Running Costs Archive

  • RoboCar G: Japanese venture to sell electric robot car (videos)

    RoboCar G: Japanese venture to sell electric robot car (videos)

    We covered various products from Tokyo-based robotics venture ZMP in the past, including a mini robo car, but we never had the chance to blog about an actual robot car (from any company actually). Granted, it's just a one-seater and not really "robotic", but the so-called RoboCar G [JP], which is an electric vehicle, doesn't look too bad and might be the beginning of a new trend.

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  • Toner-, ink- and paperless printer (video)

    Toner-, ink- and paperless printer (video)

    A Japanese company called Sanwa Newtec has developed a printer that works without toners, ink or (copy) paper. ThePrePeat RP-3100 is rather based on a line thermal head and special paper that's made of PET plastic and can be reused over and over again. In other words, if you have a sheet that you don't need any longer you can insert it back into the printer (where it gets "cleaned") and immediately print out a new document in one go. Each of those special sheets can be used 1,000 times, saving not only the costs for 1,000 sheets of copy paper but also 5.7kg of CO2 for the environment.

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  • About time: Japan wants to mass-produce electric buses

    About time: Japan wants to mass-produce electric buses

    We now have "green" cars, bicycles and even trains - so why shouldn't we get electric buses? And apparently Japan asked the same question, as a number of local companies and institutions launched a collaborative project with the aim of developing an eco-friendly, large-size bus.

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