LED and Solar Lights

May 28, 2009

Solar Car Kit Turns Sunlight into Zippy Fun

Filed under: Cars and Motors, Education, Environment, Gadgets, Inventor, Men, Science, Toys, Uncategorized, work — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 12:00 pm

Politicians, oil companies, and automobile manufacturers take note: many of us citizens are getting tired of having to rely on the combustion engine as the only means of getting around.

I must hasten to add that this statement obviously has nothing to do with living sources of transportation (horses, elephants, taun-tauns… oh, wait… that’s a Star Wars critter…).  I’m merely stating that alternate fuel sources are available, but still need considerable research before they can be employed to full effect.

Solar power has not yet been developed into a practical source of energy for everyday transportation, but research continues-primarily in the form of racing vehicles.  The limitation of the power input into battery cells from solar panels is the primary hurtle yet to be overcome.

But, there is hope: The Tamiya Solar Powered Car Assembly Kit.

The problem: You can’t climb inside it.

Maybe if I just pull my legs up to my chest and bend my head a little...Maybe if I just pull my legs up to my chest and bend my head a little…

Yeah… it’s really, really, really tiny.  3.3 x 2.2 x 1.4 cm to be exact.

Essentially, this is a solar powered car stripped down to its very basics.  The kit is assembled with screws and snap-together parts.  Three gear ratios are available-1.7:1, 2.2:1, and 3.4:1-making this quite a zippy little toy.

The solar panel (0.5V-12mAh) is attached to a ball pivot.  This allows the vehicle to collect sunlight (or strong artificial light) at various angles.

The only downside (aside from the fact that its just not gonna be able to get me to-and-from work due to it’s ant-like size) is that it can’t turn.  The Tamiya Solar Powered Car Assembly Kit is not a remote-controlled vehicle.

It is, however, an excellent educational tool concerning what could become the future of transportation energy.

This little item can be found at Amazon.com and ThinkGeek.com.

SOURCE: Wikipedia

May 27, 2009

Toyota May Be Developing a Solar Powered Prius for Production

Filed under: Business, Cars and Motors, Environment, Home, Innovation, Inventor, Men, News, Outdoors, Technology, Travel, Uncategorized, work — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 11:58 am

When Toyota introduced the Prius, it quickly became one of the most highly preferred hybrids available. However, as more and more companies developed their own hybrid vehicles, the popularity of the Prius began to slip. In an attempt the regain their dominance in the alternative energy realm, Toyota has secretly been developing a solar powered vehicle they hope will see mass production.

The news of this development originated from a Japanese Business paper called the Nikkei. According to their sources, the system will use solar panels mounted on the vehicles, as well as a solar array mounted on the owner’s home. Between the two charging systems, the vehicle should be able to take care of a daily commute without an issue.

The Prius is the most likely candidate for the addition of solar power, seeing as there are already a handful of companies that will engineer a solar array onto your Prius for extended range. There is also an aftermarket kit you can purchase that will charge the second-generation Prius enough to run a 20 mile commute.

As far as time in concerned, those same sources also let out that it will be years before any such plans are put into full swing if it does make it into production.

Motor Authority

May 13, 2009

Breastlight Lets You Check Your Breasts Easily At Home

Filed under: Boomers, Electronics, Gadgets, Health, Home, Inventor, Men, Technology, Uncategorized, Women, work — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 3:14 pm

Breast exams are something that women need to do regularly. But how do you know if you are doing it correctly? The Breastlight is a product that lets you exam your breasts easily and accurately from home.

Breastlight

Breastlight

To use the Breastlight, you must first be in a dark room for it to be effective. Next, you can apply a water-based lubricant in order for the Breastlight lens to slide across the skin easily.

Breastlight works by shining a bright red light through the breast tissue. The light goes through the breast tissue and shows dark areas where blood is present. While it is normal to see veins, if you notice a dark cluster, then you may want to get that checked further by a doctor.

From the product page: “Breastlight is designed to give the maximum light transmission through the breast tissue. Even so, only a small fraction of the light will pass through completely – and this is what you will see when you use the product. That’s why it’s important to use Breastlight in a very dark room.

We use red light to give the best contrast and enable you to see the maximum detail. The light is completely harmless and has no invisible rays. You can use Breastlight as often as you like with no side effects.

When the light hits a blood vessel in your breast it is absorbed by haemoglobin. This makes the veins in your breast appear as dark lines.

Malignant lumps have an increased blood supply to feed them so any dense areas may indicate an abnormality. Fluid filled cysts, however, will not absorb the light.”

The Breastlight has four symbols on its display, which are the brightness setting, battery charge, temperature indicator and days of last use indicator. It comes with rechargeable batteries and retails for about $114.

This may be a great tool for women that are at high risk for breast cancer. It can definitely be used as another aid in checking for lumps or abnormalities. It seems like it is easy to use and may be a useful tool if you aren’t sure exactly how to examine yourself.

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