A group of researchers from Princeton University have successfully developed a smart window system powered by transparent solar cells, allowing users to control light intensity within a building. Using organic semiconductors applied to thin sheets of glass, the team created fully transparent solar cells that can absorb near-UV light. The energy from these cells then operate polymers that control the tint of the windows, which can block up to 80 percent of incoming light. [Princeton University]
Dutch startup company Lightyear announced plans to release a solar-powered vehicle into the market by 2019. The Lightyear One, the first electric vehicle designed by the company, has a battery range between 249 to 498 miles, depending on the car’s battery configuration. The battery is designed to be charged through a variety of power sources: sunlight, a standard household power socket, an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging point, and an EV fast charger. Solar cells integrated onto the car’s roof charge its battery during the day and store enough energy to power the vehicle up to 498 miles at night. According to the company’s press release, the final design will be revealed by early 2018. [Lightyear]
Robert Xiao, a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist, is working on a program called Desktopography, which aims to further blur the line between the digital and physical world by using a depth camera and pocket projector to display digital applications onto a desk top where users can interact with them—much like on a smartphone touchscreen. The small camera and the projector unit Xiao created can be screwed into a standard light bulb socket, and future plans include integrating the technologies into a standard LED light bulb in order to make it more affordable and available for mass-market consumers. [Wired]
The genius of ancient Roman construction continues to reveal itself, according to a Washington Post article. As part of a recent report, scientists have discovered that 2,000-year-old concrete structures submerged on the Italian coastline have not only withstood the elements, but have become stronger over time. Made from volcanic ash and quicklime, the material has resisted salt corrosion from the ocean water, in part due to a crystalline molecular structure that resists fracturing when combined with the seawater. “It’s the most durable building material in human history,” said Philip Brune, a research scientist at DuPont Pioneer, in the article. “And I say that as an engineer not prone to hyperbole.” If replicable, the material could have extensive applications in shoreline protection, seawalls, and more. [Washington Post]
Pavegen, a London-based technology company, has transformed Bird Street, one of the city’s underused spaces, into the world’s first smart street, imagining the future of the area’s sustainable retail development. On June 29, the company launched a 107.6-square-foot, paved interactive installation that uses V3, its latest smart-flooring technology. The pavement’s triangular tiles, each equipped with a data transmitter, harvest energy from foot traffic. According to Pavegen, kinetic energy causes “electromagnetic induction generators to vertically displace.” The rotatory motion created by this action produces renewable electricity that can be used to display interactive messages, play sounds, power lights, and provide an energy data feed. [Pavegen]
ETH Zürich professors are building the DFAB House—the first home in the world digitally designed, planned, and built using a mostly digital process. Part of the National Centre of Competence in Research Digital Fabrication, the project is examining how this digital approach can make construction more sustainable and efficient. Researchers are testing newly developed building and energy technologies under real-life conditions, and believe that with the use of digital technologies, the traditional planning phase of construction is no longer needed. [ETH Zurich]