I am so mad they did not have these when I was coming up. I still remember spending hours outside cutting the grass and doing "yardwork". Americans in the future are going to be one lazy generation with all these new devices coming out. Anyway the Husqvarna Automower (HA) is a solar powered lawn mover that operates without supervision. In order to use the automower, you must install a "low laying or buried perimeter" which outlines that lawn boundaries for the HA. The HA then proceeds to cut the grass according to your length specifications and programmed schedule. According to Inhabitat, the HA is able to cut about 1/4 an acre for every 10 hours of charging. One of the coolest things about the HA is that when its battery is low, it automatically returns to its base to begin charging, meaning that you won't have to do a "search and rescue" for your device. And for anyone who is thinking about purchasing the HA you might want to save up as this crafty device will set you back about $3000.00.
Swiped from: Inhabitat
Design: Husqvarna Automower
The Green Microgym...
With all the green technology that has spawned over the past few years, it was only a matter of time before this idea came to life. I must admit, I never thought about this until I saw an article over at Inhabitat, but it seems so obvious. The Green Microgym uses a combination of solar energy and human power to generate the electricity that powers all the machines. The gym's solar panels are capable of generating an average of 8 Kilowatt Hours per day and an additional 350 Watts are continuously produced by its spin bikes and the Team Dynamo. In addition to this energy production, the mircrogym boasts that its treadmills use 30% less electricity than other treadmills and the gym features amenities such as amenities such as Sirius Satellite Radio, flatscreen LCD High Definition televisions, and wireless internet. For more information, click here.
Two new hybrids from Honda in 2009!
Honda announced it will unveil a new global hybrid car at the 2008 Paris Auto Show, which will launch in 2009 along with another hybrid based on the CR-Z concept. Both cars will be produced as hybrid models without a gas-only counterpart, similar to Toyota's Prius. These hybrids are part of Honda's strategy to sell 400,000 hybrids per year by 2011. The new global hybrid will launch in Europe first, then come to North America. Both hybrids will use updated versions of Honda's integrated motor assist (IMA) mild hybrid system, currently used in the Honda Civic Hybrid. This system provides a little boost to the car under acceleration and stops the engine in traffic, but doesn't drive the car under electric power. The new global hybrid is designed from the ground up as a hybrid, so should present more efficiencies than the Civic Hybrid. The CR-Z concept, already shown at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show, will be a sporty coupe designed for the hybrid powertrain.
Honda has been a little erratic with its hybrid strategy, originally offering the hybrid-only Insight, then hybrid versions of the Civic and Accord. Amongst that line-up, only the Civic Hybrid survives.
