Buildings with windows filled with water could save energy greatly, according to researchers backing the new technology.

Traditional glass windows increase the heat and temperature in the room in summers, and let the heat inside escape in winters, resulting in more electricity consumed for air-conditioners and more carbon emissions (排放). Now, researchers at Loughborough University (UK) have created a water-filled window that can overcome these problems.

The “water-filled glass” (WFG) system, designed by Dr. Matyas Gutai, involves a sheet of water being trapped between a panel (嵌板) of glass, and the water is practically invisible. The windows are connected to an indoor storage tank (箱) using pipes hidden in the walls, allowing water to flow easily between the windows and the tank.

This system allows the house to cool and reheat themselves automatically. When sunlight streams through the glass, the windows keep the buildings cool as the water takes in external and internal heat. This warm water then flows back to the tank. And when the outdoor temperature drops, the stored warm water is brought back to the walls to reheat the building using a monitoring system similar to central heating. The heated water can also be used for domestic (家用的) purposes. Although some electricity is required to pump the water back and forth, it uses much less energy than traditional air-conditioners or heaters.

Dr. Gutai claimed that WFG can save energy from 47% to 72% compared to when using traditional windows. Once launched into the market, the windows will surely make a real splash, appealing to a large crowd of environmentalists and contributing to reducing our carbon footprint. Currently, the inventor team is testing the windows in two areas with different weather conditions. The research reveals that WFG systems perform well in any inhabited climate—keeping buildings in hot climates cool and buildings in cool settings warm—without requiring an additional energy supply.

Newcastle University research is helping to prepare for and relieve storm damage before extreme weather occurs. Climate experts and engineers have created a new model to predict the damage caused by extreme weather. This new framework for “consequence forecasting” enables first responders to effectively target resources before an extreme weather event comes, such as Storm Eunice.

The pre-event decision-making model works by first developing relationships between wind speed and faults on the electricity network. The relationships are then used to estimate faults of electricity networks and potential customer interruptions. This model can be used as early as 24 hours before extreme weather events.

Published in the journal Climate Risk Management, the study findings can enable effective first response to manage infrastructure (基础设施) systems smitten by dangerous weather. Having the forecasting tools to predict and prepare for storm damage will reduce the social consequences of extreme weather, including power loss for customers and fines for electrical distribution companies.

Dr Wilkinson said, “Our model has the potential to change the way we manage weather and climate risks to our infrastructure networks. While electricity network operators already prepare extra resources when a storm approaches, predicting how many power lines may be blown down and where these are likely to be located will allow them to better target the necessary resources to more quickly repair any damage. This is likely to become even more important in the future as our changed climate is predicted to produce more frequent and more intense storms and some of these may be beyond the experience of the people tasked to deal with them.”

Study co-author, Professor Hayley Fowler, of Newcastle University’s School of Engineering, added, “This consequence forecasting is so important for planning emergency response in fast-evolving storms like Eunice. Our model could be used to regularly update energy companies and other infrastructure operators on the potential consequences of approaching storms as forecasts are updated in real-time.”

If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? Would you want to fly or be invisible? Or, perhaps, you’d rather have the power to read minds? Wouldn’t that be cool?

Reading minds is not as far-fetched as you might think. In fact, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a wearable device that can actually express a person’s thoughts and allow them to talk to a computer-without anyone else hearing.

The device, called AlterEgo, allows a person to control a computer and ask it questions without ever saying one word. When the individual wearing the device thinks of a word or a phrase but does not speak it, AlterEgo picks up the neuromuscular (神经肌肉) signals in that person’s jaw and face. AlterEgo sends those signals to a computer, which is programmed to associate them with specific words.

The device is fairly accurate. Inal0-person trial, AlterEgo had a92percent transcription (转录) accuracy. Researchers say that number will increase over time. “Our idea was: Could we have a computing platform that’s more internal, that combines human and machine in some ways and that feels like an internal extension of our own thoughts?” Arnav Kapur, a graduate student at the MIT Media Lab said.

So what effect could this have on communication? AlterEgo can change the way humans interact with computers, allowing us to silently connect with AI assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant or Apple’s Siri without anyone knowing. If a person is having a conversation and wants to look up a bit of information, they don’t have to take out their digital device; instead they can just think of the question. AlterEgo will answer without interrupting the conversation. The device can also help people communicate in noisy situations, such as on a factory floor in the airport.