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Hybrid rooftop device to harvest solar energy and passively cool buildings at the same time

Darren Quick November 12, 2018

Researchers have paired a cooling system that draws thermal heat from a building and beams it into space with a solar panel, designing a system with the same rooftop footprint that ccould generate electricity and passively cool a building at the same time.

Professor Shanhui Fan and postdoctoral scholar Wei Li with a prototype device used to test a ...

Science

Polymer coating uses tiny bubbles to cool buildings

Ben Coxworth September 28, 2018

In many parts of the world, particularly developing nations, people paint buildings' roofs white in order to reflect sunlight and thus keep those buildings cooler. A new paint-like polymer could make that approach more effective than ever.

The bright-white coating gets put to the test

Good Thinking

Blitzen lets drinks sit n' chill on your car's roof

Ben Coxworth September 26, 2018

Imagine if it's a chilly day and you're heading out to a gathering, but the only beverages you have on hand are room-temperature. Well, that's where Blitzen would come in. It lets you chill bottled drinks on top of your car, while you drive.

Blitzen should work on any car with a metal roof

Electronics

Experimental refrigeration system uses magnetic fields and shape-shifting alloys

Michael Irving September 18, 2018

Refrigerator technology hasn’t changed much in decades. Now researchers in Europe have shown promising early results with an experimental cooling system that uses magnetic fields and shape-shifting memory alloys.

The Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory of the HZDR, where the new magnetic cooling system was ...

Computers

Microsoft deploys underwater data center off the coast of Scotland

Michael Irving June 6, 2018

Water-cooling systems have long been used in computers, but how do you scale that up for huge data centers? According to Microsoft, you drop the data center to the bottom of the ocean. As Phase 2 of Project Natick, the company has just deployed a data center in the frigid waters off Scotland.

Microsoft has submerged a data center in the ocean off the coast of Scotland

Motorcycles

Helmet air conditioner makes for a cool head on summer rides

Spiros Tsantilas June 5, 2018

Riding a motorcycle in very hot weather can be quite vexing, particularly when trapped in traffic-jammed daily commutes. BluArmor Helmets suggests a simple solution to keep the head cool; a detachable air cooler unit that fits to most full-face helmet in seconds and sends refreshing air inside.

With the BluSnap, BluArmor Helmets aims for a constant breath of fresh air inside the helmet

Science

Humidity-hungry hydrogel could be the next cool thing

Ben Coxworth May 30, 2018

Many people will say, "It's not the heat, it's the humidity." It was with this in mind that scientists at the National University of Singapore recently created a hydrogel that draws moisture from the air, making the heat more tolerable … but the material also has a few other tricks up its sleeve.

Assistant Professor Tan Swee Ching (left) and his team, with a sample of the hydrogel

Space

Electrohydrodynamic cooling system to beat the heat on deep space missions

David Szondy April 21, 2018

A team of mechanical engineers at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute is working on a new electrical cooling system that has no moving parts. Already being tested aboard the International Space Station, the electrohydrodynamic cooler uses electrically charged fluids to carry away heat.

Cooling technology developed at WPI is undergoing a long-term test aboard the International Space Station

Materials

Graphene tested in microgravity for first time

Michael Irving January 31, 2018

The wonder material graphene has been wrung through just about every experiment on Earth – but how does it fare beyond our planet? A European team has tested graphene in microgravity for the first time, an important step towards realizing it's promising applications in space.

An international team of scientists has conducted the first microgravity experiments with graphene

Good Thinking

Aircon Watch promises to keep you cool around the clock

Nick Lavars September 17, 2017

Can you control your whole body's temperature by heating or cooling just one small part of it? It seems a little far-fetched, but the makers of the Aircon Watch certainly believe you can, and if their early crowdfunding success in anything to go by, they are far from alone.