Invisible Shield

This latest science invention is a spray-on invisible thin glass coating that sterilizes, protects and strengthens surfaces.
The coating also repels water, dirt, stains, mildew, fungus, bacteria and viruses.
A liquid coating invented at the Saarbrücken Institute for New Materials in Turkey and patented by Nanopool GmbH of Germany, is a flexible and breathable spray-on glass film.
The film is approximately 100 nanometres thick (500 times thinner than a human hair) and has multiple applications and uses in numerous fields.
The coating is environmentally friendly (Winner of the Green Apple Award).
It can be applied within seconds to make any surface very easy to clean and safe from anti-microbes (Winner of the NHS Smart Solutions Award).
The special glass coating known as "SiO2 ultra-thin layering" protects practically any surface against water, uv radiation, dirt, heat, acid, stains, mildew, fungus. bacteria and viruses.
Trials by food processing plants in Germany have concluded that surfaces coated with liquid glass only need hot water for cleaning. In fact, the coating provided higher levels of sterility than surfaces cleaned with bleach or other chemicals.
A year long trial at a British hospital in Southport, Lancashire is to be published soon with very promising results for a wide range of coating applications used on medical equipment, implants, catheters, sutures and bandages.
Trials for in-vivo applications are confidential, but Neil McClelland, the UK Project Manager for Nanopool GmbH, describes the results as "stunning".
"Items such as stents can be coated, and this will create anti sticking features. Catheters and sutures which are a source of infection, will also cease to be problematic," he says.
Colin Humphreys, a professor of materials science at Cambridge University, commented that liquid glass appears to have a wide range of applications and that the product 'looks impressive'. The investment opportunities for this latest science invention seem endless - buildings, vehicles, appliances, clothing etc. can have dirt and germ free surfaces without using toxic coatings or chemicals.

Building Human Organs

Oganovo is a company based in San Diego, California.
Their latest science invention is a technology (novogen) which allows living tissue cells to be assembled into patterns and complex structures, such as organs.
Organovo has partnered with Invetech. a company based in Australia, to develop a bio-printer.
The device prints (places) human cells in a three-dimensional matrix to construct human tissue.
"Building human organs cell-by-cell was considered science fiction not that long ago," says Fred Davis of Invetech.
Currently, the bio-printer can grow blood vessels.
It is anticipated that within five years the device will construct arteries and by 2020 sophisticated organs will be built by the device.

Glass Nanobots Absorb Toxins

A nanobot particle made from glass is being developed that can absorb pollutants from contaminated water.
The glass particles act like sponges by attracting and binding contaminants to themselves and expanding eight times in size during the process.
But unlike a sponge, these nanobots are hydrophobic, meaning they don't absorb water.
Scientists claim this new technology could be used to clean petroleum spills or other hazardous chemicals from our waterways. After the particles are dropped into the water, they collect pollutants and then rise to the surface when fully expanded. The particles are then skimmed from the surface, cleaned and placed back into the water to repeat the process.

Water Drop Lens

Physicist and inventor, Bruno Berge, has created a liquid optical lens. Using a process known as electro-wetting, a water drop is deposited on a metal substrate and covered by a thin insulating layer. When a voltage is applied to the metal, it modifies the angle of the liquid drop.
The liquid lens is comprised of two liquids, water and oil, one is a conductor while the other is an insulator. A variation in the voltage causes a change to the curvature of the liquid to liquid interface, which changes the focal length of the lens.
The use of liquids allows for low cost construction. There are no moving parts and electrical consumption is extremely low. The lens has a large inverse focal length range, quick response, high optical quality and can operate in a wide temperature range.
See Also: Future Contact Lenses

Batteries That Operate With Any Liquid

Chungpin Liao, a professor at the Graduate School of Electro-Optic and Material Science of National Formosa University in Taiwan has invented an organic battery that creates electricity when wet. The "organic" battery generates a charge within 10 seconds and will last anywhere from two days to a week depending on the liquid. It works with water, beverages or even urine.
Although it will only produce half the strength of traditional batteries, the organic battery has a storage capacity greater than water-powered fuel cells and is very cheap to manufacture.
"Plus it contains no toxic substances and does not pose an environmental hazard" says Chungpin.
Liao received his degree in nuclear engineering from National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. He earned his Masters and Ph.D degrees in plasma science and fusion technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, United States.

Gyro Technology

This wild new motorcycle, invented by 19-year-old Ben J. Poss Gulak, is among the latest inventions to capture attention.Debuting at the National Motorcycle Show in Toronto, the "Uno" uses gyro technology for balance and acceleration.
It is a battery charged machine that accelerates by leaning forward and slowing down by leaning backwards. It weighs approximately 129 pounds (58 kg.) and has a top speed of 25 mph (40 klms).
Update: Since featuring Ben's invention, he has continued to develop and progress with his innovative product. He won second place in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and first prize in Popular Science's Invention Awards.
Ben also appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and on the popular invention television show "Dragon's Den" where he received 1.25 million dollars from investors.
Gulak continues to develop and commercialize his invention while studying engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The latest prototype, known as the Uno 3, can automatically transform itself from a uno-dicycle into a conventional looking motorcycle, which allows for greater acceleration, speed and stability.
Ben shares this advice for inventors, "When you have an idea, it's easy to get discouraged. There are so many people who will tell you that you're wasting your time. The biggest thing is to not let people get you down. If you really believe in something - keep going after it because there is always a way and you can make your dreams come true."

Jet Man

Jet Man

Inventor and former Swiss Air Force fighter pilot, Yves Rossy, jumped from a plane over Calais, France and flew 200 mph crossing the English Channel in 13 minutes before landing in Dover, England.Earlier this year he unfolded the wings on his back and flew 186 mph (300 kilometers) above the Swiss Alps.
Using four small jet engines attached to his carbon wings, he climbed at 200 ft per minute before executing a series of stunts for a crowd of reporters watching from a mountain top.
The spectacular demonstration was the first public revelation of his latest invention, which he spent five years developing.
"It is absolute freedom" says Rossy.
The inventor says his 120 lb Jetman suit will eventually be available to the public but it's still a few years away.
The flight over the English Channel was his second public demonstration. He is planning his next flight through the Grand Canyon.
Update: Yves Rossy has completed his flight over the Grand Canyon. He jumped out of a helicopter at 2,440 metres (8,000 feet) and soared over the Canyon at 330 km (205 mph) for eight minutes before deploying his parachute.
"My first flight in the US is sure to be one of the most memorable experiences in my life, not only for the sheer beauty of the Grand Canyon but the honor to fly in sacred Native American lands," said Rossy. 

Cell Jammer

Cell Jammer

A cell jammer, or cell phone blocker, is an invention that interferes with the radio waves used by cell phones.
This interference will block cell phone calls because it disrupts the transmission between a cell phone and a service network's cellular towers.
A "jammed" phone can't connect and will simply indicate no service to the user.

How It Works

Get a 9-volt battery and a quarter. Find an AM/FM radio and adjust the tuning dial until you get only static.While holding the battery close to the antenna, tap your quarter across the two terminals. You will hear the tapping on the radio.
The battery/quarter is actually a wireless transmitter. It's not very powerful and it can't block your radio reception but if it was more powerful you could interfere with radio waves over a wider range. That's how a cell phone signal blocker works.
The physicist James Maxwell predicted the existence of radio waves in the 1860's, and in 1886, the physicist Heinrich Hertz demonstrated that rapid variations of electric current would project radio waves through space.
It was this discovery that eventually led to numerous wireless communication inventions (radio, television, remote controls, satellites, cell phones etc.)
These devices work within specific frequencies which are regulated by governments. A frequency is the number of waves that pass through a given point per second (cycles per second).
These cycles are called Hertz (Hz) named after Hertz. If a device has a frequency of 100 Hz, it means that 100 waves are passing through a given point in one second.
Radio wave frequencies range as low as 3 Hz to as high as 1 Gigahertz.
Aircraft communicate in frequencies between 30 to 300 Mhz.
Submarines communicate in frequencies between 3 to 30 Hz.
Radio stations broadcast in frequencies between 148 kHz to 1710 kHz and a tuner on a radio allows you to "tune in" to a specific frequency so you can listen to a specific radio broadcast.

Cell Phone Blocker

Cell phones work in frequencies between 800 Mhz and 1900 Mhz. A cell phone blocker transmits interference for these frequencies which targets cell phones.
Most countries regulate and/or prohibit the use and ownership of acell jammer.
In some countries a cell blocker may be used within schools, jails, banks, libraries, churches, concert venues, restaurants, hospitals or movie theaters.
Law enforcement and the military can deploy radio frequency jamming. A powerful tactical response jammer can disable all communications in a very large area.
For example, the TRJ-89 tactical jammer can create a blanket of "RF silence" over a 5 mile (8 km) radius. This would effectively create a "dead zone" for communications.

Vertical Farming

Vertical Farming

Vertical farming is an eco-friendly architectural concept for cultivating food within skyscrapers.
It uses green inventions and green technologies related to hydroponics, aeroponics and agua-farming to economically produce food for personal and communal consumption.
It is estimated that over the next four decades, our population will increase by 3 billion people and that 80% of us will be living in cities.
Many scientists are concerned that the amount of land required to feed us in the future will not be available nor will it be economically or environmentally sustainable.
Currently, the amount of land required to produce food for 6.8 billion people on earth is equivalent to the continent of South America. In four decades, we will require an additional 2 billion acres for cultivating food. But that much arable land doesn't exist.
Global warming and geological events will continue to create extreme weather conditions causing frost, floods, droughts, hailstorms, wildfires and torrential rainfalls that will severely effect the economics and sustainability of our food supply.
India has the world's second largest population and is experiencing extreme changes in temperatures and rainfall patterns.
It is predicted that within this century, India will lose 30% of it's agricultural production. So as the population increases, scientists are wondering - "Where are we going to get food?"
Currently, seventy-percent of available freshwater is used for agricultural irrigation, which subsequently contaminates our diminishing supply of fresh water with pesticides and herbicides.
Transporting food thousands of miles is also becoming increasingly impractical and unsustainable because of the rising costs of gasoline and diesel fuel.
In the United States, it is estimated that twenty-percent of all fossil fuel consumption is used for agriculture.
Dickson Despommier, a microbiologist and professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University, is credited with popularizing the concept of vertical farming.
The idea originated from an assignment given to his students to determine how 2 million inhabitants of Manhattan could be fed from crops produced on 13 acres of rooftop gardens.
It was discovered that only 2% of the population could be fed from these gardens so vertical farming became an alternative solution.
Vertical farming stacks and grows plants "vertically" in skyscrappers and usesmineral enriched water instead of soil. It also uses the recycling concept of aquaponics where fish are cultivated in tanks and their waste provides nutrients for edible plants that reciprocate by filtering the water for the fish.
Advances in green inventions are making vertical farming a reality. The Illinois Institute of Technology is currently designing such a project for the city of Chicago.

Famous Scientists and Their Inventions

Famous Scientists	Life Period	Inventions
Archimedes	287-212 BC	Archimedean principle, famous theory of buoyancy and many mathematical and mechanical discoveries. You can read more in detail on Archimedes inventions
Heinrich Hertz	1857-1894	Electromagnetic theory of light and electromagnetic waves.
Andre Marie Ampere	1775-1836	Unit of measurement to measure electric current
Amedeo Avogadro	1776-1856	Avogadro's Law, that is, "equal volumes of different gases, pressure and temperature being equal, contain the same number of molecules".
Neils Hendrik David Bohr	1885-1962	Bohr Model of Atom
Johannes Gutenberg	398-1468	Letterpress printing press also known as mechanical printing press.
Albert Einstein	1879-1955	Theory of Relativity, photoelectric effect and lots more
Rudolf Diesel	1858-1913	Combustion engine.
Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen	1845-1923	X-ray
Karl Friedrich von Drais	1785-1851	Bicycle
Peter Henlein	1479-1542	Pocket Watch
Ferdinand Verbiest	1623-1688	Verbiest invented the first ever car.
Graham Bell	1847-1922	Graham Bell invented the first practical telephone.
Philipp Reis	1834-1874	Reis is known for the early invention of telephone
John Logie Baird	1888-1946	John Logie Baird invented the television. You can read more on invention of television
Werner von Siemens	1816-1892	Dynamo
Hans von Ohain	1911-1998	Jet engine
Artur Fischer	1919	Fischertechnik
Felix Hoffmann	1868-1946	Aspirin
Hugo Junkers	1859-1935	Civilian avion
Otto Lilienthal	1848-1896	Gliding flights
Melitta Bentz	1873-1950	Coffee Filter
Konrad Zuse	1910-1995	First 'working' computer. You can read more on the original idea of computers and also about Charles Babbage who invented the computer.
Gottlieb Daimler	1834-1900	Automobile and internal combustion machine
Robert Koch	1843-1910	Isolation of Bacillus anthracis, tuberculosis bacteria and Vibrio cholerae. Also known for his Koch's postulates.
Karlheinz Brandenburg	1954	MP3 Technology
Heinrich Gobel	1818-1893	Incandescent light bulb
Samuel Hahnemann	1755-1843	Creation of alternative medicine practice called Homeopathy
Heinrich Focke	1890-1979	Helicopter
Levi Strauss	1829-1902	Jeans
Otto Hahn	1879-1968	Nuclear fission and known as the 'father of nuclear chemistry'.
Julius Lothar Meyer	1830-1895	First person to draw the periodic table of chemical elements
Emil Berliner	1851-1929	Record Player
Rudolf Hell	1901-2002	Formulated technology for Scanner and Fax
Fritz Pfleumer	1881-1945	Audio tape
Thomas Edison	1847-1931	Electric light bulb. You can read more on Thomas Edison inventions
Elias Howe	1819-1867	Sewing machine
Laszlo Jozsef Bíro	1899-1985	Ballpoint pen
Garrett Augustus Morgan	1877-1963	Traffic signal, respiratory protective mask (gas mask), hair straightening preparation.
Samuel F. B. Morse	1791-1872	Telegraph invention
Percy Spencer	1894-1970	Microwave oven
Orville Wright, Wilbur Wright	1871-1948, 1867-1912	Airplane invention
Benjamin Franklin	1706-1790	One of the founding fathers of America, Franklin is attributed to have invented electricity

Scientists Develop New Potato Lines to Wage War On Wireworms

Previous studies showed that the wild potatoes resisted Colorado potato beetles and green peach aphids, two very different pests. Given this broadspread resistance, the researchers decided to see how the spuds fared against wireworms, which are the click beetle's larval stage.

To do this, the researchers crossed germplasm derived from the wild potatoes with a cultivated variety, and then selected 15 top-performing plants from three generations of progeny. Their next step was to plant the progeny lines, called "breeding clones," in wireworm-infested field plots and compare the damage they sustained with that seen in flanking rows of Russet Burbank potatoes -- some treated with insecticide and some that hadn't been treated.

The results showed that the resistant clones fared just as well, and in some cases better than, the insecticide-treated Russet Burbank potatoes. The research has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Economic Entomology.

Growers now use organophosphate- and carbamate-based insecticides against wireworms, notes Rich Novy, a plant geneticist with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit in Aberdeen, Idaho. However, the continued registration of some of these insecticides is uncertain. Also, the chemicals don't always eliminate the slender, brownish-orange pests, which can survive beneath the soil for as long as five years before emerging as adults.

The researchers suspect natural compounds called glycoalkaloids may be protecting the breeding clones. Fortunately, the total glycoalkaloid concentrations in many of the resistant clones are well below levels deemed harmful to consumers.