Waste-to-energy power stations are usually ugly eyesores, but a new power plant planned for Copenhagen is different: it is designed to blow smoke rings and double as a ski slope. The facility has been announced as the winner of a competition to design a new waste-to-energy plant for Copenhagen, with expected completion in 2016. Designed by architects to replace an adjacent 40-year-old plant, the roof of the new construction will feature 1,500 metres of green, blue and black-diamond ski runs. Lifts will run alongside the stack to transport skiers to the top of the building, with the journey up affording passengers a view inside the plant. Described as "a gentle reminder of the residues of waste burning" the chimney will gently blow clouds in the shape of smoke rings. It is claimed each ring, approximately 30 metres in diameter and 3 metres in height, will constitute exactly one ton of fossil carbon dioxide. At night the smoke rings will be lit up by heat-tracking lasers able to project a pie-chart onto the smoke that displays a quota of fossil-fuel CO2.

Can’t find a parking spot? Try looking in Tokyo. Space is at such a premium that they’ve created a floating parking lot. The creation, called Umihotaru(translation: marine firefly) is actually a tourist attraction. Umihotaru also connects to the world’s longest underwater tunnel which connects Kawasaki and Kisarazu.This strange-looking beast in Tokyo is an artificial island and tourist attraction. Cars can either drive over the 4.4km bridge to the island and park in order to admire the view or drive straight through to the tunnel entrance where they will be taken under the water for 9.5km until they reach Kawasaki. The tunnel is apparently the longest underwater road tunnel in the world.The unique thing about this bridge-and-tunnel combination is that a large rest area lies on top of an artificial tunnel constructed at the entrance of this tunnel.

Despite shifting into higher gear within the consumer's green conscience, hybrid vehicles are still tethered to the gas pump via a fuel-thirsty 100-year-old invention: the internal combustion engine. However, researchers at Michigan State University have built a prototype gasoline engine that requires no transmission, crankshaft, pistons, valves, fuel compression, cooling systems or fluids. Their so-called Wave Disk Generator could greatly improve the efficiency of gas-electric hybrid automobiles and potentially decrease auto emissions up to 90 percent when compared with conventional combustion engines.

The engine has a rotor that's equipped with wave-like channels that trap and mix oxygen and fuel as the rotor spins. These central inlets are blocked off, building pressure within the chamber, causing a shock wave that ignites the compressed air and fuel to transmit energy. The Wave Disk Generator uses 60 percent of its fuel for propulsion; standard car engines use just 15 percent. As a result, the generator is 3.5 times more fuel efficient than typical combustion engines. Researchers estimate the new model could shave almost 1,000 pounds off a car's weight currently taken up by conventional engine systems.

The prototype was presented to the energy division of the Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is backing the Michigan State University Engine Research Laboratory with $2.5 million in funding. Michigan State's team of engineers hopes to have a car-sized 25-kilowatt version of the prototype ready by the end of the year.

The signal sounded like crickets chirping, but the encoded message transmitted from the camp atop the frozen Arctic Ocean was music to the ears of the USS New Hampshire submarine crew. Using a digital "Deep Siren" tactical messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, Raytheon is the latest low-frequency system trying to tackle the persistent challenge of communicating with submarines while they are traveling deep under the sea to avoid detection. Past systems have proven too complicated, and too expensive. The new system could revolutionize how military commanders stay in touch with submarines all over the world, allowing them to alert a submarine about an enemy ship on the surface or a new mission, without it needing to surface to periscope level, or 60 feet, where it could be detected by potential enemies. At present, submarines use an underwater phone to communicate with associates on top of the ice or with other submarines, but those devices are little more than tin cans on a string and work only at shorter distances. Submarines can also trail an antenna once they surface to periscope depth, or around 60 feet, but that makes them easier to detect. Improving the ability to communicate with submarines at any depth and longer distances is a huge step forward. Raytheon also offers a variant with buoys that can be quietly deployed by a submarine in its waste discharge, waiting to surface until the submarine is far away, and then relaying messages via satellite link.

Bird flight has fascinated mankind for centuries. German-based Festo now says it has deciphered it by building a robot seagull that flies like the real thing. Smart Bird is inspired by the herring gull and can take off by flapping its wings, and flying and landing autonomously. It moves by flapping and twisting its wings like a gull, and turns its head to steer--see the video below. Built of carbon fiber and polyurethane foam, Smart Bird weighs about 1 pound and has a wingspan of some 6.5 feet. Though its inner structure recalls the flying machines of Leonardo da Vinci, it also houses a microcontroller, four servo drives, and a lithium polymer battery. The wings are driven with an exterior rotor motor through a two-stage helical transmission, and the wing positions are monitored with sensors that relay data to ground operators via a radio link. Smart Bird, is all about adapting a natural principle to technology, as well as energy efficiency and conservation of resources. The German's are at it again!

For those who are addicted to their smartphones and iPods, but want to keep their carbon footprint on the smaller side, this pocket-sized device can definitely help. The device runs on solar energy that can be stored in its internal rechargeable battery. It retains enough energy to charge a phone or iPod twice when the device is fully charged. All you need is some sunshine and you have an extra power source when you’re on the go. The three pieces fan out to catch sun rays when you are harvesting power. The charger comes with several adaptor tips to ensure that you can charge almost any small device with your harvested solar power. It is also a carbon-neutral product made from recycled and recyclable materials. We think this would be a useful device to throw in your bag for everyday use, but it could also be helpful for outdoor activities like long hikes or camping trips.

You know it’s going to be a rough morning when the first significant thing that happens to you is a sore, burnt tongue from that piping hot cup of coffee you so desperately wanted. The rest of the cup becomes tasteless and eating and drinking is ruined for the rest of the day. Coffee Joulies promises to help you achieve the perfect hot-beverage temperature so you can avoid disaster and actually enjoy that coffee. It has a special non-toxic material that is enclosed in polished stainless steel coffee beans and helps to both cool down your coffee to the perfect temperature as well as keep it warm once it hits the sweet spot. The beauty of these magic beans lies in the “Phase Change Material” inside the shell, which absorbs heat to cool your coffee to just the right temperature range, and then starts releasing that heat back out to keep your coffee warm. In a properly-insulated travel mug, the beans can keep your coffee at just the right temperature for up to five hours. The creators suggest experimenting with number of beans and different coffee-holders to create your personalized perfect cup of Joe. While most of us wake up with coffee in the morning, the Joulies also work with tea, hot chocolate, or any other hot beverage. These stainless steel magic beans will cool your hot coffee to just the right temperature, and then help it stay that way.
 

Thanks to the Kepler telescope, scientists now estimate that there are 50 billion planets and 500 million life-capable planets in the Milky Way galaxy. This disclosure was made by the researchers at the annual meeting of the American Association, for the Advancement of Science. More interesting, 500 million of them may be in zones where life could exist. These numbers come, of course, from NASA’s Kepler telescope, which was launched specifically for scientists to search for other planets.The estimates come from counting how many planets have passed through Kepler’s view so far and extrapolating that number to the full size of the galaxy. So far, Kepler has found 1,235 objects that appear to be planets out of which 68 planets were found to be similar to the size of the Earth. These 68 planets are assumed to revolve around more than 156,000 stars. However, the main focus would be on those planets which are capable of harboring life. These planets are assumed to be most probably situated in a zone called 'Goldilocks' zone–a region that is neither too hot nor too cold. The Kepler space telescope which was launched in 2009 is magnificently modified to identify the Earth-sized planets, revolving around distant stars. A total of 590- million-dollars will be spent in this telescope program, which will take around three and a half years to complete the explorations.
 

Just 46 miles from Washington DC, a mysterious and secretive underground military base exists, located deep inside a mountain near the rural town of Bluemont, Virginia, said to be equipped with all amenities of life. In the event of nuclear war, declaration of martial law, or other national emergency, the President, his cabinet and the rest of the Executive Branch would be “relocated” to Mount Weather. This is a place where none of us would want to go. If you have seen in the movies where they show that the world is coming to an end and all the top officials go to this place where they could find safety then the Mount Weather Emergency Opeartion Center would be the same same place as those. This is the only place which might save humans if the world comes to an end through natural disaster. It was initially set up in the 1950′s due to the cold war but still continues to operate today.

Nissan announced Health & Well-Being concept, a program meant to provide drivers and passengers alike the perfect in-car environment. The main goal of the project is to help reduce stress and fatigue for the car's occupants by providing them with a comfortable posture, a comfortable thermal environment and good cabin air quality. The first focus will be on the driver’s seat and passenger seat which has a form that can adjust to the posture of the user to give comfort. All seats will also be equipped with a “leg rest” which is not new, but Nissan integrate other things. The seat features seat cushion-integrated leg rest, articulated seatback and three-layered cushion pads. All three are according to Nissan featured for the first time in the same seat. There is another called the “Quick Comfort Seat Heater” in which all seats will provide a warm temperature that starts from the bottom and then rises upwards. It is believed will provide relax or reduce stress and facilitate blood circulation. The second focus is on health, where in the car will have proven ions Plasma cluster technology can reduce the bacteria or viruses in the air, reduce odors and maintain skin moisture. So far it is still a concept but it is sure more people will need it to be real product because it offers comfort and health.