Tag: Electricity

Because the future nears (and it’s weirder than you expected), researchers at The University of Chicago have developed a smartwatch with a heart monitor that’s powered by slime mold. And you have to nurture that slime mold in order for its heart monitor functionality to work.

Jenga: just thinking about playing it makes me anxious. Same goes for Operation. And combining those two games comes ShiZap!, a Jenga-style game that randomly shocks players via the pair of tweezers that you use to remove and replace blocks, potentially causing a topple.

How do you remind someone to practice social distancing? Personally I just yell. LOUD. But maybe you’re a quiet person. Maybe you just want to politely remind someone with a 4.5-volt shock to the arm from this Socially Distancing Zapper from Firebox.

A guitar and amp? Pffft! Real men play their electric guitar using Tesla coils. Musician and engineer Nabzim decided to attach his electric guitar to a handmade solid state Tesla coil using an audio interrupter schematic.

Love or hate drones, I think we can all agree that watching them get zapped with over a million volts sounds like it would be pretty entertaining. It is. YouTube science geek Tom Scott took a pair of DJI Phantom 3 drones to the University of Manchester’s High Voltage Laboratory, where they can manufacture lightning strikes over a million volts, just to see what would happen to a drone when it gets hit by lightning.

Your Wi-Fi router already brings you Netflix and cat pictures, but someday it might become even more important to your life. A group of researchers from the University of Washington were able to send energy from a Wi-Fi router to low power electronics from up to 28 feet away, without interfering with the router’s – and neighboring routers’ – ability to transmit data.

In this wide and populated world, every now and then I come across something that reminds me just how diverse people are. The Pylon Appreciation Society is one such thing. Founded by Flash Wilson Bristow in 2005, the group is for people who love electricity pylons.

These electrical plugs look like noses, just in case you want some great big nostrils on your wall. These Hanaga Tap Nose Outlets from design firm ekoD Works will make your home look pretty damn weird.

A couple of years ago we saw a pair of taser gloves made with everyday items. But both gloves had to be in contact with the target in order for them to deliver a shock. GreekGadgetGuru’s stun glove lets you ward off attackers with just one hand.

When you think of Disney, most typically think of animated movies and theme parks, but Disney also has a research arm that looks into all sorts of future technology. Researchers at Disney have created an interesting and very cheap power generator that uses pieces of paper.

One thing everybody does is walk. You could drive a car or ride the bus to work or to school, but you’d still have to walk to do various stuff throughout your day. Now a group of students called the ‘Agitation Squad’ from Rice University are taking that very basic action and coming up with ways to use that kinetic energy, starting with the PediPower.

A Dutch company called Energy Floors has invented a product that turns club patrons into portable generators. The company’s Sustainable Dance Floors are tiles that generate electricity when they’re stepped on. It really makes me wonder why they’re not more widely used, as the company released it in 2008.

The PowerPot and the BioLite stove seem like great ways to harness the heat from fire and turn it into electricity. But what if you already have a pot and a stove? A company called Point Source Power might have a solution for you.

Are you a problem-solving field agent who refuses to use a gun to defend yourself? Or are you an Equalist looking to cover your subpar chi blocking skills? Then you’re as real as my readers. Badum-tish!

Here’s one of the most clever uses of Bluetooth-enabled smartphones that I’ve ever seen. It’s called the MeterPlug, a Bluetooth device that plugs in between anything with a power cord and an AC outlet. Together with a mobile app, MeterPlug can tell you how much electricity a particular appliance is consuming.

General Motors has announced that it has teamed up with a company called ABB to come up with away to use the batteries inside of the Chevrolet Volt extended range electric vehicle after they’re no longer usable in the car.