Fun

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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!

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The Basics of Ferrofluids

Posted by Brian (Team UV) on July 2, 2015
Posted in: Presentations. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Ferrofluid sculpture. Photo Credit: P.Davis, et al. (FYFD)

Today, Brian will be filling in for Ketton due to last minute scheduling issues, we apologize for the post delay.

Ferrofluids are quite complex fluids that display interesting behavior in the presence of magnetic fields.  These ferromagnetic fluids are created through the colloidal suspension of ferromagnetic particles of the nano-scale.  What does this all mean? In simpler terms, you essentially take tiny (nano-scale, or on the scale of a nanometer/a billionth of a meter; think the size of the base width of a single strand of DNA) magnetic particles and disperse them homogenously (or evenly) throughout a carrier fluid in a way so that the particles are fully wetted (meaning that the particles surfaces are fully coated by the liquid, without other particles in contact with them).

Once the ferrofluid has been created, the next step is as simple as subjecting the fluid to a magnetic field, at which point the ferrofluid becomes magnetized.  As the ferrofluid begins to be affected by the magnetic field, it wants to follow this field and comply with its geometry; basically, the fluid wants to become shaped like the field it is being subjected to, but there is a problem: the fluid has surface tension.  Because the fluid has cohesive bonding between liquid molecules, the molecules are very strongly attracted to each other on the molecular scale.  This should make sense to you, as when you run your hand through water (for example), you are able to readily cause bulk disturbances (you can split up the water on the large scale), but try as you might, you will not be able to split the water apart on a molecular scale (the smallest you can get water to by hand is tiny visible droplets, which are still collections of a ridiculously large amount of water molecules (on the order of sextillions, or thousands of thousands of thousands of thousands of thousands of thousands of thousands!).

Surface tension. Photo Credit: Wikipedia.org

Because of the aforementioned strong attraction between the liquid molecules, fully immersed liquid molecules are pulled on by other molecules in all directions, as shown above in the picture.  However, the molecules on the surface are only pulled on by molecules around and below (but not above) them, leading to a breach in the equilibrium and causing the water to be pulled in the direction of the rest of the water (hence the curved water surface exhibited in the above diagram).  So, armed with this knowledge of how surface tension works, we can revisit the ferrofluids and figure out what is going on.

Ferrofluid and magnet, separated by glass. CLICK TO EXPAND TO SEE THE SPIKES BETTER! Photo Credit: Wikipedia.org

The magnetic field wants to push the ferrofluid outwards, but the ferrofluid itself wants to pull itself back inwards towards the liquid base due to the surface tension, all while gravity is also resisting the spike formation (this kind of interaction is explained through the normal field instability).  At some point all of these forces equate and the fluid is said to be in equilibrium.  The result of this?  Really cool looking spikes in the ferrofluid as shown above.  This gets even cooler when sculptures are created (as in the top picture) by using shaped bases and manipulating the shape of the magnetic field.  It should be noted that art is most definitely not the only application for these fluids; in fact, ferrofluids also find application as: liquid seals around the shafts of spinning hard disks/drives, as a convective heat transfer fluid for wicking away heat in small scale and low gravity application, as an imaging agent in some medical imaging techniques (especially magnetic resonance imaging, MRI), as friction reducing agents, as mass dampers to cancel out vibrations, and even as miniature thrusters for small (nanoscale) sattelites!

So there you have it, another awesome engineering phenomenon!  Please tune in Sunday for Ketton’s last Open Mind post and remember to continue following us at EngineeringAFuture.com when Engineering A Future (EAF) launches on Monday, July 13th!  Enjoy the video below, created by altering the magnetic field in a ferrofluid sculpture!

Barbecuing Breakdown

Posted by Ben (Team UV) on June 21, 2015
Posted in: Open Mind. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .
BBQ

Charcoal barbecue. Photo Credit: green.funtimesguide.com

Summer is here and with it brings barbecuing season.  While the average charcoal BBQ may seem like a pretty simple appliance there is some solid engineering behind its design.

First let’s look at the charcoal briquettes.  An engineer took chunks of wood and organic matter and heated it up in the absence of oxygen to produce an energy dense fuel that is fairly clean burning.  This process is called pyrolysis and it removes all the moisture and fumes so that the avid BBQ enthusiast will be able to cook their food without coating it in a black smoke of tiny particles.

The BBQ itself is designed to control the combustion process.  By opening and closing vents the user is able to regulate the flow of oxygen to the fuel.  This directly affects the combustion rate, the rate at which energy is released in the form of heat.

And, as with any cooking process, heat transfer is an important consideration.  When the coals are glowing hot they are emitting a lot of their heat as radiation.  Radiation requires a direct line of sight and this is what causes one side of your food to get a nice sear on it before you flip it.  When the lid to the BBQ is closed the air inside heats up and this allow for some natural convection, heat transfer from the hot air moved by its change in buoyancy (hot air rises).  There is also some conduction, from relatively still hot air and the heated metal components that compose the grill (not to mention conduction through the food itself).  Each one of these modes of heat transfer provide a different aspect to the grilling process.  Radiation causes the sear, conduction is responsible for the grill marks and convection is responsible for the even heating and temperature of the food.

A deeper understanding of any process can lead to better results and engineering gives perspective into many of these processes.  As far as grilling goes most of it can be picked up from experiences, but isn’t it more fun to know why these things happen!  Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there, no matter who does the grilling!

A Day as a Middle School STEM Teacher

Posted by Andrew (Team UV) on June 14, 2015
Posted in: Open Mind. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

Photo Credit: tiesteach.org

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 Andrew’s last Open Mind 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:

Last week, I had one of the best educational experiences of my life: a whole day of teaching 6th graders about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)!  My lovely girlfriend is a 6th grade, Math and Science teacher and was constantly asked by her students as to when I would visit her class.  With the build of DORY in full swing and wrapping up my undergraduate degree, I just couldn’t make time for a visit during the school year.  In the last few months, my interest in teaching has grown, especially teaching about science, technology, and engineering.  I knew I would take the opportunity to speak to her kiddos the first chance I could get.

sel balancer gif

A self-balancing wing my controls team made for class.

My girlfriend and I made plans for me to visit the second to last day of their school year.  Her kids and I couldn’t be more excited.  I made a presentation about STEM and how it applies to our everyday lives.  I appealed to their interests by highlighting: famous people and how they use technology, popular electronics and how they wouldn’t be around without STEM, and popular social apps and how they came to existence using STEM.  I also showed them famous celebrity engineers such as Ashton Kutcher, Rowan Atkinson, and Michael Gambon.  I then continued to show them projects I worked on in my undergrad such as an obstacle avoiding cart and DORY, as well as a live demonstration of a self-balancing wing.  They had so many questions with some that showed real engineering intuition.  Seeing the excitement in their eyes and the “light bulbs” turn on was a fulfilling moment for me.

Homopolar Motor. Photo Credit: yourepeat.com

At the end of my presentation, I gave them a little background on electrical motors and brought materials to help them make their first simple motor.  With a couple of magnets, a battery, copper wire, and a bit of patience they all made a homopolar motor.  One team even had their motor spin for 14 minutes before the wire fell off.  We even had time to make paper bridges which turned into a very competitive activity!

Paper bridge. Photo Credit: tallbridgeguy.com

Although the day was filled with laughter and excitement, it didn’t come easy!  Often times we (meaning my girlfriend!) would have to correct the kids when they would get too roudy or speak out of turn.  By the end of the day, we were both so exhausted.  I have a new appreciation for middle school teachers and am glad I had the chance to try out the position.  It is one difficult career!  Teaching 11 year olds may not be in my future, but teaching STEM classes could definitely be!

Until next time…

How to Build Your First Motor

Posted by Andrew (Team UV) on June 11, 2015
Posted in: Presentations. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

Homopolar motor. Photo Credit: leventsakar.net

Electric motors are used in many applications from robotics to children’s toys.  Although many of these motors are DC motors, Homopolar motors are the simplest of motors and are easy to show students in a classroom setting.  All it takes to build your first simple motor are three common materials you can probably find around the house: copper wire, a AA battery, and neodymium magnets.

Common heart shaped approach. Photo Credit: electronics-micros.com

Constructing the motor is simple but getting it to work can take trial and error as well as a bit of patience.  Here’s how to do it:

1) Attach the magnet to the negative side of the battery.
2) Strip the copper wire completely or for safety, in the middle and at the two ends.
3) Bend the wire so that one end touches the positive terminal and the other end touches the magnet.  A common approach is a heart shaped wire for better stability.
4) Watch: As the copper wire touches the magnet, the wire will begin to spin.

Current (blue) flows from the positive terminal to the magnet at the negative terminal. The current flows in the presence of a magnetic field (red). This causes a force perpendicular to those directions (in the page on the left of the battery and out of the page to the right of the battery). This force causes the wire to spin. Photo Credit: Physics Central

How does it work?  Well the theory can get as detailed as you want it to be but to keeps things simple, I will explain the homopolar motor briefly.  The copper wire connects the positive terminal to the magnet at the negative terminal.  This completes the circuit, allowing current to flow through the circuit (and the wire).  Due to the magnet, the current is flowing in the presence of a magnetic field around the battery.  When current flows in a magnetic field, it will experience a force called the Lorentz force.  This force acts perpendicular to  the magnetic field and the flow of the current (and the wire).  Consequently, the perpendicular force pushes the wire around the battery.

Once you get a working motor, you can change the shape of the wire to any shape you want!  Have fun!

Until next time…

Watch Water Freeze Before Your Eyes

Posted by Ben (Team UV) on May 28, 2015
Posted in: Presentations. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

We’ve all been taught that water freezes at 32F (0C) but in actuality water can remain liquid below this temperature, under special conditions.  Imagine you’re sitting on your couch after a long day, you’re tired and you’re starting to feel a bit hungry, but the fridge is so far away.  Eventually you get hungry enough to get up, go to the fridge, and satisfy your hunger.  Water can relate.  When the temperature of the water drops below 32F it would prefer to be a solid, but it takes energy to change from a liquid to a solid.  As the temperature gets lower the water gets “hungrier”, it wants to be a solid even more, eventually it wants to be a solid enough to overcome the energy barrier, the “walk to the fridge”.

When water wants to become a solid there are two ways it can go.  It can either grow on a surface, like condensation on a cool drink or around a dust particle like rain, or, if it has enough energy, it can grow little spheres of solid within the liquid, without the help of a surface.  The amount of energy required for this phase transformation is directly related to the amount of surface created.  When the transformation is happening on, say the inside surface of a water bottle, the liquid only has to support the area of a dome, the bottle takes care of the rest. When there is no bottle to work with, or the liquid is far from the surface of the bottle, it has to have enough energy to support the surface area of a whole sphere.

If you’re trying to replicate the video above it’s crucial to have very clean water.  This means there are no little particles that the water can use to lower the amount of energy required to freeze, it has to save up enough to grow the spheres without any help.  The water also needs to be cooled slowly and handled gently because any significant energy changes, thermal or kinetic, can give the water enough energy to start freezing.  This is why hitting the bottle will start the reaction.  When the bottle is hit, it finally gets the “oomph” it needs to get to the fridge (freeze).

These phenomena (heterogeneous and homogenous nucleation) are also responsible for the famous Mentos and Coke experiment, why bubbles in carbonated drinks seem to come from specific points in the glass, and how engineers make aircraft aluminum strong enough to keep planes in the sky.

Which Would You Use to Survive: the Steak or the Lamp?

Posted by Abraham (Team UV) on March 8, 2015
Posted in: Open Mind. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Nerf gun office war. Photo Credit: hrsolutionsinc.wordpress.com

Prompt:  You are in an office and the annual Office War is about to begin.  You have less than an hour, a desk (w/ pullout drawers), rolling chair, computer, keyboard, mouse (old roller-type), mouse pad, stapler, staples, three hole puncher, desk lamp (old fashion bulb), rubber bands, paper clips, pushpins, envelopes, printer, printer paper, clicker pens, No. 2 pencils, a white eraser, highlighters, 15 ft. Ethernet cable, scientific calculator, engineering pad, corded desk phone, a gallon water jug, a tin of Altoids, a hot cup of coffee (in a ceramic mug), and a frozen 4 lb. steak.  It’s either you or them, and remember you are a mechanical engineer, not a tinkerer.  Go!

NOTE: DO NOT try or create any of these ideas at home.  This is purely for fun and we will not be held responsible for your actions!  Enjoy!

The alarms have sounded, the office war has officially begun.  You wipe the citrus flavored energy drink from the edge of your mouth and put the computer on standby mode.  Confidence oozes from your pores like hot molasses, you stare at the closed door in your office and announce without fear, “Come at me brethren!”  Footsteps suddenly stop, and redirect towards your position.  You put your plan into action.

  • The Trap: You grab the hot mug of coffee and let its bitterness energize your blood stream.  Looking for a cloth to wrap the mug, you decide the shirt on your back will do.  Taking the metal 3 hole punch you smash the wrapped mug into jagged shards and sprinkle them at the entrance of your fortress (office) along with push pins facing up.  And finally using the telephone cord to create a trip wire for any of your mates who will be bursting from your door.
  • CQC (Close Quarters Combat): Eventually the bodies will pile up at the door and initial trap will prove to be ineffective, you need to ready to defend and attack directly.  With the lamp shining bright you break the bulb filling the room with darkness.  This will hinder the incoming attackers vision and allow you to use the faces of enemy’s as the resistance to complete open circuit of the lamp.  Quickly you empty the drawers from your desk and disassemble them for a large wooden slab making for a wooden shield that can be strapped to your forearm with your computer mouse’s wire.
  • The Steak Flail: You can’t stay plugged into the wall forever, you grab the frozen steak and tie it to the end of the 15 foot Ethernet chord and swing it like a medieval flail.  For added protection, you take the Altoids tin and plastically deform it into a shiv to drive into the hearts of your enemies.  Now armed with a long and short distance weapon and a shield, you work your way over all the bodies in your office and out the doors to victory.

Hopefully an office purge will never happen but my wish is that this article may somehow help you strategize and survive if it does.  What would you do?  Comment below, let me know.