All I really need on a scorcher like today is "Le Fridge. BERLIN. Electricity Generating Dance Floors and Other Miracles of Piezoelectricity - Technology. Even if the planet doubled the amount of solar and wind power available tomorrow, there would still be a shortage of clean electricity. We need to grab energy from wherever we can find it, which is why piezoelectricity—the charge that gathers in solid materials like crystal and ceramic in response to strain—has recently begun to pique the interest of entrepreneurs and scientists alike. A number of materials are piezoelectric, including topaz, quartz, cane sugar, and tourmaline. That means a charge begins accumulating inside these materials when pressure is applied. Piezoelectrics are already commonly used in a number of applications.
Quartz clocks, for example, rely on piezoelectricity for power, as do many sensors, lighters, and actuators. One of the most popular uses for piezoelectricity in the past few years relies on roads and sidewalks. After Club Watt, the piezoelectric floors kept coming. Piezoelectrics are also increasingly becoming common on roads. How to Generate Power From Your Daily Activities - Environment. Two recent posts speak to the potential of a rising trend: converting small amounts of human energy into usable electricity. The first is a proposal from a design firm in New York to turn the energy expended rotating a revolving door into power. The second is borderline ridiculous, but well-intentioned: an "energy tail" you strap to yourself, which generates power from the friction of two rollers against the ground (to mitigate some of the absurdity of this, it was designed for rural Africa, where energy is in short supply).
I wonder what the potential impact of technology like this really is. More specifically, is the cost to develop and implement this technology worth the potential energy savings it engenders? Follow up question: Did someone at Toyota have the same attitude when an engineer suggested capturing the energy produced while braking to charge the Prius's battery? SDC | Sustainable Dance Club | People Planet Party! | Inventors of the Sustainable Dance Floor.
Ideo: How to Turn Social Taboos Into Innovative Products | Co.Design. This is the next piece in our PATTERNS series, written by IDEO. Read more from the series here. Social taboos suppress discussion of many details about life: bodily functions, sexual problems, and other socially stigmatizing conditions. Discomfort with these topics compromises our health and short-circuits our quality of life by keeping important information in the dark. Taboos also create social isolation. When forced to navigate forbidden areas, people often find that they have little information and are reluctant to experiment or explore. From a business perspective, this may translate into untapped opportunities " ? How might your business acknowledge taboos affecting your industry, and turn these constraints into opportunities? TAKE ACTION: Designing for Guilty Secrets 1. 2. 3. 4. THE EVIDENCE: Stories from Around the Globe Gut Feelings People can fail to recognize that they're living with a minor, but ongoing problem.
Befriending a New Normal Dysfunctional Vocabulary Playing with Sex. Inventables: Find new materials.