Breaking away from traditional power plug designs is the folding plug. It essentially consists of two horizontal prongs that “rotate themselves in-line with the top, vertical one, and the body of the adapter then folds in half, resulting in a thickness of about 1cm.” Video after the break.
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Yes, our friends over at PopSci used a regular gas grill to make glass from sand. To be more specific, all you “need to do is add washing soda, lime or borax to white-silica beach sand and a grill overclocked to reach temperatures of 2000-degrees F.” Video after the break. More pics after the jump.
I mixed the finely ground ingredients together and heated them in a cast-iron pot, then poured the molten glass into a graphite mold and pressed it down with a graphite stamp.
If you can’t get enough of the powdery stuff this winter, iSnow is just for you. It’s basically “a non-toxic polymer material which can be used to create artificial snow — just add a bit of water.” Video after the break.
The material is reusable, so you can create snowballs over and over again, provided you scoop up the remains and keep them safe.
Top Gear’s James May partners with “bunch of hippies burn and melt stuff with their ’solar furnace’ — it has something to do with making petrol out of thin air.” Video after the break.
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Want to view 3D images without having to wear special glasses? Look no further than this machine. Continue reading to see more.
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Unfortunately, this interactive mirror “seems to lack multi-touch but offers some interesting ideas, like showing how a custom T-shirt would look if you were wearing it.” Video after the break.
Now, with a few tweaks, he’s turned that projector around and made a two-way mirror into a sort of digital portal. “Interactive Mirror” uses the same basic mouse emulation as LaserGames.
Researchers have developed a scotch tape x ray machine. Basically, “they have constructed a machine that generates x-rays by peeling up Scotch tape in a vacuum at the rate of 3 centimeters per second.” Video after the break.
The search for a better theory of triboluminescence could lead to a greater understanding of electron behavior at the interface between two surfaces exhibiting stick-slip friction like, say, earthquake faults.
Simply put, the Energy Mate “system wirelessly monitors the gas, water and electricity usage within the home in real-time, allowing the user to take control of their energy consumption.” More pics after the jump.
An array of sensors around the home collect the usage information and transmit it to the display unit, where it is converted into meaningful figures such as pounds and carbon output. The system has been designed to be retro-fitted with ease in any domestic property.
The CityWall multi-touch 3D interface features “groups of files that are represented as spheres, which can be manipulated in every which way.” Video after the break.
You can even look at the photo thumbnails inside the sphere “from behind.” Though the demo is thin, it shows some really interesting ideas at play.
Simply put, the Energy Seed is “an LED lamp post powered by trashed alkaline batteries.” No word yet on pricing or availability. More pics after the jump.
The idea is to encourage people to throw their batteries away into the Energy Seed. There’s a slot for nearly every size battery. The unit combines any left over juice from all the batteries to power a super efficient LED light.