The Chic Ecologist

An Alternative to Lead-based Solder

Anybody with a rudimentary understanding of electronics, especially the person that habitually tinkers with and “fixes” the various appliances at home will know how regularly solder is used and needed, even more so for those in the industry.

Up till just recently though, solder wasn’t exactly a milestone of technological achievement. Rather, the basic premise behind solder has remained unchanged; it is still simply a little bit of lead (or other metal substance with a low melting point) which, after being melted, acts as an adhesive, holding together important parts of circuit. These parts being essentially an integral and regularly used component of those everyday tools like cell-phones and computers that we take for granted. Naturally, something so universal, and so small as to be oft-overlooked, is bound to have far-reaching consequences over time.

These consequences were not taken lightly by Ainissa Ramirez‘ and her team at Yale, who like many other scientists around the world had sought out a greener alternative for quite some time. Recently, the culmination of this teams research is to be published. An essential summary of the idea is that new tin-silver solder with iron particles will present a viable alternative to replace the afore-mentioned lead-based solder. But there’s more, asserts Ramirez, as “in addition to helping make the fabrication of microelectronics more environmentally responsible, these new solders have the potential to solve technological challenges.”

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Tags: eco friendly, Electric, environmental impact, Green Design, Prototype, sustainable

Pollution Detecting Fish Robot

In an interesting fusion of technology and nature-mimicry design, British scientists have come up with a free-swimming robot to track pollution levels in oceans, lakes and seas.

Set to be released off the coast of northern Spain, these 5 foot machines will sniff out pollution, pipeline and shipping leaks using sensors mounted throughout the fish. The data will be transmitted wirelessly via WiFi.

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Tags: environmental impact, Green Design, Prototype

The Fastest Car in the World – and its Green!

Wrightspeed X1 Electric Supercar

It’s faster than a jet, can out handle a roller coaster, and it is environmentally friendly. How, you ask? Starting with only the most exciting super car to drive EVER, the Atom, then adding an electric motor. What you have then is a beautifully designed engineering masterpiece, the Wrightspeed X1. With its minimalist design, consisting of merely a frame to hold everything in place, 3 pedals, a steering wheel and a seat, its more like a stripped down motorcycle with 4 wheels than it is a car. Its basically a street legal go cart. But what does that do for it? It makes it incredibly light! Pair that with an AC Propulsion 3-phase AC induction motor and inverter, and you have rocket-like propulsion from the on-demand torque.

Unfortunately, there are no plans to make this particular design a production vehicle, heck, its hard enough just to get a regular Atom, but they do hint that there will be a production version of the X1. I’m not sure what that means, but i’m still interested.

For those who like specs, check out these numbers:

In recent track testing, on street tires, it achieved the following performance:
0-30 mph: 1.35 sec
0-60 mph: 3.07 sec in 117 ft
0-100 mph: 6.87 sec
0-100-0 mph 11.2 sec
Lateral g: 1.3
Braking g: 1.2

Hopefully high performance automobiles like this will strike a nerve with car enthusiasts, sparking a bigger desire to own a car ‘just like the ones on TV’. In a way, its already working.

Tags: Aerial Motor Co, Atom, Automotive, Electric, Prototype, Sportscar, Supercar, Wrightspeed X1