MichaelFaraday
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Nissan imagines Faraday cages in cars will stop phone use
Despite the many tools developed to help us down our phones while driving -- from the simple Bluetooth headset to apps that automatically reply to texts -- it appears we just can't stop fiddling with the things when we're behind the wheel. And even if your eyes are fixed on the road, barking hands-free voice commands can still render you dangerously distracted. Simply ignoring your phone is the most sensible thing to do, and Nissan has come up with the most elaborate, over-engineered way of ensuring that happens: Putting a Faraday cage inside the driver's armrest.
M2E Power turns movement into electricity
Looking for power in hard to reach places? Perhaps M2E Power can lend a hand. The company -- recently infused with a pile of money from venture capitalists -- is in the business of creating power through the kinetic motion of everyday human and / or mechanical movement. The idea is that by simply walking or driving, energy can be produced that will power devices on-hand, obviating the use of outside sources -- an idea that will be of particular use to soldiers on duty, as the technology could reduce their load by up to 30-pounds. The devices also contribute to efforts towards clean power and extended mobility on the consumer side, efforts your DS-playing kids will go bonkers for. For those down with the Faraday Principle (energy produced via motion of a magnet through a wire coil), you'll be happy to know that someone is putting the concept to good use -- for the rest of us, well, we'll just be happy if we can get a few more minutes out of our mobile phones.
