Monday, July 23, 2007

Nanogenerator Could Draw Energy from Human Blood

Scientists are working on a new type of nanogenerator that could draw the necessary energy from flowing blood in the human body, by using the beating heart and pulsating blood vessels. Once completed, this new cellular engine could find various applications, even beyond medicine.

Zhong Lin Wang and colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology hope to be able to incorporate the new nanogenerator into biosensors, environmental monitoring devices and even personal electronics that will require no fuel source, internal or external.

Robotic Insect Takes Off

A life-size, robotic fly has taken flight at Harvard University. Weighing only 60 milligrams, with a wingspan of three centimeters, the tiny robot's movements are modeled on those of a real fly. While much work remains to be done on the mechanical insect, the researchers say that such small flying machines could one day be used as spies, or for detecting harmful chemicals.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Will this be 2008's "It" car? MINI Cooper EV starts production

HYBRID TECHNOLOGIES INC. (OTCBB: HYBT) LAUNCHES ALL LITHIUM BMW AG MINI COOPER INTO PRODUCTION, ALL ELECTRIC MINI READY FOR CONSUMER MARKET

Iconic BMW Mini Cooper Enters Production Status After Two Years of Research and Development by Hybrid Technologies

Munich Germany, Oxford England, Charlotte, North Carolina July 09, 2007 - Hybrid Technologies, Inc. (NASD OTCBB: HYBT - News) www.hybridtechnologies.com, emerging leaders in the development and marketing of lithium-powered products worldwide, is pleased to announce that Hybrid Technologies has moved into production with the BMW AG Mini Cooper all lithium model.


The All Electric Mini Cooper

The Mini Cooper's Electric Engine

James Blunt with the All Electric Mini Cooper

Click Here to View the Electric Mini's Spec Sheet

Click Here to See the Popular Mechanics Test Drive

Click Here to See the Forbes Magazine Test Drive

Based on market readiness and an extensive vehicle selection process, Hybrid Technologies engineers selected the Mini Cooper built in Cowley, England, a subsidiary of BMW produced by that subsidiary since April 2001.

Using Hybrid Technologies proprietary advanced lithium management and battery-balancing system, the all lithium version has already gained significant automotive industry attention.

Basic lithium-powered vehicle facts:

  • Speed up to 80 MPH / 128+ Km/H
  • 0-60 MPH in 6.0 seconds
  • 120+ miles / 193+ Km on single charge

The Hybrid produced Mini Cooper has already gained massive international media attention from outlets such as CNN, Forbes, Popular Mechanics, and Wired magazine; as well as broadcast coverage throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Marketing Trend forecasters feel that this will be the new “it” car among the Hollywood in crowd who are by no means strangers to Hybrid’s lithium-powered vehicle developments.

Hybrid Technologies President Holly Roseberry stated, “The all lithium Mini Cooper is the perfect combination of style, performance and technology. We are proud to add this latest model to our production lineup. We look forward to enhancing the system to create a dynamic capable of satisfying the most selective automotive consumers."

The Mini Cooper Frame is produced by Mini Cooper in Oxford England, and the conversion to all-lithium currently takes place in North Carolina at Hybrid's Mooresville plant.

About Mini Cooper (selected by Hybrid technologies)
http://www.mini.com

MINI is the name of a Cowley, England-based subsidiary of BMW as well as that of a car produced by that subsidiary since April 2001.

The car, designed by Frank Stephenson,[1] is marketed as a "retro" redesign of the original Mini, which was manufactured by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 to 2000. The name is written in capital letters to distinguish it from its predecessor.[2] It is sometimes called 'The BMW MINI' or 'The New MINI'. Originally developed by Rover Group and to be sold under the Rover brand and made at the Longbridge plant, the MINI project was retained by BMW when the latter divested itself of Rover in 2000[3]. The MINI is assembled in Cowley, Oxford, United Kingdom, in what was historically the Pressed Steel Company body plant,[4] now known as Plant Oxford.

The 2001 to 2006 model years included four hatchback models: the basic 'MINI One', the diesel-engined 'MINI One/D', the sportier 'MINI Cooper' and the supercharged 'MINI Cooper S'. In 2005 a convertible roof option was added. In November 2006 an ingenious engineered version of the MINI was released which is unofficially known as the "Mk II MINI".[5]. The Mk II is only available as a hard-top in the 2007 model year.

The MINI was designed and engineered to replace the long running Rover 100 and the larger Rover 200, both deemed unsuitable for the modern world automobile market. The MINI was supposed to replace low end models of the 200 and high end models of the 100 with a Rover 35 replacing high end 200s and low end 400s. After the divestment of MG Rover, the MINI was instead marketed as a small yet desirable city car rather than a mainstream replacement of the 100 and 200.