A new take on the transparent solar cell screen cover could bring solar powered screens to the market sooner than anticipated. The new, lower tech method will involve alternating stripes of thin-film solar cells with transparent film and then adding a layer of tiny lenses. The layer of lenses will help to spread the image on the screen, causing the stripes to become invisible while also concentrating the sun's rays. The technology could extend the battery life of a mobile...

The DNA fog tagging system can mark an intruder without their knowledge, making it easier for police to identify them later. DNA marking has already been in use by law enforcement agencies, with the most common use being to mark persons of interest at riots. The new system will be a bit more general, and will be meant to help stop and identify an intruder. Called DNA Fog, the device will fill a room with smoke and DNA-loaded droplets when triggered by a break-in. More than just...

By building wind turbine towers from concrete instead of steel, the top height of a turbine column could be increased by 20 meters. To determine if concrete would be a viable replacement for steel, hydraulic equipment was used to test the load-bearing capabilities of three column-and-panel segments connected in different ways. All three versions were able to withstand 150,000 pounds of lateral load, with is 20 percent more than the maximum load of current turbine columns of the same...

It is possible to develop paints made from rice husks able to resist bullets, fire, bacteria or rust. The main material to make all four paints will be the nano silica found in the rice husk. The bulletproof paint vest will require less layers than conventional vests, so it will be lighter to wear, and will be able to stop a bullet shot from 2 meters away. The flame-resistant paint will protect a surface for 2 to 6 hours, the anti-bacteria paint will kill up to 99 percent of bacteria,...

The idea is to develop drones able to fly into tornadoes to gather. These drones will be created to replace storm chasers. Each one will meet certain standards, including the ability to take off from a typical road, to land and fly in gusts up to 28 mph and to be transported in a standard flat-bed trailer. The drones must also be able to carry at least one dropsonde into the storm, which is a cylinder containing sensors that can be released to quickly gather storm data.

The idea is to develop a way to turn ordinary paper into conductive graphite. This will open the door to a new generation of electronic components house in inexpensive, everyday objects. It is possible to change the cellulose of the paper into conductive graphite using an ordinary inkjet printer loaded with a cartridge of an iron nitrate catalyst. The designs will be printed on regular paper, which will then be heated to 1,472°F in an oxygen-free environment. This extreme heat will...

By building a power plant deep beneath the ocean, researchers hope to generate energy by harnessing the pressure of the ocean water. The plan would involve placing large tanks in the water at depths between 1300 and 2600 feet. Valves on the tanks would allow them to be opened, exposing the connected turbines to the pressure of the water as it rushes into the tanks. When full, the turbines could pump the water to the surface as saved as a sort of battery, a method known as 'pumped...

A new breed of artificial trees able to scrub carbon dioxide from the air could help to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. The air filtering device will feature strands of a resin-based material that will attract the CO2 and bind to it - capturing the carbon dioxide directly from the air and creating bicarbonate salt. It could take as many as 10 million 'artificial trees' to lower the atmospheric CO2 concentrations by 0.5ppm per year. While this application may be a bit in the...

Featuring a wide-mouth funnel design, a new wind turbine could lower the cost of wind power to a price that is competitive with natural gas. The new design will capture the wind with its wide-mouthed funnels, directing the wind though narrow passages that will naturally speed up its flow. The accelerated wind will then be sent to a ground-level turbine, which will make maintenance both easier and safer while also reducing noise and vibration. The new technology will generate...

The sleek and intuitive window socket concept will be a portable, solar powered socket designed to be easily attached to a window. Meant to be easy to use with no special training, the small, round window socket will feature a solar panel surrounded by a suction plate and a converter that will convert the energy to electricity. A battery on the device will store the power for later use, and it will provide up to 10 hours of continuous power when fully charged.