100 Year-Old Aerodynamics Problem Solved: Could Increase MPG Dramatically
MIT researchers discovered the solution to a problem put 100 years ago by Ludwig Prandtl. It refers to the situation when, for example, a car accelerates up and down a hill, then slows to follow a turn, and the airflow around it cannot keep up and separates from it. This aerodynamic phenomena creates an additional drag, slowing the car, and forcing you to push harder on the pedal, consuming more gas.
New Electric Field Device Reduces Car Fuel Consumption by 20%
Professor Rongija Tao, from Temple University, invented a device that, applied to the vehicle’s fuel line, near the injectors, creates an electric field that reduces the fuel’s viscosity, so that smaller droplets are injected into the engine, leading to better combustion and increased fuel efficiency as much as 20%.
Einstein`s No Electricity/No Freon Fridge Revived at Oxford
It seems like Einstein did his best not only in quantum physics, but also in classic, immediately-helpful science. Back in the 1930’s, helped by his friend Leo Szilard, he invented a refrigerator that used no electricity at all. Scientists from Oxford are struggling to revive his invention today.
William Yuan, a 12 year-old, Invented New Type of 3D Solar Cells
This is great news. William Yuan, a 12 year-old from Beaverton, Oregon, has made an innovation in the 3D solar cells production that could provide 500 times more light absorption than commercially-available solar cells and nine times more than cutting-edge 3D solar cells. It may sound weird, but, at his age, he studied nanotechnology.
New Graphene Layer to Double Ultracapacitors Storage Capability
Engineers and scientists from the University of Texas at Austin, led by Rod Ruoff, a mechanical engineering professor and physical chemist, have created a one-atom thick layer of carbon, called “graphene”, and they put it to use in electrical storage systems, such as ultracapacitors, a viable way to clean and efficient energy storage.
New Fuel Battery Has 3 Times More Energy Than Gasoline!
It’s not breaking news anymore, but some scientists from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and others, led by Stuart Licht, discovered a battery that could kick out fossil fuels at the chapter of energy storage capacity.
Gold Nanoantennas Could Harvest Solar Power at Night Time
While the most high performance classic solar cells only use up to 20% of the solar power falling onto them, researchers from DoE, the laboratory from Idaho, found out a way to capture much more energy from the Sun’s energy, from the invisible spectrum, even at night.
Nissan Develops Acceleration Pedal That Pushes Your Foot Back
According to Reuters, Nissan said on Monday that it has invented an accelerator pedal for their future cars that is somehow slapping your foot off it. It can push back on the driver’s foot when it detects too much pressure and bad fuel efficiency while accelerating.
