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Goodbye, Farewell, So Long…..For Now!

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on July 9, 2015
Posted in: Blog. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Photo Credit: thumbs.dreamstime.com

Well looks like the time has come to say farewell.  This has definitely been a fun ride here at TeamUV.org and I can definitely say I will not forget it.  I honestly want to thank everyone who has supported us this entire trip whether it be reading our post, donating, commenting, or any kind of support you have given us.  I just hope that we were able to shed some light on all of the interesting items that people just like us have created in the STEM field.  We all have learned a lot from the beginning of this project (SHIELA-D) up til the end (DORY) and that experience is something that we will never forget.

You know, anyone can put up an article.  But when you put up an article and see that people are coming to the site, reading it, and leaving comments, it is such a great feeling and once again I want to thank everyone who supported us no matter how small or large.  As for the “For Now” part, I will be putting up articles for Engineering A Future for a little while so feel free to come, kick back, and read some more articles!

From the coolest guy in the group…..You Rock!

Hoverboard Is Finally Here?!

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on July 5, 2015
Posted in: Open Mind. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Slide Hoverboard3

Hoverboard. Photo Credit: wonderfulengineering.com

As many of you are aware, we are in the transitioning phase of this website as we close out TeamUV.org and transition to EngineeringAFuture.com over the next two months, so this will be Ketton’s last Open Mind post here at Team UV, but not to fear, there is still one week of posts left here and the same types of articles will be carried over onto EAF (Engineering A Future), so without further ado, please enjoy the following:

We have been yearning for the hoverboard technology ever since it premiered in series like Back to the Future and Real Adventures of Johnny Quest.  But, due to the complexity of the underlying technology, no hoverboards have yet been able to accommodate a real person during flight.  It has largely been agreed that the future hoverboard’s levitation effect will come from the application of electromagnetic levitation rather than any propulsion.  But in addition to the electromagnetism, the new board also uses liquid Nitrogen in some capacity.  The new attempt at the hoverboard is called Slide and it can lift itself off the ground and carry a person.  Not enough technical details regarding the board of our dreams are available, and the sole source of information is a video released by the Tokyo branch of Lexus, the company behind this invention.  The project is a part of the Amazing in Motion campaign by the Lexus company that has produced an 11 foot tall android, a swarm of quadcopters and mannequins performing in Kuala Lumpur.

We see in the video (below) how a young man is getting off from his boring regular board and then moves towards the Slider board.  It really seems to be levitating in thin air.  It seems to be a remarkable feat of engineering and a long-awaited ride for us.  Due to the brand image of Lexus, it is unlikely that it is an edited video.  The video is real but to see an actual hoverboard is mesmerizing.  I bet there are many technical difficulties to overcome before we can actually see it.  There had been an attempt of making a working hoverboard before as Kickstarter attracted the Hendo hoverboard that could levitate and move across a floor of some conductive material to create a secondary field.

The Lexus spokesperson told the media that there won’t be any disclosure of information before the end of the month when the board could be unveiled for the cameras.  However, we cannot help but feel suspicious about the whole thing.  The electromagnetic levitation requires a particular type of surface to float on.  In the video, the guy appears to be doing so on concrete, which doesn’t seem to make sense.  Maybe there is a secret to the smoking sides of the hoverboard.  They must contribute towards its function in some aspect.

Check out the video below and see what all the fuss is about!

Why Is There a Tiny Hole in Airplane Windows?

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on June 30, 2015
Posted in: Well Read. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments
screen shot 2015-05-31 at 1.11.51 pm

Breather hole in an airplane window. Photo Credit: interestingengineering.com

As many of you are aware, we are in the transitioning phase of this website as we close out TeamUV.org and transition to EngineeringAFuture.com over the next two months, so this will be Ketton’s last Well Read post here at Team UV, but not to fear, there are still two months of posts left here and the same types of articles will be carried over onto EAF (Engineering A Future), so without further ado, please enjoy the following:

Before we go any further into the purpose of the “breather hole”, we will first check out how a window in a pressurized passenger cabin is set up.  As shown in the Boeing 737 maintenance manual (the most widely produced jet airliner in aviation history), the window structure consists of three layers of acrylic – a tough, transparent and flexible resin – although only two of them have an actual structural function.

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Airplane window configuration. Photo Credit: interestingengineering.com

These structural layers are the intermediate and outer ones – while the inner layer (called “scratch pane”) only serves as a buffer between the passengers and the structure of the window itself.  These layers prevent the cabin from reaching the external pressures that, depending on altitude, are too low for the vital functions of the human body.

Basically, the primary structural window guarantees the cabin remains at a constant pressure equivalent to an altitude of 7,000 feet, which is still quite acceptable for the body.  However, in most cases, only the last acrylic layer is responsible for ensuring such conditions; the intermediate layer is just there for extra safety.  Having said that, let us get back to the mysterious little hole.

As can be noted in the diagram shown above, the breather hole is located in the middle layer of the window.  This little puncture acts as a bleed valve ensuring that the pressure between the last two layers and the cabin always remains the same.  This is necessary as a way of preserving the middle layer (the extra safety one) so it is only exposed to severe pressure differences in cases of emergency – that is, if the last layer the window is fractured in some way.

The breather hole also serves to prevent freezing and fogging between the outer layers of the window.  Of course, that doesn’t always work since it is not rare to find photographs showing some frost on the windows.

Medical Device That Can Deliver Medicine One Molecule at a Time

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on May 19, 2015
Posted in: Well Read. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

Implantable ion drug pump. Photo Credit: http://www.popularmechanics.com

The device shown above is smaller than your finger and it might be the future of devices to treat a fractured spine, pinched nerve, or neurological disorder like epilepsy.  Oh…did I mention that it was implantable!?

A team of engineers and medical researchers in Sweden has just designed a pinpoint-accurate implantable drug pump.  It delivers medicine with such precision that it requires only 1 percent of the drugs doctors would otherwise need to deploy.  As it demonstrated in tests on seven rats, the tiny pump can attach directly to the spine (at the root of a nerve) and inject its medicine molecule by molecule.

The technology is based on a compact but complicated piece of laboratory equipment called an ion pump.  To put it simply, as electric current enters the ion pump one electron at a time, medicine is flung out the other end one molecule at a time.  One caveat: Because of this setup, only medicines that can be electrically charged can be used with the pump.  But that includes more pain medicines than you might think, including morphine and other opiates.  In their study, Jonsson and her colleagues experimented with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).  This chemical essentially puts the brakes on nerves, reducing pain, but it stops being produced where the nerves are broken.  Jonsson’s approach was to use her new drug pump to simply put more GABA back into the broken part of the spine.

With any other drug pump this would be ineffective if not insane—the GABA would simply travel throughout the spine at leisure, wreaking widespread havoc and disrupting the nervous system.  But, with the ion pump’s pinpoint precision, Jonsson could inject incredibly small amount of GABA right where they needed it, without the risk of major damage.  And it worked.  When the scientists gave the test rats a common pain-response test (essentially poking their paws, and seeing how much force was needed for them to retract their arms) the rats with drug-pumps could on average withstand 5 times more force.

Jonsson is emphatic that her medical device is still in the research phase, and a real ion drug pump may be years away.  Scaling up the pump to the size required for human needs might not be too big of an issue, but for this experiment, the researchers had their rats implanted with the pumps for three days only.  The shell of the pump would likely need to be changed for longer-term use, she says.  Regardless, drug pumps like Jonsson’s may hold the promise of future biomedical devices designed to assuage nerve pain and treat neurological diseases.

Wall Climbing Robot That Can Carry 100 Times Its Own Weight!

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on May 10, 2015
Posted in: Open Mind. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

UTug robot with a weight attached. Photo Credit: slashgear.com

Stanford engineers are getting ready to reveal their new tiny robot that perhaps should have the name Superman as it is extremely strong.  The reveal is taking place at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation which is held in Seattle.  The small robot can not only carry many times its own weight, it can do this while climbing up a wall.

This is the smallest robot to have been created at Stanford.  One of their robots is able to carry 500 milligrams while its own body weight is just 20 milligrams.  It may only be carrying a paperclip but bear in mind that the robot itself is so tiny that it had to be assembled underneath a microscope.  UTug is the even more powerful as it can drag weights of up to 2,000 times heavier than its own body weight.  It weighs just 12 grams (~0.03 lb) and can carry around 24 kilograms (~52.9 lb).  This is the equivalent to a human being walking around dragging a blue whale behind them.

The incredible strength of the robots is due to powerful motors and superb traction.  The engineers working on the robots gave them feet that take inspiration from that of a gecko.  The feet have an adhesive surface which has tiny rubber spikes that allow the robot to stick to the surface.  If downward pressure is applied, the spikes are able to bend, this gives them increased surface area and therefore high adhesion.  As soon as the robot lifts its foot the spikes straighten out.  The locomotion of the robot means that it moves slow and one foot has to stay planted to anchor the weight of the robot.  The designers behind the robot believe that the robot will come in handy in construction to carry items that are heavy and which need to be hauled around.

Body Armor Made from a Liquid That Hardens When Hit by a Bullet

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on April 14, 2015
Posted in: Well Read. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Shear Thickening Fluid (STF) body armor. Photo Credit: ep.yimg.com

A Polish company, Mortax Institute, is in the business of producing body armor systems and is currently working on a liquid based armor that is capable of hardening upon impact.  This liquid in question is known as Shear-Thickening Fluid (STF) and can harden at any temperature instantaneously when impacted with a bullet.  The liquid armor is capable of providing protection from high-speed projectiles and can also disperse the energy over a larger area.  Test performers of the STF for Moratex said “This viscosity increases thanks to the subordination of the particles in the liquid structure, therefore they form a barrier against an external penetrating factor.”  The ballistic tests that were carried out have proven that it is resistant to a large and diverse range of projectiles.

The liquid armor’s capability of stopping inbound projectile when combined with the low indentation of its surface creates a safety level that is far higher when compared with the conventional solutions that rely on Kevlar.  If a protective vest is fitted to the body, then a four centimeter deep deflection may cause injury to the sternum, sternum fracture, myocardial infarction, or lethal damage to the spleen.  Thanks to the properties of the liquid, and to the proper formation of the insert, it’s possible to eliminate near one hundred percent of this threat because of the reduced the deflection from four centimeters to one centimeter.

The team working on this innovative approach to body armor is hopeful that this technology will find applications other than in body armor.  I fully agree that this STF, if fully developed, can have a huge impact in the world we live in today.

17 Year Old Girl’s Device Purifies Water and Generates Energy!

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on April 9, 2015
Posted in: Presentations. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
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Cynthia Lam’s H2prO device. Photo Credit: InterestingEngineering.com

This girl is definitely going places.  Inventions to help improve the quality of life in a renewable and sustainable approach has been the main efforts of many scientists and engineers today.  A participant in Google’s Science Fair, Cynthia Lam, developed a system known as H2prO that purifies water while simultaneously generating energy.  In the images above; the upper portion is used for purification of water, while the bottom part is used for hydrogen generation which is connected to a fuel cell and the base unit for filtration of water.

Cynthia’s device uses titanium to separate the pollutants from the water.  With the addition of oxidizing substances (methanol, glycerol, and EDTA) this mixture increases the production of hydrogen, which is used as fuel and to make the decomposition more efficient.  Tests show that the H2prO has a 90% efficiency in the removal of organic pollutants, and the entire process can happen in only two hours.  Unfortunately, the system is still unstable (even with such a satisfactory production of photocatalyic hydrogen) so data regarding energy production is slim to none.  However, Cynthia is not giving up yet and plans to finalize her design to help many people in developing countries!

A Typing Test to Diagnose Parkinson’s?

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on April 5, 2015
Posted in: Well Read. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Typing. Photo Credit: wikipdeia.org

People spend a lot a their day typing whether it be on a keyboard, smartphone, or a card reader.  Researchers at MIT noticed the value of this daily habit, and are putting it to a secondary use; they’ve developed software that can gauge the speed at which a typist is tapping the keyboard to help diagnose Parkinson’s disease.  In order to type a word, your brain has to send signals down through your spinal cord to the nerves that operate your fingers.  If your central nervous system is functioning perfectly, then you should be able to tap most of the keys at a fairly constant rate.  But a number of conditions might slow the signal from the brain to the fingers, such as sleep deprivation (which slows all motor skills) and diseases that affect the central nervous system, including Parkinson’s.

For the first version of this study, the researchers were looking at typing patterns that indicated whether a person was sleep-deprived or well rested.  They created a browser plug-in that detected the timing at which the volunteers hit the keys and found that the people who were sleepy had a much wider variation in their typing speed.  They found similar results in their preliminary test with Parkinson’s patients; the 21 typists with Parkinson’s tapped the keys at much more variable rates than the 15 healthy volunteers.  The researchers called it a “window into the brain”.

Right now, the algorithm they’ve developed is not refined enough to distinguish Parkinson’s patients from people who are sleep deprived, though the results might be clearer after a number of trials.  The researchers plan to conduct a study with a larger group of subjects, but they hope that this type test could eventually lead to earlier diagnoses of Parkinson’s.  Today most people are diagnosed after they have had symptoms for 5-10 years and to distinguish Parkinson’s from other conditions that might affect a person’s motor skills, like rheumatoid arthritis.  They are currently developing a smartphone app that can test participants even more easily.

Robotic Glove Designed To Teach You To Draw!

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on March 10, 2015
Posted in: Well Read. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Robotic glove. Photo Credit: interestingengineering.com

This robotic glove, the “Teacher”, is designed to help you improve your drawing skills.  It attaches to your hand and the machine coaches you to draw by forcing your hand to perform certain motions.  The idea is that your hand will eventually develop the proper muscle memory and be able to draw free-handed.

Saurabh Datta, an engineering student from the Institute of Interaction Design Copenhagen, developed the glove for his graduation thesis.  Initially, the equipment was designed to teach him how to play the piano.  In it’s latest version however, the Teacher can help anyone without a natural born talent to draw through simple repetition.  The robot forces your hand to repeatedly execute a series of basic drawing movements.  The repetition of these movements end up being transferred to the muscle memory of your fingers, causing you to be able to repeat the movements naturally without the use of the glove.  The idea of ​​the glove is basically to “program” you so your lines become aesthetically better.  The glove has no ability to interfere in the creative process so it’s still up to you whether or not to be able to put on paper something visually attractive.

I am not an artistic person but once I obtain one of these gloves who knows.  You might see one of my drawings in a museum near you! 🙂

Gimball! The World’s First Collision Tolerant Drone!

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on March 5, 2015
Posted in: Presentations. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
flyability-rescue-drone-2015-02-09-02

Gimball drone. Photo Credit: interestingengineering.com

With all the talk about drones lately, especially Amazon’s drone, I thought this would be cool to mention.  Today, I want to introduce you to Gimball!  The collision tolerant drone!

There is always a learning curve when first piloting a drone.  You may not be as good as you think when you keep knocking into things.  The last thing you really want is to watch your drone engage in a mid-air collision, but for Gimball it is it’s main selling point.  Described as the first “collision tolerant drone” it won $1 million at the Drones for Good international competition held in Dubai.

It was created by Swiss company Flyability and it utilizes a rotating spherical outer cage that means it can be used safely in close proximity with people.  Designed to enter hostile environments such as burning buildings and radioactive sites, Gimball maps its surroundings and can roll across ceilings and floors, navigate restricted areas, and transmit RGB and infrared images back to disaster relief services.  Surrounding the multi-axis gimbal system with its built-in camera is a carbon fiber outer cage that absorbs the shock of any collisions and the gimbal system means that the cage can roll about independently of the camera.

Check out the video below!

Top 10 Performing Countries In Solar Energy

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on March 1, 2015
Posted in: Open Mind. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Solar Panels. Photo Credit: ericgarland.co

There has always been a desperation to move our dependency from dirty, finite fossil fuels to a more cleaner and sustainable fuel source and since the start of the decade there has been a rapid boom in the adoption of solar energy harnessing.  Solar panels are becoming more efficient and continuous developments in the tech mean that it’s being adopted in unexpected areas not well-known for having loads of sunlight.  Here are the top 10 performing countries in solar energy!

1. Germany – 35.5 GW
– Germany was the world leader back in 2010 with 9.8 GW as well.

2. China – 18.3 GW
– Even though China has a massive and dense population and known for its smog.  It ranks pretty high on this list!

3. Italy – 17.6 GW
– Italy was in 5th place in 2010 and has risen up to 3rd place as of the end of 2013.

4. Japan – 13.6 GW
– Japan has increased their solar capacity by 500% since June 2010.  Unfortunately they have slipped from 3rd to 4th place as of 2013.

5. United States – 12 GW
– The United States increased their capacity by 750% and it is expected to grow significantly in coming years.

6. Spain – 5.6 GW
– Spain was once the world leader back in 2008 with 2.6 GW.  Complexity and delays related to a new government subsidy program and a decrease in energy demand led to this drop.

7. France – 4.6 GW
– France has continued to benefit from its well-designed FiT for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), but the country’s solar growth has been slowed by a lack of political support for solar incentives.

8. Australia – 3.3 GW
– Australia boasts some of the greatest solar potential in the world.  Solar power costs less than half what grid electricity costs, although the current government is considering scaling back the federal Renewable Energy Target, which would slow if not stop the country’s upward trajectory in these lists.

9. Belgium – 3 GW
– A surprisingly strong contender over the years, Belgium’s success was from “a well-designed Green Certificates scheme (which actually works as a Feed-in Tariff), combined with additional tax rebates and electricity self-consumption.”

10. United Kingdom – 2.9 GW
– Rewind 5 years ago and the UK was miles away from being in the top 10.  Improvements in the efficiency of the tech teamed with good government backing means that the UK has become a poster child for the global solar boom.

Purify Water Using Sunlight!

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on February 5, 2015
Posted in: Well Read. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Panasonic’s photocatalytic water purification system. Photo Credit: wonderfulengineering.com

Note: Our apologizes for the missed post on Tuesday; we had some technical difficulties and so have posted the original Tuesday post (this post) for today and will be posting the original Thursday post tomorrow (Friday 1000 hours) instead.  Regular scheduling will resume on Sunday.

In some parts of the world clean drinking water is quite rare as the water sources are polluted and purification methods are not available.  Panasonic is developing a new technology to address this problem.  This technology uses the sunlight for purification of the water extracted from the ground.  Recently, a system was presented by the company that uses photocatalysts and sunlight to purify water at a high reaction speed.  This readily improves access to clean water, in areas where needed.

The recent breakthrough that led to the discovery of this technology is the system’s ability to bind titanium dioxide (TiO2), a photocatalyst capable to react under ultraviolet light.  TiO2 comes in super fine particles and is hard to collect once it has dispersed in the water.  Previously, other larger materials were used to bind the TiO2 to them, but it was a loss of active site surface area.  The way this technology by Panasonic differs from those found before, is the discovery of Zeolite particles’ (a commercial adsorbent and catalyst) ability to bind the TiO2 particles.  This solves the problem by enabling photocatalysts to maintain their active site.  As the two particles are bound together by electrostatic force, there is no need for the binder chemicals.  As the new photocatalytic particles are stirred, the Zeolite releases the TiO2, which then disperses throughout the water.  The resultant reaction speed is much faster as compared to other methods and the processing of large amounts of water is supported.  The TiO2 binds to the Zeolite again if the water is still left, which makes it easy to separate and recover the photocatalysts from the water for later use.

The main idea of this project is to develop a small-scale version of this purification system, which may then be deployed at different places where purification of water is needed.  See how the system works below!

Panasonic’s photocatalytic water purification system process diagram. Photo Credit: wonderfulengineering.com

 

Cuttlefish Robot! Quiet, Agile, and Efficient

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on January 29, 2015
Posted in: Presentations. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Sepios robot. Photo Credit: engadget.com

Team UV is not the only one who has an interest in underwater technology!  The latest in underwater robotics has taken inspiration from the undulating motion of the cuttlefish, rather than conventional methods such as propellers and solid fins.  Previous attempts at fish like robotics have produced decent mimics of fish motion, however, they have always been rather limited in terms of agility and precision.  Researchers form Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich are set to change this thought with their four finned cuttlefish inspired Sepios robot.  Sepios carries a 20,000mAh battery, which is good for as much as 90 minutes of dive time with a top speed of 1.8 km per hour (~1.12 mph or 1.64 ft/s).  The current version is only rated for use at depths up to 10 meters (~32.8 ft), which is plenty to explore coastal waters and film wildlife.

Sepios can see effortlessly through a forest of seagrass, even in stormy conditions.  Each fin can be controlled separately allowing the robot to move in any direction with ease.  The team is now working on improving the coordination of its many sensors, for example pressure and humidity detectors and an on-board camera, laser and inertial measurement unit that help it avoid collisions.

Maybe Sepios will be swimming with Team UV’s underwater vehicle in the future!  🙂

The Reason Why Rolexes Are So Expensive

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on January 25, 2015
Posted in: Open Mind. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Rolex watch. Photo Credit: http://www.mentalitch.com

Rolex is a universe of its own: respected, admired, valued, and known across the globe.  Rolex does just make watches and their timepieces have taken on a role beyond that of mere timekeeper.  Having said that, the reason a “Rolex is a Rolex” is because they are good watches and tell pretty good time.  There is a very real mystique behind the manufacture because they are relatively closed and their operations aren’t public.  The brand takes the concept of Swiss discreetness to a new level, and in a lot of ways that is good for them.  Here is a list of why Rolexes are so expensive.

1. They use an expensive and difficult to machine steel because it looks better.
Most steel watches are make from a common 316L stainless steel.  However, Rolex watches are made from 904L steel.  904L steel is more rust and corrosion resistant, and is somewhat harder than other steels.  904L steel, when worked properly, is able to take and hold polishes incredibly well.

2. Their movements are all hand-assembled and tested.
Rolex watches are given all the hands-on human attention you’d like to expect from a fine Swiss made watch.  Rolex uses machines for the process sure, but everything from Rolex movements to bracelets are assembled by hand.

3. An in-house foundry makes all their gold.
Rolex makes their own gold.  24k gold comes into Rolex and it is turned into 18k yellow, white, or Rolex’s Everose gold.  Large kilns under hot flames are used to melt and mix the metals which are then turned into cases and bracelets.  Because Rolex controls the production and machining of their gold, they are able to strictly ensure not only quality, but the best looking parts.

4. Rolex Dive watches are each individually tested in pressurized tanks with water.
All Rolex Oyster case watches are thoroughly tested for water resistance.  The way that this is often done at watch manufactures is with an air-pressure tank.  A watch is placed in a small chamber that is filled with air, and if the pressure changes at all, it means that air leaked into the case.  Each Rolex Oyster, as well as Oyster dive watches begins with this air pressure treatment.  In fact, each case is tested both before and after a movement and dial are placed inside of it.  Dive watches receive a separate treatment all together.  After being air pressure tested, Rolex proceeds to test the water resistance of each and every Rolex Submariner and Deep Sea watch in actual water.  This type of test is much less common.  Submariner watches are placed in large tubes that are filled with water to ensure that they are water resistant to 300 meters.  The test is extremely complex because Rolex employs a complex system for testing if water entered the case.  After the watches exit the tank, they are heated up and a drop of cold water is placed on the crystal to see if condensation forms.  An optical sensor then scans them for trace amounts of water.  Less than one in a thousand watches fail the test.

5. It takes about a year to make a Rolex watch.
Rolex produces almost a million watches a year, but surprisingly, no shortcuts are taken in the manufacturing process.  If you look at Rolex watches over time, they are more about evolution rather than revolution.  This idea of always improving versus changing goes right into their manufacturing process as well.  They are constantly learning how to improve quality through better processes and techniques.  The move from aluminum to ceramic bezel inserts is a perfect example.  Nevertheless, from starting to shape the parts of the case to testing a completed watch for accuracy, the process takes around one year.  Of course Rolex could speed this up for certain models if necessary, but each watch requires so many parts and virtually everything is made from base materials in-house.  Once all the parts for a Rolex watch are completed, they are then mostly hand-assembled and individually tested.  The testing and quality assurance process is rather intense.

These are only a few reasons why they are so expensive and this should give you some insight into how much TLC Rolex puts in their watches!  If you don’t believe me take a look at this video below of a Rolex being disassembled!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfNOgWGME_c

Enjoy!

NASA Sent a Wrench to the ISS….By Email!

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on December 30, 2014
Posted in: Well Read. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

3d printing space_1

ISS Commander USN Captain Barry Wilmore holding a 3D printed wrench. Photo Credit: InterestingEngineering.com

Barry Wilmore, International Space Station (ISS) Commander, recently needed a wrench that they didn’t have at hand on-board the ISS…so NASA emailed him one.  For the first time ever, an object has been designed on Earth and manufactured in space.  In earlier years if a situation arose similar to this then the people on the ISS would have to wait for the next resupply mission which could take months!  “Made in Space”, a California company designed a micro gravity printer that sits aboard the ISS.  Now astronauts can simply print the desired tool they need.

Now whenever something is needed on the ISS, they can now send the requirements to Made in Space, who then mocks up the part in CAD software before sending the data back to be printed in space.  However, this is not the first 3D printed part in space, back in November the printer printed a spare part for itself.  This means that they can take less tools with them when they travel to the ISS.  3D printing filament is much lighter than tools!  In total, 21 objects have been 3D printed in space, all of which have been brought back to Earth for examination and testing.  This can only help to improve the printing process in micro gravity.  Now only imagine if we can 3D print a spacecraft…Hey…..It could happen!

 

How To Make Your Christmas Tree Last Longer….Hairspray!

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on December 25, 2014
Posted in: Presentations. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

Christmas tree. Photo Credit: images.clipartpanda.com

While there are many stunning artificial Christmas trees on the market there is nothing that can beat a real Christmas tree.  The species of tree for the festive holiday varies in different parts of the world, they all have roughly the same green foliage and smell.  When it comes to getting a tree to decorate for the holidays you’re faced with one problem regardless of the species you go for in that the leaves or needles will turn brown and fall off.  A group of schoolgirls in Australia have now come up with a simple solution to make the Christmas tree last longer in the home.

A year 7 class of girls from a school in Rose Bay, Sydney, Australia, looked into what made the foliage of the typical Christmas tree turn brown and shed the needles.  They looked at the trees in different conditions.  They placed branches into tap water, hot water, beer, energy drinks and a container that had water with the branch being sprayed with hairspray.  They performed the experiment with 50 branches of Pinus Radiata, otherwise known as the Monterey Pine tree.  They divided the branches into groups of 10 and checked the branches out carefully over a period of 27 days.  They used an instrument to measure the leaves health by applying a pulse of light.  This measured how efficiently the needles converted light energy to chemical energy.

Professor Moles said that she believed that the coating of the hairspray stopped the plant from being able to sense chemicals that came from the branches that were dying, which in turn would normally trigger more decay.  This works in the same way as leaving a rotten apple in a bowl and it turning the whole bowl bad.  Another theory was that the hair spray may have helped to keep moisture in.  So it seems that if you want to get the best from your Christmas tree you should give the tree a spray with some hairspray.  Of course, it would be advisable to do this before you decorated the tree.

This may be a tad bit late considering the timing.  I know I will make sure to remember this next year!

 

10 Greatest Feats In Engineering for 2014!

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on December 21, 2014
Posted in: Open Mind. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

 

Robotic arm. Photo Credit: http://www.gdc.larc.nasa.gov

The 2014 year has been a good one to us in terms of technology.  Many of these devices have not been publicly displayed enough for people to take notice.  So I’m here to fill you in!  Here is your list of the top 10 greatest feats in engineering!

10. Form-fitting compression space suit to aid in planetary exploration
-Dr. Dava Newman, a professor of Aeronautics, Astronautics and Engineering Systems at MIT, created compression garments that incorporate small, springlike coils that contract in response to heat to improve upon the outdated, clunky spacesuits astronauts currently wear.

9. Simple, cheap, paper test for cancer
-Another research team at MIT has definitely achieved success in this department as they developed a simple, cheap, paper test that can diagnose cancer, in a similar fashion to a pregnancy test.

8. Pocket spectrometer is your personal molecular scanner
-This pocket friendly device uses near IR spectroscopy to identify the materials of the object it’s scanning.  It works in partner with your smartphone via Bluetooth and the data from the scan is sent to the cloud to undergo algorithms, before feedback is sent back to the smartphone.

7. Daewoo’s exosteleton that gives its workers super strength
-Daewoo began testing exoskeletons that allow workers to pick up, maneuver and hold objects weighing 30kg with no effort – perfect for their shipbuilders.  A backpack carries the power for a system of hydraulic joints and electric motors running up the outside of the legs.

6. We finally have something that can be called a working hoverboard
-An interesting use of electromagnetics and the hoverboard was a front for the new take on the technology which has potential for a lot of other great possibilities.

5. Ridiculous 43 Terabits/sec data transfer
-The High-Speed Optical Communications team at the Technical University of Denmark set a new record for data transmission this year, passing 43 terabits per second worth of data over a single optical fiber.  To put this in perspective, Reddit user candiedbug points out: “At 43 terabits per second you could download Netflix’s entire 3.14 petabyte library in 9.7 minutes.”

4. Google Cardboard lets you experience virtual reality with stuff you already have
-With some android software you can create your own virtual reality experience with things possibly lying around your home right now.  All you need is some cardboard, Velcro strips, magnets and plastic lenses (and of course an Android device), and you can experience a 3D virtual reality available from numerous apps.

3. Wireless electricity is now a thing
-Wireless electricity has been creeping into our lives with the likes of wireless charging smartphone docks where the handheld devices lay on top of a pad.  Now, WiTricity have used resonant wireless power transfer technology to develop a commercially viable product that can charge your devices without the need of them being left on a pad.  It also works through wood and metal.

2. SpaceX’s FALCON 9 reusable test vehicle reaches 1000m
-Elon Musk dreams to colonize Mars in the future but this year his company achieved a milestone with their reusable rocket, reaching 1000m.  At a time when budgeting for space sciences is at risk, the industry needs more efficient and less costly solutions to continue our exploration beyond our own planet.

1. Solar power can be generated in the dark
-Researchers from MIT and Harvard have created a way for solar panels to absorb and store the energy from the sun’s radiation, which can then be used on demand to create heat.

However, do not forget that we landed on a comet!  In my opinion that is the greatest engineering feat!  Feel free to look into each one of these great engineering feats yourself!

4-Dimensional Printed Wood?

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on November 25, 2014
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4-D printed wood. Photo Credit: news.discovery.com

Just as 3D printers create objects that have three-dimensional characteristics, 4D printers create objects that have four dimensional characteristics, in that they include a dynamic component that causes their structure to change over time; relying on water, heat, or light to activate them.  By using a multi-material printer, it’s possible to generate objects with the properties all in one go.  Such “programmable materials” may one day mean that you can buy flat-pack furniture at IKEA, take it home, spray it with a garden hose and then watch it assemble itself!  MIT is currently working on this exact thing!

Let’s think about what happens to a thin strip of wood if you get it wet: it warps, as different parts of the wood swell in slightly different ways.  Typically, this is bad, because warping is unpredictable and related to the type of wood, the patterns in the grain of that wood, how and where it gets wet, etc.  So if we could somehow predict the warping, we could find a piece of wood that we could deliberately warp into a shape that you want just by adding water.  With 3D printing it’s possible to manufacture pieces of wood with whatever composition, thickness, and grain characteristics that you want.  With a great understanding of how the material behaves, along with computer models, you can 3D print a piece of artificial wood that’s been “pre-programmed” using carefully constructed layers of various thicknesses and grain directions.  It will warp itself from flat into exactly the shape you want, just add water!  The MIT Self-Assembly Lab has been developing a variety of programmable materials, not just wood.  So we could see pre-programmed materials such as carbon fiber in the future as well!  Technology just makes our life easier doesn’t it?

Could You Fix Something by Smacking It?

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on November 20, 2014
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The Fonz. Photo Credit: 1000awesomethings.com

I’m sure we have all done this at some point.  Whether it was your computer running especially slow or your television just wasn’t giving you that “clear” picture.  It just seemed liked a quick smack was the right thing to do to fix that problem!  It worked for Fonzie to fix that skipping jukebox from “Happy Days”, so why can’t it work for you?  Well in the older days when devices had many more mechanical components in them, and something could get jammed, a quick hit could get it right into place or a bad solder connection would reconnect.  However, these techniques would only be a temporary fix, prolonging the inevitable.

How about more modern machines where many of the components rely less on mechanical operations?  Well placing a few well-placed taps could identify a weak connection on a printed circuit board giving you an indication of a weak point in the part.  There are definitely items where giving them a good smack would not help but do more damage than help.  For example, giving a hard drive a good whack may not be the best solution.  However, this so called “percussive maintenance” is still used today to determine faults in electronics like weak solder connections.  This percussive maintenance is done by professionals where knowledge and experience comes into play.  They know how to perform a few well-placed taps rather than throwing a Mike Tyson punch to the side of the device.

You could compare the “smacking back to life” idea to a doctor applying a “precordial thump” to the chest of a person in cardiac arrest.  However, I would not suggest you do this unless you are a certified emergency aid.

The Complexity of Door Lock Design, Not So Simple?

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on November 16, 2014
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Door lock. Photo Credit: MadeHow.com

I am more than positive that you come in contact with a a door at least once a day, right?  Whether it be turning the handle or putting your key in the slot and unlocking the door so you can go inside.  Have you ever realized how much design and consideration goes into that door lock?  A door lock is much more complex than one would have thought!  Most of the locks you see today are pin tumbler locks.  The pin tumbler lock uses a set of pins to prevent the lock from opening unless the correct key is inserted.  The key has a series of grooves on either side of the key’s blade that limit the type of lock the key can slide into.  As the key slides into the lock, the horizontal grooves on the blade align with the wards in the keyway allowing or denying entry to the cylinder.  A series of pointed teeth and notches on the blade, called bittings, then allow pins to move up and down until they are in line with the shear line of the inner and outer cylinder, allowing the cylinder or cam to rotate freely and the lock to open.

Let’s take a look at the design process for this type of lock.  First off, these locks have several small static and dynamic parts.  If one of these parts are not correct the lock will be useless.  Take note that some of these parts are the size of a penny or even less!  This is where Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) comes into play.  GD&T is a process for dimensioning drawings and is standardized throughout the engineering industry!  In addition to this, material selection is important.  When a metal comes in contact with a different metal this increases the rate of corrosion.  Since we have to use the key and lock combination at least once a day if the wrong materials are chosen at some point the “rust” developed on your key or inside the lock could become too much to even fit your key in there!  Lastly, the key; since the key must lift each pin a different height.  Each pin is connected to a spring of a certain spring constant (stiffness) and each pin is a different length.  The key must be correctly designed in order to lift several pins to the correct height allowing you to rotate the cylinder and open the door.  Several mechanical actions are happening within the lock during the 2 second time frame as you unlock the door.  It’s amazing!

XStat, Sponge-Filled Syringe to Treat Combat Wounds

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on October 21, 2014
Posted in: Well Read. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

The XStat, a syringe filled with dozens of tiny sponges, is a new tool to treat gunshot wounds in combat that its creators hope will work faster and more effectively than current methods. Photo Credit: NYDailyNews.com

Being on the front lines during a war is extremely scary.  There are bullets flying around left and right and fear is inevitable.  One of the greater fears while on the battlefield is getting shot.  How quickly someone can treat the wound (correctly) could mean life or death.  In the past, soldiers who faced a gunshot wound would be treated with gauze to clog the hole until they could be transported to a hospital.  Soldiers face tremendous difficulties when using gauze for treatment.  For example, if the wound is deep it is hard to get the gauze deep enough (especially when it is a bullet sized hole) to clog the bleed.  If the gauze method doesn’t work the first time then the entire process has to be done again.  Also, using gauze heightens the risk of infection because medics would force gauze into the wound with their hand so particulates in the air, dirt, grass, etc. could easily penetrate the wound.

An ingenious new invention will save precious seconds in treating life-threatening gunshot wounds on the battlefield.  The XStat looks like a syringe filled with pills, but the capsules it contains are actually tiny sponges that plug wounds and stop bleeding minutes faster than packing them with gauze.  Treating wounds with the XStat takes only a matter of seconds.  The syringe is inserted directly into the wound and the medic presses down to release the sponges.  In about 15 seconds, the sponges expand, creating a pressure that stops the bleeding.  The minutes saved allow medics to move on to the next patient more quickly, and increase a wounded soldier’s chances of survival.  The product, which received $5 million in funding from the U.S. Military, is currently in the final stages of approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  Once approved, it will head into battle to increase the treatment process of wounded soldiers.

For all of the soldiers out there I would like to thank each and every one of you for your dedication and service!

Underwater Protection for Underwater Vehicles

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on October 16, 2014
Posted in: Presentations. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

SBI water resistant material. Photo Credit: SBIFinishing.com

Water is definitely not a friend for materials such as metals, electronics, wood, etc.  For example, when metal is submerged underwater it increases the rate of corrosion of the metal (i.e steel).  So we must consider how we can fight against these negative effects the water produces against devices that are made for the water like boats.  There are metals out there that are able to neglect the negative attributes of water; however some of us may not have the money to spend on corrosion resistant steel.  So what has been done is to create a coating that could be placed over the metal to act as a layer to protect these metals.

There are many coatings out there today however each of these coatings may serve a different purpose.  When developing vehicles or devices for underwater purposes it is important to choose a coating that provides cathodic protection.  Cathodic protection is used to prevent the metal from being corroded and is usually cheaper than straight out buying corrosion resistant steel.  These coatings do come in different colors so you could alter the color of the metal to your choosing.  If you are worried about meeting certain specifications no need to worry.  There are coatings that go through testing to ensure performance.  For example, a coating called Alocit made by A&E Group was tested by the navy and it is 1 of the 3 that meets the specification for the US Army Corps of Engineers!  This coating provides great resistance and adhesion.  The best part about this and other coatings is that the installation is simple!

Where Does Our Energy Come From?

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on October 12, 2014
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The harnessing of electricity is among one of the greatest feats mankind has ever done.  Without electricity you wouldn’t be able to take hot/cold showers, update your status on Facebook, go to the movie theater, listen to music, the possibilities are endless.  Have you ever thought about where this energy comes from?

The world gets its energy from various sources.  The main sources of power are oil, coal, natural gas, renewable, and nuclear energy.  In 1990 the world used 83,374 terawatt-hours (1 terrawatt-hour(TWh) = 1 billion kilowatt-hours) through the use of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), nuclear energy produced 6,113 TWh, and renewable resources (wind, solar, geothermal, water, etc) produced 13,082 TWh.  With the growth in population this has increased to 117,076 TWh for fossil fuels, 8,283 for nuclear, and 18,492 for renewable.

There is speculation that fossil fuels are low and the need to switch to alternatives is a high priority.  Let’s be clear that we are most definitely not running short of fossil fuels due to the fact of offshore drilling opens up a great amount of resources.  However, the dangers of this process do pose a risk to the technicians and engineers on the rig.  The idea of moving away from fossil fuels is a great idea, however policies (such as the united states energy policy) mean that fossil fuels will never go away.  As stated above, renewable resources produce the 2nd most amount of energy for the world and are estimated to be a top contender with fossil fuels in our lifetime.

Nuclear energy has one of the highest supply-to-usage energy ratios in the world.  Also, nuclear energy is a renewable resource where fossil fuels are not.  Nuclear energy gets a bad reputation in the accidents we have seen in the past (Japan and Chernobyl) which is why there are not many plants in the world today.  Nuclear power plants actually have a significant amount of safety features today and it costs over a billion dollars to make a plant due to the huge amounts of safety features associated with it.  For example, France produces 80% of its electricity through nuclear power.  Due to the high supply-to-usage ratio, they have unused power which they ultimately sell to different nations.  If the United States took this route we could maybe not be in debt anymore (maybe).  The reason why we have many different sources of power is to provide a system of checks and balances.  If one source of power suddenly becomes empty and scarce then we have other sources to come up to the plate and cover that spot.  Also, it’s so we don’t have one Monopoly of a source.

Some people may have seen pictures of the white smoke coming out of nuclear cooling towers (pictured above).  Some believe it is combustion gases or emissions much like a car and it is damaging the environment.  Well the truth is that the “smoke” is just water!  It is actually water vapor being released that was used for cooling.  Fun fact of the day!

Venom May Hold the Cure to Cancer

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on September 16, 2014
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Venom from snakes, scorpions and bees may have an element that could stop cancer cell growth.

Black Mamba. Photo Credit: CNN.com

Many individuals in this world have lost loved ones due to this disastrous disease known as Cancer, myself included.  They may be hope just yet!  A scientist at the University of Illinois, Dipanjan Pan, and his team may have found a way to stop cancer cell growth according to a paper presented at the American Chemical Society Conference in August 2014.  How do they do it you ask?  Venom!  In ancient times venom from bee stings, snake bites, and frog venom have been used to fight liver, lung, colon, and pancreatic cancers.  Some properties of venom that destroy cancer can have the same effect on healthy cells.  Pan’s lab has been able to take out the bad elements in venom from bees, snakes, and scorpions and keep the important proteins and peptides to be used to stop cancer cell growth.  The venom is then delivered using nanotechnology.  This has proved successful for breast cancer and melanoma cells! Currently they are in the early stages and will start trying the synthesized venom on rats.  If successful we could have human trails in 3-5 years!  So this is definitely something to keep an eye out for!

Currents: An Undersea Revolution

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on September 11, 2014
Posted in: Presentations. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Global Ocean Currents. Photo Credit: waydownsouth.wikispaces.com

It’s a popular opinion that we have only scratched the surface of knowing everything our oceans have to offer.  What we do know is how the ocean moves and why.  Ocean currents are divided into 2 main categories: surface and deep.

Deep currents are ocean currents that are usually more than 100 meters deep.  Deep water currents travel the globe with a force 16 times as strong as all the world’s rivers combined.  Deep water current is driven by density differences in the water.  These movements based on density are also known as Thermohaline Circulation because water density depends on its temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline).  The density of this deep water is much greater than that on the surface so the speed of this current is slow however the amount of water being moved is more than 100 times the flow of the amazon river!

You’re likely familiar with coastal currents if you have ever gone to the beach.  These are in the category of surface currents.  Surface currents are ocean currents that occur at 328 feet (100 meters) deep or above.  Unlike deep water currents, where differences in density causes movement, surface current movement is due to wind that flows across the top of the water’s surface.

 

Coriolis effect on atmospheric circulation. Photo Credit: oceanservice.noaa.gov

 

The picture above depicts the Coriolis Effect.  Winds from the equator direct towards to the north and south poles.  If there was no rotation of the earth the winds would shoot towards the equator in a straight line.  However, because the Earth rotates on its axis, circulating air is deflected toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere.  This deflection is called the Coriolis effect.  This air drags on the oceans surface dragging it in its direction giving the current directions you see today.

Considerations for Improving a Space Telescope

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on September 7, 2014
Posted in: Open Mind. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 7 Comments

The Hubble Space Telescope. Photo Credit: NASA.gov

The galaxy is a wonderful and mysterious thing isn’t it?  The only way we have been able to provide answers and/or theories is through pictures granted by the machines we have created.  For example, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has played a huge role in providing pictures to scientists to conjure answers about our galaxies.  However, our answers are only as good as the pictures they provide.  If I were to design a telescope for the same use as NASA’s Hubble Telescope here are a few components I would want to do research in.

Research in electrical engineering components is a huge priority in this situation.  Since there are a wide variety of electrical components in a space telescope (we have to receive the picture somehow right?) more research in this is needed.  There’s dust and gas everywhere in space which could cover the lens and give a bad picture.  A Near Infrared Camera & Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) allows the telescope to observe infrared light, with wavelengths between 0.8 and 2.4 micrometers, providing imaging and slitless spectrophotometric capabilities.

Another major component would be a Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS).  In space, color has A LOT of information (wavelengths help determine distance, amount of various elements present, etc.).  The STIS separates the incoming colors of light to aid in the reading of these pictures.  Improvements lead to clearer/informative/breakthrough pictures to help provide a better understanding of space.

Since I’m a mechanical engineering major I have to add something that is relative to my field of study of course!  I would definitely look into the engine.  Since we can only store a certain amount of fuel in the space telescope it keeps us from going on distant missions.  I would look into a device that uses no fuel and provides movement by means of transferring momentum.  Since space is considered a vacuum there would be no drag (unless you hit an asteroid then drag is the least of your worries) so you could travel far distances without using up any fuel.  With this device we could travel even farther into space and take pictures deeper than we could imagine!

Self Regenerating Plastic (Ketton)

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on August 12, 2014
Posted in: Well Read. Tagged: , , , , , . 17 Comments

Time lapse of polymer regeneration. Photo Credit: Engadget.com

Self-healing materials are known to be an out of this world idea, and several have been developed that can fix small cuts and hairline fractures.  Researchers at University of Illinois have invented a type of plastic that not only heals fractures, but can regenerate over large cracks and holes.  This could be extremely useful not just in day-to-day life, for example a self-healing car bumper (which would be amazing), but in areas where repairs are particularly difficult, like space.

The team used a process called “vascular delivery”, a technology it has been developing for some years that is based on veins.  Liquid materials circulated within the material perform various tasks.  In this case, the liquid materials are two chemicals that flow into the gaps created by damage via parallel capillaries.  These chemicals, inspired by the way blood coagulates in the open air, mix in the spaces/voids to form a gel, which hardens into a strong polymer.  This restores the plastic’s structural integrity.

The technology has been tested on both thermoplastics and thermosets, and has been demonstrated to regenerate a hole created by a 9mm bullet.  In the experiments performed by the researchers, the chemicals were fed into the plastic, but the team envisions material pre-filled with the chemicals that can self-regenerate as needed.  This is the first time it has been shown that you can regenerate lost material in a structural polymer.  I can definitely see this being used in many defense applications!

Next Generation Wind Turbines (Ketton)

Posted by Ketton (Team UV) on August 7, 2014
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Altaeros Energies Buoyant Airborne Wind Turbine

Altaeros Energie Buoyant Airborne Turbine (BAT). Photo Credit: EnergyMatters.com.au

Remember those huge wind turbine towers with 3 blades on them?  Either standing alone or in a huge field of them?  Well these stationary towers could very well get upgraded to float!  A company called Altaeros Energies has revolutionized the wind turbine itself from being a structure bolted to the ground to a balloon floating in the air.  The company has created a wind turbine that has a helium-filled, inflatable shell that lifts it to high altitudes where winds are stronger and more consistent than what is experienced by the traditional tower-mounted turbines you see today.  The company is set to break the world record for the highest wind turbine ever deployed at 300 meters with its next-gen turbine called the BAT (Bouyant Airborne Turbine).

The BAT uses a conventional 3 blade, horizontal wind turbine that is fixed inside the shell. It is held by tethers (cables) that hold the inflatable turbine steady at high altitudes and also transmit electricity to the ground.  Ground station controls tether speed and length, and aligns the shell to prevent the tethers from tangling.  BAT can generate over twice the energy of similarly rated tower-mounted wind turbines reduces the second largest cost of wind energy (installation and transport) by up to 90%!  The entire BAT system can be shipped in 2 containers and can be installed and generating power in under 24 hours and can be monitored remotely.

This is a prime candidate to provide power to countries that require disaster relief or countries requiring power.  Who knows, maybe one of these bad boys could be connected to your house instead of solar panels in the future!