Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Shit, it's the Jetsons.
"One big advantage the DishMaker offers is the production energy it saves.
'If you made and recycled one of our plates three times a day for a year, the energy that goes into that is comparable to the energy required to make one ceramic plate (in a factory) because the ceramic is fired at about 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit,' says Bonanni.
Bonanni says recycling efforts often pose a trade-off between reduced waste and consumption, and the amount of energy required to achieve those aims through recycling. But his device doesn't require people to collect and process the refuse, and uses little energy to recycle it.
The trade-off, of course, is in variety, since the dishes are all uniform and simple in design."
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"An X-ray refrigerator uses an interior camera to project the fridge's contents onto the outside door so people can see what's inside without opening the door and wasting energy. The camera takes a snapshot of the fridge each time the door is opened, when the contents are likely to change. Future designs would transmit the image to a cell phone or other handheld device so shoppers could see what's in their fridges while strolling the grocery store aisles.
Bonanni has also created a 'living cabinet' that grows and preserves food. The prototype uses light and carbon dioxide recycled from a kitchen stove to act as a 'life support' system for store-bought produce. A sprig of basil or lettuce placed in the cabinet would not only keep for months, but would grow more leaves. Bonanni says the process works even if the produce doesn't have roots."
'If you made and recycled one of our plates three times a day for a year, the energy that goes into that is comparable to the energy required to make one ceramic plate (in a factory) because the ceramic is fired at about 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit,' says Bonanni.
Bonanni says recycling efforts often pose a trade-off between reduced waste and consumption, and the amount of energy required to achieve those aims through recycling. But his device doesn't require people to collect and process the refuse, and uses little energy to recycle it.
The trade-off, of course, is in variety, since the dishes are all uniform and simple in design."
---
"An X-ray refrigerator uses an interior camera to project the fridge's contents onto the outside door so people can see what's inside without opening the door and wasting energy. The camera takes a snapshot of the fridge each time the door is opened, when the contents are likely to change. Future designs would transmit the image to a cell phone or other handheld device so shoppers could see what's in their fridges while strolling the grocery store aisles.
Bonanni has also created a 'living cabinet' that grows and preserves food. The prototype uses light and carbon dioxide recycled from a kitchen stove to act as a 'life support' system for store-bought produce. A sprig of basil or lettuce placed in the cabinet would not only keep for months, but would grow more leaves. Bonanni says the process works even if the produce doesn't have roots."
