If being able to recharge your future collection of batteries "a thousand times more" than your existing stockpile sounds enticing, a team of NC State physicists now have your attention. Thanks to their research on the electromechanical properties of the commonly used polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), they have discovered that when combined with CTFE (that's yet another polymer), it may allow capacitors to store "up to seven times more energy than those currently in use." According to Vivek Ranjan, the process moves atoms within the material "in order to make the polymer rearrange with the least voltage," and this storage booster could even be used to allow electric cars of the future to sport the "same acceleration capability as a gas-powered sports car." Sounds like more than a few manufacturers are desperate for something like this, eh?

[Image courtesy of Biopact]

While some researchers over in Raleigh are having fun tinkering with PlayStation 3 farms and dodging the RIAA, NC State's Drs. Tushar Ghosh and John Muth are occupied building prototypes with fibers they say "resemble human muscle and can exhibit muscle-like capabilities when electrical currents are applied." The duo sees the development as paving the way for "advancements and potential applications in robotics, smart textiles, prosthetics, and biomedicines," as they have reportedly found that polyurethane and silicone tube structures shaped like human muscle strands can be manipulated with electricity. It was noted, however, that the current models are using strands "roughly the size of a pencil lead," but the next step is to scale down the fibers and integrate them into a robotic Mr. and Mrs. Wuf.

We had a sneaking suspicion that there was an ulterior motive behind Raleigh getting lit up as the "world's first LED city," and aside from savings tons of dough on energy bills over the next decade or so, it seems to make motorists feel a good bit safer, too. According to a before and after survey conducted by Mindwave Research, the number of respondents who "perceived the garage as very safe increased by 76-percent after the LED fixtures were installed." Admittedly, the newfangled lighting certainly added a new level of brightness to the situation, and the number of individuals who gave the garage an overall rating of "excellent" increased by 100-percent in response. The (unnecessarily lengthy) survey also added a few more minor figures to further prove that LED lighting is simply superior to the other stuff , but we're not yet sure if Cree will successfully use this ammunition to grab even more contracts to freshen up the city lights.

While schools in the ACC are certainly making noise on the hardwood, it seems that the Atlantic Coast Conference is also interested in shoving microbots all around your innards. Just days after a team from Georgia Tech envisioned a new internal method for monitoring blood pressure, research conducted at NC State is hoping to cram even more robotic creatures into deep, dark places within your body. A team led by Orlin Velev has discovered that "a simple electronic diode" could spark a new form of propulsion which could power robots and other diminutive devices from a distance. By exploiting "a phenomenon known as electro-osmosis," the diodes can push microscopic material through internal fluids "at speeds of several millimeters per second," which could allow cameras and medicines to reach critical locales that are presently isolated. Of course, there's still a good bit of work to be done, as the prototype device still has become substantially smaller before it will even fit in most of the tiny tubes within your skin, but it's looking more and more like we'll have nursebots shoving spinoffs of themselves into our beings before too long.

[Via NewScientistTech]

While it's no secret that LEDs light up the night in a more efficient (albeit expensive) manner, few locales have given the idea of lighting up the town en masse with LEDs any serious consideration. In a feat that would surely oust Brussles' Dexia Tower in terms of magnitude, city officials in Raleigh, North Carolina are hoping to make the Capital City the "world's first LED city." Reportedly envisioned by the mayor, officials are teaming up with RTP-based Cree, Inc. in order to "save money and help the environment," and in a pilot program completed late last year, a LED-equipped parking deck purportedly burned "40-percent less energy" than those with "standard lighting systems." Additionally, the quality and brightness of the lighting was said to have improved, which paved the way for LEDs to hit up street lights, architectural and accent lighting, and pedestrian and walkway lights over the next 18 months. If things go as planned, the entire city will "convert permanently to LED lighting," hopefully saving around $80,000 a year in parking deck utility bills alone -- and hey, if nobody in charge can figure out how to use an extra 80 large per year, there's a few potholes craters on Hillsborough Street that could use some attention.

[Via TWW]

If the Cardinal (or Tartans) think that the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge will be a gimme, they may want to sneak a peek at the looming competition. Students from NC State's College of Engineering are readying a highly modified Lotus Elise for next year's autonomous vehicle contest, and are working with Insight Technologies as well as Lotus' own engineering group to craft what's likely to be the sexiest unmanned vehicle on the track. Dubbed the Insight Racing team, the crew is loading the whip with "sensors and onboard computers that have been programmed to autonomously maneuver it through an urban setting complete with traffic, intersections and traffic circles." Moreover, the highly-coveted machine will be able to handle its own parking duties (and pose for glamour shots) when the day's done. After finishing 12th overall with just a Chevrolet Suburban in the 2005 Challenge, the Pack hopes its newfangled toy (and subsequent cornering abilities) can propel them to the top come next November.