March 31, 2011 – Bic, the French manufacturer of pens and cigarette lighters, is using recycled polystyrene from old refrigerators to produce a new line of sustainable pencils, according to Waste & Recycling News.

The polystyrene used to make the “Ecolution” pencils is recycled by Axion Polymers in the UK. In its finished form, the pencil can be sharpened in a typical pencil sharpener and is said to have the same feel as cedar—the wood generally used to make pencils.

Because cedar is such a slow-growing tree, it is not a sustainable material for such a short-lived consumer product, Axion director Keith Freegard said.

“Furthermore, the traditional manufacturing process to produce a graphite-leaded, wooden pencil is slow and involves high levels of wood waste,” he said.

Axion said the polystyrene in a single refrigerator can be used to make about 640 pencils, saving 2,300 metric tons of carbond dioxide emissions in the process.

The recycler worked with Ineos Styrenics to develop the recycling process for Bic. Bic has yet to unveil the new product, which will be marketed to environmentally-conscious consumers.

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Genetic Robots Consisting of cylindrical tubes and ball-and-socket joints, Fraunhofer’s Genetic Robots can be constructed by other robots to perform tasks based on a range of external factors. Fraunhofer IPA

In sci-fi lore, one of the great qualifying events leading up to the eventual war with and enslavement by our machines is the moment when robots begin replicating – that is, they begin manufacturing themselves without help from humans. If that’s the case, then the latest news out of the Fraunhofer Institute should be particularly discomforting. Researchers there have created so-called genetic robots that are created fully automatically from a genetic software algorithm and a 3-D printer, no human intervention necessary.

The notion of genetic robots certainly isn’t new, but the Fraunhofer team has reached a milestone by creating a computer algorithm that can take into account environmental factors, physical laws, the task at hand, and other external characteristics to design -– from scratch – a robot for the job. Using additive manufacturing (3-D printing), the algorithm can design a multitude of possible robots for a job and select the one it thinks is best, all from a few inputs either from a human or from another computer program.

Right now, those inputs and the robots are fairly simple – “build a robot that can efficiently move across this level surface,” for instance – resulting in ‘bots consisting of cylinder-shaped tubes, ball-and-socket-joints, and tiny actuators that drive them. But as they become more sophisticated, it’s not a stretch to think that factories, homes, and (dare we say it?) militaries might be able to design task-specific, on demand robots.

So what’s so “genetic” about these robots? The software takes into account the kinds of tasks and environmental factors a particular robot will face – like whether it will travel over solid ground, swim in water, climb stairs, etc. – but because it can design several possible outcomes from a given set of inputs the results vary, much as they do in the biological world. “The algorithm often spits out surprising variations – ‘mutations’ that would not necessarily have occurred to the designer,” says Fraunhofer industrial designer and product developer Andreas Fischer in a press release.

So these ‘bots can mutate over time, traverse land, AND swim in the water? Clearly the Fraunhofer team hasn’t seen Terminator: Salvation.

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Cracked Concrete

Researchers at the University of Newcastle in the UK have created a new kind of concrete glue that can patch up the cracks in concrete structures, restoring buildings that have been damaged by seismic events or deteriorated over time. But the glue isn’t an adhesive or some kind of synthetic material; the researchers have custom-designed a bacteria to burrow deep into the cracks in concrete where they produce a mix of calcium carbonate and a special bacteria glue that hardens to the same strength of the surrounding concreate.

“BacillaFilla,” as the researchers call it, is a genetically modified version of Bacillus subtilis, a bacteria commonly found in common soil. The researchers have tweaked it’s genetic properties such that it only begins to germinate when it comes in contact with the highly-specific pH of concrete. Once the cells germinate, they are programmed to crawl as deep as they can into cracks in the concrete, where quorum sensing lets them know when enough bacteria have accumulated.

That accumulation lets the bacteria know they’ve reached the deepest part of the crack, at which point the cells begin to develop into bacterial filaments, cells that produce calcium carbonate, and cells that secrete a kind of bacterial glue that binds everything together. Once hardened, the bacteria is essentially as strong as the concrete itself, restoring structural strength and adding life to the surrounding concrete.

The bacteria also contains a self-destruct gene that keeps it from wildly proliferating away from its concrete target, because a runaway patch of bacterial concrete that continued to grow despite all efforts to stop it would be somewhat annoying. The researchers hope their BacillaFilla will improve the longevity of concrete structures, which can be environmentally costly to erect. It could also be deployed in earthquake stricken zones to quickly reinforce damaged buildings and reduce the number of structures that have to be razed after a disaster.

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Isn’t the thought of living on water and not stepping onto dry land for even one single thing, simply great? Inhabitants of the “Future Floating Village” experience just this. Located in China’s Fujian Province, Sandu’ao is one of few settlements built on water. This massive self-sustaining floating village includes everything from a convenience store to postal service, from a police station to a series of restaurants.

All the houses in the village are made of wood and are built on sturdy pontoons made of bamboo and wood, wired to plastic barrels and pieces of PVC, to ensure buoyancy. To make sure that this unique village had no threat from the dangerous waves, it is built on an area that is cut off from the open sea. Swinging swiftly, Sandu’ao is said to be China’s largest cultivation base of yellow croakers and various other seafood, including shellfish, shrimp, and giant prawns.

This huge floating village was devastated by aerial bombardments, during the Japanese invasion of World War 2 and took almost a decade to sway on the water again. It includes tens of thousands of cages and fishing nets that not only allow sea farming, but also look like a beautiful plantation on the sea.

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We’ve received a tip about an unexpected application for the NFC chip Apple is expected to build into the iPhone 5.

Near Field Communication (NFC) is a short-range wireless connection technology that would turn the iPhone into an electronic wallet or security passkey.

NFC is already in use in Asia and is expected to explode here in the next three to five years, especially if Apple adopts the technology. NFC has been rumored for the iPhone 5, and Apple appears to be gearing up for a NFC revolution. It has made a lot of NFC hires, including a a leading NFC expert and has patented a lot of NFC technology.

If the iPhone 5 does have NFC, applications like an eWallet are a no-brainer. But we’ve been told that Apple is also researching NFC for remote computing.
For example, a NFC iPhone will allow users to carry a lot of their desktop data and settings with them — and load that data onto a compatible Mac.

If users wave a NFC-equipped iPhone at a NFC Mac (they need to be in close proximity to interact), the Mac will load all their applications, settings and data. It will be as though they are sitting at their own machine at home or work. When the user leaves, and the NFC-equipped iPhone is out of range, the host machine returns to its previous state.

“The Mac authenticates with the iPhone, which contains a lot of the information the computer needs, such as bookmarks, passwords and other data,” said our source, who asked to remain anonymous. “The system would essentially turn any Apple computer into your own — like you’re actually working on your own computer. Same settings, look, bookmarks, preferences. It would all be invisible. Your iPhone would be all you needed to unlock your Mac.”

Our source continued: “Address book would show their contacts, and the user would have full access to their information in the same manner they would if they were working from home. This same behavior extends to even showing the same desktop picture, mouse and keyboard settings, and would eventually extend tosoftware licenses and passwords for websites such as Facebook.

“When a person walks away with their iPhone and away from the communication link with the Mac, the original settings of the Mac would be restored. All communications and storage of passwords stays on the user’s iPhone, leaving nothing stored on the computer.

“This functionality is extended to access a user’s home folder, which will be stored and accessed either through storage on MobileMe or by using the Back to My Mac feature to connect to the user’s home folder.”

If true, it raises some interesting possibilities. To do this, Apple may have to add online elements to OS X and its applications. Apple obviously is moving into mobile big time with iOS, but there are some indications that OS X Lion, due next summer, will also have cloud elements.

At the recent demo of OS X Lion, for example, Apple said applications will auto save and auto resume — rather like Google docs. The new MacBook Air looks like a cloud machine, and there’s that massive data center on the east coast.

Apple has been looking at building NFC into the Apple TV, and other PC makers are already building NFC into their machines. Lenovo is offering a NFC as an option on some ThinkPad laptops for secure log-in and online banking using contactless smartcards.

Our source says Apple has always been looking for a way for a user to carry their home folder with them, but with ballooning iTunes and iPhoto libraries, it’s become a challenge.

“I don’t know if this information will be stored on the cloud or not, but I do know that smaller bits such as preference files, system settings, documents, keychain passwords, and other items would be stored on the iPhone for fast retrieval,” they said.

Analyst Sarah Clark of SJB Research, who is also editor of Near Field Communications World, said the key advantage of NFC is that it’s a quick and easy authentication system.

“It makes it very easy to connect two devices together so that information can be transferred between them – much easier than Bluetooth, for instance,” she said.

However, she said the data transfer rate isn’t very fast.

“The usual idea is that you would use NFC to set up the link between the two devices and then do an automatic hand over to a different protocol for doing the actual transfer of data – eg Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, TransferJet etc – and that’s what I imagine would be happening here,” she said.

Our source also cautioned that the technology may never see the light of day. Although Apple has been working on the system for some time, there’s a chance it will never be released.

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DaVinci and McSleepy Team Up For a Prostatectomy McGill University

I’m not sure I would trust robots named McSleepy and DaVinci to knock me out and cut me open, but that’s what one brave soul just did, when he had his prostate removed at McGill University Health Centre for the world’s first all-robotic surgery.

DaVinci is a widely used surgical robot that can be controlled by surgeons from remote locations, and McSleepy is, appropriately, an anesthesia bot. The two collaborated for the first time ever in this groundbreaking surgery, performed at Montreal General Hospital. Their surgeon masters kept them closely monitored, of course, but the use of the bots provided for a higher level of precision than would be achievable with humans alone.

DaVinci sends 3D HD images to the surgical team, where they operate its arms via video control. McSleepy makes the perfect partner for such an operation. Anesthesia can be difficult during robot surgeries, because the patient has to be positioned just so, with a high level of muscle relaxation. Using McSleepy guarantees the same quality of care for every surgery, with precise configuration for that operation’s specific needs.

The success of this surgery makes it likely that DaVinci and McSleepy will team up again. The researchers plan to test robotic surgery and robotic anesthesia across a variety of surgeries and patients.

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While hoping to go beyond the modern day helicopter’s limited load-bearing capacity, Australian firm SkyLifter is busy evolving a solar-powered airship for carrying up to 150-ton loads more than 1,200 miles. Just the perfect machine to support disaster relief operations, the solar blimp could ship payloads of equipment, freight, pre-constructed buildings and other loads at a speed of 45 knots (50 mph).

Where the vehicle’s disc-like shape offers immunity against different wind conditions, the specially designed Voith-Schneider propellers (measuring 500ft across) and strategically placed cockpit help the vehicle in keeping steady. Aside from using it for disaster relief, the developers hope to use the vehicle as luxury airborne cruise ships.

SkyLifter uses (bio)diesel fuel and solar collectors to generate electricity that powers the cycloidal propellers and aircraft systems. Sun-facing aerostar design offers ample space for large arrays of solar collectors. One level of the pod contains (bio)diesel engines, drive-train and water recovery systems. So flaunting a minimal environmental footprint, the aerial crane keeps delivering the goods without noise.

Skylifter looks forward to release a full-sized prototype, nearly 150ft wide, in three years or so.

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Searching the Future Recorded Future

Remember Recorded Future, the future-predicting information analysis company that made a splash earlier this year when it scored investments from both Google and the CIA? The company has recently revealed a bit more about how its technology works and just how well the firm has done recording events before they happen. And, presumably, how well it will continue to do in coming days.

Speaking to Technology Review, company founder Christopher Ahlberg described how its software goes deeper than search engines like Google that simply rank the relevance of results by links. Rather, it analyzes the more nuanced, invisible connections between events and people that shape the future. Doing so, he says, lets Recorded Future look for patterns that suggest certain outcomes, like when a product might release or when a company might clear a patent hurdle or offer an IPO.

Recorded Future’s software does this semantically, using linguistic tools that identify certain types of events and the sentiment conveyed in the wording. It aims for articles with some degree of established veracity, like government filings, news articles, and speeches by leaders or heads of industry, but the software also scans Twitter updates and other measures of general feeling or sentiment surrounding an event, person, company, or product.

In other words, it’s less a matter of Recorded Future wagering an educated guess about a future event and more like an aggregation of predictions that have already been made. That aggregate collated prediction about the future is influenced by all the factors listed above and gives, say, a stock analyst a reasonable measure of when an event is likely to happen.

Right now Recorded Future has fewer than 100 clients paying to use its tools, but those that are using them aren’t lightweights – Ahlberg tells TR a mix of government analysts and financial firms are taking advantage of the insight the company offers. Those are players whose decisions are tied to serious stakes in both security and finance, lending Recorded Future an air of serious credibility. Indeed, studies of its past performance have shown its models tended show increased strength of activity around an event or entity that correlated to real time market activity.

Which means Recorded Future, and analytic tools like it, might have a future after all.

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A beautifully designed report on preventing HIV shows the vital importance of clear visual communication.

Leon Dijkstra of the Dutch graphic design firm COOEE has sent us images of his elegant identity design for the health advocacy group the Global Network of People Living with HIV. The scheme, for areport on HIV prevention measures, highlights the role design can play in improving access to health care information.

Dijkstra’s brief was to make the report easy to read and visually compelling — no small task when the most exciting topics at hand are improvements in rubber for female condoms and why diaphragms are ineffective at guarding against HIV. So he gave each technology its own abstract visual clue: vaccines are short vertical lines; microbicides are diagonal dashes; pre-exposure prophylaxis are two horizontal rows of dots; and so on.

But you don’t even need to know any of that to appreciate the report’s design. The layout follows some basic rules of how to convey information visually. It has lots of white space, the font is big and clear, and there are obvious division between headers and the body text.

The might seem like obvious stuff to designers. It’s not to the health profession. Health care literature is famously illegible, whether you’re talking about journal articles or those “Am I normal?” brochures in every middle-school nurse’s office. It isn’t too much of a stretch to assume that how health information is presented can be a factor in determining how people take care of themselves.

Dijkstra’s HIV prevention report was produced for distribution among HIV/ AIDS policy makers. Imagine if free clinics started handing out literature of the same caliber. It wouldn’t stop the spread of HIV — but at least it’d make it easier for people to read up on how to protect themselves.

[Images via COOEE]

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The Kaohsiung shipping company has boosted its sightseeing cruise with the inclusion of five new solar-powered boats, which were first launched in February to mark the Chinese Lunar New Year. Dubbed Solar Love, the boats collectively make the Asia’s largest flotilla of renewable energy powered boats.

The silent, pollution-free, solar sightseeing boats come equipped with two sets of 12 lithium batteries each, which are powered by 18 solar power panels. When the sun does not shine at its best, the batteries can be charged separately.

The near zero-emission ferries – each costing around NT$7.46 million – flaunt a captivating design too. Wang Kuo-tsai, the director of the city’s Bureau of Transportation, hopes to add another 10 vessels by 2012 to the existing fleet.

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