Everything is going “green” today, and that’s a good thing. TVs are increasingly using green tech, which is better for the environment and costs you less to run the set. However, I am getting a bit bored by companies that put out TVs and brag on the green features when those features are commonplace today.
Despite its disproportionate body-to-wingspan ratio, there’s something ever so graceful about a dragonfly in the air. Now, thanks to the guys at Japan’s Tamiya, you can can watch these amazing natural creations any time the sun is shining.
The pair of dragonflies use a solar-powered motor and a mechanical wire rig to make their wings beat.
As much as I love all the bells-and-whistles of my shiny new iPhone 3GS, I have to say that there’s still never enough battery life to get through the entire day of usage — on my terms.
While I’ve been waiting a really long time for the Alien Abduction Lamp to finally get mass-produced, I guess I’ll have to settle for this glowing green orb lamp from Japan for now.
These little spherical lamps sure look like some sort of retro spacecraft to me, especially the glowing green part, and the tripod legs.
Sanyo’s latest gadget is perfect for people who go on long trips as well as those who journey to places without readily available electricity. But even simple urban people can still benefit from having a portable solar charger.
Carnegie Mellon roboticist Dr. William Whittaker collaborated with Astrobiotic Technology to create a solar-powered unmanned rover that will revisit the Apollo landing site in 2011. The robotic explorer will be sent to look at the materials left behind by the astronauts to see how the lunar environment has affected them.
Ever find yourself out in the middle of nowhere with not a single drop of power left in your digital gadgets? Then you might just have to grab the new Freeloader Pro, a compact device designed to charge up your portable electronics with the power of the sun.
The pocket-sized solar charger has a built in 1600mAh battery pack that can juice up to full capacity in about 8 hours of full sun, or about 3 hours when connected to your computer’s USB port.
The Nintendo DS Lite boasts pretty decent battery life when fully charged… but why charge it at all? Slap a few solar panels on that bad boy and stop worrying where you left your charger. Not sure how to accomplish such a feat?
These dynamic modern lights from Japan create a cool glow in any space without need for connecting them to an external power source.
Kyouei Design’s Mobile Lights store solar energy during the day, and automatically turn on when its dark.
While this pyramid-shaped car might look pretty goofy, it’s actually an energy-efficient electric vehicle which laughs in the face of today’s gas guzzlers. And with gasoline costing upwards of $4 bucks a gallon these days, anything that runs on alternative energy seems like a welcome change.
Created by Sugar Grove, Illinois inventor Greg Zanis, the Dream Car 123 tools down the street at up to 40 mph.
If you don’t happen to have enough room for one of those 22-foot tall styrofoam robots to defend the homestead, that’s okay. Thanks to the wild and wonderful creations of robot insect builder TinyMinds, you can get your hands on some little robots which should do the trick just as well.
Whether its the flapping wings of the mosquito-like Gonzo, or the wobbling octopod legs of Cthulhu, each of these BugBots is truly unique.
Every lumpy, bumpy member of the BugBot family is handcrafted from a variety of found materials and electronic componentry, and runs entirely on solar energy.
While I do love the mechanical winged and legged critters, I have to say that my personal favorite are the googley eyed light-seeking bots (Ernie and Bert), who amble around on a single-minded mission to find the brightest light source around.
TinyMinds’ current menagerie of tiny robotic bugs range in price from about $60 to $80 a piece, and can be found over on their Etsy shop.
This huge LED screen displays mesmerizing patterns of light and video to passersby. But the really amazing thing about the enormous wall of light is that it’s completely self-sustaining. That is, the light panels themselves harness the energy of the sun during the day to power a colorful light show at night.
GreenPix – Zero Energy Media Wall uses thousands solar photovoltaic capture cells attached to a grid of glass panels, each of which conceals an array of computer-controlled LEDs.
The wall was constructed for visitors attending the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and located in the Xicui entertainment complex, near the site of the games.
The display opens to the public this month, and will feature live and recorded video performances works by artists from around the world.
When I came across the Life Clock a few days back, I thought that the idea of a clock that gradually ticked away the years of your life was a wee bit morbid. Here’s another timepiece that’ll have you thinking even more happy thoughts.
Artist Gianni Motti’s Big Crunch clock is gradually counting down the approximately five billion years we have left until the sun blows up.
Ahhhhh, the great outdoors. Just you and the sunshine, nature, fresh air, and… all your electronic gear? Well, it is truly possible to have it all with this solar powered digital survival kit. It comes with a 3800mAh rechargeable solar battery to keep your phone (or other preferred device) running and 12 different adapters (check for yours first in the photo before ordering!).
This portable gaming beast not only plays games from three classic Nintendo systems, it runs on the power of the sun. Out of the box, the player can handle NES/Famicom, Gameboy and Gameboy Color titles, as long as you can get the ROMs transfered to an SD card.
These wacky things out of Japan feature the likeness of Toad, the familiar mushroom character from the Super Mario games.
The fun part is that these mushrooms wiggle back and forth when powered by the sun (or a desk lamp.)
