Morphic has been granted a patent on a method and system for absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide using wind turbines, and then combining the CO2 with water and excess electricity to produce liquid biofuels.
The technology for CO2 absorption has been verified in a laboratory environment, and the company is now looking for partnerships with a view to evaluating a potential commercialization of the concept.
Since 2004 Morphic has been conducting intensive research and development into energy conversion, covering processes as well as technical systems, with the aim of finding ways to convert and store renewable energy in various forms, and to adapt it for later use in fuel cells for a range of different applications.
The basic idea behind the patent is to absorb carbon dioxide using an enzyme, carbonic anhydrase, which is used to coat the blades of the wind turbine. The function is the same biochemical process that removes carbon dioxide from the blood in a human. An application for a patent on an “energy converter” for producing methanol from electricity, carbon dioxide and water was submitted as far back as 2004. The invention that has now been patented is a more advanced version of the same energy converter, where Morphic believes it has solved the problem of how to extract the CO2 from the air.
[Copyright by FuelCell japan: http://www.fcpat-japan.com/]
>> More
2009年1月29日木曜日
Development of High Efficiency and Quick Start SOFC Steadily Progresses
A regional R & D consortium has continued a high performance SOFC which is featured with high efficiency and quick start, aiming at commercialization of the SOFC in April 2011.
The cell part of the fuel cell takes a honeycomb structure. The structure enlarges a reaction area where oxygen reacts with hydrogen.
A unique technology to uniformize temperature distribution over the cell is also used. Use of this technology successfully makes the fuel cell hard to be broken even when the fuel cell is quickly started.
Start-up time of SOFC = 5 minutes
(1.5 hours in conventional SOFCs)
The output density of SOFC = 28 watts per one liter of the module volume
(6 watts in conventional SOFCs)
Size of 100 watts SOFC generator:
30 high x 25 wide x 18 deep (unit = cm)
The SOFC generator having this size is portable in handling.
Current technological problems - to reduce the cost of the fuel cell by using cheap metal for the current collector.
Technological problems after 2009 - to improve durability and impact resistance of the fuel cell and to further improve the efficiency and to reduce the size of the controller.
Applications of currently developing SOFC are:
Power sources in leisure and disaster sites and auxiliary power sources for electric vehicles
The local enterprises and Muroran Advancement Center of Industrial Technology and Management (MACITM) cooperatively wrestle with technology development to find solutions to how to efficiently and inexpensively supply hydrogen fuel, in Muroran of Hokkaido.
Regional SOFC R & D consortium:
The SOFC R & D consortium consists of 11 enterprises and university, including Phoenix Fuel Cells Co., Ltd., Muroran Institute of Technology, and is managed by Muroran Advancement Center of Industrial Technology and Management.
The SOFC development is currently done, with the initiative by PHOENIX FUEL CELLS, on the basis of the results of the study having been made by the R & D consortium for two years.
Source: Muroran Minpo
Refer also to news item 18
The cell part of the fuel cell takes a honeycomb structure. The structure enlarges a reaction area where oxygen reacts with hydrogen.
A unique technology to uniformize temperature distribution over the cell is also used. Use of this technology successfully makes the fuel cell hard to be broken even when the fuel cell is quickly started.
Start-up time of SOFC = 5 minutes
(1.5 hours in conventional SOFCs)
The output density of SOFC = 28 watts per one liter of the module volume
(6 watts in conventional SOFCs)
Size of 100 watts SOFC generator:
30 high x 25 wide x 18 deep (unit = cm)
The SOFC generator having this size is portable in handling.
Current technological problems - to reduce the cost of the fuel cell by using cheap metal for the current collector.
Technological problems after 2009 - to improve durability and impact resistance of the fuel cell and to further improve the efficiency and to reduce the size of the controller.
Applications of currently developing SOFC are:
Power sources in leisure and disaster sites and auxiliary power sources for electric vehicles
The local enterprises and Muroran Advancement Center of Industrial Technology and Management (MACITM) cooperatively wrestle with technology development to find solutions to how to efficiently and inexpensively supply hydrogen fuel, in Muroran of Hokkaido.
Regional SOFC R & D consortium:
The SOFC R & D consortium consists of 11 enterprises and university, including Phoenix Fuel Cells Co., Ltd., Muroran Institute of Technology, and is managed by Muroran Advancement Center of Industrial Technology and Management.
The SOFC development is currently done, with the initiative by PHOENIX FUEL CELLS, on the basis of the results of the study having been made by the R & D consortium for two years.
Source: Muroran Minpo
Refer also to news item 18
2009年1月7日水曜日
Happy New Year
The new year has started while trailing economical difficulties and unexpected social phenomena that we have not experienced for a long time.
The strongest tool to solve such serious problems remains suffering from high impedance to the passage of the bills necessary for solving the problems.
I do not know the reason for this.
The situation is going worse and worse ... at relatively high speed.
The technology article first presented in this year is "Succeeded in Synthesizing a Crystal Organic-Inorganic Nano-Hybrid Film".
My plan was to upload the article to the site on December 30 last year.
Sorry for the delay of uploading the article.
As known, the platinum currently used for the electrode catalyst of the fuel cell has limits (limited resource and expensive) in its use.
Some technical solution to this is required urgently.
I thought that the success of synthesizing the nano-hybrid thin film is very significant in this sense, and translated the details of the technology news into English.
The strongest tool to solve such serious problems remains suffering from high impedance to the passage of the bills necessary for solving the problems.
I do not know the reason for this.
The situation is going worse and worse ... at relatively high speed.
The technology article first presented in this year is "Succeeded in Synthesizing a Crystal Organic-Inorganic Nano-Hybrid Film".
My plan was to upload the article to the site on December 30 last year.
Sorry for the delay of uploading the article.
As known, the platinum currently used for the electrode catalyst of the fuel cell has limits (limited resource and expensive) in its use.
Some technical solution to this is required urgently.
I thought that the success of synthesizing the nano-hybrid thin film is very significant in this sense, and translated the details of the technology news into English.
2009年1月5日月曜日
Succeeded in Synthesizing a Crystal Organic-Inorganic Nano-Hybrid Film
- Breakthough Technology for Realization of Thin Film Material for Electrode Catalyst -
Keywords:
Organic molecules, non-organic molecules, rubeanic acid copper, proton conductivity, fuel-cell electrode catalyst, amorphous material, crystal organic-inorganic nano-hybrid film, nano-hybrid thin film synthesizing technology, electrode catalyst, coordination polymers, rubeanic acid copper, rubeanic acid copper thin film, crystal nano-film, crystal complex film, organic ligands, dithiooxamidato ligands, super-flat surface, bottom-up process, sapphire substrate, metal ions, surface x-ray diffraction method, atomic arrangement, high brilliance radiation, Spring-8, ligand symmetry, substrate surface smoothness, amorphous material, ion conductivity
Introduction
A nano-hybrid thin film of crystal porous coordination polymer having a laminated layer structure of organic molecules and non-organic molecules in the order of atom layer has been successfully synthesized.
It is said that the nano-hybrid thin film is a promising thin film material for the fuel-cell electrode catalyst.
Co-developed by:
* Dr. Hiroshi Kitagawa, Dr. Katsuhiko Kaneizuka (Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University)
* Researchers Dr. Osami Sakata and Dr. Rie Aoki (JASRI)
* Dr. Mamoru Yoshimoto (Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology)
It has been considered that a complex called "a rubeanic acid copper", listed as one of the ion conduction materials, has high proton conductivity, and will possibly serve as the fuel-cell electrode catalyst. The rubeanic acid copper is generally an amorphous material. Because of being amorphous, i.e., non-uniform structure, it is not suitable for the making devices. The lab. team synthesized a crystal organic-inorganic nano-hybrid film by a bottom-up process, which was created by the lab. team. A rubeanic acid copper and copper ions were used for synthesizing the film. The nano-hybrid film was investigated by using high brilliance synchrotron radiation (surface/interface structure analysis beam line BL13XU) of SPring-8, large radiation facility. The surface x-ray diffraction method was used for the measurement.
From the investigation results, it was confirmed that in the interlayer and intra-layer, the complexes are periodically arrayed in the order of atom layer, viz., the crystal film was formed.
The nano-hybrid thin film synthesizing technology will be applied to the making of devices such as organic electroluminescence elements and transistors, in addition to the fuel cell catalyst. The technology must have been published on "Journal of the American Chemical Society", issued on November 26, 2008.
Background
To form the fuel cell and the electrode catalyst, it is essential to develop a material having high ion conductivity.
Bear this in mind, the researchers have synthesized various coordination polymers and measured the ion conductivities of the polymers.
Through the measurement, it was found that rubeanic acid copper exhibits an extremely high ion conductivity. The researchers felt the possibility of realizing a device having high ion conductivity by sandwiching the rubeanic acid copper between the electrodes.
The amorphous material has been used for the fuel cell. A crystal material, if it could be used in place of the amorphous material, will give rise to the following advantages of decrease of the defective percentage of the resultant products and increase of ion conductivity.
A lab team has succeeded in forming a bulk crystal of the rubeanic acid copper. The structure of the crystal is unstable, however. Because of the unstable structure, its crystal has been insufficiently evaluated.
Many researchers have competitively tried to form the rubeanic acid copper thin film having a uniform structure in the inorganic chemical field in the world.
Howevr. no one has succeeded in forming the thin film of the rubeanic acid copper, so far as we know. It figures that concurrently forming of a number of crystal structures would cause low crystallinity of the formed thin film.
Experiments
Fig. 1:
To control the reactivity of copper ions with rubeanic acid as organic ligands, a try was made to laminate copper ions and rubeanic acid on the substrate interface in paired fashion, as shown in Fig. 1.
Specifically, rubeanic acid and copper were laminated on a super-flat sapphire substrate surface to form a pair of layers, and the same process was cyclically repeated to form successive paired layers, as blocks are built up (This film forming process will be referred to as a "bottom-up process".). As a result, an organic-inorganic nano-hybrid film was formed.
More specifically, a sapphire substrate having been pre-processed (modified with binder) was immersed in an aqueous solution of metal ions to fix the metal ions to the substrate. Then, the resultant was immersed in an ethanol solution of organic ligands to fix the ligands to the metal ions.
In this way, one cycle layer (rubeanic acid copper thin film having a uniform structure) was formed.
It is noted here that a thickness of the nano-thin film can be controlled by selecting the number of the film forming processes cyclically performed, and that this thin film forming process, or the bottom-up process, is very simple.
It is further noted that the bottom-up process is advantageous in that it uniformly forms the thin film over a large area, and is environment-friendly with no need of the vacuum and heat treatments. The bottom-up process comes in the category of the solution process.
Fig. 2:
Thin films of single-layer (a), bi-layers (b) and tri-layer (c) were formed.
The transmission electron spectra of those films were measured.
In each cycle layer of each layer, a fixed amount of rubeanic acid copper was fixed. This was confirmed through a measurement result that the absorbance peak increased with increase of the film thickness (see Fig. 2).
The absorption intensity is approximately proportional to the film thickness.
In Fig. 2, increased absorption intensities appear in a wavelength region from 300 to 900 nm, and from the figure it is seen that the nano-film grows as the number of cycles increases. No information about an arrangement of atoms in each cycle layer was gathered. A measurement was made to check the atomic arrangements of the films. In the measurement, the X-ray source of the laboratory was used and the diffraction method was employed. The measurement failed to present the structural information.
There would be two reasons for that the measurement failed to provide the structural information. Firstly, the thickness of the test pieces is very thin, less than 10 nm. Secondly, the diffraction intensity of the thin films is weak, unlike the semiconductor thin film of which the crystallinity is considerably high and the film forming process is matured.
To cope with this, the surface x-ray diffraction method using the high brilliance radiation in Spring-8 was used to invest the atomic arrangement of the thin film. Diffraction intensities of the x-rays diffracted in the thin films were successfully measured with well satisfaction, by the method.
Fig. 3:
Three thin films of rubeanic acids having different ligands were formed by the bottom-up method. Each thin film consists of 11 cycle layers.
The rubeanic acids were:
1) rubeanic acid (symmetric molecule, Fig. 3-1)
2) pi-extended rubeanic acid (Fig. 3-2)
3) ethanol rubeanic acid (asymmetric molecule, Fig. 3-3)
Fig. 4:
In the nano-films of the rubeanic acid and the pi-extended rubeanic acid, diffraction peaks were observed in both the out-of-plane measurement (Fig. 4-1) and the in-plane measurement (Fig. 4-2). Presence of the diffraction peaks indicates that the rubeanic acid copper nano-film has a crystal structure.
In the case of the nano-film of the ethanol rubeanic acid, diffraction peaks were observed in the out-of-plane measurement. From this, it was confirmed that the nano-film grew with increase of the number of cycles. No diffraction peak was observed in the in-plane measurement of the nano-film. This indicates that the arrangement of atoms of the rubeanic acid copper was not formed in the nano-film.
From the study, it was taught that the ligand symmetry and the smoothness of the substrate are essentially taken into accoutn when the crystal coordination polymer material is formed on the substrate.
Specifically, at least two conditions to form a crystal nano-film were derived from the study. The first condition is to use the symmetrical molecule. Three molecules, including symmetrical and asymmetrical molecules, were experimented. In the case of using the symmetrical molecule, atoms were distinctly arranged within the plane. In the asymmetrical molecule, no atoms were arranged. The second condition was to use a substrate which is flat in atomic levels. A nano-film having a 3-dimensional atom arrangement was formed only when the super-flat sapphire substrate was used.
Bottom-Up Method
A typical process having been used to crystallize the material that is amorphous in bulk state, is the heat treatment. The heat treatment is unable to crystallize such a material that is unstable, for example, decomposable by heating, however.
The bottom-up method developed this time successfully crystallized the rubeanic acid copper, which has been considered to be difficult to crystallize.
The success of the crystallization implies that a functional material, which has been considered to be impossible to crystallize, can be crystallized by the bottom-up method.
The bottom-up method as the synthesizing method comes in the category of the solution method. This method is advantageous in that it uniformly forms the thin film over a large area, and it is environment-friendly with no need of using the vacuum treatment and the heat treatment.
In this sense, the bottom-up method will be applied to electroluminescence element, transistors and the like, in addition to the fuel cells.
The source, written in Japanese, is linked at:
http://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/pressrelease/2008/2008-11-26.pdf
http://www.spring8.or.jp/ja/current_result/press_release/2008/081126
#: For Figs. 1 to 4, reference is made to FuelCell japan
Keywords:
Organic molecules, non-organic molecules, rubeanic acid copper, proton conductivity, fuel-cell electrode catalyst, amorphous material, crystal organic-inorganic nano-hybrid film, nano-hybrid thin film synthesizing technology, electrode catalyst, coordination polymers, rubeanic acid copper, rubeanic acid copper thin film, crystal nano-film, crystal complex film, organic ligands, dithiooxamidato ligands, super-flat surface, bottom-up process, sapphire substrate, metal ions, surface x-ray diffraction method, atomic arrangement, high brilliance radiation, Spring-8, ligand symmetry, substrate surface smoothness, amorphous material, ion conductivity
Introduction
A nano-hybrid thin film of crystal porous coordination polymer having a laminated layer structure of organic molecules and non-organic molecules in the order of atom layer has been successfully synthesized.
It is said that the nano-hybrid thin film is a promising thin film material for the fuel-cell electrode catalyst.
Co-developed by:
* Dr. Hiroshi Kitagawa, Dr. Katsuhiko Kaneizuka (Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University)
* Researchers Dr. Osami Sakata and Dr. Rie Aoki (JASRI)
* Dr. Mamoru Yoshimoto (Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology)
It has been considered that a complex called "a rubeanic acid copper", listed as one of the ion conduction materials, has high proton conductivity, and will possibly serve as the fuel-cell electrode catalyst. The rubeanic acid copper is generally an amorphous material. Because of being amorphous, i.e., non-uniform structure, it is not suitable for the making devices. The lab. team synthesized a crystal organic-inorganic nano-hybrid film by a bottom-up process, which was created by the lab. team. A rubeanic acid copper and copper ions were used for synthesizing the film. The nano-hybrid film was investigated by using high brilliance synchrotron radiation (surface/interface structure analysis beam line BL13XU) of SPring-8, large radiation facility. The surface x-ray diffraction method was used for the measurement.
From the investigation results, it was confirmed that in the interlayer and intra-layer, the complexes are periodically arrayed in the order of atom layer, viz., the crystal film was formed.
The nano-hybrid thin film synthesizing technology will be applied to the making of devices such as organic electroluminescence elements and transistors, in addition to the fuel cell catalyst. The technology must have been published on "Journal of the American Chemical Society", issued on November 26, 2008.
Background
To form the fuel cell and the electrode catalyst, it is essential to develop a material having high ion conductivity.
Bear this in mind, the researchers have synthesized various coordination polymers and measured the ion conductivities of the polymers.
Through the measurement, it was found that rubeanic acid copper exhibits an extremely high ion conductivity. The researchers felt the possibility of realizing a device having high ion conductivity by sandwiching the rubeanic acid copper between the electrodes.
The amorphous material has been used for the fuel cell. A crystal material, if it could be used in place of the amorphous material, will give rise to the following advantages of decrease of the defective percentage of the resultant products and increase of ion conductivity.
A lab team has succeeded in forming a bulk crystal of the rubeanic acid copper. The structure of the crystal is unstable, however. Because of the unstable structure, its crystal has been insufficiently evaluated.
Many researchers have competitively tried to form the rubeanic acid copper thin film having a uniform structure in the inorganic chemical field in the world.
Howevr. no one has succeeded in forming the thin film of the rubeanic acid copper, so far as we know. It figures that concurrently forming of a number of crystal structures would cause low crystallinity of the formed thin film.
Experiments
Fig. 1:
To control the reactivity of copper ions with rubeanic acid as organic ligands, a try was made to laminate copper ions and rubeanic acid on the substrate interface in paired fashion, as shown in Fig. 1.
Specifically, rubeanic acid and copper were laminated on a super-flat sapphire substrate surface to form a pair of layers, and the same process was cyclically repeated to form successive paired layers, as blocks are built up (This film forming process will be referred to as a "bottom-up process".). As a result, an organic-inorganic nano-hybrid film was formed.
More specifically, a sapphire substrate having been pre-processed (modified with binder) was immersed in an aqueous solution of metal ions to fix the metal ions to the substrate. Then, the resultant was immersed in an ethanol solution of organic ligands to fix the ligands to the metal ions.
In this way, one cycle layer (rubeanic acid copper thin film having a uniform structure) was formed.
It is noted here that a thickness of the nano-thin film can be controlled by selecting the number of the film forming processes cyclically performed, and that this thin film forming process, or the bottom-up process, is very simple.
It is further noted that the bottom-up process is advantageous in that it uniformly forms the thin film over a large area, and is environment-friendly with no need of the vacuum and heat treatments. The bottom-up process comes in the category of the solution process.
Fig. 2:
Thin films of single-layer (a), bi-layers (b) and tri-layer (c) were formed.
The transmission electron spectra of those films were measured.
In each cycle layer of each layer, a fixed amount of rubeanic acid copper was fixed. This was confirmed through a measurement result that the absorbance peak increased with increase of the film thickness (see Fig. 2).
The absorption intensity is approximately proportional to the film thickness.
In Fig. 2, increased absorption intensities appear in a wavelength region from 300 to 900 nm, and from the figure it is seen that the nano-film grows as the number of cycles increases. No information about an arrangement of atoms in each cycle layer was gathered. A measurement was made to check the atomic arrangements of the films. In the measurement, the X-ray source of the laboratory was used and the diffraction method was employed. The measurement failed to present the structural information.
There would be two reasons for that the measurement failed to provide the structural information. Firstly, the thickness of the test pieces is very thin, less than 10 nm. Secondly, the diffraction intensity of the thin films is weak, unlike the semiconductor thin film of which the crystallinity is considerably high and the film forming process is matured.
To cope with this, the surface x-ray diffraction method using the high brilliance radiation in Spring-8 was used to invest the atomic arrangement of the thin film. Diffraction intensities of the x-rays diffracted in the thin films were successfully measured with well satisfaction, by the method.
Fig. 3:
Three thin films of rubeanic acids having different ligands were formed by the bottom-up method. Each thin film consists of 11 cycle layers.
The rubeanic acids were:
1) rubeanic acid (symmetric molecule, Fig. 3-1)
2) pi-extended rubeanic acid (Fig. 3-2)
3) ethanol rubeanic acid (asymmetric molecule, Fig. 3-3)
Fig. 4:
In the nano-films of the rubeanic acid and the pi-extended rubeanic acid, diffraction peaks were observed in both the out-of-plane measurement (Fig. 4-1) and the in-plane measurement (Fig. 4-2). Presence of the diffraction peaks indicates that the rubeanic acid copper nano-film has a crystal structure.
In the case of the nano-film of the ethanol rubeanic acid, diffraction peaks were observed in the out-of-plane measurement. From this, it was confirmed that the nano-film grew with increase of the number of cycles. No diffraction peak was observed in the in-plane measurement of the nano-film. This indicates that the arrangement of atoms of the rubeanic acid copper was not formed in the nano-film.
From the study, it was taught that the ligand symmetry and the smoothness of the substrate are essentially taken into accoutn when the crystal coordination polymer material is formed on the substrate.
Specifically, at least two conditions to form a crystal nano-film were derived from the study. The first condition is to use the symmetrical molecule. Three molecules, including symmetrical and asymmetrical molecules, were experimented. In the case of using the symmetrical molecule, atoms were distinctly arranged within the plane. In the asymmetrical molecule, no atoms were arranged. The second condition was to use a substrate which is flat in atomic levels. A nano-film having a 3-dimensional atom arrangement was formed only when the super-flat sapphire substrate was used.
Bottom-Up Method
A typical process having been used to crystallize the material that is amorphous in bulk state, is the heat treatment. The heat treatment is unable to crystallize such a material that is unstable, for example, decomposable by heating, however.
The bottom-up method developed this time successfully crystallized the rubeanic acid copper, which has been considered to be difficult to crystallize.
The success of the crystallization implies that a functional material, which has been considered to be impossible to crystallize, can be crystallized by the bottom-up method.
The bottom-up method as the synthesizing method comes in the category of the solution method. This method is advantageous in that it uniformly forms the thin film over a large area, and it is environment-friendly with no need of using the vacuum treatment and the heat treatment.
In this sense, the bottom-up method will be applied to electroluminescence element, transistors and the like, in addition to the fuel cells.
The source, written in Japanese, is linked at:
http://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/pressrelease/2008/2008-11-26.pdf
http://www.spring8.or.jp/ja/current_result/press_release/2008/081126
#: For Figs. 1 to 4, reference is made to FuelCell japan
2008年12月16日火曜日
Succeeded in transforming brain activities of a human who is seeing an image into the original image and visualizing it on the computer
The co-lab. team of "Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATRI)" and other organizations succeeded in gathering brain activities of a viewer is actually seeing an image,
reconstructing the gathered data into the original image, and visualizing the image on the computer.
The in-brain image visualizing method, when further developed, may objectively extract subjective experiences, which do not physically exist, for example, mental images and dreams.
The method also showed that it is possible to extract what the human brain perceives from the brain.
The researchers also showed that it is possible to extract complex contents in the brain as the results from that the brain perceives things, just as they are. Further, the method opened up new possibilities of the via-brain information communication technology such as the brain-machine interface (BMI).
For details, read "NEURON", Vol.60, No.5, Decebmer 11, 2008.
Authors & Title:
Yoichi Miyawaki, Hajime Uchida, Okito Yamashita, Masa-aki Sato, Yusuke Morito, Hiroki C. Tanabe, Norihiro Sadato, Yukiyasu Kamitani. "Visual image reconstruction from human brain activity using a combination of multi-scale local image decoders".
A brief of the technology follows for reference. The field of vision is divided into segmental areas having different resolutions. Contrast values of those areas are predicted on the basis of the brain activity patterns, which are obtained through the measurement by the fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging). The resultant predictive values are combined to reconstruct an overall original image.
Geometrical figures and alphabets, which were not used for leaning brain activity patterns, could be reconstructed by using the visualizing method. Additionally, a correct image could be specified from among more than 100,000,000 candidates.
Further, an image that the viewer was seeing could be reconstructed into a motion image by analyzing the fMRI scan data gathered every two seconds.
The description given above is a brief of the press release from ATR.
keywords: ATRI, brain activities, in-brain image visualizing,NEURON,fMRI,
******************
The technology strongly attracted my attention.
I felt that the technology has a great potential to push forward the man-machine communication technology front.
I understand that the technology described is out of the categories currently handled in this site.
reconstructing the gathered data into the original image, and visualizing the image on the computer.
The in-brain image visualizing method, when further developed, may objectively extract subjective experiences, which do not physically exist, for example, mental images and dreams.
The method also showed that it is possible to extract what the human brain perceives from the brain.
The researchers also showed that it is possible to extract complex contents in the brain as the results from that the brain perceives things, just as they are. Further, the method opened up new possibilities of the via-brain information communication technology such as the brain-machine interface (BMI).
For details, read "NEURON", Vol.60, No.5, Decebmer 11, 2008.
Authors & Title:
Yoichi Miyawaki, Hajime Uchida, Okito Yamashita, Masa-aki Sato, Yusuke Morito, Hiroki C. Tanabe, Norihiro Sadato, Yukiyasu Kamitani. "Visual image reconstruction from human brain activity using a combination of multi-scale local image decoders".
A brief of the technology follows for reference. The field of vision is divided into segmental areas having different resolutions. Contrast values of those areas are predicted on the basis of the brain activity patterns, which are obtained through the measurement by the fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging). The resultant predictive values are combined to reconstruct an overall original image.
Geometrical figures and alphabets, which were not used for leaning brain activity patterns, could be reconstructed by using the visualizing method. Additionally, a correct image could be specified from among more than 100,000,000 candidates.
Further, an image that the viewer was seeing could be reconstructed into a motion image by analyzing the fMRI scan data gathered every two seconds.
The description given above is a brief of the press release from ATR.
keywords: ATRI, brain activities, in-brain image visualizing,NEURON,fMRI,
******************
The technology strongly attracted my attention.
I felt that the technology has a great potential to push forward the man-machine communication technology front.
I understand that the technology described is out of the categories currently handled in this site.
2008年12月7日日曜日
EBARA-BALLARD, Delivered New Residential Fuel Cell Cogeneration Systems for Just-Before Mass-Production Experiment
EBARA-BALLARD Corporation started to deliver new residential fuel cell cogeneration systems (ENEFARM) for the large-scale demonstration test under execution, from the Fujisawa factory in Fujisawa city, Kanagawa prefecture.
The FC cogeneration systems are designed and manufactured while envisioning that the residential FC market will be effective in 2009 (next year).
The new FC cogeneration system is improved to practical levels.
The endurance time of the cogeneration system is about 10 years.
The price of the cogenerator is about 120 man-yen (man-yen = 1,000,000 yen, 1 USD = about 92 yen on 2008.12.5 11:16).
The FC cogeneration system is sufficiently practical for general homes if the government subsidy and the long-term loan are used, I think.
Have some of major conditions to raise the initial market already been satisfied?
Current social and economical environment, including CO2 reduction and domestic demand boosting, will encourage creation and expansion of the fuel cell market, I believe.
For the subsidy, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy has got down to brass tacks.
Noise generated during power generation and the unit size were remarkably lowered and reduced.
From the data accumulated through the long-time continued demonstration test , it is taught that the amount of gas consumption is somewhat increased, but the amount of electric consumption is reduced to 1/2 to 1/3.
The company sets the sales target at about 10 % of 3 million households (per year), which replace water heaters, and plans to sell several tens thousands units in 2011.
[Copyright by FuelCell japan: http://www.fcpat-japan.com/]
(Source & reference: TOWNNEWS-SHA CO.,Ltd.)
The FC cogeneration systems are designed and manufactured while envisioning that the residential FC market will be effective in 2009 (next year).
The new FC cogeneration system is improved to practical levels.
The endurance time of the cogeneration system is about 10 years.
The price of the cogenerator is about 120 man-yen (man-yen = 1,000,000 yen, 1 USD = about 92 yen on 2008.12.5 11:16).
The FC cogeneration system is sufficiently practical for general homes if the government subsidy and the long-term loan are used, I think.
Have some of major conditions to raise the initial market already been satisfied?
Current social and economical environment, including CO2 reduction and domestic demand boosting, will encourage creation and expansion of the fuel cell market, I believe.
For the subsidy, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy has got down to brass tacks.
Noise generated during power generation and the unit size were remarkably lowered and reduced.
From the data accumulated through the long-time continued demonstration test , it is taught that the amount of gas consumption is somewhat increased, but the amount of electric consumption is reduced to 1/2 to 1/3.
The company sets the sales target at about 10 % of 3 million households (per year), which replace water heaters, and plans to sell several tens thousands units in 2011.
[Copyright by FuelCell japan: http://www.fcpat-japan.com/]
(Source & reference: TOWNNEWS-SHA CO.,Ltd.)
2008年12月4日木曜日
Sanyo Special Steel Triples the Output Power Density of DMFC
Sanyo Special Steel Co., Ltd., in cooperation with Associate Professor Toshio Shudo (Hokkaido University), has succeeded in tripling the output power density of the DMFC. 134 mW/cm2 is the output power density of the DMFC.
This figure sufficiently exceeds 100 mW/cm2, which is the temporary target figure set by NEDO.
This figure was achieved by use of a unique separator structure.
As known, the conventional separator uses grooves for the passages for fluid flow.
The company's separator uses a porous body for the passages for fluid flow.
Spherical stainless powder having the particle diameter of about 0.1 mm was applied to a separator substrate and sintered into a unit body as a separator.
Fluid, e.g., hydrogen, passes through a large number of perforations formed in the sintered body. The new separator has many advantages of uniform fluid supply, improved reaction efficiency, excellent separator conductivity, and increased current. The separator is also applicable to the PEFC, as a matter of course.
Prof. Shudo will present the new separator technology at the 28th HESS Conference Lecture Meeting (Dec. 11 and 12, 2008, Tokyo; click here).
The DMFC incorporating the new separator will be exhibited at FC EXPO 2009 (Feb. 25 to 27, 2009, Tokyo Big Sight).
Source: News release from SANYO SPECIAL STEEL
This figure sufficiently exceeds 100 mW/cm2, which is the temporary target figure set by NEDO.
This figure was achieved by use of a unique separator structure.
As known, the conventional separator uses grooves for the passages for fluid flow.
The company's separator uses a porous body for the passages for fluid flow.
Spherical stainless powder having the particle diameter of about 0.1 mm was applied to a separator substrate and sintered into a unit body as a separator.
Fluid, e.g., hydrogen, passes through a large number of perforations formed in the sintered body. The new separator has many advantages of uniform fluid supply, improved reaction efficiency, excellent separator conductivity, and increased current. The separator is also applicable to the PEFC, as a matter of course.
Prof. Shudo will present the new separator technology at the 28th HESS Conference Lecture Meeting (Dec. 11 and 12, 2008, Tokyo; click here).
The DMFC incorporating the new separator will be exhibited at FC EXPO 2009 (Feb. 25 to 27, 2009, Tokyo Big Sight).
Source: News release from SANYO SPECIAL STEEL
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