power

Gamercize has been peddling and pedaling exercise machines for some time now, mostly making fitness gear designed to work with game consoles as well as the occasional digital cycle for kids. But this week it's releasing a product aimed squarely at the cubicle set.

The U.K. company has come up with a "GZ PC-Sport and Power Stepper" combination that can fit under the desk so worker bees can continue their duties uninterrupted while burning off calories without leaving their seats. And here's the kicker: It can be hooked up to the computer by USB so … Read more

Fujitsu Siemens may not be a brand typically associated with LCD monitors, and its latest project is equally unusual. The companies have developed a prototype 22-inch LCD monitor that incorporates solar panels working with a capacitor and special relay to cut power usage when on standby.

In fact, according to Personal Computer World, it can operate in zero consumption mode for five days on standby and, when active, sips just 0.6-0.9W of electricity. That certainly wouldn't do much pocketbook damage when the utility bills arrive. Word is the company's also looking to use its green tech … Read more

Finavera's AquaBuoy prototype is asleep in the deep.

The company placed a 72-foot-long buoy in the waters off of Oregon in September as part of an ongoing effort to assess the commercial potential for wave power. The buoy, however, sunk in 115 feet of water on October 27, according to a report on RenewableEnergyAccess.com.

"It seems to have something to do with the float section of the device," Myke Clark, a Finavera employee, told the Web site. After water started coming in, the bilge pump couldn't get rid of the water fast enough.

T'is … Read more

The Sony PlayStation 2 has morphed tremendously over the years, from a fat black box to a streamlined sexy thing in contrasting hues. The only problem with the last installment is a cumbersome external power brick. But that's going out the window, at least in Japan, with a new 9000-series that includes an integrated AC power supply. Three colors (Charcoal Black, White Ceramic and Silver Satin) are available and each will be retailing for about $142 on the Japanese market, according to Gizmodo. There were no launch details for the rest of Asia at press time.

(Source: Crave Asia) … Read more

Marvell has released chips for PC and notebook power bricks that can will substantially cut down the amount of electricity required to run these machines.

The chips, a type of power factor correction (PFC) controller based around a digital signal processor, effectively determine the amount of power an application will need and optimize accordingly. The chips also try to keep peak current at the lowest level.

The chips, which will be included in power supplies, are made to comply with new Energy Star requirements that require that 80 percent or more of the power pumped into PCs actually gets used … Read more

A Cambridge, Mass. home is expected to get the highest rating from the Green Building Council at what appears to be market prices.

The two-unit building, which I took pictures of while it was being built, has got many of the green features you could think of: bamboo flooring, air-tight insulation, and a combined solar electric and hot water roof.

The developer and designers of the house--Sustainable Living and PowerHouse Enterprises--said on Friday that they expect the house to get Platinum certification, joining only about a dozen other residences with that rating.

And the price for this two-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouse … Read more

In a piece headlined "Rube Goldberg meets Aquaman" a few weeks ago, we wrote of something called PowerSwim--a contraption developed by DARPA that would allow Navy SEALs and others to swim 150 percent faster and with less effort than they would with regular fins. In describing it, we had to rely on an illustration done by Popular Mechanics. Apparently PM never saw the thing either, because it looks nothing like that picture. Here, thanks to the understanding and generous folks at DARPA, is the real deal: The photo's a little muddy but, after all, it's under … Read more

I can't stand power bricks. Today, I was trying to organize wires in my home and did my best to trace wires from the outlet to the device. More often than not, I would come to a power brick that should have told me which device it belongs to. Instead, it said something like "Asian Power Devices" followed by a slew of alphanumeric symbols that mean nothing.

Am I the only person who can't stand power bricks? Why can't each and every one of them have some reference to the device they belong to?

Consider … Read more

GreenVolts, which is commercializing technology from the national labs to better concentrate sunlight, has received $10 million in funding.

The company, based out of San Francisco, has a concentrating system for photovoltaic panels that effectively lets its put the power of 625 suns onto a solar panel. The high concentration levels thus allow it to shrink the real estate required for a single power plant. As a result, the power plants can be built closer to the consumers--i.e. people living in the city or suburbs--which in turn cuts down the cost of transmission lines.

Several other companies are working … Read more