One of the world’s biggest draws of electricity is refrigeration and air conditioning. (Yes, it’s somewhat ironic that, by trying to stay cool, we pump millions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere). General Electric, GE, believes it has discovered a new method of magnet-based refrigeration that is 20-30% more efficient than existing refrigeration technology, which almost universally uses a liquid refrigerant and compressor. GE launched the first commercial electric refrigerator in 1927 — and fridges have fundamentally remained unchanged for almost 100 years. GE hopes that its magnet-based tech can become the refrigeration method of choice for the next 100 years.
General Electric has unveiled what seems to be the thinnest, high-performance cooler for the next-generation of ultra-thin tablets and laptops (pictured above). While this cooler obviously allows for slimmer designs (or more space for other components), it also uses just half the power of a comparable fan, granting a significant boost to battery life. Oh, it’s almost silent, too.
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