May 8 2003 -
Infineon weaves a smart fabric - By John Lui, CNET News.com,
German chipmaker Infineon has unveiled an electronic textile that
can make floors and walls part of a building's security, maintenance or
climate-control system. The textile contains a weave of conductive fiber
studded with sensor chips and LEDs (light-emitting diodes). After being
fitted to a floor and hooked up to a power source and a computer, the
electronic carpet becomes "aware" of the position of each sensor chip,
said the chipmaker...
May
01, 2003 -
The BIG DIG - Boston,
Massachusetts has a world-class traffic
problem, an elevated six-lane highway
called the Central Artery that runs
through the center of downtown. When it
opened in 1959, the Central Artery
comfortably carried about 75,000
vehicles a day. Today it carries upwards
of 200,000, quite uncomfortably, making
it one of the most congested highways in
the United States...
May 26, 2003 -
The Electrum Project - Electrum
is a sculpture that employs lightning as
the major component. Real lightning ,
which is very rarely seen up close, has
the ability to focus and clear the mind.
The work stands 38 feet tall and is
essentially a column with a sphere on
the top. Concealed within the sculpture
is a 130,000 watt Tesla Coil. The Tesla
Coil is the largest of its kind in the
world. Lightning discharges up to fifty
feet in length emanate in all directions
from the top of the sphere.
The Electrum project is a collaboration
between Greg Leyh, high voltage engineer
from Lightning on Demand (LOD) in San
Francisco, and Eric Orr, sculptor. Leyh
represents the scientific aspect that
has allowed Orr to manifest a work of
art that is singular in its power to
transform the moment. Orr has combined
primary materials in a number of his
water and fire sculptures. The Electrum
sculpture is an evolution of Orr's work
towards absolute simplicity. The
sculpture has the sense of pure
industrial strength art. The viewer is
bathed in the raw force of nature.
Electrum was commissioned by a prominent
New Zealand art patron. The work was
installed on his farm in April 1998
outside of Auckland. Pictures of the
installation effort are available in the
photo gallery...
