Upgrader

13/12/2025

At first glance, they look like normal public benches. But their real purpose appears after sunset, when temperatures drop and the streets grow colder.

In Japan, solar-heated benches were designed to capture heat from the sun during the day and gently release it through the night. The goal is simple but powerful: offering warmth and protection to people who may have nowhere else to escape the cold.

By storing solar heat and releasing it slowly over hours, these benches provide steady warmth without fuel, wires, or traditional power sources. For many, they offer not just heat, but a moment of comfort and safety during the harshest nights.

This approach reflects a growing belief that city design should care for everyone, especially those often overlooked. It’s a reminder that clean energy can do more than power cities — it can protect lives.

13/12/2025

Jim Stauffer donated his mother’s body to the Biological Resource Center in Arizona, believing it would be used for Alzheimer’s research. Years later, he discovered that the military had received her remains for blast testing, despite his explicit refusal on the consent forms. He is one of several families suing the center after an FBI raid in 2014 uncovered mishandled human remains.

13/12/2025

Waymo has issued a recall of more than 3,000 self-driving vehicles after a software issue was discovered that caused some cars to improperly drive around stopped school buses, even when their red lights and stop arms were engaged. This poses a serious safety risk for children and violates traffic laws in multiple states. The affected vehicles, equipped with Waymo’s fifth-generation autonomous driving system, have now received a software update to prevent this behavior. The recall comes after multiple reported incidents, including at least 19 in Austin, Texas, and others in cities like Atlanta.

13/12/2025

Quick vote 🤔🗳️

12/12/2025

For the first time ever, electricity generated from sunlight and wind has overtaken coal on a global scale. This historic milestone marks a turning point in the fight against climate change and highlights the rapid growth of clean energy around the world. Solar panels and wind turbines are no longer just alternatives—they are now leading the way in powering our planet, signaling a new era for sustainable energy and a future less dependent on fossil fuels.

12/12/2025

🚨 Engineers in Finland have successfully tested a new wireless power system that transmits electricity through the air using RF and magnetic-field technology. The test powered small devices with no wires or plugs, showing how future homes and workplaces could one day run on invisible energy networks.👏🏻🔋

12/12/2025

EV battery life is surprising experts: new data from large-scale studies shows that modern electric vehicles can keep most of their battery capacity for decades, with average degradation of just 1.8% per year. That means many EV packs can stay usable for 20+ years, often outlasting the vehicle itself.

Another recent analysis found that today’s battery-electric cars now have an expected lifespan of around 18.4 years, putting them on the same level as – and sometimes surpassing – traditional gasoline cars.

12/12/2025

A Texas-based company has developed an innovative vertical “solar tower” system designed to dramatically boost solar energy collection. Instead of laying panels flat across large areas of land, the new design stacks solar panels in a tall three-dimensional tower. These panels rotate to track the sun throughout the day, enabling the structure to capture sunlight from multiple angles, including low-angle morning and evening light that traditional flat panels often miss.

This 3D configuration allows the towers to generate up to 50% more electricity while using only one-third of the land required by standard solar farms. Tests show the towers reaching a 32% capacity factor, well above the typical 22% of conventional installations. Their vertical form also smooths out daily power generation, producing steadier energy rather than a sharp midday peak.

Built to withstand extreme winds up to 170 mph, the towers are engineered for durability in harsh environments. Because of their compact footprint, they are particularly valuable in locations where land is scarce or costly — such as airports, data centers, and electric vehicle charging stations. Early pilot projects suggest these 3D solar towers could significantly enhance renewable energy production in urban and industrial settings, making them a promising option for efficient, space-saving solar power generation.

12/12/2025

11/12/2025

Two 18-year-olds from Pennsylvania developed an innovative microalgae-powered exhaust filter called Go Green, designed to attach to a car’s tailpipe and capture carbon dioxide before it enters the atmosphere. Their prototype uses algae, water, and light to convert emissions into oxygen, reducing CO₂ output by more than 74% while costing only about $50 to build. Inspired by MIT research.

11/12/2025

London is preparing for a major transport shift as electric flying taxis move closer to reality by 2028. Trials and certification efforts are already underway, with new eVTOL aircraft designed to shuttle passengers between airports and key city hubs in minutes. The project aims to reduce traffic congestion, cut emissions, and introduce a faster, quieter way to travel across the capital.

11/12/2025

amazing