Hasta La Ideas

The next floating, more efficient step in wind turbine technology

by Gregory Stefano

Wind energy in itself isn’t a novel concept, but the MARS Turbine (Maggen Air Rotor System) puts a new spin on conventional wind turbines with its Goodyear Blimp otherworldliness and innovative operating system.

Designer Fred Ferguson created MARS as an energy source in remote areas—like scientific expeditions to the Arctic—that need consistent power but lack resources to build a 200-foot tall wind turbine. Essentially a blimp covered in fins, Ferguson’s turbine flies 1,000 feet high, connecting to the ground with a tether that doubles as an energy conductor.

Like conventional wind turbines, MARS uses magnetic induction to produce energy, but the difference comes with increased altitude. Catching wind 800 feet higher than its traditional counterparts, there’s much less resistance and greater wind speed, ultimately allowing the MARS access to a superior crop of wind. Another advantage, the turbine can produce energy in winds as low as seven mph and as high as 63 mph whereas contemporary turbines shut down around 35 mph and with little or no wind, they become useless.

This innovative solution solves a lot of the existing problems with mining wind energy, avoiding the hazardous carbon footprint standard turbines leave behind when built initially, producing more energy and universally being more versatile. The MARS Turbine will be commercially available early 2011, and they are also currently working on a backpack-sized version for charging your iPad on your next Yosemite backcountry adventure.

via Stuff You Should Know

La marque Sony vient de présenter son nouvel écran souple OLED, d’une taille de 4,1 pouces, et épais de seulement 0,3 millimètre. Un nouveau prototype d’écran qui permet de s’enrouler sur lui-même et d’afficher des images et des vidéos. Démonstration dans la suite de l’article.

Previously on Fubiz

• Sony Bravia : Superstar
• Alex Profit
• Sony – Eye Candy

pimg alt=”microsoft_mice_wall.jpg” src=”http://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/microsoft_mice_wall.jpg” width=”468″ height=”596″ class=”mt-image-none” style=”” //p

pMicrosoft’s new A HREF=”http://microsofthardwareblog.com/wireless-mobile-mouse-3500-patterns/” Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 Studio Series/A aims to spice up your desktop with bold graphics imprinted on the top. “When creating these designs and patterns, we were inspired both by the incredible patterns found in nature, like rock formations and stones, as well as the bold and modern graphic style that’s all over the skate and snowboard industry today,” writes Microsoft designer Lindsey Kujawski. “We combined those inspirations to create minimal designs alive with vivid colors. There are three graphics to choose from – (left to right) Wave, Folk and Geode. Wave is a vibrant organic pattern, Folk was inspired by Scandinavian and tribal art, and Geode references rock facets and formations.”br /
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We love (of course) the wall of comps above from the User Experience Design Team, and wonder if we can get emthat/em image printed on the mouse?/pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/technology/microsofts_new_3500_series_mouse_16629.asp”(more…)/a
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Un excellent design d’intérieur, pour cette salle de bain inspirée des emballages en papiers bulles. Un processus détaillé et un travail des étudiants Elizabeth Boone, Adam Buente, Eric Brockmeyer et Kyle Perry. A découvrir en images et en vidéo dans la suite.

Previously on Fubiz

• Typefaces by Moshik
• Vicente Garcia Morillo
• Laz Marquez

pimg alt=”0costner.jpg” src=”http://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/0costner.jpg” width=”468″ height=”755″ class=”mt-image-none” style=”” //p

pThis has to be the weirdest thing we’ve blogged all month: In a story that’s been decades in the making, it turns out movie star Kevin Costner may be cleaning up BP’s disastrous oil spill in the Gulf./p

pNot by himself, of course. After the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill off the coast of Alaska, Costner (along with scientist brother Dan) developed “Ocean Therapy,” a massive shipborne device that cleans oil from seawater through a huge centrifuge. Something like a large vacuum cleaner, the largest Ocean Therapy device can suck in 200 gallons a minute and eject seawater that’s 97% clean./p

pOver the years Costner has sunk $26 million of his own money into the Ocean Therapy device, developing some 300 of them, all of which have sat largely dormant until now. But BP, pressed for solutions, has agreed to test six of the devices./p

blockquoteIn 2007, [Costner] told London’s Daily Mail that he had blown millions on “technologies I thought would help the world” and had nothing to show for it. “I’ve lost $40 million-plus,” he said. “But I knew that if I was right, it would change things in an incredibly positive way.” Last week, he was in Louisiana seeking redemption, demonstrating his Ocean Therapy contraption. “I’m just really happy that the light of day has come to this,” Costner said./blockquote

pvia A HREF=”http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/05/19/2010-05-19_gulf_oil_spill_bp_oks_tests_of_kevin_costners_invention__device_to_clean_oil_fro.html” ny daily news/Abr /
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