Stabilising Technology

I just went to an interesting talk on new techniques to harness marine energy at the RSA given by Prof Bihaj of Southampton University. One thing that struck me from an Innovation Junction viewpoint was his observation on the number of different technologies that existed for harnessing wind power and now we have one dominant form, the 3 bladed windmill. The technology finally stabilised. Right now we have multiple technologies competing to harness wind and tidal energy, will it take 20 years for a dominant technology to emerge ? What unique combination of technologies and political will is required to bring marine energy into being ? I got the impression that we are close to an economic solution but that another approach to harnessing the tides is required, one that can bring down prices by an order of magnitude.....

Sound Power = Acoutic Engines

For the past fifty years the world has used electrical power created from rotating magnetic fields. We have been surprisingly limited in finding other non-rotating magentic field forms of electricity generation. The dominant methods for creating the rotation are steam turbines and the internal combustion engines. These have worked well but mean that some wonderful heat power sources like nuclear have to be converted to rotating power using steam turbines. It seems a great waste to turn all that heat into steam and then electricity rather than heat directly to electricity but it is pretty efficient, 40% compared with 15% for solar cells. The popularity of the rotating technique tells its own story.

The search for more efficient ways to turn heat into electricity has been ongoing for a while. Solar panels have been researched for a long time, now Orest Symko of the University of Utah has added a new method which may be a very useful addition. He has developed a system for converting heat into electricity using piezo-electric cells. The system consists of resonator cylinders which conduct air to produce sound. According to an article in Professional Engineering, "When heat is applied the moving air is converted into a single frequency sound by a thermo-acoustic prime mover". The sound is then converted to electricity using piezo-electric technology, which converts the pressure from the sound into electricity.

There are no moving parts and so we could have sound powered engines in the next few years.

It will be nice to have an alternative to rotation to generate power on a large scale. Will sound provide the alternative ?

Nike Plus a new exercise paradigm

I just went for my first run with a Nike + unit connected to my iPod Nano. I am very very impressed. I think this device is a great use of different tech that has significant potential to improve the fitness of anyone who uses it.

First the technology, there is a sensor which is placed on your foot to monitor your speed, it links wirelessly to an attachment to your iPod. Accelerometer right ? Wrong, Piezo-electric sensor, as you place each foot down the change in pressure is monitored to assess your pace. This of course not as accurate as a GPS but at only $3o a lot cheaper and works great around NY and London trees and is not bothered by trees. I loved the fact that a voice from the iPod keeps you updated with your time or distance. Right now that is all it does but I think there is huge potential for some more sophisticated software to act as a personal trainer and motivate you to improve your fitness.

Monitoring your pace and urging you on to improve your cadence rate, increase speed or slow down as required to meet your goal targets. Also if they introduce a heart rate monitor then a voice could tell you to slow down or speed up to meet your exercise goals. I'd love a personal trainer like this. It would be a great motivator. I can't wait for the next version of the Nike + software and hope these kinds of features are included.

In summary we have a combination of piezo-electric sensor, wireless tech, and existing iPod to change the exercise experience. I think this is truly innovative.