conditioning

A surprising set of materials could soon help make more efficient air conditioners that don’t overtax the electrical grid on hot days. As extreme heat continues to shatter records around the globe, demand for air conditioning is expected to triple in the next few decades. That’s why the race to build more efficient air conditioners has become increasingly urgent.  Although some companies focused on improving existing designs, others are looking to entirely new systems that use materials called desiccants. The hope is…

Rather than small silica beads, Blue Frontier’s cooling technology relies on a salt solution that’s so concentrated, it can pull moisture from the air.   Here’s how Blue Frontier’s cooling system works: first, a stream of air passes through a channel and over a thin layer of desiccant, which pulls moisture out of the air. Next, the now-dry air goes through an evaporative cooling step, which lowers the temperature of the air (basically the same way sweat cools your skin).  In the evaporative cooling step, the air is…

Earlier this year, the UK attempted to go coal-free. But an increased need for air conditioning forced the usually temperate country to reverse itself and restart an old coal-fired power plant — after only 46 days.This is a cycle that's likely to get more vicious as hotter weather leads to more air conditioning, which exacerbates both global warming and urban heat islands. But maybe we don't need nearly as much AC as we think. The answer isn't to suffer in pools of sweat but to use scientific knowledge about human…

UPS tentatively agreed to equip its delivery trucks with air conditioning for the first time following union negotiations between the company and the Teamsters. “Air conditioning is coming to UPS, and Teamster members in these vehicles will get the relief and protection they’ve been fighting for,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. However, the agreement only requires AC in new delivery vehicles purchased after January 1st, 2024, meaning it won’t likely spell relief for drivers this summer. In addition to…

At a glanceExpert's Rating ProsEffective air cooler Easy to use Smart controlsLow power usageConsNot child-friendly Noisy on high setting Needs regular cleaningOur VerdictIf your summer plans say air conditioner but your wallet says no, the Princess Smart Air Cooler provides a budget-friendly alternative that’ll make a big difference to your comfort on hot, sticky days. But you’ll need to be prepared for a bit of maintenance. If you struggled while working from home during the sweltering days of last summer or…

The Olympic athletes’ village construction site is pictured in Saint Denis, outside Paris, on Saturday, March 18, 2023. Photo: Christophe Ena (AP)Organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics are hoping to keep world athletes cool during the summer without relying on air conditioners. Their goal is to use an underground water cooling system beneath the Athletes Village instead.The village that will house thousands of Olympic and Paralympic athletes will use the same technology that kept the iconic Louvre museum cool during last…

With summers now warmer than ever, enjoying the great outdoors inside a stiflingly hot tent is becoming less appealing than a vacation spent relaxing in an air-conditioned hotel room. That could soon change, however, as a University of Connecticut researcher has created a new fabric that could potentially cool the inside of a tent by up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit.The fabrics currently used to make tents are engineered to block out winds and water to help keep theirinhabitants dry and comfortable, but they tend to work…

In 2009, when Qatar placed its bid to host the men’s World Cup, many wondered how a country so hot—summer temperatures can exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit—could host a soccer tournament. To quell those concerns, Qatar built air-conditioned outdoor stadiums. This move could inspire other sporting venues to use such technology to protect the health of athletes and fans. But this is a flawed solution that is not environmentally sustainable, experts say, despite efforts to power AC systems with green energy sources. The idea…

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain It was nearly 100 degrees outside in South Texas the day Quintero Jones died. Inside his cinder-block prison cell in the middle of summer, it felt even hotter. …

Text-to-Image models like DALLE or stable diffusion are really cool and allow us to generate fantastic pictures with a simple text input. But would it be even cooler to give them a picture of you and ask it to turn it into a painting? Imagine being able to send any picture of an object, person, or even your cat, and ask the model to transform it into another style like turning yourself into a cyborg of into your preferred artistic style or adding it to a new scene.Louis BouchardI explain Artificial Intelligence terms and…