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TED 2009: Electric Cars, Ninjas and Tiny Robots That Cut You Open

Alex Castle — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:59:16 -0600

Image Credit: TED

The afternoon session at TED today wasn’t exactly a smorgasbord for those of us looking for high-tech tidbits, but there were some fascinating talks about emerging technologies that will make a major impact on the way we live our lives. So even though they're a little outside of our normal field, we’ll give you a quick rundown of some of the interesting developments.

One of the most exciting presentations of the afternoon was given by Shai Agassi, the one-time heir-apparent at SAP who gave it all up to found a company called Better Place. Better Place’s mission is to create a fossil-fuel-free transportation infrastructure, and after hearing his talk it’s hard not to believe that they can do it. His plan centers on a widespread grid of charging and battery-swapping stations that will allow electric cars a much greater operating range. Also interesting is his idea that when a person buys an electric car, they shouldn’t have to pay for the expensive battery, but rather “rent” it from his company. According to Agassi, the combined effect of this system will be electric cars that are cheaper and more efficient than their gas-guzzling brethren.

Also of note was a system unveiled by John La Grou which would see RFID tags built into appliances’ plugs and which would contain information about the maximum safe current draw of these appliances. This will allow a receiver installed in outlets to automatically shut off before a fire can begin, and to not supply power unless an appropriate plug is installed (if a kid shoves a fork in there, for instance). Earth shattering? No. But it could definitely help to make our lives a little bit safer.

Then there was a ninja. The Ask a Ninja ninja, specifically, who starred in a short, prerecorded skit which got a few chuckles from the show’s discerning audience.

After that bit of levity was a talk by Catherine Mohr, a surgical roboticist about (you guessed it!) surgical robots. Again, there was nothing particularly fascinating about the presentation, although she did unveil a new laprosopic robot which packs 3 manipulators and a stereoscopic camera into one tiny tube, making for even less invasive surgeries. The thing looks very sci-fi, and definitely gives off the impression that we’re making some pretty huge strides in medical technology right now.

That was it for new technologies that we saw at TED today, but there’ll be bunch of new talks tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Greenpeace Tests Tech Companies' Green Credentials

Andy Salisbury — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:36:50 -0600

Straight out of the “yeah, they’re still doing that” file, Greenpeace has released this year’s Guide to Greener Electronics. Since last year there have been plenty of notable changes for the better, but even more for the worse. Nintendo’s score continues to plummet, and Greenpleace’s traditional enemy, Apple, has fallen to 14th.

Nokia comes in at the top spot with some notably high marks in the chemicals department, and sports and overall score of about seven over ten. According to the report, “Nokia scores very well on toxic chemical issues, launching new models free of PVC since the end of 2005 and aiming to have all new models free of brominated flame retardants and antimony trioxide by the end of 2009. “

Near the bottom of the scorecard is everyone’s favorite software giant, Microsoft, scoring only about three out of the ten possible points. “Microsoft remains in 17th position with an improved score of 2.9 points, which it earns mainly on the toxic chemicals criteria,” states the Report. “The company has committed to removing PVC vinyl plastic and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from its hardware products by or before 2010, and phthalates by the end of 2010.”

While there have been some that have spoken of the absurdity of the report, thanks to Greenpeace’s use of manufacturer information instead of conducting their own research, there are some validity to the numbers (as far as we can tell). Feel free to check out the report and draw your own conclusions.

Image Credit: Greenpeace

HP Follows Dell's Green Mobile Revolution

Florence Ion — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:35:24 -0500

In an attempt to latch on to Dell’s green coattails, HP announced today it’s plans to release an series of notebooks featuring the brighter and more energy efficient Illumi-Lite LED display, making the company’s entire notebook line mercury-free by 2010.

HP also promises that its new line of EliteBooks will feature a tough encasing that meets military standard durability tests, built for the “corporate road warrior.” The laptop’s new, modernized look will also feature HP SpareKey and HP File Sanitizer, which will help keep the keyboard and hard drive shock and spill resistant.

Never in the company’s history has such a broad and innovative product lineup been announced. HP’s latest business strategy implements both style and mobility, but not without mentioning that the new notebooks are designed with the environment in mind, using energy-efficient features and select materials for easy recycling.