Perfectly Warmed Bath
by: Yanko Design, 2012-03-19 13:26:22 UTC

When you are in for a long soak, the cycle of water turning from comfortably warm to tepid to cold is frustrating. On rare occasions I indulge in draining out some cold and refilling with the warm water. But my eco-conscious mind chides me for it! Anyways, Warm On pebbles look to resolve this problem innovatively. The pebbles are sensor-fitted heat-radiating artificial stones that maintain the water temperature for a set duration. So from start to finish you can have the same water temperature without any guilt. Awesome!

Designers: Sunmi Hwang, Hyunjoo-Lee & Jiwon-Seok

-
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
(Perfectly Warmed Bath was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Related posts:

1. Digital and Analog, Perfectly in Sync for the Clock Which has Captured My Heart
2. Plinth Bath
3. You Fall Down in the Bath So Much

Highest Efficiency Claimed for Quantum Dot-type PV Battery
by: Tech-On! : tech news - straight from Asia., 2012-03-15 04:52:00 UTC
A research group at the University of Tokyo and Sharp Corp developed a quantum dot-type photovoltaic (PV) battery with a high efficiency.

Volkswagen’s Think Blue Beetle is Made From 2,805 Pieces of Recycled Trash!
by: Inhabitat , 2012-03-19 19:20:01 UTC

Read the rest of Volkswagen’s Think Blue Beetle is Made From 2,805 Pieces of Recycled Trash!

---

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Art, beetle, green materials, green transportation, Haribaabu Natesaan, Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai, recycled art, recycled art materials, Recycled Materials, salvaged materials, scrap, Think Blue, Think Blue Campaign, Think Blue Clean Up, volkswagen, Volkswagen Beetle

Fujitsu Launches ‘World’s Most Energy-Efficient’ Single-Node Server
by: Environmental Leader, 2012-03-19 07:10:09 UTC
Fujitsu has launched Primergy RX300 S7, a product that the company calls the world’s most energy-efficient single-node server. The server has a 51 percent energy-efficiency advantage over its nearest benchmarked competitor, Hewlett-Packard’s ProLiant DL360 G7, according to Fujistsu. This, the company says, means that customers can now run two-thirds more workloads on their current power budget [...]

The good, the bad and the ugly: Flexible E-paper displays
by: Ecofriend, 2012-03-19 09:40:42 UTC
Sonia Renthlei:

As we progress, our lifestyle changes with us. Concepts that weren’t thought of or were figments of a person’s imagination are now realities. Reading has taken on a whole new meaning with most of it done online or using e-papers. Electronic papers provide for more comfortable reading than conventional displays owing to stable images. Unlike other displays that need to be refreshed, e-papers continue to provide users with the same image on a much wider angle. They can also be read under direct sunlight with no problems.

There’s a race among manufacturers to provide e-papers with full color abilities. With advancements in technology, electrophoretic displays rule the roost of the e-paper category for their low energy consumption and paper like quality. But, due to their high tech functions, they can be pretty expensive, leaving only the rich capable of buying them. Some of the more known electrophoretic displays include the likes of Barnes & Noble Nook, Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Sony Librie and iLiad. With these cool gadgets, users will feel like they’re reading a conventional book instead of an electronic version.

The good

As if e-papers weren’t advanced enough, now the world is experimenting with flexible electrophoretic displays that not only look like paper but are flexible as well. The technology is still in the testing stage and it may be a while before it is mass produced. But just the fact that companies like Sony have managed to develop such a device shows that we’re moving to a future where conventional paper may become history.

E-paper is an eco friendly alternative to conventional paper. Since the latter is produced from trees which aren’t an abundant resource anymore, it bodes well for the few forests that are left standing. Moreover, reading text on standard tablets and laptops causes strain to the eyes which is why users aren’t able to stare for long hours at conventional displays.

a) Electronics giant, Sony, recently demonstrated its flexible e-paper that uses a plastic substrate instead of a glass panel. While some other companies have their own offerings, Sony’s initiative provides more in the way of color and flexibility. The new e-paper measures 13.3 inches and has a thickness of just 150μm. It weighs around 20 grams and features a contrast ratio of more than 100,000:1.

The e-paper makes use of RGB pixels and white subpixels with a count of 800×1200. The resolution is 75ppi and Sony managed to reach such figures by precisely attaching the substrate to the electronic ink front plate. The TFT substrate was attached using a glass substrate.

b) The e-ink display is powered by light, both indoor and outdoor, and has a life of about 18 months. This means that you don’t need very powerful light sources in order to be able to read comfortably.

c) The display is a self contained unit that integrates a power generator and the program needed to operate the display. A solar panel attached to it not only draws power from the sun but artificial light as well. This is good news for people who reside in areas that don’t see a lot of sunlight.

The bad

While e-paper doesn’t need trees for its development, this doesn’t mean that it has no environmental impact. According to a study, e-paper was found to have the same impact on the environment like conventional laptops and PCs if used for 30 minutes.

The technology is also expensive compared to a netbook or an iPod Touch. Potential buyers eager to use e-papers will need to wait for the cost of newspapers and magazines to drop drastically before they can be made affordable for all.

E-papers don’t work unless there is a light source unlike conventional LCDs. They also have a slow response rate compared to tablets and laptops.

Electronic papers are fragile and if they were to get damaged due to mishaps or clumsy handling, the replacement cost would be quite high.

The ugly

LCDs display rich color and have no problems projecting moving images. E-paper, on the other hand, cannot hope to compete yet. In order for them to fully replace LCDs, there will need to be a compromise between lower power consumption and the requirements for full motion recordings. However, the energy consumption of e-papers is lower than that of netbooks and tablets as they reflect light instead of using backlights to illuminate pixels.

For now, the world will have to contend itself with LCDs and conventional paper. But who knows? Maybe the future will just be able to offer us a power efficient platform to enjoy rich moving images that aren’t as fragile as what we have now.

The LifeGun to extract, filter and bottle water at a low cost
by: The Design blog, 2012-03-19 10:31:23 UTC
Jaspreet Kaur Walia:

Guns have always been associated with destruction, but giving it an all new meaning is Kristin McGeorge. The designer has come up with a water filtration system that will be just perfect for developing countries facing shortage of clean water. Christened the LifeGun, it will not only serve clean water but will also help improve the life of millions of individuals all across the globe. The design is simple and will be a perfect for low income societies that cannot bare heavy expenses demanded by water purification and filtration systems.

Clean water is one reason that prevents the spread of diseases, in other words water-borne diseases. The easy to use design’s internal filtration system comprises of a layer of ceramic shell, which is the reason behind sub micron water filtration. The ceramic layer makes sure that the count of cysts, bacteria, fine particulate material as well as turbidity comes down. Contaminants that get build up can be cleaned with the help of regular cleaning to prevent any kind of unhygienic conditions. Further, Volatile organic compounds are removed with the help of a carbon core that not only improves the taste but even the odor and color of water. After all this, the water is also treated externally that makes good use of natural sunlight. This makes sure that water contaminated by cholera causing bacteria gets treated with the help of SODIS treatments, bleach treatments and Aquatabs along with sunlight.

The LifeGun will let a user extract, filter and bottle water directly from the source. The design features a piston styled pump that is operated manually. This pump lets the user draw water easily through a filter column. A PET bottle is fixed at the end of housing where the filtered water is channeled through a valve. PET bottles are found just everywhere and the designer has used it sensibly while coming up with the water filtration system. The LifeGun has a built-in universal fitment for these bottles, which can be used to collected clean water making sure that no additional container is required to store water. If you want to collect or pump water in a bucket rather than a bottle, then mount a threaded adapter to the valve instead of a bottle. The system comes sans any complications and with its simple approach can even be used by kids and elderly.

The LifeGun is pretty useful and not only can it be used by people of developing nations, but also those who like going for camping and hiking where fetching clean water can prove to be a real task. It will definitely improve the quality of life and make sure water borne diseases are avoided at any cost.

Via: Kristinmcgeorge

MUJI Shows How to Reduce Product Design to Its Essentials
by: TreeHugger Design, 2012-03-19 11:16:00 UTC
Why can't toilet paper be narrower and credit cards smaller: Muji says it's just good design to do that.

Portable Kitchen Can Store In A Drawer
by: TreeHugger Design, 2012-03-19 13:29:00 UTC
Clever idea uses "memory alloys" to take up less space.

Salone Milan 2012 Preview: Denis Guidone's "Disfatto" for D3CO
by: Core77, 2012-03-16 10:00:00 UTC

Italian architect and designer Denis Guidone recently sent us images of his latest furniture project, "Disfatto" for the brand D3CO, which will debut in his hometown of Milan next month, during the upcoming Salone.

Disfatto contains a primordial idea of comfort, has a changeable shape that naturally adapts to our needs; changes its colors over the time and seasons. What characterizes it, is an essential structure on which rests a shape with soft lines, warm and friendly, which unhinge the principles of ergonomics and creates the perfect imperfections.

(more...)

disaster relief toilet by rahim bhimani
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2012-03-17 13:57:00 UTC

the product consists of a flat pack toilet, cart and tent system that can easily be shipped to individuals hit by natural disaster.

read more