Tag Archives: environment friendly

Biodegradable, Single-Use Circuit Boards Printed on Paper

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Because most computing technology is notoriously earth-unfriendly with its inability to be reused or recycled, researchers at the State University of New York at Binghamton have developed circuit boards printed on paper that can be safely disposed of after a single use, either by burning or naturally biodegrading. Me? I love burning things. Just not my hand on the stove like I did this morning making oatmeal.

The paper is first printed with wax to create channels, then heated, so the wax melts, permeating the paper. Next, conductive metal is screen-printed onto the board, followed by the application of conductive and semi-conductive inks and an electrolyte gel to create the board’s resistors, capacitors, transistors, and wiring. The final result? A functional paper circuit board that could be eaten in the event you’re captured by the enemy.

Do you think this is the technology they use in Mission Impossible for those self-destructing messages? I sure hope so because otherwise, those agents were inhaling a lot of harmful chemicals if they didn’t vacate the area within five seconds. Like their missions weren’t already risky enough!

[via YankoDesign]

Open Source Plastic Recycling Machines: Precious Plastic

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You might remember Dave Hakkens as the man who popularized the idea of modular smartphones with his Phonebloks concept. He’s back with another environment-friendly movement, and this time he has a more concrete solution. Together with his friends, Dave setup Precious Plastic, which are DIY plastic recycling machines.

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The most crucial Precious Plastic machine is the shredder, which as its name implies breaks down plastic objects into smaller pieces. The other three machines let you turn the shredded plastic into new items. There’s an extruder, which creates lines of plastic, an injection molder, which lets you create small objects using molds, and a compression molding machine for making larger or more complex objects.

Head to Precious Plastic’s website to download the blueprints for the machines and check out the video guides. The download package also includes templates for posters and stickers.

[via Contemporist]

Showerloop DIY Shower Water Recycling System: Rinse & Repeat

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Showerheads such as the Nebia save water by dispersing it over a wide area. The Showerloop on the other hand captures used water, cleans it and feeds it back to the showerhead. Inventors Jason Selvaran and Eduard Kobak says it can save you up to 33,000L of water and up to 1Mwh of electricity per person per year.

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Showerloop pumps used shower water through a filtration system consisting of a screen filter, a microfiber filter, compressed sand, activated carbon and a UV lamp. Jason claims that the filtered water is so clean that it’s safe enough to drink. The filters should last between 1 to 2 years before they need to be replaced.

If you’re ready to get your hands dirty, check out Showerloop’s guide on Instructables to find out how you can set it up in your home. Jason and his colleagues plan to sell a DIY kit starting this February or March.

[via Make:]

WinkPen Uses Wine, Beer and Other Liquids: Creative Juices

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While conceptualizing a sustainable printer, designer Jessica Chan found out that inks used in traditional cartridges are not 100% biodegradable. In pursuing her idea she ended up making a pen that could be refilled with practically any fluid that could stain: wine, beer, juice, etc. Thus the WinkPen was born.

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The WinkPen has a double-headed glass nib so you won’t have to worry about rust. One head is for calligraphy while the other one is for fine lines. To get ink, just dip the nib into your ink of choice and twist the WinkPen’s body to suck up the liquid. The pen’s parts are held together by O-rings and can easily be dismantled for cleaning.

Edit: I had a brief chat with Jessica, and she says one of her favorite raw inks is beet juice, but she’s also tried soy sauce, tea and of course coffee. She also confirmed that WinkPen works just as well with traditional ink.

Jessica has already reached her target goal on Kickstarter but as of this writing you can still pledge at least $54 (USD) to receive a WinkPen as a reward.

Computer Component Bugs: Wasteamorphosis

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The words “computer” and “bug” often mean bad news when mentioned in the same sentence, but it’s not the case here. Artist Julie Alice Chappell’s Computer Component Bugs are sculptures of insect-like creatures that she makes out of discarded components and parts from obsolete gadgets.

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Julie hopes that her one-of-a-kind artworks will remind us that we are facing a growing electronic waste problem. While electronics manufacturers shoulder a large part of the blame,  we can all do our part by taking care of our existing gadgets, making sure we use them as long as possible or reusing them in creative ways like Julie does.

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You can buy Julie’s sculptures on her Etsy shop. Prices depend on the item but the ones that are featured here go for between about $120 to $260(USD).

[via Boing Boing]

3D Printed 6-story Building: Ink Different

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Just 3 years ago the thought of using 3D printing to create buildings – even a tiny one – seemed like a pipe dream. But last year we saw a miniature castle that was entirely 3D printed. Now we have this, a mostly 3D printed 6-story building.

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Chinese company WinSun Decoration Design Engineering Co. made the building using a 20ft tall, 33 ft wide and 132 ft long 3D printer and its proprietary printing material. This “special ink”  is made from recycled construction materials such as sand and concrete, plus glass fiber and WinSun’s secret ingredient.

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Like the mini castle, the building was printed in several pieces and then assembled on site. The parts were hollow so that they could be reinforced with rebar and concrete. As shown in the top picture WinSun also covered the building with a marble and brick facade.

Aside from the building, WinSun has also successfully 3D printed a villa and small houses. The company claims that its process uses up to 60% less materials, 80% less labor and 70% less time than traditional construction methods. I hope those claims are 100% true. Head to 3D Print or WinSun’s website for more on these 3D printed structures.

[via 3D Print]

Janicki OmniProcessor Turns Sewage into Drinking Water: Poop2H2O

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NASA and Bear Grylls have proven that it’s possible to drink pee. If Janicki Industries has its way, someday we’ll be drinking water from poop and other waste materials too. Its OmniProcessor impressed no less than Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, who even drank some of the poop-sourced water.

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According to Gates, sewage treatment facilities usually burn or bury waste. But Janicki’s OmniProcessor can turn sewer sludge into clean drinking water. Not only that, it uses the same sludge to power a generator, creating electricity to run itself with excess kilowatts to spare. It also converts some of the sewage into ash that can be sold as fertilizer.

Gates said the next version of the OmniProcessor “will handle waste from 100,000 people, producing up to 86,000 liters of potable water a day and a net 250 kw of electricity.” Check out his blog for more on this miracle machine.

[via Reddit]

Cloud & Heat Servers Double as Radiators: Steam Machine

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We often joke that our laptops, consoles and other devices get warm enough to cook on. A German company called Cloud & Heat took that idea seriously and is deploying it on a large scale. The company offers cloud computing and cloud storage services, but instead of having large data centers its servers are installed all over Germany and used as radiators and water heaters.

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As you’ll see in Cloud & Heat’s commercial below, this setup has a multitude of benefits. First, it makes good use of the heat that the servers generate. According to the company 90% of the electricity that servers use is transformed into heat, which would otherwise be wasted in conventional data centers. Second, it (supposedly) results in lower prices for their cloud service clients, because the company saves on air conditioning and infrastructure. Finally, the reduced use of energy – from people using less heaters and the company using less air conditioners – is good for the environment.

Here’s another promo video for Cloud & Heat. It’s in German, but it shows the actual servers being used to heat water and air in buildings. According to Cloud & Heat, it will install air vents to let excess heat out so that the servers won’t be a nuisance during summer. Cloud service clients on the other hand won’t have to worry about their data being stolen or destroyed because the servers are encased in fireproof and sturdy cabinets.

Cloud & Heat’s cloud services vary in price, while German residents can procure server cabinets as heaters for a one time payment of €12,000 (~$15,000 USD). That’s good for at least 15 years, and the company will bear all maintenance, repair, electric and Internet costs associated with the servers. Float on to Cloud & Heat’s website for more info.

[via Slash Gear]

Droplet Sprinkler Targets Plants to Save Water: Sniper Medic

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Traditional sprinklers simply spread water over an area, which leads to lots of water wasted and uneven watering. Droplet wants to change all that with its eponymous robot. Instead of blindly spraying water around like Bill & Lance with a Spread gun, Droplet knows where your plants are and aims at them like Mr. Mundy in Doublecross.

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When you get a Droplet, you’ll go to a web app to specify the type and location of your plants. I don’t know how exactly the web app works, just that you can go through it on a computer or a mobile device and in just a few minutes. In addition to that data, Droplet will also supposedly tap into the United States’ weather station and soil sample data to gauge when and how much water to spray. One Droplet should be able to tend to a 2700sq.ft. area.

Grow a browser and head to Amazon, where you can pre-order Droplet for $300 (USD). That’s a lot of money for a sprinkler, but when you consider its resulting water savings and positive impact on the environment I think it’s worth it.

[via Digital Trends]

EnerGenie ePP2 E-paper Printer Never Runs out of E-ink

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Many programs provide an option to save or “print” documents as PDF files, but transferring or accessing the PDF on the go will require a couple of extra steps. You may have to sync your tablet with your computer or cloud service, mail the document or copy it on a flash drive. EnerGenie has a simpler solution: just print on E-ink.

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The EnerGenie ePP2 is a specialized ebook reader. When you connect it to a computer via USB, it will be recognized as a printer. Print as you would normally, but select the ePP2 as your printer to send your document to the device. You can then view your file on the ePP2′s 9.7″ 1600 x 1200 E-ink display. Use its stylus if you need to fill out forms, append your signature or make notes. It also has a complementary program that lets you send a document from the ePP2 back to a computer as a PDF file.

According to Liliputing, the ePP2 will be sold for around €399 to €499 (~$540 to $670 USD). Ultimately I wouldn’t recommend it at this point. It’s way too expensive , it has limited features – it doesn’t even have network connectivity – and as I said, you can go paperless with practically any tablet and a couple of extra steps. But I think the idea behind it is quite promising. Hopefully its future versions will be significantly cheaper or more versatile.

[EnerGenie via Liliputing via InventorSpot]