Researchers develop DNA GPS tool to accurately trace geographical ancestry
http://www.gizmag.com/dna-gps-trace-geographical-ancestry/31874/
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Nautboard gets you swimming underwater like a dolphin
http://www.gizmag.com/delorme-inreach-explorer-gps-navigation/31789/
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The Valour's 16 lbs (7.25 kg) carbon fiber frame incorporates Bluetooth 4.0
Among the sensors built into the Valour are an accelerometer, magnetometer and a speed sensor that work with the application to track calories burned, speed and distance traveled
https://d2pq0u4uni88oo.cloudfront.net/projects/937466/video-381201-h264_high.mp4
Valour smart bike offers turn-by-turn navigation
By Nick Lavars May 1, 2014
With the Valour, Vanhawks is looking to combine connectivity of the digital age with the century-old tradition of pure pedal-powered motion
A connected bike with no trace of an electric motor is something of a rarity amid a trend of high-tech two-wheelers. Looking to integrate modern-day connectivity while retaining the century-old tradition of pure pedal-powered motion is the team behind the Vanhawks Valour, a sensor-laden smart bike designed with safety in mind.
The Valour's 16 lbs (7.25 kg) carbon fiber frame incorporates Bluetooth 4.0The Valour is self-charging, with all onboard electronics powered through a Supernova Infi...Among the sensors built into the Valour are an accelerometer, magnetometer and a speed sen...The Valour's 16 lbs (7.25 kg) carbon fiber frame incorporates Bluetooth 4.0 to connect to ...View all
The Valour's 16 lbs (7.25 kg) carbon fiber frame incorporates Bluetooth 4.0 to connect to the companion app, compatible with iOS, Android and Pebble. Users enter their destination on the app and are then delivered turn-by-turn navigation in the form LED indicators built into the handlebars.
Among the sensors built into the Valour are an accelerometer, magnetometer and a speed sensor that work with the application to track calories burned, speed and distance traveled. The system also monitors the route taken and can suggest alternatives to avoid those steep, painful hills.
Most cyclists on the road, using a dedicated bike lane or not, will have had that anxious moment as a passing car comes that little bit too close. With this in mind, Vanhawks has built in what it calls "blindspot detection sensors" that create a safezone 10 feet (3 m) long and four feet (1.2 m) wide from the rear wheel axle of the bike. If it senses an oncoming vehicle, it delivers haptic feedback, or a vibration, through the handlebar grips. While this won't do much to stop a ton of moving steel, it may just offer a last-second chance to tuck in those elbows.
It uses standard 700c 28 mm tires, Shimano caliper brakes and is available as either a fix...
Vanhawks is hoping to get enough Valours on the road to form a mesh network of users. Through this online community, users will be able to tap into data on potholes, closed roads, blocked lanes collected by other Valours to choose safer and smarter routes. In addition, if one's Valour is stolen and another user happens to pass it by, a notification is sent via the application to alert the original owner of its whereabouts.
The Valour is self-charging, with all the onboard electronics powered through a Supernova Infinity S Front Dynamo Hub in the front wheel. The company claims a one hour bike ride will provide a full charge. It uses standard 700c 28 mm tires, Shimano caliper brakes and is available as either a fixed gear, single speed or multi-gear hub model.
Vanhawks is aiming to raise CAD$100,000 (US$91,000) on Kickstarter to take Valour to market. At the time of writing, it's about halfway there, having attracted just under $50,000, with pledges of $999 still available for a single speed or fixed-gear version. It hopes to begin shipping the connected bike in October if all goes to plan.
You can see the team's pitch video below.
Source: Vanhawks
http://www.vanhawks.com/
http://www.gizmag.com/valour-smart-bike-navigation/31888/
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ENVIRONMENT
"Solar" jet fuel created from water and carbon dioxide
By Meg Alexander May 1, 2014
The solar reactor that was used to turn water and CO2 into jet fuel
In a move that could help address our insatiable thirst for fuel while at the same time help cut CO2 emissions, scientists with the SOLAR-JET (Solar chemical reactor demonstration and Optimization for Long-term Availability of Renewable Jet fuel) project have recently shown that through a multi-step process, concentrated sunlight can be used to convert carbon dioxide into kerosene, which can then be used as jet fuel.
Solar reactor that helps turn sunlight and water to turn CO2 into jet fuelSchematic of the solar reactor configuration for the 2-step solar-driven thermochemical pr...End products, turning sunlight, water, and CO2 into jet fuel
"Increasing environmental and supply security issues are leading the aviation sector to seek alternative fuels which can be used interchangeably with today’s jet fuel, so-called drop-in solutions," says Dr. Andreas Sizmann, the project coordinator at Bauhaus Luftfahrt. "With this first-ever proof-of-concept for 'solar' kerosene, the SOLAR-JET project has made a major step towards truly sustainable fuels with virtually unlimited feedstocks in the future."
How it works
Schematic of the solar reactor configuration for the 2-step solar-driven thermochemical pr...
Although in an early stage of development, the process uses a solar-driven redox cycle with metal-oxide based materials at high temperatures to rearrange electrons, converting carbon dioxide and water into hydrogen and carbon monoxide, also known as synthesis gas (syngas).
“The solar reactor technology features enhanced radiative heat transfer and fast reaction kinetics, which are crucial for maximizing the solar-to-fuel energy conversion efficiency,” says Professor Aldo Steinfeld, leading the fundamental research and development of the solar reactor at ETH Zürich.
The process is then completed using the Fischer-Tropsch process, which is already approved to create fuel for commercial aviation and is used worldwide by companies such as Shell. Developed in 1925, the process takes the hydrogen and carbon monoxide from the syngas, and creates kerosene in liquid form, making it relatively simple to transport.
The impact
"This is potentially a very interesting novel pathway to liquid hydrocarbon fuels using focused solar power," says Professor Hans Geerlings at Shell. “Although the individual steps of the process have previously been demonstrated at various scales, no attempt had been made previously to integrate the end-to-end system. We look forward to working with the project partners to drive forward research and development in the next phase of the project on such an ambitious emerging technology.”
The next phase of the project will require the partners to determine the potential to implement the technology on an industrial scale. At this point, a glass of fuel has been created in a lab with simulated sunlight. It will take significant research and testing to determine if the technology can scale up and remain both cost and energy efficient. This evaluation is expected to be completed in 2015.
End products, turning sunlight, water, and CO2 into jet fuel
"This technology means we might one day produce cleaner and plentiful fuel for planes, cars and other forms of transport," says Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science. "This could greatly increase energy security and turn one of the main greenhouse gases responsible for global warming into a useful resource."
Sources: ETH Zurich,https://www.ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/media-information/media-releases/2014/04/solarjet.html
European Union, http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-481_en.htm?locale=en
SOLAR-JET http://www.solar-jet.aero/page/postsart/sunlight-to-jet-fuel-european-collaboration-solar-jet-for-the-first-time-demonstrates-the-entire-production-path-of-ldquosolarrdquo-kerosene-4.php
http://www.gizmag.com/sunlight-carbon-dioxide-jet-fuel/31872/
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