Harvesting ‘limitless’ hydrogen from bacteria

The following was extracted from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14976893

  • Until now, they explained, an external source of electricity was required in order to power the process.
  • However, the team added, the current cost of operating the new technology is too high to be used commercially.
  • Prof Logan said that the technology to utilise this process to produce hydrogen was called microbial electrolysis cell (MEC).
  • “The breakthrough here is that we do not need to use an electrical power source anymore to provide a little energy into the system.
  • “All we need to do is add some fresh water and some salt water and some membranes, and the electrical potential that is there can provide that power.”

Mask that help you breathe easier

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America First-To-Invent to First-To-File

http://www.inventorsdigest.com/archives/7262

  • Now that passage of the America Invents Act (patent reform) is all but certain – it’s only awaiting the President’s signature
  • It is clear that the current first-to-invent system almost never benefits the independent inventor.
  • Further, the cost of proving who was first to invent, under the current system, is prohibitive to small businesses and independent inventors. It costs an average of $400,000 to $500,000 in legal fees to engage in interference proceedings to determine who invented first.
  • So the facts demonstrate that the current system of first-to-invent actually favors those with deep pockets and works to the disadvantage of small companies and independent inventors with limited resources.

Next Invention: Meat ?

Taken from Today(http://www.todayonline.com) on 2 Sep 2011, Page 54

LEGO 3D Milling Machine – “3D Printer”

Hydrogen made by enzyme is faster and cheaper

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14494972

  • Scientists have shown how an enzyme from a microbe can produce hydrogen from water more quickly and cheaply.
  • Hydrogen is seen as vital to future energy systems, but a major problem has been making this reaction fast and cheap enough to be viable.
  • Hydrogen can be split from water wherever electricity is available, even at home. And with a fuel cell it can be turned back into electricity, with water as the benign by-product.
  • These natural enzymes are unfortunately difficult to obtain and do not survive well outside the microbe.
  • But their new synthetic enzyme is performing surprisingly well; it is 10 times faster than the natural one, making 100,000 molecules of hydrogen gas every second.

Taiwan unveils eco-friendly rewritable ‘paper’

A group of Taiwan scientists have developed an environmentally friendly form of rewritable electronic paper that works without electricity.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/technologynews/view/1145883/1/.html

Japanese inventor develops flying sphere drone

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/
ALeqM5gsw7xwAX4noZeBeTGopEy9l6HxMg?docId=
CNG.04cd45a9ede4b3fdccb636651ab227bb.361

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Japan Caretaker Robot Kneels to Lift People off Floor

Using pot to charge cellphone

The above article was taken from My Paper (http://mypaper.sg/) on 23 Jun 2011, Page A11