Today's Interesting Engineering

[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Friends get together to turn illegal dump into an ecological park in Rio

Most people can hardly imagine how a garbage dump could one day turn into such a beautiful park. But Brazilian musician Mauro Quintanilla could not only imagine that to be possible, but go ahead to do it himself, after neighboring an illegal dump at the top of Vidigal Hill, in Rio de Janeiro for 25 years. He would watch the routine of the place, where large amounts of waste were accumulated every day, with some indignation, until he decided to take action.



With the help of a few friends, Quintanilla formed a group to remove the trash from the site. It took them five years to remove 16 tons of garbage from the area, which was named Sitiê Ecological Park. It the originated a community project that combined reforestation, recycling and urban agriculture.

Today, the 8500 m² park still carries a bit of that garbage, which was recycled to become steps and plant pots. The vegetables and fruits grown in the site is given to the surrounding community. The view from the ecological park looks over beautiful neighborhoods such as Ipanema and Copacabana.

The project was even recognized with the SEED Award for Excellence in Public Interest Design earlier this year. Take a look at how it turned out:

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Images source: Parque Ecológico Sitiê​

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

These are probably the coolest engineering GIFs you’ll ever come across

The use of Automation or Automatic Control has truly revolutionized manufacturing processes. The benefits include control systems for machine operations, switching in telephone networks, steering of ships, speed control of moving vehicles, and many more applications. Some of the main benefits of using automation in manufacturing processes are the fact that they dramatically reduces labor costs, save time and energy, and also improve the quality, accuracy and precision in the manufacturing process.

In appreciation of automated manufacturing processes, we present to you a number of engineering GIFs that we believe will truly caress the engineer in you.

1. Pancake Flipper.

2. Paper Slicer

3. Top Refiner.

4. Spring Squeezer

5. Chain Linker.

6. Pretzel Twister

7. Pop-Tart Folder.

8. Happy Slappy Dough Slicer.

9. Machine Destroyer.

10. The robot that writes.

11. Rubik’s Cube Solver.

12. Pasta Maker.

13. Teamwork with Robots.

14. The machine that makes paper airplanes and flies them.

15. Hypnotic Highlighter Test.

16. Coring, Peeling and Slicing an apple. All with one machine.

SEE ALSO: 12 engineering gifs for your pleasure

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Intel Chips through the years


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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Airbus is poised to join the Hypersonic jet market

Supersonic and hypersonic flight; the name alone evokes speed, and rightly so. Definitively, ‘Supersonic’ means aircraft capable of cruising speeds over Mach 1. ‘Hypersonic’ refers to cruising speeds in excess of Mach 5, or roughly 3,000 mph. To date, Hypersonic Aircraft has been pretty much wholly owned by the military industrial complex, NASA, and equivalent agencies from a select few other nations – Until now, that is. It appears that Airbus is poised to join the Hypersonic jet market.



That the speed of sound is referred to as Mach is done in deference to Physicist Ernst Mach, who’s work in the late 19th century focused on fluid dynamics – In that science, Mach refers to the velocity of the flow around an object as it approaches the speed of sound. In terms of aircraft flying though earth’s atmosphere, mach speed is not static; it varies predominantly with temperature, and to a lesser degree, with atmospheric pressure. Aircraft moving at such exceptional speed experience conditions that are, to say the least, brutal. How air flow impacts an aircraft as it approaches the speed of sound can be rather shocking, as General Chuck Yeager so famously found out when he took the Bell X-1 over that threshold for the first time in the history of flight, on October 14th, 1947.



So, hypersonic flights defined as that over Mach 5, but how fast can hypersonic craft go? Spacecraft in reentry experience speeds as high as Mach 10, and it’s believed that the U.S. Air Force’s Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle, (HTV-2), reached a jaw dropping Mach 20, some 13,000 miles per hour, and maintained controlled flight at that speed for three minutes on August 11th, 2011, shortly before it crashed into the Pacific Ocean.



The engineering challenges for hypersonic flight are daunting, indeed. At these speeds, the temperature of the air flowing past the aircraft is so extreme that, as NASA researchers noted, “the chemistry of the diatomic molecules of the air must be considered. At low hypersonic speeds, the molecular bonds vibrate, which changes the magnitude of the forces generated by the air on the aircraft. At high hypersonic speeds, the molecules break apart producing an electrically charged plasma around the aircraft. Large variations in air density and pressure occur because of shock waves, and expansions.” In other words, the frictional heating of the airframe is so extreme that only certain high tech alloys can be used, and additional structural cooling methods may be required, like circulating fuel through the aircraft’s skin.



Given all these challenges, it is both fascinating and exciting that Airbus would wade in. Their patent, applied for in the U.S., is for an, “ultra-rapid air vehicle together with a method of aerial locomotion”, a hypersonic jet. French Airbus engineers Marco Prampolini and Yohann Coraboeuf, listed in the patent application as the inventors, have stated that they expect their craft to cruise at around 3,000 mph, or Mach 5. Comparatively, that speed would make this an aircraft flying at roughly the same speed as an SR-71 Blackbird, capable of flying from Tokyo to Los Angeles in around 3 hours. The jet is expected to fly at between 30,000 and 35,000 meters, roughly 20,000 meters higher than most commercial aircraft fly today, thereby avoiding the problem of other aircraft to worry about. Although the head of Airbus engineering has said that developing hypersonic jets is not a priority for the company, they plan to fly a prototype by 2019.



The Airbus patent application describes a stubby wing design, in keeping with most of the current hypersonic aircraft. The jet will be equipped with three distinct engine systems, designed to get the craft airborn, then to cruising altitude, and finally, to its 3,000 mph cruising speed. To achieve take off, the design employs a pair of under-fuselage turbofans and a center, rear mounted rocket motor. Those create an extremely steep angle of attack on take off, a “near-vertical ascendant flight”, pushing the jet past Mach 1. Once airborne, the turbofan engines are retracted into the fuselage, as is landing gear. The rocket motor takes the jet up to its 30,000 meter cruising altitude. Once there, the rocket motor shuts down and retracts into the fuselage. Then, wing mounted ram jets take over, boosting speed up to the planned Mach 5. Liquid hydrogen and oxygen tanks power the ramjet engines.



The inventors claim a much quieter and more efficient aircraft than the Concorde or the Tupolev Tu-144, and one considerably more environmentally friendly, due to the hydrogen fuel. Designed to carry about twenty passengers, Airbus perceives potential markets in both business and military sales. Certainly it’s cruising altitude and speed would put it in particularly good stead for the latter.

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

This car jack requires no effort to use

Have you ever had to pull over on the side of the road because of a flat tire? Or even more, perhaps you were in a hurry to make an appointment and you couldn’t make it on time. So what started out as a challenge to beat traffic ended up with the frustration of having to replace one’s tire and probably missing out on an appointment.


[Image Courtesy of Make It Extreme]


The main problem with replacing a tire with the conventional car jack is that lifting the car requires a lot of time and energy. What if this could be prevented? Extreme Car Jack has a design that seems to solve this problem. Firstly, it is fully automatic so that eliminates the need for any human effort, apart from the effort required in pressing a button to start and stop the car jack of course.

Secondly, it only takes the Extreme Car Jack 30 seconds to lift a car up completely and 30 seconds to bring it down as well. This is a major improvement compared to the various minutes it would have taken with a conventional car jack.


[Image Courtesy of Make It Extreme]


Perhaps you might also wonder how the car jack would be powered in the first place. Well the good news is that you do not have to go around with your generator. In fact, it can be powered by plugging the Extreme Car Jack to your car’s cigarette lighter. How convenient.


[Image Courtesy of Make It Extreme]


The Extreme Car Jack can also lift up to 1000 kilograms of weight and what’s more, it only costs $20 to make. But if you drive a very big truck, perhaps it might not be the best idea to use it. It is so cheap to make because it can be made from an old car jack, an old windshield wiper motor, and old bicycle gears and chains. Talk about recycling!


Source: Make It Extreme

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Check out the fascinating Atlantic Ocean Road in Norway


Photo by Hans Olind


The beautiful and exquisite bridge is on a road that connects Norway’s mainland to the Island of Averøy. The Atlantic Ocean Road (Atlanterhavsveien in Norwegian) is only 8 kilometers long, but what makes it unique is the fact that it was built on water. Its winding curves are surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and is considered by many one of the most beautiful in the world. The road, that finished being constructed in 1989 having cost 122 million Norwegian krone (NOK), is spanned by a total of 8 bridges.


Photo by Anton Antipov


The road is preserved as a cultural heritage site and is classified as a National Tourist Route. Atlanterhavsveien was voted as the Norwegian Construction of the Century in 2005. Along the road you can find resting places where you can enjoy a picnic, and restaurants where you can enjoy a traditional Norwegian meal. It is no coincidence that this road is the second most visited tourist destination in Norway.


Photo by Adam Kozlevich


In the warm season, few remember that the construction of the Atlantic Ocean Road was a real feat. Although it has been a dream since the early 20th century, construction began only in 1983. During the years leading up to its opening in 1989, the region was hit by 12 hurricanes. This means that the region can be best enjoyed in the summer, when the sun allows you to get out of the car for some nice walks and fresh air, and in the fall when the aggressive waves crash on the highway offering true spectacles. You can also virtually travel through the road through Google Stret View and see some pretty incredible pictures.


Photo by gt40 Werner








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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Watch this man fly in his home-made “super-drone”

From time to time we find projects on the internet that make us go “why haven’t I ever though of that?”. This is the case of the Swarm Manned Aerial Vehicle Multirotor Super-Drone, a drone – if we can even call it that – with 54 rotors capable of carrying a person up to 150kg. The video showing the super drone in operation has already reach over 3 million views on Youtube.

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Posted by YouTube user gasturbine101, the Swarm was a real engineering feat to build. One of the sacrifices made in order to carry so much weight is compromising its autonomy. It can stay only 10 minutes in the air, since adding more batteries would make it too heavy to lift off. The vehicle consumes about 22KW of energy.



The drone is controlled by the passenger himself, who sits in a kind of protected cabin with reinforced plastic. The material is responsible for ensuring the passenger’s safety in the event of a propeller accidentally detaching, in addition to giving it more stability in the event of forced landings. Building the Swarm was a £6,000 investment including all its materials, rotors and batteries. Because of its weight, The Swarm cannot reach great heights or speeds, but at least this guy’s dream of flying his own helicopter came true.




Via: Telegraph

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

A restaurant that cooks your food in a VOLCANO

Regular restaurants have gas cookers, ovens and all the other well-known cooking equipment. However this restaurant, El Diablo, decided to prepare its food by using a completely different approach. They use volcanoes. That’s right, volcanoes.


[Image Courtesy of Alamy]


The restaurant takes advantage of the dormant volcano located at Timanfaya National Park in the Canary Islands. This volcano has not erupted since 1824 but still, geothermal heat of up to 500 degrees Celsius oozes from the volcano through a hole in the ground.

In order to use the volcano to cook, the restaurant had to figure out a way to to actually set up the kitchen in such a way that no one would get hurt from all the volcanic heat. With the help of architects Eduardo Caceres and Jesus Soto, a grill was set up around the hole with nine layers of volcanic basalt rock. In addition to that, volcanologists were consulted to help make sure that the whole set up was safe. This would ensure the safety of the cooks as well as the customers.


[Image Courtesy of Alamy]


The restaurant was approved in 1970 and has since been providing its customers with very unique experiences. Guests can have stunning views of the Fire Mountains while they decide on what volcanic recipe they would like to try that evening. Quite incredible, don’t you think?


Source: Daily Mail

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

British architect creates sleeping pods for the homeless

British architect James Furzer had an innovative idea to provide shelter for the homeless living in the streets of London. He created sleeping pods to be attached to buildings and serve as temporary housing for those in need. The project named “Homes for the Homeless”, won the 5000 Euro prize at the ‘Space for New Visions‘ competition.



The capsules made of plywood and metal frame are attached to the outside walls of buildings and can be installed together or separately. The structure also has a sleeping room and comes with a mattress. The project aims to help the approximately 750 people who sleep on the streets every day.



According to Furzer, “the cheap internal material selection is not to add luxury, it is simply to provide a warm, dry, comfortable place to rest, with simply a sleeping platform and a selection of ‘pull down’ wall shelves.”

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To make the project a reality, Furzer has started a crowdfunding campaign in Indiegogo with a £940 goal.


Source: James Furzer

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Watch a Taser being fired on bare skin in slow motion

The Slow Mo Guys went to the city of Scottsdale, in the American state of Arizona, to check out the headquarters of the Taser manufacturer.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=576HwhU6PMM


The model used in the video is an X-26 cartridge and the weapon is called IEM or “Air Taser”. It is shaped like a pistol and fires two electrodes which release an electrical discharge for a few seconds on the target.

Since it all happens extremely fast, a special camera was used to record it in slow motion. Did you know that the taser shoots too small pieces of paper with the serial number of the weapon, so that you can identify who was the shooter?

The first test is on a wall, but the second reaches a human target – and the video clearly shows the electrodes slowly reaching the volunteer’s back and “sticking” to it to perform the electrical discharges in addition to the contraction of the affected muscles. It’s definitely not as fun in real life as it is to look at in action movies.

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Google unveils Project Soli: gesture control like you’ve never seen before

Google’s ATAP – the company’s skunkworks division responsible for implementing unusual ideas and creating new tech – caught everyone’s attention at the Google I/O conference. They introduced Project Soli: a radar-based technology that allows you to control your devices with gestures, without touching them.

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You’ve probably noticed that the smaller the screen of a device, the harder it is to use touch commands. If you touch the screen of a smartwatch, for example, your finger will block much of the visual information. Project Soli could be the solution to this problem. The idea consists in a tiny chip that incorporates radar-based sensors that emit signals that can detect volume, distance and motion. This means that the sensor can also recognize gestures.

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According to project leader Ivan Poupyrev, Project Soli is being developed to recognize movements that are already commonly used in regular technology, making the use of this technology quite intuitive. If you need, for example, to adjust the time, you mimic the same movements you perform to turn the knob of a conventional wristwatch by rubbing your index finger against your thumb. Project Soli is able to detect the gesture and perform the corresponding action as if, indeed, you were turning the knob of the watch.

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This technology is interesting because in addition to freeing the user from touching the screens, it can be useful in wearable devices that do not have a display, such as smart glasses or bracelets. Because the chip is very small – and eventually may become smaller – its implementation in wearables of all kinds should not be a challenge.

The bad part is that, unfortunately, the technology is not yet ready to leave the ATAP labs. Google should release more information about Project Soli as the research progresses.


Via: Daily Mail

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

MultiFab, Bringing Multiple-Material 3D Printing to Us All

(Source: CSAIL)​

You may think that 3D printing is already old news and that 4D printing is where it’s at. Not-so-much because the researchers at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) went back to the drawing board to bring us a better 3D printer. The MultiFab can print up to 10 materials at a time at a cost that will make it possible for anyone to walk into their local print shop and order multiple copies of an originally designed working part. This 3D printer was of course built for manufacturing but it was also built for the hobbyist to create more complex objects conveniently and inexpensively.​

(Source: MIT News)​

MultiFab was developed by a research team at CSAIL at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the very affordable price of US$7,000. Current technology allows for multiple materials to be printed but the price tag is in the neighborhood of US$250,000. Also they can only print up to a maximum of 3 materials at a time. If you’d like to see an example of the latest technology before the MultiFab check out the 3D Strata printer.​

Using machine vision 3D-scanning methods MultiFab is self-calibrating, self-correcting and it will scan and print right over an existing part. You could design and print a case right over your cell phone! This embedding capability will even allow it to produce a very complex part like a motor or an actuator. Instead of printing many components and assembling them together, MultiFab can print and change materials and print some more so the entire object can be made in one go eliminating any by-hand assembly.​

(Source: MIT News)​

The MultiFab mixes microscopic droplets of materials necessitating fine print heads (40 microns) which can incorporate more detail into the part instead of the bulkier extrusion method currently being used. Applications for MultiFab are in research, personalized consumer products, and mass production.

(Source: MIT News)

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Porsche reveals their all-electric Mission E Concept

The International Motor Show in Frankfurt has barely opened it’s doors and Porsche has already stolen the spotlight with it’s new all-electric sports concept car Mission E. The concept car can provide technical solutions favorable to the environment as well as carry the brand’s unique style, offering a much more attractive design than the current Porsche Panamera.



Mission E is the first electric four-seater Porsche of the century, and we think they have really outdone themselves. The 600 horsepower motors accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 3.5 seconds, hits 200 km/h in less than 12 seconds and has a 500 km range. The 800 volts batteries allows for fast charging: reaching 80% capacity in only 15 minutes.



The doors open in an unique way and the interior of the car carries the brand’s clean and sporty style. The eye-tracking system works with a camera to detect where the driver is looking at. There is also a holographic display for the driver and passenger, showing individually selectable and controllable applications, as well as weather information, navigation, contacts, and more.




Via: Tech Insider

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

What you need to know about Boeing’s new patent

No, it’s not a new commercial aircraft design; Boeing’s new patent is actually a flying drone that turns into a submarine when it comes in contact with a water body. It happened earlier this year when Boeing received an approval from the US Patent and Trademark Office for their patent application. Boeing calls it a “rapid deployment air and water vehicle”.


[Image Courtesy of PatentYogi]


So how does it work?

Even though it can fly, it can’t actually take off from the ground like a normal aircraft. So here is how it actually works. First of all, it takes off with the help of a larger carrier aircraft. When the carrier aircraft is airborne, the drone can be detached when necessary. This is generally supposed to happen near the target diving area. The drone is controlled remotely and can then fly with the help of its wings and propellers. When required, the drone can dive into the water.

Now here is the interesting part. The wings and propellers of the drone help optimize its aerodynamic properties so it can fly as efficiently as possible. However, these parts are not suitable for optimal hydrodynamic performance. As such, upon entry into the water, the drone gets rid of its wings and propellers with the help of explosive bolts and water-soluble glue in an aim to attain optimal hydrodynamic properties.

Propellers and control surfaces for motion within the water will appear in the place of the detached wings and propellers. These will help propel and stabilize the drone within the water. Boeing claims that air and water propulsion will be handled with the help of a single engine, although further details about the engine have not yet been specified.


[Image Courtesy of Boeing]


More Useful Information

While it is important to emphasize that the flying submarine is still an idea, there are a couple of interesting points to note regarding the patent.

The flying submarine will control its depth in water with the use of a buoyancy tank.

It could perhaps be used to deliver a payload of supplies or weapons or could even be used for undersea reconnaissance missions. Once this is completed, or when needed, the drone can resurface and communicate any information it has collected with a command center, or perhaps even other drones.


[Image Courtesy of Boeing]


Here is how Boeing described the rapid deployment air and water vehicle:

A vehicle adaptable for both flight and water travel comprising: a body configured to fly through air and to move through water; a wing or a stabilizer attached to the body while in flight; a first set of propelling blades attached to the body while in flight, the first set of propelling blades configured to propel the body through air while the body is in flight; a second set of propelling blades, coaxial with the first set of propelling blades, the second set of propelling blades attached to the body when the body is in flight and when the body is in the water, the second set of propelling blades configured to propel the body through water while the body is in the water; and at least one attachment member attaching the first set of propelling blades to the body while the body is in flight, wherein the at least one attachment member detaches the first set of propelling blades from the body when the body is in the water.

On a final note, credit goes to PatentYogi for uncovering the patent. Check out their cool video below.




Source: PatentYogi

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

The solar powered sea slug

Living on the sea bed in the ocean areas around Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines is a curious but somewhat cute creature called Costasiella kuroshimae, more commonly known as the Leaf Sheep. This is a species of sea slug, about 5 mm long, which is coloured a vibrant green and has a multitude of ‘horn like’ outgrowths on its back collectively called cerata. These structures can sometimes bear bright blue spots and/or orange rings or spots, as well as small dark brown dots and red or pinkish spots, the latter appearing just below the ‘tip’ of the horn. However, the easiest way to identify this creature for sure is by the two eyes that are extremely close together in the middle of its head.

The really interesting thing about the Leaf Sheep, and certain other sea slugs, is that it has the ability to steal photosynthesizing chloroplasts from the algae it eats in order to generate energy, a process called kleptoplasty. Chloroplasts are one of the features that are usually used to distinguish plants from animals. In general, animals do not have them but plants do, because plants use photosynthesis to generate energy whereas animals obtain energy by eating plants, or other animals. This means that an animal that has the ability to use chloroplasts is a fairly unique phenomenon, and one such animal is the sea slug, or certain members of the sea slug family at least.

The kleptoplasty process leaves the plastids within the algae intact, thereby allowing the animal that consumes them to generate the energy from photosynthesis. The Leaf Sheep isn’t the only species of sea slug to do this. The Eastern Emerald Elysia is another sea slug, living off the eastern coast of North America where it frequently inhabits shallow marshes, tidal pools and creeks, having the same ability. Elysia is considerably larger than the Leaf Sheep, at 30 mm in length and also differs from the Leaf Sheep in that it has the ability to absorb the algal genes into its DNA, whereas the Leaf Sheep’s engagement with algae is only temporary.

“While the next generation must take up chloroplasts anew from algae, the genes to maintain the chloroplasts are already present in the slug genome” explains Professor Sidney Pierce of the University of South Florida, who is something of a specialist on the subject.

Professor Pierce and his colleagues Julia Schwartz and Nicholas Curtis used a process called fluorescent in situ hybridization to demonstrate Elysia’s gene transfer ability, the study being published in The Biological Bulletin in December 2014.

The only animals to use kleptoplasty are these sea slugs, which belong to the family Sacloglossa. The process gives the host animals great advantages in that it means they don’t have to chase around for prey like other animals do. This is particularly advantageous in environments where other food resources are limited. Furthermore, Elysia in particular can use the process to generate energy for its entire adult life.


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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Digital TV is fueling the fire

The twenty first century has witnessed many things, not the least of which is the true flowering of the Information Age. Arguably, social media has boasted the greatest degree of expansion in the last fifteen years, but what about television – Has everything from Facebook to Twitter, Netflix, and Hulu really impacted the percentage of people around the world who watch TV on a regular basis? The short answer is – maybe surprisingly – No. A marketing industry study done in 2014 asked U.S. Respondents if social media had reduced their TV watching; the answers were largely ‘no,’, that social media had in fact made them more aware of TV, and actually enhanced their watching; very few said they were watching less. What about outside the U.S.? Well, it’s estimated that a February, 2015 Cricket World Cup match between India and Pakistan was watched by nearly one billion folks, (That’s billion, with a B). Several large, developing countries, (most notably China), have gained a middle class for the first time in this new century, and one of the very first things those people buy is a new or upgraded television. In this day and age, that means a digital capable TV – Digital TV is fueling the fire.

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There is still quite a bit of confusion as to what exactly digital TV means. That confusion began for many when they first heard that they’d have to switch from analog TV, a message that started circulating in 2006, with the caveat that doing so would need to be done by this year. Many folks back then had heard of digital satellite, and maybe even had a dish of their own, but that’s a bit different.



So, what is analog TV? In a word, it’s seriously obsolete. Virtually all the popular primary variants of analog TV in use around the globe were developed in the 1940s and 1950s. Analog TV is, in essence, coupled radio signals, same as what you’d pick up with a portable radio – the picture for your analog set was sent in AM, Amplitude Modulation, while the audio came in via FM, Frequency Modulation. And just like with that portable radio, the signal wasn’t always all that dependable. Because analog signals are subject to considerable interference from other radio sources, atmospheric conditions, and even topography, interference famously becomes part of the show – static and weak signals offering weak picture and sound are all par for the course with analog TV.

Digital television is a completely different animal, and its roots harken back to the late twentieth century. That was when a Pennsylvania based company called General Instrument developed an interesting idea. General Instrument was a savvy little company that quietly made components for communications satellites, (including spy satellites) – Things like receivers. Since they made stuff like that, when satellite TV started to percolate throughout the world, they were in a unique position to build and market a receiver that could snag signals from both analog and digital satellite television channels. GI had eclectic divisions, making everything from undersea mapping sonar to ‘tote boards’ used to display the results of horse racing and betting; but the VideoCypher division, the one making those receivers, they were destined for great things. In 1988, GI engineers developed an MPEG-2 ATSC encoding system that turned out to be the key that unlocked digital TV.



Digital television means that both the video and audio signals are processed and combined, (or multiplexed), as a single signal, unlike the separate and unequal signals of analog TV. As such, digital TV can support multiple programs within the same bandwidth that analog could only handle one in. Digital TV has unlocked more programming, more topics, and in more places, in something under 25 years, than analog TV did in over four decades as a solo pursuit. With storage technology ever advancing, and the visual capabilities of displays on the verge of major breakthroughs, it’s an exciting time to plunk yourself down in front of the TV.

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Ballantine’s Space Glass: drink whisky in space!

Thinking of their future customers, Ballantine’s has created a whisky glass that works in zero gravity. The idea is somewhat based on the “Stay True” concept of the brand where even in the distant future, consumers would remain loyal to the brand.



To put the project into practice, the brand commissioned a group of “space entrepreneuers” from the Open Space design agency, headed by scientist James Parr. Ballantine’s Space Glass forsees a new era of space tourism, and the prototype solves the challenge of drinking liquid in zero-G environments. The cup has been rigorously tested in micro gravity at the ZARM Drop Tower, Bremen, Germany, to prove its functionality in conditions similar to outerspace.

“Our brief was to develop a whisky glass that worked under the conditions of microgravity, the scientific term for zero gravity,” writes Parr on Medium. “It was important that we focused on creating a ritual around how you drink from the Ballantine’s Space Glass to ensure a familiarity of what we are used to here on earth — the end result is one with several elements to that ritual, from the liquid entering the glass through to sipping from it.”

The human senses of smell and taste aren’t exactly the same in space so it was necessary to create a stronger whiskey, while maintaining Ballantine’s quality and flavor. Astronauts have stated many times before how they miss flavors from earth while in space, so improving the whisky for this experience was a way to ensure that they could have a more similar experience.






To “pour” the whiskey in a zero-G environment, a serving mechanism was developed that inserts a nozzle at the base of the Space Glass. Held together by a strong magnetic conection, the glass base releases a rapid downward pressure, allowing the slow release of whiskey through a valve.

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The golden mouth clip is ergonomically shaped to give the user a similar experience to drinking in a normal glass, while a hidden opening releases the aroma. The cup base hides a magnet that can be used to stick the glass on magnetic surfaces so it doesn’t go floating all over the place.

Source: Ballantine

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Power8 Workshop is a full workshop that fits in a portable case

A very interesting mobile tool set has been circulating on the Internet and we decided to look into it. The Power8 workshop is a cordless power tool set that uses an innovative design to allow tools to fit into a small case and have more than twice as much functionality.



It actually consists of different tools that can connect to the same wireless base, bringing convenience and portability to DIY enthusiasts. The kit also comes in a box that can turn into a workbench where you can fit all of the same hand-held tools to give them more stability.



This mobile workshop is composed of a wireless base which supplies power to different tools such as a circular saw, flashlight, drill, and a jigsaw. All of which can be connected to the case where all the tools come in and become a benchtop tool.



Apparently, the components can easily snap into place and have security mechanisms to prevent accidents. To increase precision while you work, the set comes with a ruler and square. To charge the battery simply plug it in and wait for an hour for full charge. All the tools can fit into a sturdy canvas bag that come with it and that fits neatly into the durable steel armored case.

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

Aurora, the American secret hypersonic spyplane

It’s been 25 years since the rumors started and the alleged hypersonic spyplane is still a huge topic for researchers and enthusiasts.



It all started in August 1989 when Chris Gibson from Royal Observer Corps (British civil defense organisation) was working at a gas platform in the North Sea and saw something really strange: a triangle-shaped delta aircraft apparently refueling from a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Next to them were two F-111 fighter-bombers that were slightly smaller than the mysterious aircraft. The formation flew into the UK, probably en route to a US base in the country.

Six months after the apparition, the American magazine Aviation Week noted that the US government had included US$455 million for “black aircraft production” in the 1987 budget, an unusual leak in the restricted world of military intelligence. At the same time, a group of observers neighboring the famous secret military base ‘Area 51‘ started to hear strange aircraft noises early in the morning.



Since then, the mysterious project ‘Aurora’ has been enticing the curiosity of many people around the world. The name comes precisely from the document leaked by the publication. However, 25 years after the first rumors had started, nothing has proven the existence of this supposed hypersonic spy plane, which was always denied by the US government.

Last year, many people in England and NY reported they heard strange booming sounds of an extremely fast plane, and of course Aurora was blamed for these mysterious bangs. If real, the Aurora is surely be the best kept secret by the US military in history. But the question that still remains is: Is there really a need for such an aircraft after the creation of spy satellites? The answer is not so simple, but the fact that the United States Air Force plans to design the next-gen U-2 spy plane shows that satellites can’t do the job on their own.

http://video.dailymail.co.uk/video/1418450360/2014/11/1418450360_3916024929001_BANGING.mp4​

Even without any certainty that it even exists, the alleged plane has a detailed description: 33.5 meters long, 18.2 meters wide, service ceiling of over 40,000 meters, and the ability to fly between Mach 5 and Mach 8 (which is four times faster than the Concorde, for example).

For this incomparable performance, the Aurora would use ‘Ramjet’ or ‘Scramjet’ engines. Since it operates at high temperatures where turbines and compressors don’t work too well, a hypersonic plane needs a technology capable of generating power even in such a hostile environment. The ‘Ramjet’ engine works with an extremely hot and fast airflow that requires a pulsing fuel combustion, hence the theory that matches the reports of people who heard these unusual sounds of an airplane.



The pulsejet idea has gained more strength with the sighting of condensation trails in the shape of ‘donuts on a rope’, in 2006 in the city of Austin in Texas.

As in almost all the secret American aircraft projects, the ‘Aurora’ would have been assigned to Lockheed Martin’s Skunk works division, famous for creating aircraft such as the F-117A Nighthawk, the U-2 spy planes and the SR-71 Blackbird. Aurora would be the natural successor to the Blackbird, a long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft.

The Blackbird eventually retired in the 90s, but it inspires those who believe in the existence of the mysterious Aurora. In the 60s, it also had its existence denied by the government, although several people witnessed its departures for missions in Southeast Asia at the time of the Vietnam War.

Headquartered in California, Skunk Works doesn’t usually have any government projects approved, but there is always a lot of people working in their hangars. And if Aurora does exist, the ideal place for it to be developed would have been in ‘Area 51’.



A favorite by UFO researchers and alien enthusiasts, the region is also the scene of many strange sightings and aircraft noises. The fact that the air base has expanded their facilities a few years ago, with the addition of new hangars, buildings and an extra airstrip, signals that work in ‘Area 51’ were intensified.

“The question, finally, is does Aurora exist? Years of pursuit have led me to believe that, yes, Aurora is most likely in active development, spurred on by recent advances that have allowed technology to catch up with the ambition that launched the program a generation ago,” stated Bill Sweetman to Popular Science.

And what do you think about this mysterious aircraft?

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[DaveM]

In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following

UCR develops new solar panel coating for improved efficiency

Although the sun emits over 50 percent of its light as ‘near-infrared’ light, solar cells can only absorb visible light, which means that solar panels only really get to about 20 percent efficiency. However, a team of chemists at the University of California Riverside have now found a way to increase solar panel efficiency by combining inorganic semiconductor nanocrystals with organic molecules, thereby successfully ‘upconverting’ photons in the visible and near-infrared regions of the solar spectrum. The thinking behind the research is that solar energy could be even cheaper if the amount of land required to deploy solar panels, as well as the labor costs involved in construction, can be reduced.

“The infrared region of the solar spectrum passes right through the photovoltaic materials that make up today’s solar cells” said Professor of Chemistry, Christopher Bardeen who conducted the project in collaboration with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Ming Lee Tang. “This is energy lost, no matter how good your solar cell. The hybrid material we have come up with first captures two infrared photons that would normally pass right through a solar cell without being converted to electricity, then adds their energies together to make one higher energy photon. This upconverted photon is readily absorbed by photovoltaic cells, generating electricity from light that normally would be wasted.”

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Solar panels with rainbow (Pic by Steve Jurvetson, Flickr)​

Professor Bardeen added that the materials essentially ‘reshape the solar spectrum’ so that it more closely matches the PV materials used in solar cells. Utilisation of the infrared portion of the solar spectrum could increase solar PV efficiencies by 30 percent or more. Bardeen and Tang used cadmium selenide and lead selenide semiconductor nanocrystals and diphenylanthracene and rubrene organic compounds. The two scientists found that the cadmium selenide nanocrystals could convert visible wavelengths to ultraviolet photons, while the lead selenide nanocrystals could convert near-infrafred photons to visible photons.

The resulting hybrid material was subjected to 980-nanometer infrared light which then generated upconverted orange/yellow fluorescent 550-nanometer light, almost doubling the energy of the incoming photons. Coating the cadmium selenide nanocrystals with organic ligands enabled Bardeen and Tang to boost the process by up to three orders of magnitude, thereby enabling a route to higher efficiencies.

According to Bardeen, the 550-nanometer light can be absorbed by any solar cell material, the key to this being the hybrid composite material.


“Organic compounds cannot absorb in the infrared but are good at combining two lower energy photons to a higher energy photon” he said. “By using a hybrid material, the inorganic component absorbs two photons and passes their energy on to the organic component for combination. The organic compounds then produce one high-energy photon. Put simply, the inorganics in the composite material take light in; the organics get light out.”

The project also lends itself to other potential applications, including biological imaging, data storage and organic light-emitting diodes. Bardeen states that the ability to move light from one wavelength to another, more useful, region can impact any technology that involves photons as inputs or outputs.

The study has been published in Nano Letters and was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and the US Army.

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