Electrical

Concrete is pretty useful, which is why it’s the most widely used construction material in the world. Now, engineers have made it even more useful, creating concrete that can conduct electricity and produce heat, by mixing in nanocarbon black.

To cut down on the false alarms, an MIT team of engineers is working on new "smart outlets" that use neural networks to not only determine if a detected electric arc is dangerous, but also what type of devices are plugged into the outlet.

Swidget is a modular electrical outlet designed to turn any home into a smarthome using existing wiring, replacing a traditional outlet with one capable of using "snap in" inserts. These inserts offer smart home functionality, including Wi-Fi, motion and temperature sensors, and so on.

PlugBook is a power strip/extension cord which has been designed to look like a book ... so that it can be neatly stored on your bookshelf when not in use.

RoboReel is a motorized extension cord winder, that incorporates several safety and convenience features.

Graphene has been used to create a triple-mode, single-transistor amplifier that could potentially replace many traditional transistors in a typical integrated circuit.

Scientists from Korea have used a main ingredient of calamine lotion to convert sound waves into electricity with the hope that ultimately the technology may be able to convert ambient noise to power a mobile phone.

The water resistant design and special material protecting the circuitry within the power strip from Wet Circuits ensures that contact with a soaking outlet needn't end up in a trip to the emergency room.

Future hybrid cars could be powered by their bodywork.

The Stat-X First Responder® extinguishes fires in confined spaces really fast. If fire breaks out, you activate the aerosol-based fire suppression device and toss it in the hole. It’s clean, compact, cost effective and safe for the environment.

Eaton Corporation’s truck and electrical businesses will play a major role in producing 378 plug-in hybrid electric power vehicles, the largest commercial hybrid deployment to date in the U.S.