Australian Michael O’Brien, an industrial designer, spent a gap year in Paraguay, Mexico and Cambodia and had first hand experience of how difficult life was without electricity. There were many outages in these areas or there was simply no electricity. People had to use car batteries to operate their refrigerators and kerosene lamps as an alternate lighting source.

For everyday use it was all right, but the worst hit were the medical centers and institutions. Emergency operations have to be carried out using lamps and flashlights. So Michael took his knowhow and designed a high intensity lamp with four bulb LED lights which can be individually adjusted for variable focus. The body is made of 1 mm aluminum, making it easy to pack.

The thin metal has perforations and can be easily folded to assemble the lamp. It can be flat-packed and sent wherever it is required. It is light in weight and is powered by a 12 volt battery. It can be hung on an IV or other pole. For hygiene purposes, it can be easily sterilized as well.

By using LED lights, Michael has made it eco-friendly and since it is works on a car battery, it obviates the need for a petrol or diesel generator. The lamp has won the Australian Design Award. Michael is now looking for funding for commercial production of this lamp. Considering the recent power problems in Japan (due to the earthquake/tsunami) and in other developed nations as well due to natural disasters, this lamp could prove a beneficial in medical centers.

In earlier times, syringes used for injections were made of glass and sterilized before every use. The needles were changed according to requirements. So, in a way, they were more eco-friendly as they were reusable. After that glass syringes were mostly discarded and disposable syringes came into the picture. These are meant for only one use and are used to inject drugs and also withdraw blood. The used syringe is then put back into the pack it comes in and discarded along with other medical waste.

The problem is that the packaging of the syringes is plastic and plastic is harmful to the environment. Of course, the fact that the syringe is pre-sterilized and ready to use is a plus point when compared to the older methods.

Serge Roux, an industrial designer, came up with the Syreen which is made of glass. It is designed in such a way that it eliminates the need for separate packaging. It is meant to be used as a pre-filled syringe. The packaging is reduced by 50 percent and it more easily transportable as its weight is reduced by 30 percent.

If you like to live a clean house, chances are that you use a lot of chemical products to clean up, whether it is the kitchen or floors or appliances or anything else. Most chemical products are not environmentally friendly and apart from that can cause skin problems as also other allergic reactions. The Ionator is a device made by activeion and uses plain tap water to clean.

By pressing the trigger on the bottle you can electrically charge the water thanks to a water cell inside. Next the charged water passes through the ion exchange membrane where it is separated into negative and positive electrically changed nano bubbles. When you spray, the water carries an electric charge which kills 99.9 percent of germs.

The Ionator thus cleans by lifting dirt as it acts as a dirt magnet and it sanitizes as well. It can be used on any kind of surface or appliances and is safe for use – it does not cause any skin or respiratory reactions since it uses only water. The Environmental Protection Agency has tested the device and reported that it killed 99.9 percent of bacteria including staph, MRSA and H1N1

Toothbrushes come in numerous designs, sizes and types. You get the most popular manual ones, the battery ones and the electric ones. What they have in common is that you still need toothpaste to brush your teeth. But now there is a new solar powered toothbrush –Soladey J3X – aims to clean your teeth without using toothpaste.

Shiken in Japan is testing this prototype. The toothbrush uses solar power, which works by releasing electrons that cause a chemical reaction by acting with the saliva in the mouth. This kills the bacteria and removes plaque.

Each toothbrush features a solar panel towards the end. And it does need some light to work. It is still being tested to see how effective it is. Does this mean the end of toothpaste? With technology advancing, we’ll just have to wait and see. And it will not be easy to wean people off toothpastes, which leave your mouth with a fresh feeling.

There are many places in the developed and developing world where water is not safe to drink. In fact, many travel guides tell you only to drink bottled water to be safe. Even at home, many people, when they travel locally, simply buy bottled water for health reasons. As such, the Bobble is an environmentally friendly solution to the large carbon footprint left by using bottled water.

The Bobble is a cute and interestingly shaped bottle made from recycled materials and coming in attractive colors. You simply fill it water and attach the carbon filter to it. The water is squeezed through the filter and is purified and safe to drink.

An eco-friendly option to buying bottled drinking water, the Bobble is light in weight and easy to carry and use. The filter needs to be replaced every two months or when 40 gallons of water have been used. It is certified BPA free and also does not use any harmful phthalates.

However, there are no guidelines as to how safe is the water to drink. No word on whether it makes the water bacteria and virus free.

In an exciting development in the medical field, Steve Collins and Arthur Duo developed a foot prosthetic which actually uses energy which is otherwise lost. People, who have physical problems with the ankle, need to wear an artificial foot, which is quite heavy.

Every time the foot is lifted to walk, the ankle pushes off the ground and then is put back. This action uses energy. Thanks to microprocessors in the prosthesis, the energy which is dissipated is recycled. Energy recycling restored ankle push-off to normal and reduced the net metabolic energy penalty to 14 percent.

The microprocessors reuse the energy at the right time, thus reducing dependence on batteries. As a prototype it is still in the experimental stage which uses a very small battery compared to other prosthetic feet, which use motor and heavy batteries.

Via: Medindia.net

If you travel a lot whether it is in the great outdoors or are a global traveler, you will be aware that all water is not safe for drinking. It may great to have water from a bubbling brook or stream, but you do not know how clean the water and what kind of consequences you may have to face afterwards.

And if you go mountain climbing or trekking and there are sources of water on the way, you do not want to be lugging heavy water bottles with you. While you may well use tablets to purify the water, there are still some germs which do not die. If you travel towards eastern countries, the water may be suspect and if you don’t want to spend unnecessarily on bottled water and also leave a larger carbon footprint than the pet bottles used, you should get hold of the Steripen Water Purifier.

It is environmentally friendly and works on batteries. It uses ultraviolet rays to kill germs. And you just have to stick it in your glass of water and, in less than minutes, it is safe to drink. Best of all, it will keep you safe from water-borne diseases.

Many people are totally phobic about receiving injections and children are even more frightened and hate the very sight of needles. While some needle free injections are available, notably ones for diabetics, Teva has recently announced its Needle Free Tjet ® device specially for kids.

This one is specially made for kids suffering from growth hormone deficiency and needing to take regular injections of somatropin, which Teva manufactures as TEV-TROPIN®. The Tjet penetrates the stratum corneum (outermost layer skin) and is delivered into the subcutaneous (below the skin) tissue in two seconds through a tiny opening in the skin less than one third the size of a 30-gauge needle.

Apart from obvious benefits like being more child friendly and easier to use, the Tjet is eco-friendly as well, since it results in less waste than traditional disposable syringes. The needle free head needs to be changed only once a week. This device can only be used after a doctor has diagnosed the condition and prescribed this particular device for use with Tev-Tropin.

If you are fortunate enough to have a swimming pool in your house, you will know that it involves tending to and cleaning. While filtration is usually taken care of and the water is kept relatively clean with the addition of chorine, you must be aware that chlorine is a chemical. It can dry the skin and even change the color of your hair (if it has been recently colored).

The Solar Powered Pool Purifier is easy to use as you just put it in the pool. Because it uses solar power, it starts working immediately the sun comes out. It works by releasing mineral ions into the water which make it safe and this way the use of chlorine is reduced by 80 per cent as are its harmful side effects.

One unit is sufficient to clean a pool which holds 30,000 gallons of water. The solar pool purifier needs to be cleaned once a week with a water hose. As it converts the solar power into very low voltage electricity, it is not dangerous. It keeps the pool water free of chemicals and algae and various micro-organisms so it is safer to use. Being solar powered and reducing the use of chemicals it is environmentally friendly.

When you drink water, you know you should be drinking clean and clear water, free from any germs. There are many water borne diseases and even in developed countries, the water may not be absolutely pure. It is all very well to drink bottled water, but bottled water is extremely environmentally unfriendly – there are too many electricity and plastic and transport costs involved in bottled water.

As such if you can install a simple water purifier at home, you can save money and improve or safeguard your health. The Zuvo Water Purator is a simple device which is easy to install.

This eco-friendly water purator first mixes ozone with the water and then uses ultraviolet light to kill the microorganisms. The ozone and ultraviolet light combine to treat the contaminants and bacteria/germs. Then the water goes through carbon filtration and once again ultraviolet rays to supply clean and potable drinking water.

However, this water purator will not treat completely untreated water to make it potable. It will retreat the water which either your main system or your local corporation is treating so that it is safer and cleaner to drink. It is relatively easy to install and its uv light glows when it is on.