Those strips of pretty gold ribbon were made to “melt” onto the surface of your brain, forming a customized network of electrodes that can be used to monitor or even control functions of the brain. The real question is: Will it let you play Pong with your mind?

The implant was actually developed to monitor and control seizures and eventually send signals around damaged spinal cords to the rest of the body. It’s mostly made of silk, with fine electrodes embedded in polymide (a type of plastic). This new implant has an order of magnitude more electrodes than older needle-like implants (yowza). That means neurologists can monitor more brain functions and see interactions between vast networks of neurons.

The new implant can be set to dissolve over time or remain in the skull as long as needed.

Neurologists are excited about the implant, hoping it can lead to better treatments for seizures and spinal injuries. I just keep thinking about mind-computer interfaces, fully immersive VR environments, and electronic cognitive enhancements. Bring on the cyborgs! I’m ready for post-humanity!

The implant was developed at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

Link to Gizmag article

Engineers at California startup Transonic Combustion say they’ve found a way to more than double gas mileage—without a hybrid system. Their solution? Supercritical fluids.

The engineers at Transonic have developed a new fuel injection system that takes advantage of an in-between state of matter called supercritical fluid. Supercritical fluids straddle the line between liquid and gas. They can diffuse through a solid like a gas, yet dissolve substances like a liquid. And—this is key—they have very low surface tension. So when liquid gasoline goes supercritical, it doesn’t form droplets and can mix with air almost instantly. That means drastically improved combustion and efficiency.

The injection system, called TSCi, has a catalyst that breaks fuel into simple hydrocarbons. The fuel is then squeezed through a heated injector that puts the fuel in a supercritical state. This reduces the time it takes to vaporize the fuel, which means it can be burned earlier and in the center of the combustion chamber. The flame burns fast and clean, and doesn’t transfer as much heat to the cylinder walls.

Transonic has a 3,200-pound test car outfitted with its TSCi system running on a dyno at 50 miles per hour. It’s getting 98 miles per gallon. In highway testing, another one of their test cars gets 64 mpg. The system also dramatically decreases emissions.

The company wants to hook up with major auto manufacturers to get its system on the road by 2014.

Source: The Kneeslider, SAE

In case you missed it, the geniuses at Stanford have created super batteries using carbon nanotube ink and silver nanowires. They basically spread the carbon nanotube/silver goop on paper and it’s ready to store energy. The paper batteries are capable of storing 10 times as much energy by weight as lithium-ion batteries and are conceivably good for 40,000 charge-discharge cycles. From the Stanford article:

“These nanomaterials are special,” [assistant professor Yi] Cui said. “They’re a one-dimensional structure with very small diameters.” The small diameter helps the nanomaterial ink stick strongly to the fibrous paper, making the battery and supercapacitor very durable. The paper supercapacitor may last through 40,000 charge-discharge cycles – at least an order of magnitude more than lithium batteries. The nanomaterials also make ideal conductors because they move electricity along much more efficiently than ordinary conductors, Cui said.

Cui says that the thin, lightweight, flexible batteries could be used in everything from consumer electronics to cars. He also says the technology is basically ready for action. Just a few refinements and the batteries could go into production.

Link to Stanford article

Behold the Ferrari 599 Hybrid! Despite its wicked metallic green paint, it’s not all that environmentally friendly. The V-12 rocket ship reportedly uses a variation of Ferrari’s KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) setup used on F-1 cars. No, Gambit has nothing to do with it. The system captures energy from braking in the form of electricity. That energy can then be released with the push of a button, powering an electric motor for extra boost. The motor is mated directly to the transmission and delivers 100 horsepower. The whole hybrid system weighs about 220 pounds.

This spy shot was taken during setup at this year’s Geneva Auto Show. It appeared on Autoblog and a few other sites, but was pulled at Ferrari’s request. Because only seven people read this blog and I think the photo is damn pretty, I’m posting it anyway. Really, the 599 just looks luscious in that green, doesn’t it?

Link to Autoblog article.

The desert planet of Arrakis, Dune, is a ball of desiccated sand, a place where water is more precious than gold. Wait, no, we’re talking about Australia. Or Dubai. The EVOLUTE toilet concept is designed for parched climates and uses 90 percent less water than conventional toilets.

The toilet ditches the conventional water tank and instead uses a rotating sphere and miserly jets of water. The sphere sits at the base of the bowl. It has a small cup to catch your stuff. Hit the flush and the sphere rotates and dumps the waste down the sewer drain. A small jet of water rinses out the cup and washes down the walls of the bowl. The whole thing is mechanical–no electricity required. It uses less than one liter of water per flush and takes up 30 percent less floor space than a conventional toilet.

It’s a clever design and should be on the market sometime in 2012. But really, I just wanted to mention Arrakis.

Link to Gizmag article

Compared to this, even you look like a gas guzzler. Students at Cal Poly have built a super-streamlined ride that clocks a record 2,752.3 miles per gallon. They call it the Black Widow. The all-carbon-fiber three wheeler weighs a scant 95 pounds and is powered by a seriously tweaked 3-horsepower, four-stroke Honda 50cc single. Its coefficient of drag is an astounding .12. It uses 20-inch bicycle wheels, two in the front and one in the rear. Yeah, it tops out at just 30 miles per hour, but still, it’s an incredible feat.

Link to Inhabitat article

The bicycle is nearly perfect—an an efficient and beautiful expression of man and machine. Still, the geniuses at MIT have found a way to improve it. Meet the Copenhagen Wheel, a super-snazzy wheel with a kinetic-energy capture system and built-in electronics to monitor everything from distance to pedaling effort.

The heart of the Copenhagen wheel is a KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System). The system captures energy when you slow down, which can then be delivered on demand for a boost of speed. It uses an electric motor and batteries contained within the hub.

The Copenhagen wheel also beams information to the iPhone via Bluetooth, including speed, distance traveled, direction, and even air pollution.

The wheel will be on sale sometime in 2010. From MIT:

The initial prototypes of the Copenhagen Wheel were developed along with company Ducati Energia and the Italian Ministry of the Environment. It is expected that the wheel will go into production next year, with a tag price competitive with that of a standard electric bike. According to Claus Juhl, CEO of Copenhagen, the city might place the first order and use bicycles retrofitted with the Copenhagen Wheel as a substitution for city employee cars as part of the city’s goal to become the world’s first carbon-neutral capital by 2025.

It’s pretty slick. I’d definitely add one to my around-town cruiser, budget permitting.

Link to MIT article

In their quest to transform mild-manered scientists into technology wielding superheroes, researchers at Cornell have created a device that could let them walk on walls.

The device uses the surface tension of water for adhesion. It’s inspired by a beetle that can stick to a leaf with 100 times its own weight. Basically you’ve got a small plate drilled with hundreds of micron-scale holes on top of a water reservoir. Current is applied to the plate via a 9-volt battery, which pushes the water up through the holes to form tiny bumps or droplets of water. The surface tension of those droplets makes the plate stick to virtually any surface. Reverse the current and the droplets retract, breaking adhesion.

It’s remarkably sticky. Researchers estimate that a one-square-inch pad would hold up to 15 pounds of weight.

Uses include shoes and gloves for walking on walls, and roll-out mats to stop bad guys in their tracks.

Link to Cornell Chronicle article

Big Oil killed the car that ran on water, Big Textiles killed the suit that never needed to be dry cleaned, and now Big Detergent is going to kill liquid glass. Made by the aptly named Nanopool corporation, liquid glass is a spray-on glasslike coating that can protect virtually anything from UV radiation, dirt, heat, bacteria, and space rays. Okay, maybe not space rays, but Nanopool claims that the stuff virtually eliminates the need for detergent.

According to an article at PhysOrg.com, the coating is almost all silicon dioxide, the main component of glass. There are no adhesives to make the spray coating stick—quantum forces bind it to whatever you spray it on. Liquid glass is also flexible and breathable, so it can be sprayed on clothing or even plants for protection.

From PhysOrg.com:

The liquid glass spray produces a water-resistant coating only around 100 nanometers (15-30 molecules) thick. On this nanoscale the glass is highly flexible and breathable. The coating is environmentally harmless and non-toxic, and easy to clean using only water or a simple wipe with a damp cloth. It repels bacteria, water and dirt, and resists heat, UV light and even acids. UK project manager with Nanopool, Neil McClelland, said soon almost every product you purchase will be coated with liquid glass.

The liquid glass coating is breathable, which means it can be used on plants and seeds. Trials in vineyards have found spraying vines increases their resistance to fungal diseases, while other tests have shown sprayed seeds germinate and grow faster than untreated seeds, and coated wood is not attacked by termites. Other vineyard applications include coating corks with liquid glass to prevent “corking” and contamination of wine. The spray cannot be seen by the naked eye, which means it could also be used to treat clothing and other materials to make them stain-resistant. McClelland said you can “pour a bottle of wine over an expensive silk shirt and it will come right off”.

In the home, spray-on glass would eliminate the need for scrubbing and make most cleaning products obsolete. Since it is available in both water-based and alcohol-based solutions, it can be used in the oven, in bathrooms, tiles, sinks, and almost every other surface in the home, and one spray is said to last a year.

The miracle spray is supposed to be going on sale in the UK in the near future. No word on whether it’ll be available stateside, but I’d definitely give it a try. And hey, maybe if I spray it on myself, I’ll be virtually indestructible and I’ll finally be able to get my superhero business off the ground.

Link to PhysOrg.com article

Fungal packing material: EcoCradle

Wood is ancient history. The building material of the future is fungus. Artist and hardcore amateur mycologist Philip Ross is growing super-durable bricks of mycelium that could be used for everything from structural support to insulation.

Ross grows bricks of mycelium—wispy, spongy fungal root systems—in rusty shipping containers on his farm Far West Fungi in the California Bay Area. When dried, the bricks are stronger pound-for-pound than concrete and insulate better than fiberglass insulation.

So far Ross has constructed a single six-foot archway out of the stuff. According to the artist, he ruined several saw blades and metal files shaping the bricks—they’re that tough. He called the structure Mycotectural Alpha and it’s on display in a gallery in Germany.

Ross isn’t alone. A company called Ecovative is building at 10,000-square-foot fungi farm on Green Island, N.Y. They plan to grow a ton of fungi-based building material. Their first commercial product will be a biodegradable alternative to Styrofoam called Ecocradle.

The best thing about mushroom-based building material? Mushrooms munch waste—stuff that’s left over from food crops, like seed husks.

So don’t be surprised if you find fungus-based building material at your local Home Depot in a few years.

Link to Time article