Copper end use trends

Biofuels, once seen as a useful way of combating climate change, could actually increase greenhouse gas emissions, say two major new studies. And it may take tens or hundreds of years to pay back the "carbon debt" accrued by growing biofuels in the first place, say researchers. The calculations join a growing list of studies questioning whether switching to biofuels really will help combat climate change.

The Tindo bus is the stuff of car-free, green, geeky dreams: It epitomizes efficient urban transportation and energy use, and to top it all off, it’s free. Our friends at EcoGeek first tipped up off to the story.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Talk about a knee-jerk reaction. Scientists in the United States and Canada said on Thursday they have developed a unique device that can be strapped on the knee that exploits the mechanics of human walking to generate a usable supply of electricity.

A TASER is a non-lethal, gun-shaped device that shoots two metal prongs connected to copper wires into a suspect. The TASER uses the copper wires to generate a 50,000 volt, low amperage electrical current into a person’s muscles and stops voluntary movement. The device turns off after five seconds.

Japanese car giant Toyota has reported a rise in quarterly profits as demand in emerging markets such as China offset a slowdown in the US.

Tonight’s decision by BHP on whether to press the go button on a £61bn takeover of Rio Tinto is not just a big event for these two monsters of the mining industry. It’s also a big “who-runs-the-world?” moment. This takeover contest may no longer be decided in a conventional way by the shareholders of the two companies and competition regulators in assorted jurisdictions. The reason is that on Friday the state-owned Chinese mining and metals group, Chinalco, snapped up 8% of Rio through a daring stock-market raid. And it exercises control over 9% of Rio, through a partnership with Alcoa of the US. This was more than £6bn of Chinese government money saying no to the BHP deal.

No need to ask your robot to rearrange the furniture, just ask your chair to take a hike.

Recycled Art -

Rob Reid at the US Air Force Research Lab is collaborating with the Carnegie Mellon team to develop even smaller prototype robots. Reid and colleagues can fold flat silicon shapes into 3D forms as little as a few hundred microns diameter. “We will drive those using electric forces too, by patterning circuits and devices into the silicon design,”

A PLUNGE in construction spending threatens to drive the American economy into recession.

Too Pricey?: The Enertia electric motorcycle goes for US $15 000. But don’t worry—you can always charge it.

With such a map at their disposal, researchers are a big step closer to making artificial limbs that patients can not only control but feel as well.

Just like expected, Acer has formally bought into Packard Bell, snapping up 75% of PB Holdings, Packard Bell's parent company.

LEDs desk lamps are also efficient, because they do not get hot, so there’s no risk of burns, or excess heat in the summer. Because LED light is so focused, a 100 lumen LED desk lamp will seem quite bright. Let’s take a survey of what’s currently available:

Once again, it's time for the latest wave and tidal round up in the United States.

It's been awhile since we heard anything about the HumanCar, but it looks like the Flintstones-inspired vehicle is now rapidly becoming a reality, with it finally getting a price, release date and a even slightly sleeker new look. Apparently now more specifically known as the Imagine LMV, the vehicle will appropriately be available this coming Earth Day (April 22nd), when it'll set you back a hefty $15,000 for the "base" model. For that price you'll apparently get a top speed of 30 mph from the vehicle's dual electric motors and, most importantly, "variable human power input," which should soon make you the most popular member of your car pool group. If that's not enough luxury for you, you'll also apparently be add various navigation and internet options, iPod connectivity, and various biometric devices to see just how much of a workout you're getting.

We just wrote about the new LED streelights in Ann Arbor. Now we find these self-contained streetlights that generate 100% of their power from the sun and the wind. During the day, solar power is stored in a battery at the base of the light pole. At night, they illuminate while continuing to generate power via a small vertical-axis wind turbine. The streetlights, dubbed “seagulls”, were spotted in Tokyo outside the Panasonic Center by Hyperexperience. Here’s a video clip of the wind turbine in action: