Piezoelectric -- Engadget

piezoelectric posts

'Secret Knock' Door Lock defends home from rhythmically-impaired perps (video)

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Nov 4th 2009 at 8:14PM

The Arduino board has been the engine of many wild and wacky projects over the years, from bakery tweeting to various musical instruments. For its next trick, our man Steve Hoefer has taken his microcontroller and, along with a piezoelectric speaker, a gear reduction motor, and some PVC pipe, programmed it to listen for a preset sequence of knocks -- a secret knock, if you will -- and unlock the deadbolt upon hearing the right combination. Although this might not be the security system you want to put in place for your home, this definitely looks like a fun weekend project. Check out the read link for instructions and schematics, but not before you see the video of the thing in action. It's after the break.

[Via Hacked Gadgets]

Continue reading 'Secret Knock' Door Lock defends home from rhythmically-impaired perps (video)

Pavegen taps pedestrians for power in East London (video)

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 29th 2009 at 1:41PM

When we were kids, we assumed that in the future everything would be powered by tiny nuclear fusion reactors: automobiles, toothbrushes, time machines (apparently we read a lot of sci-fi from the 1950s). The truth, as usual, is more mundane than all that: some of the more promising advances we've seen in green energy has been kinetic, taking the movement of automobiles or the tides and converting it into electricity. Pavegen, for example, can be set in public walkways to generate as much as 2.1 watts of electricity per hour from the footsteps of grizzled pedestrians. Using marine grade stainless steel and recycled materials, just five of these bad boys distributed over a well-worn sidewalk should be able to generate enough energy to keep a bus stop going all night. If not put into nearby lighting, the units are equipped with lithium polymer batteries for storage. Currently being tested in East London, look for them throughout the UK in 2010. Video after the break.

[Via Inhabitat]

Continue reading Pavegen taps pedestrians for power in East London (video)

Video: Emo Labs' invisible speakers visibly demonstrated

by Vladislav Savov posted Sep 24th 2009 at 10:07AM

Emo Labs is out on a crusade to unify audio and video into one cohesive, delectable whole. If you'll recall, the company's Edge Motion invisible speaker tech relies on implanting a clear membrane atop display panels, which is then vibrated by piezoelectric actuators to generate stereo audio. We've grabbed a couple of vids of it in action to whet your appetite, and while there's still no word on when, plans are afoot to embed the technology into LCDs, laptops, mobiles and even handheld gaming devices. Dance past the break to hear, and maybe even see, for yourself.

[Via eCoustics]

Continue reading Video: Emo Labs' invisible speakers visibly demonstrated

BlackBerry Storm 2 -- and its piezoelectric soul -- dissected at last

by Jacob Schulman posted Aug 25th 2009 at 12:53PM

The leaked photo of the Storm 2's internal board got our juices flowing -- and our curiosity piqued -- but this latest set of photos really takes it up a notch. In addition to showing the rest of the device inside and out, we've got a handful of new pictures showing off that piezoelectronic technology doing its thing. Basically, as we understand it, those four "buttons" which are pictured are more like sensors than buttons. When the device is on, they communicate with the screen, and when it registers enough pressure, the result is the familiar "click" that Storm users know all too well. However, when the device is powered off (or in standby mode we assume), the screen stays put, as there isn't an actual mechanism to move the screen like there was in the original Storm. Of course, we won't know how to judge it until we can actually play with a real live demo unit in the flesh, but you can definitely say that RIM has us interested. At least they weren't lying about that whole 'SurePress is here to stay' thing.

Gallery: BlackBerry Storm 2 Dissected

BlackBerry Storm 2's voodoo-powered screen torn apart, raises more questions

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 25th 2009 at 8:59AM

If the Storm 2 seriously uses newfangled piezoelectrics to provide localized tactile response on its display -- something the original Storm lacked with just a single clicky button mounted underneath the screen's center point -- then how come we're coming to find out we've got four buttons mounted near the corners this time around? At this point, this picture posted of the Storm 2's sensitive innards probably raises more questions than it answers -- we're clearly looking at four buttons here, which as CrackBerry says would facilitate the "multi-press" necessary to engage key modifiers like Alt just as you would on a regular keyboard. The problem is that this doesn't even being to explain how or why the screen hardens up like a rock when the phone is off, because the four buttons plus traditional capacitive touch sensitivity would realistically get the job done without alien technology. We're looking forward to a thorough briefing from RIM once the phone gains some official recognition, but until then, let the theories fly.

[Thanks, Doughy]

Supermarket generates piezoelectric power in parking lot

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jun 15th 2009 at 10:46AM

Remember that piezoelectric road prototype we saw late last year? Looks like someone (besides us) thought it was a good idea. According to The Daily Mail, a Sainsbury's supermarket in Gloucester, UK (you've never been there), has installed kinetic plates in the parking lot that use the weight of shopper's cars to pump a series of hydraulic pipes, which in turn drive a generator. The system is said to generate up to 30kw of energy an hour -- or enough to power the store's checkouts. And if that weren't enough, the store is also harvesting rainwater and heating it (during the summer, at least) with solar panels. The next in this store's "eco-friendly evolution?" Might we suggest Soylent in the deli? We hear the "green" stuff is particularly good.

[Via Green Launches, Thanks Deepa]

Sensitive Object's Anywhere MultiTouch extends touch sensitivity to the whole device

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Apr 29th 2009 at 11:09AM

Sensitive Object, a French startup best known for its louche, Gitanes-smoking engineers and its love of cocktail jazz, has just announced the development of Anywhere MultiTouch, a Windows 7-compliant platform that brings touch sensitivity to glass, aluminum, and plastic, through the use of piezoelectric sensors. This product is an extension of the company's ReverSys technology, which recognizes the precise location where an object is touched through soundwaves, with the new platform throwing in handwriting recognition and palm rejection for good measure. It looks like multitouch has finally been freed from the tyranny of the display, with developers now able to incorporate actions along the whole device. Excited? We bet you are. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Sensitive Object's Anywhere MultiTouch extends touch sensitivity to the whole device

Pilotfish's Ondo music editing mobile concept puts new twist on smartphones

by Darren Murph posted Apr 20th 2009 at 3:00AM

It's been nearly three years since the Onyx tickled our imagination, but Pilotfish is looking to completely melt our brains with its latest concept. The Munich-based industrial design firm has just introduced its Ondo music editing mobile, which is half cellphone, half music mixer and thoroughly amazing. In theory, the phone would boast a small mixing panel, three removable recording sticks with internal memory and a bendable center to give music lovers the ability to insert pitch bends and relieve stress. Essentially, the trio of OLED-infused sticks serves two purposes: when installed, they're the main phone panel, and when removed, they can be clipped onto instruments for recording purposes. Afterwards, they can be swapped with other Ondo owners or edited on the fly right on the device itself. Needless to say, there's a better shot at you winning the lottery than seeing this thing hit mass production, but you can feel free to dream by checking the full release, Q&A and demonstration video just past the break.

Gallery: Pilotfish's Ondo music editing mobile concept puts new twist on smartphones

Continue reading Pilotfish's Ondo music editing mobile concept puts new twist on smartphones

Researchers develop braille for vibrating touchscreen devices

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Mar 31st 2009 at 11:23AM

In braille, a character is made up of six dots laid out on a two by three matrix -- not something that can really be conveyed using capacitive touchscreen technology. Working with a Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, researchers in Finland have developed a method for piezoelectric touchscreen devices that uses a single pulse of intense vibration to convey a raised dot, and a longer vibration made up of several weaker pulses to represent a missing dot -- spelling out letters that can be easily read by touch. It took a while for volunteers to get used to this method, but once they had they were able to read a character in as little as 1.25 seconds. Now that they have letters down, the team is moving on to words and sentences -- with an eye towards developing text-to-braille software sometime in the future.

Piezoelectric nanowires could lead to blood-powered iPods, cellphones

by Darren Murph posted Mar 29th 2009 at 11:54AM

You know what'll be awesome? Actual end products resulting from this presumably nonstop research on piezoelectric nanowires. Yet again we're hearing of a new group of researchers that have figured out a way to harness electricity from life's simplest things: walking, a heart beating or even the flowing of blood. Put simply, the gurus have discovered how to use zinc oxide nanowires in order to generate an electric current when "subjected to mechanical stress." The difference here, however, is that these critters could actually be implanted under the skin, though the scientists have made quite clear that there isn't a timetable for commercial production. In other words: yawn.

[Via textually, image courtesy of NSF]

Ben Heck fashions breath-controlled kick pedal for Guitar Hero

by Laura June posted Mar 3rd 2009 at 11:53PM

Ben Heck's at it again, and this time, he's cobbled together a breath-controlled kick pedal for use with Guitar Hero (or Rock Band, if that's your flavor) meant for people in wheelchairs, or who don't have use of their legs, but still want to get in on the rocking action. After tearing apart the kick pedal to expose its piezoelectric sensor, he mods it so that, rather than reacting to physical pressure, it'll react to air pressure. To get the job done, you'll need some PVC piping, a hot glue gun, and a drill. Hit the read link for full instructions and video of Ben himself testing out the device!

[Via Hack a Day]

Jacketed hamsters demonstrate movement-powered nanogenerators

by Darren Murph posted Feb 27th 2009 at 12:33AM

Imagine this -- one day, with enough steroids, your pet hamster actually could power your home by just running on its wheel. Georgia Tech researchers have discovered ways to "convert even irregular biomechanical energy into electricity," and it's demonstrating the finding by showing off jacket-wearing rodents that are game to run. According to the institution's Zhong Lin Wang, the minuscule nanogenerators "can convert any mechanical disturbance into electrical energy," which theoretically means that power can be driven by simple, irregular mechanical motion such as the vibration of vocal cords, flapping of a flag or the tapping of fingers. As with most of these university discoveries, there's no telling how soon this stuff will be pushed out to the commercial realm, but at least they've found something to keep the rats busy during the off hours.

[Via news:lite, thanks Charles]

Continue reading Jacketed hamsters demonstrate movement-powered nanogenerators

LightDrops umbrella classes up your act, generates electricity

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Dec 15th 2008 at 9:43PM

The brainchild of designer Sang-Kyun Park, LightDrops is an umbrella that uses the piezoelectric effect of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) to transform falling rain into electricity, which is then used to light LEDs installed on the umbrella's underside. The heavier the rain falls (and the harder it hits the umbrella), the brighter the light shines. Combine it with the solar tie, and who knows? This might someday become de rigueur for the stylish tech professional. Ella, ella, ella...

[Via StyleCrave]

Continue reading LightDrops umbrella classes up your act, generates electricity

Prototype piezoelectric road could generate power by simply sitting there

by Darren Murph posted Dec 13th 2008 at 1:20PM

By sitting there and getting ran over by motorcars, that is. In an effort to best other power-generating highway options that involve solar panels and enlarged blender arms, Britain's Environmental Transport Association is looking to test a prototype highway that's embedded with piezoelectric crystals. Essentially, the process would work much like the power-generating Tokyo station floors we saw earlier this week; each car that squishes a crystal would contribute a tiny bit of energy, and the collective effect could be enormous. In fact, it's estimated that a single kilometer of roadway could generate 400-kilowatts of energy, or enough to power around eight small cars. And we're no rocket scientists (nor physicists), but we're assuming these whiz kids already made sure these magic crystals weren't friction-generating, too. Right?

Piezoelectrics installed in Tokyo railway station floors generate power, wastes it

by Laura June posted Dec 11th 2008 at 3:56PM

The East Japan Railway Company has been running tests on a "power-generating floor" since the beginning of January 2007, but they've just installed the system for public testing in several areas of the Tokyo station. Using piezoelectrics similar to that we've seen before in a UK discotheque, the Japanese company says the power-generating capacity of the flooring has increased ten-fold over its initial results, and they now expect to generate 1,400kW/sec per day. With that, they plan to power the display pictured above, which shows the power generatd by the floor. Sound a little redundant? Fear not: they plan on using the juice to operate automatic ticket gates in the future.

[Via Inhabitat]