Crean una botella que se llena de agua sola by Juan Pablo Oyanedel
NBD Nano es una pequeña compañía que reúne a algunos investigadores en torno a las técnicas para la condensación del agua, quienes han mostrado una impresionante tecnología que permite, en palabras simples, crear una botella que sin intervención se llene sola con agua.
La ciencia detrás de aquello es la extracción del líquido a partir del aire, algo que no es nuevo pero ahora se habría perfeccionado gracias a la inspiradora idea que escarabajos del desierto dieron a la gente de NBD Nano, quienes vieron cómo uno de estos insectos era capaz de subir a una duna por la mañana, ponerse contra el viento y llenarse de agua.
El mismo concepto se aplica a la nueva nano-tecnología, la que llena una botella con agua utilizando la energía de un par de baterías, sirviendo también para su uso en invernaderos de plantas y obviamente, en países del tercer mundo donde es difícil conseguir el vital elemento. Por el momento, se aplicará a la novedosa botella, que podría ser utilizada en campañas militares y saldrá a la venta el año 2014.
Link: Inspired by a beetle that draws water from the air, scientist creates self-filling water bottle (The Next Web)
RaceBRAID bike by Jacob Haim by James Thomas
German Industrial designer Jacob Haim recently completed a new racing bike design as his final student project. His RaceBRAID bike was built in cooperation with Munich Composites GmbH , using the company’s innovative carbon braiding technology . The shaped braided top tube and down tube both feature visible red fiber textures… a signature feature of Braid bikes according to Jacob.
His goal with the project was to challenge the way high-end composite bicycles are constructed today, and he went with a lugged construction that allows for a range of frames sizes (50cm to 60cm) using the same parts. Jacob points out a few of his reasons for the construction- “no material waste, low error rate, customized to the individual needs.” He also feels that it creates “a connection between high class engineering and the spirit of design.”
He mentions that the frame could be manufactured by an automated process in Germany (similar to the way the BMC Impec is constructed I assume). The prototype frame weighs in at 900 grams making for a very light 5 kilogram complete build. Jacob does mention that weight of a production bike would vary though since the prototype is 80% hand crafted.
It is definitely an interesting student project. If you have any questions about it for Jacob, feel free to leave them in the comments.
My Little Posterous (ScIeNtIfIc DiSsEmInAtIoN) 