For the second time in the past few months, Purdue University is hitting us up with a newfangled idea to keep future rigs cooler. This go 'round, engineers have purportedly figured out how to "grow forests of carbon nanotubes onto the surfaces of computer chips to enhance the flow of heat at a critical point where the chips connect to heat sinks." The nanotubes have outperformed "conventional thermal interface materials" in testing, and being that they don't require "elaborate clean-room environments" to produce, manufacturing them should prove much cheaper to boot. Regrettably, there's no word as to when this development could go commercial, but with users demanding more power and less noise, we're sure there's a market waiting.

[Via Physorg]

Hot (ahem) on the heels of Matsushita's induction heating stove comes a similar contraption from Sanyo, but this one has a certain fondness for pressure cooking. The IH pressure rice cooker sports a copper lining that is reportedly sandwiched between layers of stainless steel and aluminum, which enables it to heat up quickly and retain a high degree of heat throughout the cooking process. Additionally, this device promises "even heating" that comes with the IH territory, comes in white / black (ECJ-XP10) or champagne gold (ECJ-V10), and will run you a staggering ¥131,250 ($1,076) when it lands in September.

It was but a few months back that IBM was tooting its own horn in regard to a "breakthrough" technology sure to revolutionize the processor cooling realm as we know it, and while miraculous claims often vanish after their bold declarations, it looks like this invention is moving forward. While we'd already heard the typical techie hub bub that goes along with such systems, IBM is now explaining a bit more about how the process will eventually work. Essentially, researchers have created a system in which "tree-like branched trenches" are placed in the copper cap, where a newly-thinned thermal paste can be applied with half the pressure of current renditions, netting a "twofold increase in cooling performance." The micrometer-sized channels basically act as an "irrigation system" to allow the toasty particles to homogeneously escape rather than building up in the self-proclaimed "magic cross" section. We know, this still isn't spelling things out in layman's terms, but if you're truly interested in knowing precisely how IBM plans on slashing the heat emitted by your future CPUs, grab your reading glasses and hit the read link.

Air-conditioned vests have certainly graced the bodies of armed men and women before, but an elusive new breed is being tested in the multi-million dollar Spinnaker Building at the University of Portsmouth to ensure that it'll keep soldiers cool from the brutal conditions in Iraq. Scientists at the school weren't at will to disclose all the nitty gritty details about the classified gear, but we do know that these bad boys utilize "a combination of air, liquid, and new applications of old technologies such as converting paraffin wax into liquid in chambers within the vests to absorb heat from the body." The gist of the testing is to create a suit that actually improves one's ability to make sound judgments while in the field and under extreme conditions, and it was also mentioned that a mysterious US defense contractor is hoping to tweak these and have 'em out "within one to two years." Now, if only these things were available en masse for our poor laps, we'd really be in business.

[Via Gizmag]