Solar Ivy captures the sun's energy whilst creating a pleasing visual aesthetic

Solar Ivy captures the sun's energy whilst creating a pleasing visual aesthetic: "Solar Ivy was inspired by traditional mansions, where ivy decorates the exterior walls and reflects the organic essence of nature. Created in collaboration with Brooklyn-based parent company SMIT, Solar Ivy is a series of solar cells printed with conductive ink that resemble ivy leaves."

Gemasolar Concentrated Solar Power achieves key milestone - 24 hours of uninterrupted supply

Gemasolar Concentrated Solar Power achieves key milestone - 24 hours of uninterrupted supply: "The Gemasolar Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant near Seville, Spain, has achieved a full 24 hours of solar power production one month after starting commercial operation. The 19.9 MW plant uses a huge array of mirrors to heat a molten salt storage system in the central tower which is then used to run steam turbines, resulting in the ability to continue energy production after the sun goes down."

Kinect-based system developed that recognizes what you're doing

Kinect-based system developed that recognizes what you're doing: "When and if we ever do get our personal robot assistants, it would be nice to think that we could 'be ourselves' in front of them, doing things such as scratching our butts or checking our deodorant - because they're just robots, right? They're not going to know what we're doing."

Airbus and DLR testing fuel cell technology to cut aircraft pollution and noise emissions

Airbus and DLR testing fuel cell technology to cut aircraft pollution and noise emissions: "The goals of the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE) to reduce CO2 emissions by 50 percent, NOx emissions by 80 percent and noise cut by 50 percent by 2020 has seen aircraft manufacturers and airlines looking at alternative fuels such as biofuel."

Scavenging ambient electromagnetic energy to power small electronic devices

Scavenging ambient electromagnetic energy to power small electronic devices: "As you sit there reading this story you're surrounded by electromagnetic energy transmitted from sources such as radio and television transmitters, mobile phone networks and satellite communications systems. Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have created a device that is able to scavenge this ambient energy so it can be used to power small electronic devices such as networks of wireless sensors, microprocessors and communications chips."

Toshiba Qosmio F750 glasses-free 3D laptop to arrive in August

Toshiba Qosmio F750 glasses-free 3D laptop to arrive in August: "Toshiba has unveiled its first glasses-free 3D laptop - the Toshiba Qosmio F750-10Q. Powered by Intel Core i7 CPU, the laptop features a lenticular glasses-free 3D display, a full HD 15.6-inch screen and eye-tracking technology based on a HD web camera that maintains the 3D effect while the user moves. Both 2D and 3D content can be displayed simultaneously and the Qosmio F750 comes with a built-in Blu-ray XL drive capable of burning 128GB disks."

'The Muncher' turns organic waste into compost in less than an hour

'The Muncher' turns organic waste into compost in less than an hour: "A number of cities around the world now sort their municipal trash, diverting organic matter into giant anaerobic composters that turn it into nutrient-rich soil. Such systems can be very expensive, however, and have a large physical footprint. The composting process can take as little as 14 days, or as long as one year."

Tiny, lens-free camera developed for scientific use

Tiny, lens-free camera developed for scientific use: "It fits on the head of a pin, has no lens or moving parts, can be made for just a few cents, and yet it can take a photo of the Mona Lisa in which she's actually sort of recognizable ... it's called the Planar Fourier Capture Array (PFCA), and it's a tiny camera developed at New York's Cornell University. Although you might choose not to use it for photographing your child's birthday party, it could come in quite handy in the fields of science and technology."

Permanent spray-on antibacterial coating created

Permanent spray-on antibacterial coating created: "A University of Georgia chemist has invented something that should be a boon to both hospital staff and athletes ... a permanent spray-on antibacterial polymer coating. It can be applied to natural and synthetic materials - just once - and even after repeated washings, will continue to kill a wide range of bacteria, yeasts and molds. In health care settings, it could be used on textiles such as lab coats, scrub suits, uniforms, gowns, gloves and linens, to protect patients from infections. It could also be used on athletic wear, along with shoes, socks, undergarments, and just about anything else that tends to get germy."

EYE 21 system lets the blind 'see' by assigning sounds to shapes

EYE 21 system lets the blind 'see' by assigning sounds to shapes: "Engineers from the Research Center for Graphic Technologies at Spain's Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) have created an experimental system, that allows the blind to be aware of their surroundings through the use of sound."

Facebook gets Skype-powered video calling

Facebook gets Skype-powered video calling: "As expected, Facebook has announced Skype-powered video calling for its users, who now number more than 750 million according to the company. The new feature was unveiled by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Skype CEO Tony Bates at a news conference at Facebook HQ on Wednesday where Facebook engineer Philip Su provided a walkthrough of the application."

iCruiser battery pack juices up mobile devices

iCruiser battery pack juices up mobile devices: "Smartphones, tablets and media players have helped to make our mobile existence so much more tolerable - but they all suffer from varying degrees of the same problem."