Advanced Invention

US automaker General Motors said Tuesday it will equip the roof of its factory in Zaragoza in northeastern Spain with solar panels to create the world’s largest rooftop source of power from the sun.

A solar thermal electric power plant in Sanlucar La Mayor, Spain in mid February. US automobile giant General Motors is set to announce that it will build the world’s largest rooftop solar power station at its biggest factory in Europe.

Scientists envision ‘bots working intelligently while exploring distant worlds

EVE, otherwise known as the Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator, represents an intelligent probe sent to an abandoned Earth in the film “WALL-E.”

A spaceship descends with a thunderous roar and deposits a futuristic probe before taking off again. The Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator (EVE) soon activates and begins flying around, scanning the barren surface for signs of life.

Plans are afoot to reuse spent reactor fuel in the U.S. But the advantages of the scheme pale in comparison with its dangers

• Spent nuclear fuel contains plutonium, which can be extracted and used in new fuel.
• To reduce the amount of long-lived radioactive waste, the U.S. Department of Energy has proposed reprocessing spent fuel in this way and then “burning” the plutonium in special reactors.
• But reprocessing is very expensive. Also, spent fuel emits lethal radiation, whereas separated plutonium can be handled easily. So reprocessing invites the possibility that terrorists might steal plutonium and construct an atom bomb.
• The author argues against reprocessing and for storing the waste in casks until an underground repository is ready.

The idea of a dedicated room just for washers and dryers may be an alien idea for our future brethren. Designed by Harsha Vardhan from New Delhi, India, the Alternative Clothes Cleaner is a conceptual washing machine that doubles as a large seat.

It has two modes, active and passive, though both will allow you to sit atop the unit. No detergent or water necessary here, either — the inner chamber acts as a pressure washer and cleans the clothes with ionized air instead. That means no drying, too. It’s the kind of crazy technological mishmash you’d expect to see in The Jetsons, and we love it. Bring on espresso makers that will also tell you the news, or hair-dressing wall units that’ll play with the dog while you’re pampered. Check out the gallery below for more views of the versatile Alternative Clothes Cleaner.

A plug-in concept from Volvo brings the power inside the wheels for increased efficiency and extra mileage