Graphene Oxide Paper is One Atom Thick
Researchers at Northwestern University have fabricated a new type of paper that they hope will create a revolution. This remarkably stiff and strong yet lightweight material should find use in a wide variety of applications. The stiffness and strength should be superior to all other materials, wi...
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The New Mercedes "smart fortwo cdi" is World's Lightest Gasoline Production Car
Mercedes has announced a new model of the popular "smart fortwo" car. With fuel consumption of just 3.3 litres per 100 kilometers (71mpg) and emissions of 88 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer the new smart fortwo cdi is the most economical production car worldwide. The new cdi model is not av...
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Lightweight Backpacking Gear for Kids
I have backpacked with my two daughters for 11 years, taking them from the diaper years up into their pre-teen years. The early years were definitely the hardest, when they couldn't carry their own gear. At around age 4, they were able to carry a lightweight pack containing a sleeping bag and foa...
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Honda Aircraft Company Breaks Ground for $100 Million Production Facility in ...
Honda Aircraft Company, Inc. (HACI), today took the next major step toward delivering HondaJet into the hands of its customers, by breaking ground for its new 369,000 square foot headquarters and manufacturing facility at Piedmont Triad International (PTI) airport in Greensboro, North Carolina. H...
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Alcoa Wins R&D 100 Award for New Lightweight Alloy
Alcoa announced today that a team of its research scientists and engineers has received an R&D 100 Award for the development of a new generation of aluminum-lithium alloys for the aerospace industry. The R&D 100 Awards are given annually in recognition of the world's most significant technological ...
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NmG (NoMoreGas), the UltraLight Personal Electric Vehicle
While other companies show drawings of the electric vehicles they plan to make, Myers Motors puts Americans behind the wheel of its NmG (No More Gas) Personal Electric Vehicles. As a primary commuter vehicle, the highway legal, 75+ mph NmG proves electric vehicles provide practical transportatio...
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Tiny Houses: Living Well by Living Small
With "monster" houses - 4,000 square feet and bigger - sprouting up across the country like massive, shingled mushrooms, the American homeowner's motto seems to be: "Live large." Since 1970, the size of the average American home has increased 55 percent, even as family size has declined by 13 per...
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Very Light Jets Are Taking Off
Manufacturers are already beginning deliveries worldwide of a new category of aircraft known as the Very Light Jet (VLJ) or Microjet. Over the next 10 years, these ultralight aircraft are going to change the way we travel. Made possible by advances in aerospace engineering and especially in the ...
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The 4-Ounce Ultralight Backpack
My pack weighs 4 ounces. The technology and materials are readily available for making backpacks that are less than one pound, yet the leading backpack manufacturers continue to make 3 to 6 pound packs . The reason, of course, is that people keep on buying the heavy packs. Most people are hooked ...
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Spider Gear - Synthetic Spider Silk Tougher Than Steel
Scientists are working on turning synthetic spider silk into high-performance athletic wear and even lightweight body armor. The black widow is known for its deadly venom, but the spider's silk may one day save lives. Harnessing its power could lead to new bulletproof vests and super strong ropes.
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Sidel launches UltraLight NoBottle PET Water Bottle
Sidel, a world-wide supplier for Coca-Cola and PepsiCo has developed the lightest PET bottle yet for water (9.9 g per 500 ml bottle). Producing a 500 ml bottle weighing less than 10 g is an impressive technical achievement. Sidel looked at the entire manufacturing process, from blow molding to pa...
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Solo Backpacking the Safer Way
Have you ever walked for 20 miles in the wilderness and not seen another person the entire time? Or camped on the shore of a mountain lake that you share only with the eagles and osprey? Solo hiking is a very wonderful experience. You see more wildlife, you travel at your own pace, you can go whe...
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The Simplicity Forum Launches Take Back Your Time Day
October 24th Is Take Back Your Time Day. Take Back Your Time is a US/Canadian initiative to challenge the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine that now threatens our health, families, relationships, communities and even the environment.
The event is sponsored by the Simplicity ...
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UltraLight House Combines Design, Technology, and Efficiency
Building bigger and bigger houses is out. The new trend is in the opposite direction. In fact, the greatest single action you can take to reduce waste and conserve resources is to choose to live in a small house. Some dedicated believers in UltraLight Living have down-sized to 100 square feet.
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SmartWool Doesn't Itch - No Kidding!
SmartWool is a great name for this ultralight clothing manufacturing company. The founders of SmartWool had a simple goal in mind: to make wool socks not itch. This was a selfish goal. They wanted to keep their feet warm.
After trying all kinds of socks, wool turned out to be the best at keepin...
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