anyone can explain why this is such a big breakthrough?
vibration powered electricity generator is not new, neither is CO2 monitoring. so what's the big deal?
dfex · 8h ago
More concerning - can anyone explain why there is such a variation in the results from the DC powered unit vs. the TENG-powered one? The graph at the bottom of the report shows a difference of 30-50ppm between both units when they are sitting side by side on the bench.
callmemclovin · 2h ago
That's in the normal range of accuracy of modern CO2 sensors, for example SCD40 from Sensirion is described with an accuracy of ±50.0 ppm ±5.0 %m.v.
zipping1549 · 7h ago
I skimmed the original article and it only mentions the graph and says that it's "comparable to DC powered unit". I'm guessing < 100ppm difference is somewhat acceptable?
dfex · 3h ago
You might be right - it's just odd that it's always showing "more" rather than similar amounts.
Also, according to Claude[1] a 50ppm difference is equivalent to around 25 years current atmospheric carbon increase.
[1] "What is the normal range for background CO2 concentrations in the air?"
strogonoff · 3h ago
It’s crazy to think that many people alive today experienced a 30% increase in ambient atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration within their lifetimes.
devmor · 1h ago
You’re missing some deeply important context there, which is that those measurements are for outdoor atmospheric CO2 only.
Average indoor air quality ranges from 400-1000 ppm CO2, with adverse mental effects starting to appear close to 2000 ppm.
In that context, you can see why a 50 ppm difference is marginal. This is why asking an LLM is not generally a great idea for understanding something - you need to follow it up with more research.
nashashmi · 1h ago
A low powered co2 monitor is likely a big deal. And one that fits to specific power generation systems is even a bigger deal.
ChemSpider · 55m ago
The challenge with CO2 monitoring is the sensor, not the electronics. Sensor accurracy and service life are key information.
It is easy to create a low power chemical CO2 sensors with a service life of a few weeks/months. Obviously not pratical for real world applications. So critical data is missing in this press release.
noisy_boy · 10h ago
Tangential/Spoiler: I came to know about Kaist (Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology) in the Netflix series Devil's Plan (season 2) which had two of its students as the top three contestants.
vibration powered electricity generator is not new, neither is CO2 monitoring. so what's the big deal?
Also, according to Claude[1] a 50ppm difference is equivalent to around 25 years current atmospheric carbon increase.
* Pre-industrial (1700s): ~280 ppm
* 1958 (when systematic measurements began): ~315 ppm
* 2000: ~370 ppm
* 2015: ~400 ppm (milestone crossed)
* Current: ~420-425 ppm
[1] "What is the normal range for background CO2 concentrations in the air?"
Average indoor air quality ranges from 400-1000 ppm CO2, with adverse mental effects starting to appear close to 2000 ppm.
In that context, you can see why a 50 ppm difference is marginal. This is why asking an LLM is not generally a great idea for understanding something - you need to follow it up with more research.
It is easy to create a low power chemical CO2 sensors with a service life of a few weeks/months. Obviously not pratical for real world applications. So critical data is missing in this press release.