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February 5, 2013

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Today's Tech Buzz

Dyson hand-drying water tap cuts costs, works quickly


Source: The Telegraph

Dyson says its new hand-drying water tap can dry 15 persons' hands for the price of one paper towel. The device employs a digital motor to propel air at 430 miles per hour out of wings positioned on the sides of the tap. Infrared sensors control when air and water are applied, and hands can be dried in 12 seconds. The Telegraph (London) (tiered subscription model) (2/5)

Evonik develops kite-driven, lithium-ion-battery-equipped EV
Evonik has built a kite-powered electric vehicle equipped with lithium-ion batteries to store the power generated by its on-board wind turbine. The car is made of carbon fiber and can run on wind energy alone, as it was able to cover a distance of 3,000 miles in a test in Australia. GreenOptimistic.com (2/5) , Wired.com (2/1)

How labels on machines can reduce energy use, downtime
As manufacturers work to make their operations more sustainable and energy efficient, some have found that "judicious use of signs and labels" can play a vital role. For instance, operating-instruction labels can help machine operators use the tool correctly and labels can ensure that preventive maintenance is performed as needed, ensuring machine efficiency that in turn contributes to lower energy usage and less downtime. Manufacturing Digital (2/5)

Boeing to begin work on stretched version of 787, source says
Boeing plans to begin assembling the stretch version of its 787, the 787-9, in the next few weeks, a source says. The new version would carry around 40 additional passengers, and would use the same battery system as the 787. American City Business Journals/Chicago (2/5) , The Wall Street Journal (2/2)

Innovations & Trends

Artificial muscle: As big a deal as piezoelectric materials?
Researchers are working on coupling graphene with acrylic elastomer in an arrangement that contracts with an electric current. The idea is to create artificial muscles that could be used in a range of technologies including robotics and energy harvesting. "In particular, they promise to greatly improve the quality of life for millions of disabled people by providing affordable devices such as lightweight prostheses and full-page Braille displays," said Xuanhe Zhao, assistant professor at the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University. PlasticsToday.com (2/4)

NASA plans to use lithium-ion batteries on space station
NASA is keeping plans to replace batteries on the International Space Station with lithium-ion batteries. "We have independent experts who review the whole design and implementation and hazard controls that we have on these," said Caris "Skip" Hatfield, manager of NASA's ISS development. Aviation Week & Space Technology (2/4)

Researchers team up to work on innovations using tiny LEDs
Several British university research teams will work together over the next four years to build a 1 Gbps broadcast network from micro LEDs, as well as using the tiny LEDs as pixels in huge light displays. The quest is to make the technology, which is being called "li-fi," a common capability. The Register (U.K.) (2/4)

Halliburton promotes environmentally friendly fracking fluid
Halliburton has developed CleanStim, a non-toxic fluid for use in hydraulic fracturing. This is part of the oil and natural gas industry's efforts to allay environmental concerns associated with the drilling technique. CleanStim offers "an extra margin of safety to people, animals and the environment in the unlikely occurrence of an incident," according to the company. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (2/3)

Global Window

Honda engine powers giant hedge trimmer in the Netherlands


Source: Gizmodo Australia

A 5.5-horsepower Honda engine helps power a giant hedge trimmer that maintains the form of shrubs at nurseries in the Netherlands, according to this article. The "Globus" consists of a wheeled platform that carries trimmer implements to shape plants into cones or orbs. A regular model can trim up to 600 shrubs per hour, but the industrial version can take on 5,000 evergreens per hour. Gizmodo Australia (2/5)

Badminton robot shows how energy-saving software can work
To test its new ESTOMAD software for optimizing energy efficiency in machine design, Belgium's Flanders Mechatronics Technology Centre produced a robot that plays badminton. Using the ESTOMAD program, which detects unnecessary energy usage in mechatronic systems, "we were able to cut down the energy consumption of the badminton robot by 50%," said project chief Wim Symens. TMCNet.com (2/4)

Leadership & Development

Montel Williams credits engineering for building path to the top
His career may be on a television screen, but Montel Williams says it was an engineering background, including a general engineering degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, that laid the groundwork for his success. "My focus wasn't as much in building things as it was a way of thinking and a paradigm for problem solving. ... You learn to look at problems by breaking them into their component parts and then putting them back together in a sensible way," Williams said. ASME.org (1/31)

ASME News

Next E4C webinar focuses on research

This live, interactive, monthly series promotes emerging ideas and connects a community of passionate engineers who want to improve quality of life around the world. The next installment, on Wednesday, Feb. 6, focuses on strengthening humanitarian ventures through concurrent research initiatives. Learn more about the Engineering for Change Webinar Series, and register for the upcoming webinar. Visit www.engineeringforchange-webinars.org.

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