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Air travel can be a nightmare for many people with reduced mobility who are forced to use a wheelchair in their everyday lives - and given that not all airlines offer the possibility of fast carriage on board, it becomes even more difficult. That is why the British engineer Richard Williams on November 17 presented his first prototype of a tourist wheelchair called the Traveler Chair, which can fold very smartly and when folded, appears to users as a small suitcase with a handle and special controls.

Thus, in its folded state, the Traveler Chair has a weight of 6 kg and, with its relatively small size, can easily be placed in the luggage compartment above the passengers ’head on board the aircraft - at least more than forty airlines will have such a device on board its characteristics. In addition, when the suitcase is folded, such a stroller is capable of holding up to 17 liters of volume and has separate compartments for convenient storage of documents and other papers.

The engineer introduced a unique collapsible suitcase. traveler chair, richard williams, airline, wheelchair, suitcase

And when the chair unfolds, it begins to look very much like a traditional stroller, with a slightly elongated and lightweight design - mainly due to the use of a special aluminum alloy, light and durable at the same time. In this state, the Traveler Chair is capable of supporting a person’s weight of up to 100 kg and can move quite flexibly and quickly, using an improved motor mechanism and convenient wheel control.

So far, such a concept device is currently under development at the Kickstarter site, where developers continue to improve and supplement it - according to preliminary data, the cost of such a chair is $ 560 for those users who are ready to purchase it in a preliminary way, but after their release the price tag will creep up to the level of 626 US dollars, which again is a rather attractive level, not to mention the high level of its quality.

Roman Rosenthal

According to the BBC, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania claim that coating them will reduce water use during flushing by 90%. It is also reported that the coating does not allow bacteria to accumulate and prevents the formation of unpleasant odors.

A substance that is much more slippery than Teflon will be destroyed by urine, so it will need to be applied again after 50 rinses of water.

“Our team has developed a reliable, biological, liquid and antibacterial coating that can actually make the toilet self-cleaning,” says Professor Tak Sin Wong.

Researchers hope the discovery will save water. Every day, more than 141 billion liters of water are used for disposal in toilets.

Today, electric transport is developing at some crazy pace. And five years ago it was impossible to even dream of such a thing. Light electric cars will not surprise anyone, and electric trucks are able to transport goods calmly and almost on equal terms with ordinary cars. Developments are also being made in the field of creating electric aircraft. But the most, perhaps, most interesting development in this area was presented by Airbus specialists - an electric racing aircraft.

 

To begin with, it is worth noting that almost all electric aircraft being developed today are concentrated more on the field of passenger transportation. However, among those who are interested in aviation, there are those who have probably heard about the planned Air Race E competition, which is something like an analogue of the famous Formula 1, but from the world of airplanes. It is assumed that eight pilots of aircraft will take part in Air Race E, who will have to fly along the ring track at a height of 10 meters and at a speed of around 400 kilometers per hour.

However, in the framework of this championship, not quite ordinary flying vehicles will be used. For example, engineers from Airbus and the University of Nottingham created the world's first all-electric racing aircraft called White Lightning. White Lightning, according to the developers, is able to achieve speeds of 483 kilometers per hour, which is a very, very worthy indicator for an electric airplane. But so far, not everything is so rosy.

The lithium battery is, to put it mildly, short-lived, ”says Jeff Walkman, chief organizer of Air Race E. White Lightning can fly at high speeds of only about 5 minutes, and another 10 minutes in standby mode at lower engine power. The airplane and the tournament itself is a kind of “test bench” that will contribute to the development of electric transport in general and air travel in particular.

 

How do you feel about the idea of creating electric planes? Express your opinion in the comments and in our chat in Telegram. The Air Race E racing tournament is due to take place in the early to mid-2020, and some details about the upcoming race are likely to appear in the near future. For example, the leadership of Air Race E is not yet ready to name the other 7 teams (besides Airbus) that will take part in the tournament. But promises to do it "in the very near future."

Returning to the beginning of the article: so why do we need such fast electric planes, given that they can also fly no longer than 5 minutes? In fact, everything is quite simple: as a rule, a lot of technological innovations and processes for the production of various components “run through” these devices. And the technological discoveries made here can go into the “private sector” of conventional air transportation. In the end, something similar happened with motorsport and gasoline-powered cars, when the technologies used on the racetrack were reflected in automobiles for the mass market segment.

techno.bigmir.net

Universal invention!

Human genius knows no limit. American engineers invented a compact convertible chair, writes Fainaidea.

The device is definitely useful for travelers with limited mobility. Relatively light weight, compactness when moving and comfort are three key advantages of the new product. What is it like?

An ordinary-looking chair, capable of transforming into a suitcase with a handle through several manipulations. Only 6 kg and the invention can fit in the luggage compartment. A similar mass of the suitcase was obtained due to the use of a certain aluminum alloy, due to which the transformer chair turned out to be light and durable. Assembled, the suitcase has several compartments for documents and essentials. And in the disassembled, the chair is able to move sharply and at high speed, since it is equipped with a motor, and can withstand a person weighing up to 100 kg.

The author of the luggage chair Richard Williams called his creation Traveler Chair. The invention is still at the stage of finalization and testing. The estimated cost of a fixture in the US is approximately $ 625.

Xiaomi has released a cup with automatic heating and charging.

Xiaomi has introduced another “smart” product for the home - a cup with automatic heating and charging.

What it is

At first glance, this is an ordinary mug made of ceramic. It is durable, and it can also be safely washed under water and cleaned.

All electronics are hidden inside the case. If you put a mug on the wireless charging station that comes with the kit, auto-heating is turned on. The cup maintains a constant temperature of + 55 ° C. But after 4 hours, if no action occurs, the heating is turned off. To turn it back on, pick up the mug from the station and put it back.

Also, the station can be used separately for wireless charging of other gadgets: smartphones, headphones, watches, etc. Its power is 10 watts.