Buildings of the future will breathe through their walls. That could make them 30 per cent more efficient than conventional structures, according to models built by the University of Aberdeen, UK.
The buildings鈥� load-bearing frames support walls made from porous glass-fibre panels insulated with wool, and the air inside is kept at slightly lower pressure than outside. The pressure difference continuously sucks air through the walls, which either warm or cool the air on cold or hot days. The walls also filter out any air pollution (world patent application 2005/028076).
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Children under the age of 4 could send emails with a system patented by Philips of the Netherlands (WO 2005/029310). Few children this young can use a keyboard and mouse, but they happily play with pegboards. So Philips has designed a board that is connected to a PC and the internet. The board holds pegs that display either icons, such as a heart, which can be used to make messages, or photos that represent the email addresses of family members. By inserting pegs, the child can spell out messages such as 鈥淚 love you daddy鈥�.
Each peg contains an RFID tag, and the board is fitted with an RFID reader that detects which pegs are inserted. The PC forwards the message to the relevant address.
To damp down problem vibrations in aircraft, cars, buildings and power tools researchers working for the US army in Virginia have designed a material that dissipates the vibrational energy as heat (US 2005/0073222).
The plastic or concrete materials contain particles of piezoelectric ceramic and a web of conductive wires. When the ceramic vibrates, the particles generate electricity, which heats the wires. The heat is absorbed by the surrounding material and dispersed into the air. The loss of energy to the piezoelectric material damps the vibrations before they build and begin to resonate.
