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You need an electrical bicycle? You need a lightweight bicycle? You still need an eco-friendly bicycle? Well, what you want is rightly the Carbon Fiber Electric Bike by Ralf Kittmann. The concept bike adopts the carbon fiber—which is highly conductive—to take the place of wires as a power distribution network. So when the electricity is generated from the special electric installation built inside the frame, it will be transferred to power the motors between the rims and the lights. That energy will also be used to drive the system to turn the wheel, by using a counter-turning axel in lieu of gears and chains. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Hey, guys, it’s time to wave goodbye to the airplanes which only offers you confined spaces and boring time, since the New Zealand-based Martin Aircraft Co. has provided us a cleverer alternative, the Martin Jetpack. Unveiled at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s 2008 Air Venture held in the US, the personal helicopter is deemed by the Federal Aviation Administration as “an experimental ultra-light airplane”. Moreover, the Martin Jetpack is also considered as the world’s first practical device. Though still called as a ‘jetpack’, the device actually uses a gasoline (premium) engine with two ducted fans to provide lift. Getting needed power from a full fuel tank, it could fly for about 30minutes, with a theoretical speed of 60 miles per hour. Wearing a price tag of $86,000, the first ten jetpacks will be put on the market this year.

Video after the break. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Everybody knows clearly that daily consumption of water could be recycled by rainwater, which could then be purified and used again to meet our daily needs of pure water. But the problem is: we seldom know how to ‘harvest’ and recycle rainwater effectively. Possibly the ‘Capture The Rain’ skyscraper will show us a new way. The concept building features a special roof to collect as much rainwater as it possible, as well as reservoirs under the roof to store large amounts of water. Apart from meeting its inhabitants’ daily need, rainwater collected by the skyscraper will also be stored in reservoir under the building for other uses. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Created at the Knierim Yacht Club in northern Germany, PlanetSolar is the world’s largest solar-powered boat, measuring 31 meters x 15 meters x 7.5 meters. The yacht is covered with up to 500 sqm of solar panels, which are expected to capture 103.4 kW of solar energy to power the engine that merely needs 20KW. Designed with an average speed of about 9mph, the boat could reach a top speed of 17 miles per hour. About 18 million euro has been invested into the project. According to Knierim Yacht Club, the yacht has been ready for testing later this month and the sea trials (due between June and September). If everything goes smoothly, PlanetSolar will start its first world tour in early 2011. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Solar-powered lamps are not that new to us, but the Saint Clair Lamp presented here still surprises us on account of its unique way to get charged. Just as you can see, the lamp needs to be affixed onto the window with the suction pads to obtain energy, since the photovoltaic cells are built at its base. When the dark night comes, the lamp can then be used as a hanging lamp to illuminate your room. Designed by Stéphane Maupin, the innovative lamp has won one of the five VIA project assistance grants this year. [Read the rest of this entry...]

The POSEIDON Patio Heater, a 6.5 feet tall device that is completely made from metal, is ideal for both domestic and commercial use. Its best part is the built-in media player that is intended for recreation. Apart from employing a latest carbon fiber heating technology to produce ‘far infrared heat’ for a pleasant using, the heater also allows the users to conveniently adjust its head from four different positions. Poseidon is eco-friendly, greatly reducing carbon dioxide emissions by at least 50% compared with gas patio heaters, as a result of the adoption of its patented carbon fiber heating tubes.

Though the company says it won’t hit the market until March, you can pre-order here. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Though it’s just an innovative concept from Kim Hyun Joong, Movie Polaroid Camera also presents a good prospect of filming equipments in the future. It is an attractive camera that could print movies on a substrate that mimics traditional Polaroid film paper, using the built-in movie printer. The compact size of the movie films also means an easy transportation, enabling the users to take them everywhere in the wallets or pockets. Though having no power buttons, the Movie Polaroid Camera could be easily charged by giving it some shakes, and that’s also used to juice up the films for viewing. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Air Scale is an innovative design by Yasuhiro Akama. The concept is all about telling the users the quality of the air they’re breathing in. According to the amount of pollutants, Air Scale rates the air in three colors: red means ‘dirty’, white indicates ‘normal’ and green means ‘clean’. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Can the water tower be used for any other purpose? Just come in and check it out… [Read the rest of this entry...]

Who says printers only use paper to print documents? Surprise them with the PrePeat Printer then. Different from conventional printers, PrePeat adopts a thermal head to print on specially-made plastic sheets. These plastic sheets are not merely water-proof, but could be easily erased when you no longer need the temporary documents. Also claimed by the manufacturer, such one sheet could be used up to 1,000 times so that you’ll no doubt reduce your expenses on paper.

The printer measures 37cm ×23cm ×30cm (W× D× H) and weighs about 40 kg. [Read the rest of this entry...]

It would be nice to preview what our cities will be like in one or two decades, and Norway has already drawn a blueprint of that and named it as the ‘Turbine City Concept’. Several huge wind turbines will be adopted to convert wind into electricity to supply needed energy to offshore hotels, spas and museums. Connected together like an archipelago of islands, these wind turbines also function as a base for passing sailors. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Modular Tree Project is an impressive concept by Chilean artists Emilio Marin and Claudio Magrini. Instead of calling on people to plant real trees, the project encourages the whole society to install metal trees with wooden birdhouses on the branches to create an area in the cities for birds. At present, the project has been firstly realized in the Santiago valley, Chile. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Designed by Hung-Uei Jou, the so-called ‘Green Noise’ is a self-powered runway light that converts annoying noises of the airports into useful electricity. All energy converted by the system is used to power the onboard runway lights and therefore reduce the airport’s energy requirements. The system also features a tripod base, which allows the modular structure to be easily removed for maintenance. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Just look at the NASA’s Puffin Personal Tilt-Rotor Aircraft, it’s obviously another product meant for the most-wanted of your grocery lists. It features a vertical-takeoff and allows the pilot to fly with a prone position. Electrically propelled, Puffin can cruise at a speed of 150 mph and sprint at more like 300 miles per hour. Other features about it also include non carbon emission and the ultra quiet design.

It would be nice to see this practical concept hit the marketplace instead of the limited choice we have to choose from these days.

Still remember the Jumping Light? Similarly, the battery charger designed by Jooyong Kim and Sungkyung Kim also makes a full use of the kinetic energy generated when you jump the rope. Put the rechargeable batteries into the rope’s handles, close the caps, keep jumping and then you’ll get full-charged batteries. That’s so easy! Ensuring you to master the latest information of the calories you’ve burned, the available energy to charge the batteries, etc, the device also comes with a screen on the handle. [Read the rest of this entry...]