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The development of bio-batteries is now pushed to a new level, after electronics giant Sony announced that it has developed a battery powered by paper. The batteries were demonstrated at the Eco-Products exhibition in Tokyo, where they have successfully powered a mini fan to work. Sony’s actually utilizes cellulose enzymes to accomplish this technology: after breaking down the paper, the enzymes were left with sugar that had been created from the cellulose; and then the sugar is processed to create hydrogen ions and electrons. Theoretically, a piece of A4 paper is expected to produce about 18 watts of electricity, equivalent to the electricity power of six AA batteries. But currently the electricity power we get is fewer than that, which is also a drawback of this bio-battery.

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Hot egg is the most popular food in my family whenever the winter comes, as it not only warms my hands but also warms my stomach. It’s a pity that the eggs cannot keep hot for a long time, and they usually become cold after my way to offices. Thus I need something to reheat them. The ultra-portable Heater Egg Card seems like a good choice. It utilizes a wire-web and thin skin that envelops the egg to reduce heating time; features a collapsible casing that can be folded as thin as a credit card, thus to ensure us an easy carrying; still, it also comes with a USB charging style, which makes it practical in places without an electricity outlet.

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Scientists from China have recently brought good news for people who seldom want to clean their clothes: the self-cleaning clothes. The new material was created by coating titanium dioxide and nitrogen on cotton fibers, and those two elements will break down dirt and kill microbes once exposed to the sunlight. Additional nanoparticles using silver and iodine are also adopted to accelerate the discoloration process. Of course the self-cleaning clothes can be washed with water too, as the special coat is claimed to be robust enough to withstand washing and drying.

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Despite smartphones’ outstanding functions and large screens, perhaps you still find it not exciting enough to watch films or play games with them? Yes, we all need a device with larger screen, such as the LightPad developed by QP Optoelectronics. It’s a folio-styled peripheral that combines a keyboard with an 11-inch rear projection screen. Once connected to your smartphone, the device’s built-in projector can then light up the screen with a resolution of 854 x 480 (the first generation) or 1280 x 720 resolution (the second generation), offering you a more fantastic experience with larger screens. If that’s still not big enough, the device can even create a 60-inch display on the wall with its built-in projector flipped around. So do you like it? The LightPad is expected to be exhibited next month at CES 2012.

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Pocket sandwiches developed for the U.S. army now features a much longer guarantee period that what we’ve ever imagined, as it can actually last for 2 to 3 years without refrigeration! Can you believe that?! The new technology to make these sandwiches is announced to focuses on taking care of the entities like water and oxygen that are responsible for decay, so that they can last a much longer time than ordinary sandwiches. What’s better is that the sandwiches will taste still fresh and good even after a long time of storage, and that’s really the best part we appreciate.

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New developments have been found in the Electronic Skin field, because researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley Lab have created both flexible and stretchable electronic skin using semiconductor-enriched carbon nano tubes. The electronic skin is proved capable of detecting and responding to touch, and expected to provide lithography-free fabrication of low-cost flexible and stretchable electronics in the future in combination with inkjet printing of metal contacts.

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Keaton Music Typewriter is a practical machine that can type on a sheet of paper lying flat under the typing mechanism. It was firstly patented in 1936 by Robert H. Keaton, and at that time the machine had merely 14 keys. In 1953, Robert redesigned the typewriter and built with 33 keys, making it more ideal and suitable to use. It was marketed in the 1950s and sold for around $225, and now it appears on the market again, with a surprisingly high price of $5,895.

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Any good idea about towel racks? To redesign their shapes, coat them with unique colors or endow them with new functions? Of course the last one is our option, so why not have a look at this Breeze Rack, a 2011 red dot design concept winner? It’s a multifunctional towel rack, serving as a hair drier, a bathroom ventilator and a sterilizer except for hanging towels. In other words, almost everything you would need to use in a bathroom can be found in the Breeze Rack, isn’t that great?!

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Handycan is a concept design comes with grooves that make it easy to grip. The clever design will reduce the volume that cans take up in recycling trucks too, saving both space and money. But does that also mean the can may break open more easily if it is applied with high pressure? Arman Emami gives us no answer to that question.

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Who can tell me where the end of human’s laziness is? After years of benefitting from dish-washers, clothes washing machines and other devices, this time we want to own an Extendable Sock Aid that allows us to put on socks without bending… So you like this?

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Change, change, almost every day we’re delivering new changes happened in the world. Today’s news comes from Japan, where scientists from Toray Industries have developed samples of the world’s first renewable, bio-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber, which is what polyester is made of. The new creation is durable, coming with all good features as common polyester does while is better and safer to the environment since it is constructed of renewable material.

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Instead of leaving shadow on the floor, these unique lamps from designers Dennis Thies and Michael Rösing have left their shadows on the wall, thus to create some fantastic art in your own home!

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I love vending machines, because I could always easily find my favorite cola there. But things are different now, as the Transparent Touchscreen Vending Machine developed by Sanden, in cooperation with Okaya Electronics and Intel offers me another reason to appreciate the machines: you love it simply because the vending machine is fabulous! It comes with a 65-inch full HD vertical screen on front, displaying animated graphics, clock time and other information from time to time. As people walk by, it would display customized menus based on facial recognition technology.

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Hyperspectral sensors are usually quite expensive, which keeps many people away from utilizing the hyperspectral image technology. That’s so pity! Hence some scientists have decided to turn a DSLR into a hyperspectral camera using stock SLR glass, a gel diffraction filter, PVC pipe, duct tape and other materials. Certainly they succeeded, as the cheap imaging spectrometer can deliver spectral resolution equal to that of commercial solutions but at a far lower cost. The experiment and process may sound easy, but to construct such a camera you may need to master quite large amount of knowledge.

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“To push or to pull?” Almost every time I need to open a door, I ask myself that question. Not because I’m not clever enough, but in fact it is all because the door handles are not clever enough, since they cannot show us the directions clearly. But forget that, as here comes a clever one, “Arrow” door handle that makes “pull” or “push” directions visible to us. Just follow its “arrow”, and you’ll never pull or push a knob in a wrong way.

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