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This is Energizer Bunny - a miniature climbing robot looks set to take the long-life crown after it scaled the Grand Canyon in under seven hours. The blue plastic robot Evolta is just 17 centimetres tall and weighs 134 grams, but it managed to climb up cliff face powered by just two AA batteries.
The imp inched up the 530-metre rope with its hands and feet over four days. Though hampered by rain and heavy wind it made the top of the cliff on its sixth try.
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The dingiest home or office can now be transformed thanks to the launch of a revolutionary ’sky ceiling’ which recreates a sunny day indoors at any time of year. The eye-catching virtual skylights create the illusion you are beneath a sunny sky even when you’re in a room, corridor or hallway without a single window.
The ‘SkyCeilings’ use high-resolution photographs of the sky featuring wisps of cloud and overhanging trees which are suspended in the ceiling to create a 3-D effect. To fool the mind into believing it is actually the sky these are reproduced on transparent tiles and lit from behind by high-powered LED or fluorescent lights.
This is the same strength as in light boxes used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and the human mind treats it in the same way as daylight rather than artificial light. The system can even be programmed so that the 3-D images mimic the time of day, getting brighter from dawn to midday and darker as dusk approaches.
By programming in the longitude and latitude, the ceilings can not only track the rising and setting of the sun but emulate the passing of the seasons, being brighter in summer than in winter. The innovative ceilings are being launched in Britain where they are expected to be used in homes, offices and also hospitals (source).
Under current law, U.S. patent protection gives innovators the exclusive right to sell their new inventions for a set period, usually 17 years. After that, anyone can make and sell the same product. This short-term monopoly rewards inventors and gives them enough time to recoup their costs — while ensuring that the new product eventually reaches a broader market.
U.S. patents have fostered American innovation ever since George Washington signed the first one in 1790. By protecting the rights of inventors, the U.S. patent system has spurred the development of everything from the light bulb to life-saving medicine.
Ahaaa… this is a shocked news to all the investors. I myself still not sure about this matter and I think I have should read the whole article to understand it. If you want to read it too, then click here.
Energy saving light bulbs can trigger migraines, health experts and charities warned last night. They have been inundated with complaints about the fluorescent bulbs, which are due to become compulsory in homes within four years.
Campaigners are calling for the Government to allow an opt-out for people with health problems so they can continue to use old-style bulbs. The warning follows concerns that eco-bulbs can trigger dizziness, loss of focus and discomfort among people with epilepsy. There have also been complaints from people with lupus - an auto-immune disease causing many symptoms including pain.
Low energy lightbulbs are miniature versions of the fluorescent strip lights common in offices and kitchens. The latest generation are the size of conventional incandescent bulbs with a filament, but use just a quarter of the energy.
Although they are often five times the cost of old-fashioned bulbs, they use around a quarter of the energy and can pay for themselves within months. Critics, however, say the technology is still not up to scratch. Many complain the light is cold or green, and they take up to a minute to warm up properly, and because they are fluorescent, they flicker.
Man…I’m using it at my home. Should I throw it away?
