China's New Dredgers Build Islands

Innovations can change the world and can at the same time be very controversial. China has built an amazing machine that can build islands in a short amount of time, that they are using to control the seas in shipping channels. It is alarming the amount of destruction it can cause environmentally. They hold record of reef destruction in the seas. Not a record to be respected. It is impressive what the machine can do, but in the wrong hands it is equally amazing the destruction it can do.

The machine / ship pulls up massive amounts of materials from the sea bottoms and displaces it on reefs or rock formations on the sea to make islands appear where they never existed in recent times. For China it is a territory grab to control ship travel and build defense platforms.

This is not a new idea. Palm Tree Island in the Dubi was built for real estate development. It to changed the environment we live in. It to dredged the bottom of the sea to develop human inhabitable  land from the creatures and materials that had previously lived there.   

The question will remain, Can we use this technology for good? Will it be used to save land for humans as the seas rise for global warming. Stay tuned!

Drones to Plant Trees .... Or Change Landscapes

Imagine using a drone to plant trees or anything else. Use your drone to take pictures from the sky. Use the picture and your laptop to develop how you would like it to look. Load your drone with seed capsules and send it on its programed way. Ten foot off the ground it launches the capsules exactly where you programed it to. Its becoming more of a reality as we speak.

Check out this link to see:

Plant 100,000 Trees a Day

Farming Without Sweat and Things You Don't Want in Your Food ... FARMBOT

I had the privilege to participate in Green Bay, WI's first Victory Garden effort a few years ago. It is an effort to get the next generations interested in the art of growing your own food in your backyard or a community garden. There are so many reasons why this is a good thing. These devices are going to help this effort and many around the globe. While I feel that mentors will be a good help in the implementation of these great machines, Farmbot is reaching out to you to make it work. So many times we went to deliver the square foot gardening and had to point out that the garden needed the location changed for the simple need of sun light. Seems simple, yet it may not be for the person totally unfamiliar with the requirements for growing things. I was a farm boy. You study what makes plants grow while you get your hands dirty.

I am very excited about this innovation. It can make a huge difference in our future. The Farm Bot Blog helps you get excited about the progress of the overall program its at Farm Bot Blog - Click Here

Their website is very exciting to the nerd guy and maybe a little intimidating to the average gardener. However it is very worth every minute of your time. Visit : Farmbot Genesis

It is a very great start to gardening automation with your help it will be improved and perfected.

Vertical Farming, Fresh, Ripe on Vine Harvests for Local Restaurants Year Around

Farming takes a different direction....... UP! Recently I had the opportunity to visit the hydroponic gardens at the Chicago Airport. I had reported on this a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised it had grown and was still supplying veggies for the local restaurants. This year in Jackson Hole Wyoming, an even more commercial farm opened up. This farming structure moves the plants by conveyors to southern exposure. It uses different areas of the greenhouse building to fit demands of different plant varieties. Tomatoes go on top because they like heat. This farm supplies fresh products for the local restaurants year around.

Read more at their Website: Clip here go to the future of farming

Sources of Energy in Water Pipes?

Portland Oregon's green power commitment has forced them to be creative to reach their desired outcome. Made by Lucid energies the water main generator could prove to tap green energies for many cities. Cities have long used water towers to elevate the supply and demand by using gravity and volume. Why not use this movement to generate electricity? Watch the 2 posted videos and checkout my link to the Lucid Energy website

Key to the generator efficiency is in the blade design.

Xprize Innovation Challenge Incites Competition

One of the X Prize winners is a space innovation.

X Prize is an organization that has a goal to benefit humanity by inciting competition with monetary prizes. This is the premise for their existence:"That it’s part of our DNA. Of humanity itself. That tapping into that indomitable spirit of competition brings about breakthroughs and solutions that once seemed unimaginable. Impossible." - Visit the X PRIZE website: Click here to help humanity!

The website includes a list of career paths and ideas to change the world. It is a very innovative way to organize ideas and gather sponsors to fund challenges. This site is definitely a great way to focus on large needs and organize resources to encourage investment.

Tesla Inovation Shines Into Solar Energy Production

On an earlier post I had mentioned that a electric car manufacturer other than Tesla was doing research to see what they could possibly do with their cars batteries after their cars life had expired but not the batteries life. They were looking at using them to store power in the home solar market. Tesla recently announced in a Steve Jobs like product announcement, they are producing special batteries for solar systems used in homes and business.  

Elon Musk does a great job of presenting the problem and the describing the solution and how important it is to all of us on earth. The Tesla Power Wall will be an important element to make solar power a more affordable and exceptionable solution to where we are now. This will not only affect advanced countries but make it so much easier for 3rd world to power up as well. The Tesla Power Pack is the larger answer to business and city demands. April 30th, 2015 will be mark in the history of mankind of a very big change in how energy will be produced for the future.

Recent advancements in solar panel construction in chemical and materials has made solar panels more affordable. Now combining the Tesla battery and panel advancements, the solar energy systems will get payback earlier. Electric cars , homes and business will charge off the sun, thus making a smaller carbon foot print.  This will be important for this and generations to come. Tesla Energy Company Website

3D Printers Rise in Prominence in Space Travel

Just a few years ago there was an excitement from the technology developed by a few young people. They thought why cant we use the technology of a regular printer to use material other than ink to actually build 3 dimensional objects. This opened a whole new search for a large gamut of material choices to use in these machines. Recently a new set of rosins were discovered that while in liquid state seemingly similar to the what you may see in the Hollywood movie terminator. This helps the 3D printer build things so much faster than the more primitive 3D models here on earth. Read: Washington Post - Mind Blowing 3D Printing material

NASA scientists find this printer technology just developed in a few short years so vitally important to the future of space travel. As they expand deeper into space with human space travel, space is so critical. Taking a whole supply of parts or tools is not a option, but an ability to build what you absolutely need is essential. Recently the space station has been testing today's 3D printers in low gravity. NASA - Building in Zero Gravity on Space Station As expected the  problem to overcome is that liquid surface tension changes to low gravity. So the search for materials with with surface tension characteristics more adaptive to space is on. Could the 3D printer require gravity simulation devices? Present technology has small hurdles to overcome. Will the solution come from verging two or more existing technologies, or will we discover a new use for an existing technology? Will sharing these concerns with others on the internet to a world of different backgrounds and experiences, accelerate the solution is yet to be seen. Using the vast array of potential tools combined with the world of computerized machines, still relies on human curiosity and the drive to innovate. 

Preparing for Space Station 3D printing

Visibility Innovation In Paint Catches On

Many back yard hot rod enthusiasts have been experimenting with using glow paints in their artistic designs on their favorite automobiles for years. This is the first time a major car manufacturer has made this innovative assembly line commitment. In the automotive world visibility enhances class and design, however it is huge in accident prevention. Seeing the other car helps the drivers avoid collisions. Car manufacturers have been redesigning lights and incorporating reflective materials to their designs to achieve more visibility. Why not use the entire body area to help achieve the desired safety and aesthetic accomplishments. Nissan is doing this with the glowing paint option on their Leaf model. It is more than fad, it is a good idea. Imagine the devices that need this. All bicycles, objects along highways and much more will change our views of the night and save lives in the future.

How does it work? The ultraviolet-energized paint created especially for Nissan. It is unique thanks to its secret formula that consists only of organic compounds, including a rare natural earth product called Strontium Aluminate, a solid, odorless, chemically and biologically inert substance. Nissan said it is the first automaker to apply such a paint to a vehicle. If made commercially available, Nissan said the paint had a life expectancy of 25 years.
Learn more by clicking on these links:
Car And Driver
Tech Tell - OK,OK Its Cool
Awesome paint

Smart Hydrogels Save Lives In War Times

Wounds require moisture levels of different levels to enhance cellular healing, depending on the type of wounds a person may have. Hydrogels are not new to the medical field. There is written evidence of the use of hydrogels used as far back as 1894. Hydrogels are made from many different materials. Evidence shows that honey can be used in some cases to act as a natural hydrogel. Click on: Honey as a healing hydrogel. It  has shown in medical studies that it contains antimicrobial agents with the ability to promote wound healing.

These hydrogels are used in the bandages, wound dressings, or applied directly to the wound areas depending on the type of wounds or burns. Over the years many companies have used different ointments that have been applied to human or animal wounds to accelerate healing. Read on the use of hydrogels: All you need to know about hydrogels.

Taking hydrogels to a new level. Smart hydrogels is a new term used for taking the hydrogels and mixing in the new nano tech and genetic advancements to enhance healing to even a new level. Basically its using the honey idea, a hydrogel with healing advantages for cellular construction and healing. In particular, recent advances in the so-called smart hydrogels have made it possible to design highly sophisticated formulations, self-regulated drug delivery systems. Read about the evolution of hydrogels: Hydrogel avancements

Carried by special forces, hydrogel is a must to save a life, but I've been told when applied, "it burns like hell."

Smart hydrogels are being engineered into a nano scaffold material with the ability to contain genetically engineered material to super charge cellar healing. Along with time release pain and other medications it can be made inject-able. These advancements are welcomed in the war zones. They have also been attributed to our ability to save many lives in war. Excitement is building in these great advancements. The FDA has recently approved a version which the military medics call liquid bandages. These advancements will cut back on civilian wound healing times. Cut down on medical costs and employee down time.
Click on this link to see hydrogels used: Actually Using Hydrogels To Heal

Copenhagen Wheel Verging Smart Power with Smart Phones to Get Smart Fun

MIT worked to create hybrid technology that works well with bicycles.

Many cities in the USA are working to make cities more bike and walker friendly. Imagine using the power made by traveling down hill to help you glide up the next hill. The technology is here.

Simply replace the rear wheel on your bike with this wheel and biking goes from chore to explore. Fire up your smart phone and communicate with the wheel to respond the way you want it to. You can have one of these clever inventions through the company's website. Click here to find more information: www.superpedestrian.com

Verging Ideas Works in Sports, "Foot Golf"

Finding ways to increase profitability by improving efficiencies of resource utilization is a common target of most businesses. Golf courses have expenses in land and maintenance. By utilizing the golf course for more than one sport is a great thing for diverse interests and the bottom line. The American FootGolf League introduced the sport of FootGolf in North America in 2011. The brand new sport has grown to 36 states. Footgolf combines Soccer and Golf. Using the same golf course, yet not the golf greens, the sport gives soccer enthusiasts another way to enjoy their sport in another dimension.

Find out more about the game at: FOOTGOLF League Information

Unlike Frisbee golf that requires a different course to play on and different equipment, Footgolf can be played on the same course with golf. Customers don't have to invest on much more than a soccer ball and their cleats. 
"Going golfing?" Don't forget the Soccer Ball!!

2014 World Cup Shows Exoskeletons Are Getting Better!

The world Cup 2014 Highlights Exoskeleton advancements on opening kick off.

The Actual KICK OFF 2014

On an earlier blog I reported on the ideas for the exoskeletons to help the Military by giving an able body person extra strength for carrying super cargo. I suggested that in a Spy-Kids movie they used a similar idea for wheel chair bound persons. By putting a plastic suit on similar to the new Iron man movies, they can walk again. I think it is amazing how fast technology is moving with ideas. I have submitted earlier 2012 web postings.

Walking again is important to longer life.

  There is research in the UK showing great promise: 2012 report of progress of Exoskeleton

2012 Video explains the progress that can change the world for many.

Rhino Motors Works With Government To Support Invention

The original RYNO is changing for production.

A one wheeled electric bike is making noise in the world of Portland Oregon transportation. The invention that looks like something from a Star Wars Movie, is making local elected officials look at how they can aid the electric device become an even more effective mode of transportation for their constitutes. They know this is the future.

The Ryno Bike has a commendable but limited battery time. But by using it with public transportation it extends the length of travel. By adding racks to the Portland Oregons MAX transportation vehicles it extends the length of travel time but helps eliminate road and infrastructure congestion.

Order a RYNO for your transportation: RYNO MOTORS
Check out the Science Friday show highlighting RYNO Motors invention: Click here for SF Coverage.

"D" Shirts - Smart Tech Shirts Technology Is Here

Imagine wearing a shirt that has sensors that send information to your cell phone by using an APP. A company in France has done just this. Cityzen has started rolling out commercials for their new sports wear with this technology. Read about this company: Company Focus

This technology is not new. Astro Skin made by a Canadian company, has been producing something very similar to the new Cityzen "D" shirts. These Astro skins were used by astronauts and explorers that needed their health monitored by the support teams to help increase the likeliness of the mission completion. This new technology makes it accessible to the everyday person and or personal doctors. Link to the Astro skin info: Astronauts Life Lines!

Under Armour has partnered with Zephyr Technology on a similar smart shirt project, a data company that designs performance technology for the U.S. Special Forces and used by some top athletes.This race for smart clothing is heating up.

As the Baby Boomer generation ages and healthcare costs are expected to rise, many companies are looking at ways to help in addressing the expanding needs and stretched resources of the healthcare providing industry. These shirts are being marketed and advertised in the physical fitness world first. I am guessing that the company is targeting the younger health minded young business people that may have more money to spend on pricey tech start up costs. I do see this expanding rapidly into the healthcare industry.

What they do:

• Connect to your cell phone to make data easily readable through an APP.
• Uses the data from both the "D" shirts data and the phones GPS data.
• Uses the Smart fabric as a data link to a small battery powered transmitter to link to the grid or smart phone.
• The many sensors built in the suit that provide information about:
• Body heat
• Respiration rate
• Heart rate
• Motion through location via GPS
• Additional sensors they are working on that can be added soon are:
• blood oxygen
• tidal volume (the amount of air flowing in and out of the lungs when breathing normally)
• perhaps eventually blood glucose levels
• There is talk that the batteries in the future will be recharged during the washing of the material, by using the motion of the washing machine to make electricity to charge the battery.

More sites researching this innovation: Giz mag
More techy revelations: Bio Tech Sensor Expanations

Innovation In Growing: Using Ground Covers To Get Results In Agriculture

Cover crop radishes store valuable nitrogen help build the soil.

Innovation on how we grow plants improve production, decrease production costs and help save our environment. Sustainability efforts in agriculture have been focusing on finding ways to help the soil live up to the demand of production, farming expects. Simply adding man made fertilizers and herbicides can inflict some undesirable affects on the environment as well as being extremely expensive. In recent years in agriculture, orchards and in residential environments more friendly innovative practices are proving effective options to the man made chemicals.

The farmers effort to get more nitrogen into the soil for their crops are planting a fall crop of several different nitrogen producing plants either plow into or allow to rot into the soil for enhanced affects to the soil for the spring. Plants planted are: Cover crop radishes, Cover crop turnips, Austrian winter peas, together with wheat or alfalfa - cover mixtures. This helps build up the soil and build the nitrogen for the following crop year. Corn and Soybeans the cash crop giants of modern day farming suck up a great amount of nitrogen from the soil. Read more: Cover crops a benefit for farmers. Click here.

Adding red clover around the trees builds soil for the trees, but also provide homes for helpful mites!

The cherry orchards effort, however similar to the farmers efforts are finding not only are they finding nitrogen and soil buildup, but if the use a clover it provides a home for helpful mites that can provide an option to the orchard owner to cut back on herbicides used to get rid of pests detrimental to healthy fruit. They have to be careful not to use varieties that wont steal too much water and cause smaller cherries. Moisture availability will have to be considered. Unlike annual plants used by farmers the orchards are perennials and the cover is grown along side the producing tree. Read more at: Red clover helps red cherries in a study. Click here.

Residential effort is to include similar steps of the farmer, however they used different plants for ornamental reasons and insect controls. Read more at: City slickers find benefits too! Click here.

Tribo- Electric Popularity – A Future Energy Source?

Army helicopter blades generate static electricity in sandy conditions. Can we harness static electricity for good?

Static electricity has always been around but its harness ability has hampered its popularity in the past. Suppose a watch is equipped with a Tribo-electro device built in it, uses the motion of your swing arm to recharge your batteries. Can we do that? “Tribo” is from a Greek word meaning, “to rub.” Simple devices are using different metal materials to rub against a static producing surface.  As the motion back and forth or up and down forces them to create static electricity which is captured in the conductive wiring to charge batteries or power the devices. Still another generator uses two unlike materials the rub against themselves as motion causes them to collapse on each other. Scientists are looking at harnessing the motion of the waves, automobiles on roads, bikes, shoes, wind, on and on to finally harness motion and generate needed electricity. Air ports and subways power up off of the enormous foot traffic. Highways power homes along its path from the constant motion of autos zooming by. The ideas are endless and the potential lights the imagination. It is said that it will start out with small components and get larger as the technology gets better.

Another thought I had while researching this article, is this the way our bodies generate the electronic pulses that power the nerves from the brain? We don’t house generators as we know it in our bodies. However our bodies require and use motion. Are we getting closer still to the knowledge that will verge ourselves with machines? Does the mere motion of the blood through our veins generate an electrical charge?  

Read more at: Static electric floors click here!

Still more at: Static Tribo-electric generators are the future, click here!

2012 article but good: Click here!

2011 Curiosity starts the ball rolling: Click here too!

Static electricity holds bacteria on nurse’s apron: Static electricity holds bacteria, could it hold disinfectants also? Click Here!

Genetic Chips Help Farmers Raise Better Fish

Nature has its own way of perfecting the species to build living organisms, stronger, bigger, larger and smarter. Presented by insurmountable odds of survival, and forcing only the strongest, smartest and sometimes luckiest to survive to reproduce, builds the genetic lines naturally.

Farming salmon presents the fish with lack of natural selective opposition. Farmers need to raise the best, biggest with disease tolerant fish they can, in the shortest time possible. Livestock farmers have already resorted to gene chips to help them find the cattle with the best characteristics to breed to get desirable food products. 

UK Salmon farmers are now entering that arena. UK Scientists have developed a chip the can determine genetic dominance by using just a piece of the back fin. Application of the DNA material to the chip can show the farmer which fish to mate to get the desirable characteristics. Genetic technology can surpass natures test of time and opposition to build the best. Read more at: Fish and chips have a whole new meaning! Click for more information!

Learning Innovation for 2014

Expanding your horizons is a recurring challenge in the innovative mind. The constant accumulation of ideas, excite and create even more innovations, to verge or come to light in the corners of the gray matter of our minds. Each person has a different journey in life that may add a missing piece to the completion of a innovation for the future. This is a reason that conventions and conferences attract people from around the world. If your area of the world don't have a conference or convention, start one.

Some conventions have happened already. But use their websites to get ideas to start one in your area.

January 2014 Washington DC - Washington, DC kicked it off here, click and see. 

March 2-5^th – Anaheim, California - Doesn't have to be huge but effective, click here.

Attending conventions or conferences in 2014, might be a way your community can improve its future or your company can learn innovations to transform and benefit your company’s bottom line.

Brussels in March 2014 - Europe Innovation Convention Link: Looks to be one of the best in 2014 Innovation Destinations, Click here!

See more at the ideas connection: This is a great place to advertise your event or find the next event to attend, click here!

China Makes Steps Towards A Moon Base

In December of 2013, China landed a rover on the moon's surface to explore but also to make the first step towards building a base there. The United States has been working on the same idea with Mars. So why are the nations of the earth worried about building bases on different moons and planets? Early in the search to explore space, it was evident space travel is to be close behind. Discovering the needs of space travel like hydrogen for power and water for nourishment, has become a real concern. Think of it like when you travel on earth. You need fuel and nourishment to make the trip. Energy companies on earth are funding the exploration technologies for space as the next concern to find hydrogen fuel stations in space. If you own the only spot in that area of space for fuel or water, you charge what you want. Taking it to down to another level with the moon, China could be providing a lot of the needed essentials for the next step of local space station developments, or asteroid defense systems for earth. It all seems like some science fiction movie, but when nations spend a part of their treasuries, it is no longer fiction. It is a plan, the basis for the completion of any innovation.