Invented by a Mod-Blog Friend

Video Games inform the Battlefield

I love shoot-em-ups, especially the ones where you have lots of armor and can really vent your frustrations without worrying too much about the enemies. But have you ever stopped to look at all the information your virtual warrior has at his disposal? Ammo remaining, armor remaining, life remaining. Wouldn't it be great if our soldiers on a real battlefield had access to that kind of life-saving data? The army is working on a way to make it happen!

"As a kid, everyone played those video games that showed you how much armor you had left as a percentage bar," said John Wray, a TARDEC contractor. "That's exactly what we're working on here and more."

Intelligent armor is based on piezoelectrics, or materials that generate a small voltage when bent. The reverse is also true: Apply a small voltage, and a piezoelectric material will bend...By measuring just how much energy is lost, the TARDEC scientists can determine how damaged the armor is.

And, of course, if you add this to a wireless ad hoc network that is linked back to the commander, he can see which areas of the battlefield are in the most trouble, and send help. It may be another way to multiply the effectiveness of our soldiers, and save lives.

I can ride a bike... Canoe?

Our good friend, the Weekend Adventurer, has a penchant for inventing new ways of getting into the wilderness by any means necessary.  And he loves to bike.  So, when he e-mailed this new invention to me, I knew I had to share it with our readers.  Now, he can indulge his love of biking and his love of water-sports at the same time.  Of course, one must wonder if he'll have the strength to get it all home after a long ride to the river, and then a long day on the river.  But we all must make sacrifices for the ones we love. 

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

I *REALLY* want to see PETA's reaction to this...

Masters Student invents "Gravity Lamp"

I am a big fan of crank radios and other devices which harness renewable energy in practical ways. So, I was thrilled to see a masters student who harnessed the power of gravity to produce light.

The LED lamp, named Gravia, is an acrylic column a little more than 4 feet high. The entire column glows when activated by electricity generated by the slow, silent fall of a mass that spins a rotor.

The light output of 600-800 lumens lasts about four hours.

To "turn on" the lamp, the user moves weights from the bottom to the top of the lamp and into a mass sled near the top. The sled begins its gentle glide down and, within a few seconds, the LEDs are illuminated.

Here is hoping this invention is snapped up by the third world as a cheap and renewable way to produce light without oil or toxic batteries.