Radical Technology Revisited

July 7, 2016 by kris de decker Filed Under: Events

radical technology revisited

Is Progress an illusion? Are catastrophic changes inevitable? Is Technology the problem or the solution? What are the practical alternatives? Such questions were asked 40 years ago in the pioneering book Radical Technology [PDF, 31.5 MB].

The conference Radical Technology Revisited will ask them again with even more urgency. The main event is in Bristol (UK) on Saturday September 3rd. Other events will take place on Friday 2nd and Sunday 4th, and will include presentations, workshops, debates, demonstrations, exhibitions, and a party.

Thanks to Leah Temper.

Battery Powered Rail Vehicle Claims New Efficiency Record

June 3, 2016 by kris de decker Filed Under: Electric vehicles, Random, Trains, Travel

battery powered rail vehicle

Students from Dalarna University, Sweden, have won a competition for creating efficient rail-based transport, claiming a world record in the process. Team Eximus 1 was competing in Delsbo Electric, where teams must design and build a battery-operated railway vehicle that uses as little energy as possible. Delsbo Electric is open to college and university students. It was inspired by the Shell Eco-marathon, with the concept translated for rail-based rather than road-based travel.

Vehicles must carry between one and six passengers weighing a minimum average of 50 kg (110 lb) each. Vehicle efficiency is measured on a per person basis, meaning vehicles carrying six passengers are not at a disadvantage. The Eximus 1 carries five passengers. The vehicle is estimated to weigh about 100 kg (220 lb) and to measure about 5,500-mm (217-in) long by 1,500-mm (59-in) wide. It was powered by four 12 V, 45 Wh batteries linked together in parallel and a 500 W motor.

The team’s final efficiency score was 0.84 Wh/person-km (watt-hours for every kilometer traveled by each passenger). Delsbo Electric claims that is a new world record. “We have done research and not found any information about somebody or something traveling as efficient rail-based in the world. In fact, it seems like Eximus 1 achieved a lower energy consumption per person than the current Shell Eco Marathon record.”

See & read more at Gizmag: Silver machine rolls down the track to new efficiency record. Vehicles from other participants can be found here. Thanks to Frank Van Gieson.

Related:

The Wave of the Future

June 3, 2016 by kris de decker Filed Under: Art

personal effects laurie lipton 2016

“Personal Effects (after Hokusai) 2016″, 5footx7foot8”, charcoal & pencil on paper. Click to enlarge. By Laurie Lipton.

Zero Electricity Air Cooler

June 1, 2016 by kris de decker Filed Under: Air conditioning, Cooling, DIY, Random

Eco-Cooler airco without electricity

Over 70% of Bangladesh’s population live in corrugated tin huts across the countryside. During the long summer months, temperatures reach up to 45° Celsius, making these huts unbearable to live in.

To address the issue, Grey Dhaka teamed up with volunteers from Grameen Intel Social Business Ltd to create the Eco-Cooler – a zero electricity air cooler, which uses re-purposed plastic bottles cut in half and put into a grid, in accordance to available window sizes.

Based on wind direction and airflow pressure, the Eco-Cooler has succeeded in decreasing the temperature in tin huts by up to 5° Celsius. After initial tests, blueprints of the Eco-Cooler were put up online for everyone to download for free.

Thanks to Adriana Parra.

No Tech Reader #6

May 23, 2016 by kris de decker Filed Under: No Tech Readers

web 0.0

Smart Technology is a Solution Looking for a Problem

May 21, 2016 by kris de decker Filed Under: Quotes, Random, Technofix, Technology
iabR Hans tak

Picture by Hans Tak, International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam 2016

Technologies like driverless cars and smart heating systems could end up making cities dysfunctional according to Maarten Hajer, chief curator of the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam 2016. Speaking at an opening event for the biennale, Hajer called for architects and designers to stop treating the advent of smart technologies as inevitable, and to question whether they will solve any problems at all.

“People with lots of media force pretend to know exactly what the future will look like, as if there is no choice,” he said. “I’m of course thinking about self-driving vehicles inevitably coming our way.” Discussions about the future of cities are at risk of being “mesmerised” by technology, he added. “We think about big data coming towards us, 3D printing demoting us, or the implication of robots in the sphere of health, as if they are inevitabilities. My call is for us to think about what we want from those technological advances.”

“I have nothing against good technology, it’s wonderful, but you always want social problems to be the priority. If it doesn’t help us get CO2 down, if it doesn’t help us make cities more socially inclusive, if it doesn’t help us make meaningful work, I’m not interested in smart technology. Sometimes I think: “if smart technology is the solution, then what was the problem again?”

Read the full interview at Dezeen. Thanks to Anne-Marie Pronk.