Solaroad’s CubeTube adds solar panels to your cube, lowers the cost of you working there

It’s 2010, which means there’s a significant chance that your cubical work could be done from absolutely anywhere. For those still stuck under the burden of old-school management, here’s an idea that might just nab you that raise you’ve been longing for: the CubeTube. Engineered by Solaroad Technologies, this indoor photovoltaic electrical generator straps onto the edges and tops of conventional cubicles and collects light from every angle. Internal batteries are charged up, and power is instantly available for the decade-old Latitude and CRT monitor that’s still residing on your desk. It sounds like you’ll need to ping the company directly for pricing quotes and the like, but if you managers are seriously considering this for your office, maybe they should first calculate the cost and carbon savings from letting their subordinates telecommute. Just sayin’.

Solaroad’s CubeTube adds solar panels to your cube, lowers the cost of you working there originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on February 24, 2010 at 6:45 pm by Darren Murph · Permalink · Comments Closed
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ModisTech to commercialize cheap, flexible OLED lighting this year

It’s far from the only one working on flexible OLED lighting, but it looks like ModisTech could be among the first to actually bring something to market, as its now announced that it will begin commercialization of its 150 x 150mm flexible OLED panels this year (seemingly ahead of its original 2011 schedule). Those will apparently be used for various indirect lighting applications including desk lamps and car lighting, and promise to provide a more natural light than LEDs while maintaining some of the same power savings. Still no word on any actual products using the OLED panels, unfortunately, but they will supposedly be inexpensive for companies to adopt (and very cheap to manufacture).

ModisTech to commercialize cheap, flexible OLED lighting this year originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on February 20, 2010 at 3:51 am by Donald Melanson · Permalink · Comments Closed
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Lumiotec starts selling OLED lighting development kits, but not for a song

There’s probably nothing wrong with the existing incandescent setup that’s lighting your abode as we speak, but if you’ve been itching to do something — how do you say? — different, Lumiotec needs to have a word with you. The Japanese outfit is now selling OLED lighting development kits, which are perfect for DIYers looking for light-up tiles to create a nightclub in their basement. We’re pretty sure you could think of other things to do with the ¥84,000 ($934) kit, but isn’t a homegrown rave room good enough? Sheesh.

Lumiotec starts selling OLED lighting development kits, but not for a song originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on February 17, 2010 at 4:03 am by Darren Murph · Permalink · Comments Closed
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Nanofiber lighting promises to be better, safer than incandescent or CFL bulbs

Well, it looks like you can add another contender to the great light bulb debate — a group of researchers from RTI International now says that nanofiber lighter is is more efficient than incandescent light bulbs, and safer than compact fluorescents. The secret to that, it seems, is a combination of nanofiber-based reflectors and photoluminescent nanofibers (or PLN), which together are able to form a lighting device that pumps out more than 55 lumens of light output per electrical watt consumed. That’s five times more efficient than a regular incandescent light bulb, and since there’s no mercury, the researchers say it’s far safer than CFL bulbs. What’s more, it’s also apparently able to produce more natural light than CFLs, although there’s noticeably no mention of potential pricing — they do say that the first products using nanofiber lighting could be available in three to five years, though. Video after the break.

[Thanks, DeFlanko]

Continue reading Nanofiber lighting promises to be better, safer than incandescent or CFL bulbs

Nanofiber lighting promises to be better, safer than incandescent or CFL bulbs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nanofiber lighting promises to be better, safer than incandescent or CFL bulbs

Well, it looks like you can add another contender to the great light bulb debate — a group of researchers from RTI International now says that nanofiber lighter is is more efficient than incandescent light bulbs, and safer than compact fluorescents. The secret to that, it seems, is a combination of nanofiber-based reflectors and photoluminescent nanofibers (or PLN), which together are able to form a lighting device that pumps out more than 55 lumens of light output per electrical watt consumed. That’s five times more efficient than a regular incandescent light bulb, and since there’s no mercury, the researchers say it’s far safer than CFL bulbs. What’s more, it’s also apparently able to produce more natural light than CFLs, although there’s noticeably no mention of potential pricing — they do say that the first products using nanofiber lighting could be available in three to five years, though. Video after the break.

[Thanks, DeFlanko]

Continue reading Nanofiber lighting promises to be better, safer than incandescent or CFL bulbs

Nanofiber lighting promises to be better, safer than incandescent or CFL bulbs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on February 12, 2010 at 10:35 am by Donald Melanson · Permalink · Comments Closed
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Eco shocker: Turbine Light concept uses wind to light highways

Ingenious, eco-friendly concepts are all around us, there’s no denying that. This one caught our eye because it’s pretty innovative, seemingly well thought out, and good looking to boot. The Turbine Light concept (which is going to be a part of the upcoming Greener Gadgets conference in New York City at the end of this month) harnesses the power of the wind from cars rushing past to light up the ever-darkening roadways. The turbines use the wind collected to generate energy for the lighting, and while the concept lacks a lot of firm details so far, but we’re sure to find out more about it soon — we’ll be sure to check them out at the conference on February 25th. Hit the source link to see more concepts, along with other people and companies who will be there.

Eco shocker: Turbine Light concept uses wind to light highways originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Feb 2010 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Klipsch LightSpeaker makes whole home audio as simple as screwing in a light bulb (hands-on)

When we walked the sound-filled halls of Klipsch’s Indianapolis headquarters last month, the company insisted that it was always looking at possible expansions into new markets. Today at CES, it’s proving that those words aren’t being uttered carelessly. The all-new LightSpeaker is a unique and potentially game-changing device in the whole home audio market, as unlike similar contraptions, this one requires no external wiring or power. The device is designed to fit into normal 5- to 6-inch light recesses, which enables existing homeowners to easily retrofit these into their ceilings and walls. We were granted some hands-on time with the light, and put simply, you just screw it into a conventional fixture, dial up the desired zone on the bundled remote, and listen. A full-range driver sits just beneath the LED light, and it receives signals via a 2.4GHz base station that can be plugged into just about any source.

Klipsch plans to ship these soon in two main packages: a kit that includes a base station and two LightSpeakers for around $600 and a single LightSpeaker by its lonesome for around $250. The bundled controller allows users to control two zones and two sources, and you can also adjust lighting brightness and volume via the main station or the smaller remote. Each zone can easily support four LightSpeakers, and when we asked if these could withstand the elements, we were told that they’d do fine in a covered patio but probably not within an unshielded pool deck. In other words, some humidity shouldn’t be an issue, but you probably wouldn’t want ‘em to get rained on all night. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see a bundle in the future that includes a wireless subwoofer to really round out the audio, but don’t say you heard it from us. Peek the gallery for a closer look!

Continue reading Klipsch LightSpeaker makes whole home audio as simple as screwing in a light bulb (hands-on)

Klipsch LightSpeaker makes whole home audio as simple as screwing in a light bulb (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HexoLight brings light shows to your videogame concerts

If there’s one thing we’re missing when we’re jamming “Cool for Cats” on Rock Band, it’s a Squeeze-worthy display of lights. That’s all about to change, with the introduction of Rock Gear’s HexoLight LED-lighting system, a flashing display of lights to the beat of your tunes. If transforming your living room (or bedroom, or dorm room) into a place that even Jools Holland would be proud to step into is high on your list of priorities, the HexoLight — which boasts an audio sensor to sync up to the beat and is compatible with nearly any stereo source — is probably something you’re going to want to check out. HexoLight is available today for prices starting at $30. Full press release is after the break.

Continue reading HexoLight brings light shows to your videogame concerts

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HexoLight brings light shows to your videogame concerts originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on December 8, 2009 at 12:33 pm by Laura June · Permalink · Comments Closed
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DIY arduino Christmas lights spectacular turns bad taste into… art

We’ll freely admit to having a love / hate relationship with Christmas lights and decorations. The sheer gaudiness of it all often turns our “bah humbug” nature inside out, revealing the awe struck “inner child” we hear so much about from people like Martha Stewart and Oprah. Regardless, an artful DIYer’s taken the outdoor Christmas lighting game to the next level. Making use of an ioBridge IO-204 module, an Arduino Wave Kit, an Arduino Duemilanove board, solid state relays, and the Oracle Application Express for connectivity, he was able to get his internet controlled light and music show on the road. Check out the final results — which feature 3,300 mini lights, 3 spotlights, an LED Rope, 4 LEDs, and one magical reindeer — in the video after the break. Hit the source link for full instructions if you want to get in on the holiday action yourself.

Continue reading DIY arduino Christmas lights spectacular turns bad taste into… art

DIY arduino Christmas lights spectacular turns bad taste into… art originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on December 2, 2009 at 11:57 pm by Laura June · Permalink · Comments Closed
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DIY Robolamps are part lamp, part robot, all awesome

While we’re mostly concerned with covering the latest in gadgets and technology, there’s occasionally some humble creations that spend months building up enough stream to finally break into the public’s consciousness, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t take notice. One such piece of magic is the Robolamp series of, well, robot lamps that Robert Matysiak has been working on for the past two years, and looks to have recently gone all out with in the last few months. As you can see for yourself in the gallery below, those consist of everything from some fairly recognizable lamp-shaped devices to more elaborate “robots” that can apparently be repositioned and accessorized. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Matysiak is quite ready to part with them just yet, but he is looking for a place to exhibit the designs if there happens to be any adventuresome gallery owners out there.

[Via Pocket-lint]

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DIY Robolamps are part lamp, part robot, all awesome originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on November 17, 2009 at 9:42 pm by Donald Melanson · Permalink · Comments Closed
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