Technabob » liquid

Liquid Body Armor Is More Effective and Weighs Less

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:32:49 +0000

I think anyone that has dropped a heavy object into water knows that liquid slows and softens the impact. However, you wouldn’t think liquid would be a viable option for body armor for soldiers and police. However, according to BAE Systems, some liquids are proving to be very effective body armor. The company has a new type of body armor that uses liquid and is much thinner than conventional body armor.

Traditional body armor is made out of multiple layers of Kevlar with additional metal or ceramic plates for more protection. The problem is that this very thick body armor can weigh as much as 25 pounds adding to load a soldier has to carry in a hot climate leading to earlier fatigue. BAE has developed a new type of body armor that uses what it calls Shear Thickening Liquid that has special particles that are suspended inside the liquid.

The video clip below first shows 9mm bullets being fired into 10 layers of Kevlar combined with liquid armor, then the impact on 31 layers of Kevlar alone.

When a projectile like a bullet hits the liquid, the particles lock together and spread the impact of a bullet over a larger area. That means that body armor using the special liquid can be made thinner and lighter, yet more effectively spread an impact across the surface offering greater protection to the wearer. BAE believes that the new technology could reduce the overall thickness and weight of armor by as much as 45 percent, while increasing freedom of movement.

[via Fox News]

Liquid Cooling Tech for Laptops is Gamer (and Thigh) Friendly

Lambert Varias — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 21:30:15 +0000

Liquid cooling systems have long been an option for desktop PCs, but not for slimmer computers like laptops. Until now. A company called Asetek recently demonstrated a liquid cooling system that can fit inside a gaming laptop, a promising technology for anyone who likes overclocking or not having their genitals or hands toasted by their PC.

According to Asetek, most cooling solutions in laptops make use of individual heat sinks for the CPU and GPU(s) even though the three components are “rarely” stressed simultaneously. Asetek’s solution uses the precious space it takes up more efficiently because it’s just one big cooling unit that circulates throughout the parts that heat up.

The demo video below shows an Alienware laptop with an Intel Core i7 CPU at 3.5 Ghz and two AMD Radeon HD 6990M GPUs running at 680MHz. Asetek’s cooling system allowed the CPU to be overclocked to 4.4GHz and the GPUs to be overclocked to 800MHz, a feat that the company claims would be impossible to accomplish on the stock laptop.

As was mentioned in the video, this compact liquid cooling system can also be used in other forms of computers, including all-in-one PCs. Hopefully it will be adopted by computer manufacturers soon. I wish Asetek also took temperature readings though, because that’s the aspect that I’m more interested in.

[via Asetek]

Asetek Liquid Cooled All-in-One Pc: Cool Inside and Out

Lambert Varias — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 12:34:57 +0000

All-in-one PCs look nice and simple to set up, but they don’t appeal to hardcore computer users because these people know that it’s the insides that count, and PCs with slim form factors generally don’t have top of the line CPUs and GPUs because of the lack of airflow inside their cramped spaces. Until now, that is. Asetek claims that they’ve come up with a PC that combines the best of both worlds – a slim computer with drool-worthy guts, in this case a 130W Intel Core i7-920 desktop processor and a 75W nVidia GTX280M graphics card.

Installed in the stand of Asetek’s prototype is a high performance radiator coupled with a low profile fan. The coolant is distributed to cold plates attached to the GPU and CPU via a pump. Also, Asetek would like us to know that these parts are all high performance or low profile or both, as explained by Thermal Engineer Todd:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Ah, the old lab coat-wearing expert; why won’t you go away? No word yet on when the PC will be finalized, but I’m pretty sure this one won’t be cheap. That, and the fact that some PC enthusiasts actually enjoy customizing their rig means that this will have a limited appeal, but it’ll still find a home with well-moneyed folks, savvy graphics people, and hardcore gamers who don’t care about constantly upgrading their systems.

[via DVICE]

Plug Mug Renders Your Mug Useless – Take That You Coffee Cup Thieves!

Technabob — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:01:28 +0000

How many times have you walked into the employee break room to grab a cup of Joe, only to find that some ass-hat has “borrowed” your coffee cup out of the cabinet? Well now, you can finally do something to make sure that your mug is safe from pilfering by co-workers once and for all.

Spinning Hat’s Plug Mug features an ingenious design that ensures that only the person in possession of the watertight drain plug can partake of a cuppa without ending up with a scalding hot lap full of liquid. And you’ve got no reason to feel guilty if that were to befall Susie Secretary when she walks off with your cup. If the bright exclamation mark and stop sign and gaping hole in the side of the mug aren’t sufficient warning, she fully deserves what she gets.

You can grab the Plug Mug over at UK gadget shop I Want One of Those for £9.99 (Appx. $14 USD.)

Polar Bear Pours Cold Drinks

Technabob — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 01:50:27 +0000

Sometimes, I just wish I lived in Asia so I could easily get my hands on the great gadgets they crank out. My favorite find of the day has to be this Korean desktop cooler that looks like a polar bear.

The perfect cure for a bland cubicle, the Marie Cool polar bear drink dispenser is just too goofy not to have one on your desk. The compact water cooler takes a lukewarm bottle of your favorite beverage and chills it to a deliciously drinkable temperature.

The Marie Cool is available from 10×10 for 54,800 Korean Won (about $60 bucks.)