~BUSINESS BULLETIN~ Object of desire Opale Wine Cellar I


talian Sand & Birch is the design studio behind the space-age


Opale Wine Cellar, which looks like it would be perfectly at home on the set of Doctor Who – if the Doctor were a wine connoisseur. Standing at two metres high and with room to store 60 bottles of wine, the Opale is a rather imposing piece of furniture. And it has the technology to match. Its precious black stone door can be opened automatically, by remote control or by touch, providing something of a dinner party talking point.


The next big thing


Well, engineering researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have published a paper in the journal Nature Communications that reveals how energy- harvesting technology could make it possible to do just that.


E At the moment, energy-harvesting


technologies are being utilised by high- power applications, such as solar and wind energy, and by calculators and watches, which are low-power applications. As yet, there has not been a solution that powers mobile electronic devices. Tom Krupenkin, a professor of


mechanical engineering at the university, explains, ‘Humans, generally speaking, are very powerful energy-producing machines. While sprinting, a person can produce as


Harvesting human energy


ver considered how useful it would be to power your mobile phone just by going for a walk?


much as a kilowatt of power.’ Here comes the science bit. The


technology discovered by Krupenkin and his colleague J Ashley Taylor is called


‘reverse electrowetting’. It converts mechanical energy to electrical energy using a micro-fluidic device consisting of thousands of liquid micro-droplets that interact with a novel nano-structured substrate. In short, this means that an energy harvester that could be embedded in footwear would capture the energy created by walking and turn it into electrical power. The researchers envisage a couple of


ways in which this power can be harnessed. The energy generated could directly power consumer electronic devices, or it could integrate with a Wi-Fi hot spot, allowing the energy to power a device without being physically connected. Krupenkin and Taylor are now hoping to commercialise the technology, which means it could be just a few years before you can literally go for a ‘power walk’. n


BUSINESS XL 9


The door is also insulating, helping to create different thermal and light levels within. This means that the cellar can control the temperature and humidity at which red, white and sparkling wines are stored. An LED lighting system illuminates the wine bottles so that, even with the door closed, the keen wine buff can watch their collection cool in the comfort of the Opale. If they can afford the €19,293 (£16,829) price tag, that is. n


Business diary


22 September – London Investor AllStars Awards This is a must-attend event for investors, business angels and entrepreneurs, and takes place at the Natural History Museum.


12 October – London Growth Company Investor Show 2011 Held at the Barbican Exhibition Halls, the show is a fantastic opportunity to network with investors.


26 October – London Cloud Security Conference 2011 Hosted by our sister title Information Age, the event will provide updates on cloud security issues and takes place at the Millennium Mayfair Hotel.


25 January 2012 – London Grant Thornton Quoted Company Awards Presented by sister title Growth Company Investor, at the Natural History Museum, this event recognises the achievements of quoted companies.


Contact Jenna Parker on 020 7250 7043 or email jenna.parker@vitessemedia.co.uk for more details about the above events.


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