highly transparent solar cells for windows that generate electricity / UCLA Newsroom)