Currently LED’s are manufactured with costly materials such as sapphire or silicon carbide, and currently many companies are trying to scale those materials in order to drive down the costs, but the public is still sitting at $30-40 a bulb.  At that cost it takes a few years, considering you don’t break a bulb, to break even.

This week, Bridgelux said it used eight-inch silicon wafers to make components that achieved 135 lumens per watt.  This means they have reached commercial-grade performance with silicon for the first time. It will take a few years to improve production to make the process more streamlined and commercially viable, but Bridgelux anticipates a reduction of costs by 75%.

Bill Watkins, Bridgelux’s CEO says, “This is a game-changer around the whole cost structure,” Watkins says. “We think we can get to $5 bulbs.”

Recharging a battery is basically reversing the process described above.  There have been attempts in the past to recharge alkaline batteries, but none were very successful because it had not been done properly.  Recharging alkalines can be downright dangerous when not done right.  The batteries can overheat causing a buildup of gas inside the battery canister therefore causing potassium hydroxide (KOH) leakage, or in a worst case scenario, it could explode.  Potassium hydroxide is highly corrosive substance and can cause damage to the eyes and skin.

The company WattsClever has come up with a smart charger for alkalines.  Since overheating is the main concern for recharging these batteries, “a full set of safety features are built in, these includes overcharging protection, over heating protection, and battery type protection. Additionally the LED lights on the product will indicate clearly when charging is completed along with other functions.”

via WattsClever

Not only will this technology eliminate the bulky bricks.  The technology could make servers, laptops, and electric vehicles more efficient.  Energy is wasted when converting between AC and DC power in the form of heat.

Transphorm’s new technology is based on gallium nitride rather than silicon.  Gallium nitride is a semiconductor that wastes far less energy than silicon.  Because they are so much more efficient, no bulky heat sinks or fans are needed.  They hope to eliminate wasted electicity by up to 90%.

Transform will test its new technologies in data centers first where heat sinks, fans, and massive cooling systems could benefit greatly from the gallium nitride technology.  They also hope to help in the efficiency of solar panels and project they could improve light conversion from 2-4 percentage points.  That doesn’t seem like a lot, but this is in an industry when .5% improvement is considered very good.

via technology review

The rubber from the tires is melted and the debris is filtered.  It is then formed into a sheet that is stretched over a frame that can be made of a variety of materials.  Once the basin is formed in the frame, the drain colar is fitted into the drain hole which will help the rubber take form against the frame.

To further the efficiency, less than one pound of rubber is used per sink.  Two options are available.  The most basic is the 1/8 inch think rubber adhered directly to a surface is the first option.  The other is a framed option that uses aluminum frames that clamp the outer edges of the rubber.  What is the name of this sink?  RUBBiSH of course.

via architectmagazine.com

Now that we don’t need soap for our dishes and we also don’t need to replace our razors nearly as often, a similar technology has come to toothbrushes.  Actually, the technology has been around for about 15 years.

Dr. Kunio Komiyama and his colleague Dr. Gerry Uswak are testing 120 Canadian teenagers willing to brush with the solar powered toothbrush and go to the dentist more frequently to document the effectiveness of the toothbrush.

Fifteen years ago, the first model introduced a titanium dioxide rod embedded in the neck of the brush just below the nylon bristles.  Light activates a wet rod thereby releasing electrons which react with acid in your mouth.  This helps to break down plaque without the use of toothpaste.

The newest model, the Soladey-J3X, is twice as effective as the old model.  The Soladey will not work in the dark, but it only needs about as much light as a solar calculator.  Although the tests on the new model are ongoing, lab tests showed complete destruction of two types of bacteria which are major culprits in periodontal disease.

via canada.com

Now instead of using multiple inferior blades, a company in Germany (Gesellschaft für Diamantprodukte) has come up with an ultimate razor.

It starts with a super hard tungsten carbide razor.  This is a metal that registers a 8.5 to 9 on the Moh’s Scale.  Steel registers a 4-4.5 and titanium is only a 6.  Then it is coated with synthetic, industrial-grade diamonds.  In order to finish the super hard and sharp razor, they use a special plasma sharpening process that can make the blade only 3nm thick.  That is only a few atoms thick!  Better get that alum stick ready.

GFD has used this same process to make medical scalpels, drill bits, and probe needles, however this will be their first foray into the billion dollar razor industry.

Razor Blades of this caliber wont cost the same as traditional razors, however, Andre Flöter, founder of GFD, says “If one adds together the costs of disposable razors over the period of one year,” he says, “then our diamond blade could certainly be a reasonably priced alternative.”

My thought is if these blades are comparable to using a year’s worth of replacements, we would be buying a quality blade rather than a bunch of inferior ones and get a much closer shave.  It also means that there is less waste due to not having to buy blades so frequently.

via ecouterre

Second Glass is a great example of the reduce, reuse, recycle philosophy, and are part of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™.

Not much is known about the process of how they they recycle the windshields.  However, it is a patent pending process that, according to their website, “While simple in concept it is a complex formula of art and science. We can add color to coordinate with other design elements.”

via secondglass

I thought to myself, “Why can’t there be a window like those commercials we see for the transitions glasses?”  Well, good news.  They are finally here.  Transitions for houses.  A company called RavenBrick has created the RavenWindow™.  This window saves energy by getting more opaque and reflecting the sun’s light when hot, and becoming more transparent when cold allowing light to come into homes to warm them up.

According to the website, energy usage can be cut up to 30%.

via ravenbrick

The Piezo Shower does exactly that.  It captures the kinetic energy of the water running through the lattice of piping to create hot water.  The idea is similar to clothing that creates energy to charge small electronic devices.  As the water runs through the pipes, the water moves piezo electric fibers that create electricity by movement and friction to heat the water.

A touchscreen display lets you see the temperature of the water, time spent in the shower, and water pressure to show you how to best conserve your water.

via piezo-shower.blogspot.com

A company called Eamex in Osaka, Japan discovered a major weakness in Lithium Ion Batteries, and fixing this problem could allow them to be used for 20 years or 10,000 charges.  The secret, they have found, is in the tin used in the battery’s negative electrode.  Apparently it weakens through many cycles of charging and recharging.  The new design will use a tin-coated resin that will stabilize the electrode and prevent it from wearing down.  Well that was easy enough.

via engadget