Yeah Rocky, we were just born with the wrong advantage.
Today's Interesting Engineering
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That monster Excursion is pretty cool - not very practical, but cool.
In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following
Man builds his own plane in Ethiopia
Asmelash Zeferu from Sendafa Town in Ethiopia always dreamed of making his own plane and flying high above his town. Now those dreams have come true as he built the plane using wood, metal and aluminium and he will take his first test flights 11 June 2015.
Zeferu started to build the plane in October of 2013 and it took him a year and 7 months to finally finish it. Zeferu is going to take to the air and fly at around 3,000 feet and the plane is capable of running at 182 k.p.h.
Via [diretube.com]
The post Man builds his own plane in Ethiopia appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
Man builds his own plane in Ethiopia
Asmelash Zeferu from Sendafa Town in Ethiopia always dreamed of making his own plane and flying high above his town. Now those dreams have come true as he built the plane using wood, metal and aluminium and he will take his first test flights 11 June 2015.
[Image Courtesy of Diretube]
Zeferu started to build the plane in October of 2013 and it took him a year and 7 months to finally finish it. Zeferu is going to take to the air and fly at around 3,000 feet and the plane is capable of running at 182 k.p.h.
[Image Courtesy of Diretube]
Via [diretube.com]
The post Man builds his own plane in Ethiopia appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following
African student uses old TV parts to build humanoid robot
Many students have science projects to undertake at home but none of them are as cool as the one that Sam Todo from the Togolese Republic in Africa set out to complete. He decided to make his own humanoid robot from the parts of an old TV.
Sam called the humanoid robot SAM10 and it is made entirely from the parts taken from an old TV. Now the robot has been built Sam is teaching it to perform simple tasks such as saying hello to people it meets along with avoiding any obstacles that have been set in its path.
Of course while they may sound simple enough these are ambitious goals as other humanoid robots that have been constructed have been done so at a much higher cost and made in million dollar labs. Sam made his robot in his garage.
At the moment the robot is able to walk only in a straight line but Todo plans on expanding the abilities of the robot. At the same time he is hoping that his project is going to attract the interest of more young people to science, engineering and math.
Via [Inhabitat]
The post African student uses old TV parts to build humanoid robot appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
African student uses old TV parts to build humanoid robot
Many students have science projects to undertake at home but none of them are as cool as the one that Sam Todo from the Togolese Republic in Africa set out to complete. He decided to make his own humanoid robot from the parts of an old TV.
[Image Courtesy of Inhabitat]
Sam called the humanoid robot SAM10 and it is made entirely from the parts taken from an old TV. Now the robot has been built Sam is teaching it to perform simple tasks such as saying hello to people it meets along with avoiding any obstacles that have been set in its path.
[Image Courtesy of Inhabitat]
Of course while they may sound simple enough these are ambitious goals as other humanoid robots that have been constructed have been done so at a much higher cost and made in million dollar labs. Sam made his robot in his garage.
[Image Courtesy of Inhabitat]
At the moment the robot is able to walk only in a straight line but Todo plans on expanding the abilities of the robot. At the same time he is hoping that his project is going to attract the interest of more young people to science, engineering and math.
[Image Courtesy of Inhabitat]
Via [Inhabitat]
The post African student uses old TV parts to build humanoid robot appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
He built that plane the old fashioned way. I like it.
In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following
Cloud Video Conferencing: Now The Sky’s The Limit
Online cloud technology allows users to store, share, and access large files online, seamlessly. This means you get faster access to information, without taking up all of the available space on your computer. Cloud sharing also means you can share information with dozens, even hundreds of people all at once. Educational institutions, business, and individuals all take advantage of this technology to share documents and photos, but now that same technology is being used to enhance video conferencing capabilities. Participants can take advantage of cloud video conferencing by Blue Jeans to expand their video conferencing efficiency.
Enhancing Education
The Internet has enhanced education almost as much as The Enlightenment did, bringing once unattainable information straight to a student’s desk with only few keystrokes and clicks of the mouse. Cloud conferencing has extended the impact of connectivity and information sharing even further. Educational institutions are beginning to incorporate video conferencing into several aspects of the classroom, explains Mashable.com. Some of the ways in which video conferencing is being used to improve access to education include: online classes, conferencing with subject authorities, virtual field trips, and full scale, live conventions. Being able to access live video meetings online, in real time, means that a college professor in Washington State can teach a class to students in Maine, without sacrificing real time discussions among enrolled students, because the students and their professor can all meet through cloud video conferencing. A class on Egyptian architecture can be taught in Arizona, and a tour guide can lead students through the maze of a pyramid without the need for the entire class to travel halfway around the world.
Building Businesses
Utilizing video conferencing makes good sense for any business that is trying to maximize efficiency and cut costs. Business News Daily explains that there are several affordable video conferencing services available to businesses, like those provided by Blue Jeans. Cloud video conferencing, in particular, can help businesses drastically cut costs. For example, a traditional conference of a hundred or more people would involve many, if not most, of the attendees traveling by plane or car to get to the conference. Then there are the hotel and rental car fees, add to that a fee for renting a conference venue and catering costs and you’re looking at thousands upon thousands of dollars spent for one conference. But, if that same group of one hundred people is all invited to a cloud video conference in real time, everyone can attend from the comfort and convenience of their own office or even their home. Live video feeds, microphones and speakers, and interconnectivity with document and presentation programs like Power Point make it easy to share information with conference participants. You can even link the service with instant messaging for an interruption free question and answer session. Businesses can use video conferencing for everything from conventions to sales presentations and even in-house staff meetings, the options are virtually endless when the number of cloud conferencing participants can be virtually limitless.
Blue Jeans Cloud Video Conferencing enables a nearly limitless number of participants to join in a conferencing meeting in real time, in a secure online venue, without the inconveniences and expenses of traveling to meetings. This capability means education can be enhance through online courses, virtual field trips, and live chats with subject experts. Business can grow as customers and see the faces of and get answers from their customer service representatives and staff teams can easily gather to share information and brainstorm new ideas. The medical professions is modernizing how doctors meet with their colleagues and how patients receive care so that new discoveries can be shared with those who need them most. Cloud video conferencing shows that technological advancement does not have to mean sacrificing personal communication: instead it extends the reach of communication capabilities so that more people have access to the information they need.
The post Cloud Video Conferencing: Now The Sky’s The Limit appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
Cloud Video Conferencing: Now The Sky’s The Limit
Online cloud technology allows users to store, share, and access large files online, seamlessly. This means you get faster access to information, without taking up all of the available space on your computer. Cloud sharing also means you can share information with dozens, even hundreds of people all at once. Educational institutions, business, and individuals all take advantage of this technology to share documents and photos, but now that same technology is being used to enhance video conferencing capabilities. Participants can take advantage of cloud video conferencing by Blue Jeans to expand their video conferencing efficiency.
Enhancing Education
The Internet has enhanced education almost as much as The Enlightenment did, bringing once unattainable information straight to a student’s desk with only few keystrokes and clicks of the mouse. Cloud conferencing has extended the impact of connectivity and information sharing even further. Educational institutions are beginning to incorporate video conferencing into several aspects of the classroom, explains Mashable.com. Some of the ways in which video conferencing is being used to improve access to education include: online classes, conferencing with subject authorities, virtual field trips, and full scale, live conventions. Being able to access live video meetings online, in real time, means that a college professor in Washington State can teach a class to students in Maine, without sacrificing real time discussions among enrolled students, because the students and their professor can all meet through cloud video conferencing. A class on Egyptian architecture can be taught in Arizona, and a tour guide can lead students through the maze of a pyramid without the need for the entire class to travel halfway around the world.
Building Businesses
Utilizing video conferencing makes good sense for any business that is trying to maximize efficiency and cut costs. Business News Daily explains that there are several affordable video conferencing services available to businesses, like those provided by Blue Jeans. Cloud video conferencing, in particular, can help businesses drastically cut costs. For example, a traditional conference of a hundred or more people would involve many, if not most, of the attendees traveling by plane or car to get to the conference. Then there are the hotel and rental car fees, add to that a fee for renting a conference venue and catering costs and you’re looking at thousands upon thousands of dollars spent for one conference. But, if that same group of one hundred people is all invited to a cloud video conference in real time, everyone can attend from the comfort and convenience of their own office or even their home. Live video feeds, microphones and speakers, and interconnectivity with document and presentation programs like Power Point make it easy to share information with conference participants. You can even link the service with instant messaging for an interruption free question and answer session. Businesses can use video conferencing for everything from conventions to sales presentations and even in-house staff meetings, the options are virtually endless when the number of cloud conferencing participants can be virtually limitless.
Modernizing Medicine
The field of medicine is constantly changing as new discoveries are made each year. This makes it more essential than ever for doctors and researchers to be able to connect, converse, and share information in real time, notes C. Lee Ventula. Cloud conferencing services help to encourage collaboration and even improve patient care in the medical field. By using video conferencing, a small hospital in the middle of Colorado’s mountain country can link up with specialists at MD Anderson in Texas to discuss the best course of treatment for a newly diagnosed cancer patient-meaning that patient’s chance of survival will not be hindered by their location or ability to meet in-person with a specialist. Doctors can even share diagnostic images and, if needed, participate in surgical procedures via video conferencing. Doctors can even use video conferencing to communicate with home-bound patients and their caregivers to ensure that the patient is receiving adequate in-home care. The use of live video conferencing in the medical profession means that doctors gets information in real time and patients get treated with the most up-to-date resources available.
The field of medicine is constantly changing as new discoveries are made each year. This makes it more essential than ever for doctors and researchers to be able to connect, converse, and share information in real time, notes C. Lee Ventula. Cloud conferencing services help to encourage collaboration and even improve patient care in the medical field. By using video conferencing, a small hospital in the middle of Colorado’s mountain country can link up with specialists at MD Anderson in Texas to discuss the best course of treatment for a newly diagnosed cancer patient-meaning that patient’s chance of survival will not be hindered by their location or ability to meet in-person with a specialist. Doctors can even share diagnostic images and, if needed, participate in surgical procedures via video conferencing. Doctors can even use video conferencing to communicate with home-bound patients and their caregivers to ensure that the patient is receiving adequate in-home care. The use of live video conferencing in the medical profession means that doctors gets information in real time and patients get treated with the most up-to-date resources available.
Blue Jeans Cloud Video Conferencing enables a nearly limitless number of participants to join in a conferencing meeting in real time, in a secure online venue, without the inconveniences and expenses of traveling to meetings. This capability means education can be enhance through online courses, virtual field trips, and live chats with subject experts. Business can grow as customers and see the faces of and get answers from their customer service representatives and staff teams can easily gather to share information and brainstorm new ideas. The medical professions is modernizing how doctors meet with their colleagues and how patients receive care so that new discoveries can be shared with those who need them most. Cloud video conferencing shows that technological advancement does not have to mean sacrificing personal communication: instead it extends the reach of communication capabilities so that more people have access to the information they need.
The post Cloud Video Conferencing: Now The Sky’s The Limit appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following
The Gravity Light lamp doesn’t need fuel, batteries or the sun to power it
There are numerous developing countries that do not have electricity and the people living there have to rely on kerosene lamps when the sun goes down. However kerosene isn’t known for burning cleanly and of course there is the risk of causing a fire should the lamp get knocked over. This could soon become a worry in the past as a team of designers have come up with the Gravity Light lamp.
The Gravity Light lamp only relies on gravity to make it work. It doesn’t need the rays of the sun to power it, no electricity and no batteries. This means that there are no harmful energy sources and the lamp is completely safe and reusable.
The Gravity Light works on a pulley system that is very simple to use. An 11 kg weight is hoisted up via a beaded cord and when the weight is at the top of the pulley it can be released and this allows it to descend very slowly. As it drops down the beaded cord goes through a connected train and this lights up the LED. When the weight has reached the floor, a process that takes around 20 to 30 minutes, it can be hoisted back up again and the light is lit again.
The light is in version 2.0 as a trial batch of them got released last year in around 30 countries. However version 1.0 didn’t last for 20 to 30 minutes and the light it emitted wasn’t as bright. At the moment the Gravity Light is raising funds on Indiegogo and the designers are hoping to raise $199,000. Right now they have raised a little over half of this.
Via [Gravity Light]
The post The Gravity Light lamp doesn’t need fuel, batteries or the sun to power it appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
The Gravity Light lamp doesn’t need fuel, batteries or the sun to power it
There are numerous developing countries that do not have electricity and the people living there have to rely on kerosene lamps when the sun goes down. However kerosene isn’t known for burning cleanly and of course there is the risk of causing a fire should the lamp get knocked over. This could soon become a worry in the past as a team of designers have come up with the Gravity Light lamp.
[Image Courtesy of Gravity Light]
The Gravity Light lamp only relies on gravity to make it work. It doesn’t need the rays of the sun to power it, no electricity and no batteries. This means that there are no harmful energy sources and the lamp is completely safe and reusable.
The Gravity Light works on a pulley system that is very simple to use. An 11 kg weight is hoisted up via a beaded cord and when the weight is at the top of the pulley it can be released and this allows it to descend very slowly. As it drops down the beaded cord goes through a connected train and this lights up the LED. When the weight has reached the floor, a process that takes around 20 to 30 minutes, it can be hoisted back up again and the light is lit again.
The light is in version 2.0 as a trial batch of them got released last year in around 30 countries. However version 1.0 didn’t last for 20 to 30 minutes and the light it emitted wasn’t as bright. At the moment the Gravity Light is raising funds on Indiegogo and the designers are hoping to raise $199,000. Right now they have raised a little over half of this.
Via [Gravity Light]
The post The Gravity Light lamp doesn’t need fuel, batteries or the sun to power it appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following
Mirror Houses reflect the beauty of the Dolomites
There are plenty of luxury homes in the South Tyrolean Dolomites in Italy and anyone looking for a superb vacation home to rent in the beautiful area may be interested in the Mirror Houses from Peter Pichler Architecture.
Both of the homes are one-bedroom rentals offering some of the most outstanding views out over mountains and vineyards. The luxury homes mirror each other when it comes to the design plans and they mirror the beauty of the Dolomites themselves thanks to having mirrors on the backside. They have been built to the sustainable construction standards of Italy and have plenty of natural daylight and ventilation.
The owners of the luxury homes live in the Dolomites in a farmhouse that dates back to the 1960s. They wanted to make the most of the beautiful landscape that surrounds them and so took on architects Peter Pichler to build them the stunning properties with the idea of renting them out.
Each of the apartments is fully autonomous and of course they have been designed to give the people renting them the full experience of nature. Both offer one bedroom and have open living and dining areas with plenty of storage in the basement underneath the homes. The back of the apartments have been designed in mirrors so that the residents have privacy and these reflect the surrounding Dolomites.
Large windows offer spacious views out over the landscape and natural daylight along with natural ventilation helps to keep down energy bills and ensures that guests get closer to nature. The homes meet the CasaClima standards of sustainable design with triple paned windows, high performance insulation and wood construction. The two homes offer space for between two and four people, with rent starting from 150 Euros per night.
Via [Mirror Houses]
The post Mirror Houses reflect the beauty of the Dolomites appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
Mirror Houses reflect the beauty of the Dolomites
There are plenty of luxury homes in the South Tyrolean Dolomites in Italy and anyone looking for a superb vacation home to rent in the beautiful area may be interested in the Mirror Houses from Peter Pichler Architecture.
[Image Courtesy of Mirror Houses]
Both of the homes are one-bedroom rentals offering some of the most outstanding views out over mountains and vineyards. The luxury homes mirror each other when it comes to the design plans and they mirror the beauty of the Dolomites themselves thanks to having mirrors on the backside. They have been built to the sustainable construction standards of Italy and have plenty of natural daylight and ventilation.
[Image Courtesy of Mirror Houses]
The owners of the luxury homes live in the Dolomites in a farmhouse that dates back to the 1960s. They wanted to make the most of the beautiful landscape that surrounds them and so took on architects Peter Pichler to build them the stunning properties with the idea of renting them out.
[Image Courtesy of Mirror Houses]
Each of the apartments is fully autonomous and of course they have been designed to give the people renting them the full experience of nature. Both offer one bedroom and have open living and dining areas with plenty of storage in the basement underneath the homes. The back of the apartments have been designed in mirrors so that the residents have privacy and these reflect the surrounding Dolomites.
[Image Courtesy of Mirror Houses]
Large windows offer spacious views out over the landscape and natural daylight along with natural ventilation helps to keep down energy bills and ensures that guests get closer to nature. The homes meet the CasaClima standards of sustainable design with triple paned windows, high performance insulation and wood construction. The two homes offer space for between two and four people, with rent starting from 150 Euros per night.
[Image Courtesy of Mirror Houses]
Via [Mirror Houses]
The post Mirror Houses reflect the beauty of the Dolomites appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following
Siemens develops world-record electric motor for aircraft
Electric mobility is becoming increasingly interesting for aviation. Siemens, who is quite active in the area, already accomplished a technology milestone: they managed to develop an electric motor, five times more powerful than conventional engines!
The researchers at Siemens developed a new type of electric motor designed specifically for aircraft that weights only 50 kg yet delivers a continuous output of about 260 kW. The power-to-weight ratio of this engine, which breaks all previous records, opens up the possibility of larger aircraft with takeoff weight of up to two tons and capacity for up to 100 passengers to use an electric propulsion system.
To successfully reduce the engine weight the manufacturer sought a number of developments such the use of a cobalt-iron alloy in the stator resulting in high magnetizability. The rotor’s permanent magnets are arranged in a Halbach array – a special way of positioning the magnets which results in a magnetic flux optimally directed with a minimal use of material. Another weight-reduction technology is directly cooling the conductors by an electrically non-conductive cooling liquid such as silicon oil or Galden.
The combination of an electric motor with a combustion engine allows the use of a turbine that is not only much smaller than the current ones, but can be used with maximum efficiency during flight. “The use of hybrid electric drives would reduce fuel consumption by around 25 percent, with the result that the total costs of an aircraft would fall by about 12 percent,” explains Dr. Frank Anton, head of the electric aircraft team.
Siemens is now working with Airbus in developing even lighter and powerful engines, and if successful we can expect the first hybrid aircraft for up to 100 passengers with electric motor to fly in 2035.
Source: Siemens
Via: The Engineer
The post Siemens develops world-record electric motor for aircraft appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
Siemens develops world-record electric motor for aircraft
Electric mobility is becoming increasingly interesting for aviation. Siemens, who is quite active in the area, already accomplished a technology milestone: they managed to develop an electric motor, five times more powerful than conventional engines!
The researchers at Siemens developed a new type of electric motor designed specifically for aircraft that weights only 50 kg yet delivers a continuous output of about 260 kW. The power-to-weight ratio of this engine, which breaks all previous records, opens up the possibility of larger aircraft with takeoff weight of up to two tons and capacity for up to 100 passengers to use an electric propulsion system.
To successfully reduce the engine weight the manufacturer sought a number of developments such the use of a cobalt-iron alloy in the stator resulting in high magnetizability. The rotor’s permanent magnets are arranged in a Halbach array – a special way of positioning the magnets which results in a magnetic flux optimally directed with a minimal use of material. Another weight-reduction technology is directly cooling the conductors by an electrically non-conductive cooling liquid such as silicon oil or Galden.
The combination of an electric motor with a combustion engine allows the use of a turbine that is not only much smaller than the current ones, but can be used with maximum efficiency during flight. “The use of hybrid electric drives would reduce fuel consumption by around 25 percent, with the result that the total costs of an aircraft would fall by about 12 percent,” explains Dr. Frank Anton, head of the electric aircraft team.
Siemens is now working with Airbus in developing even lighter and powerful engines, and if successful we can expect the first hybrid aircraft for up to 100 passengers with electric motor to fly in 2035.
Source: Siemens
Via: The Engineer
The post Siemens develops world-record electric motor for aircraft appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following
Bamboo taxis offer stylish rides in the Philippines
Motorcycles are one of the main modes of transport for getting around in the Philippines. However there is now some competition as the mayor showed off two taxis that have been made from bamboo. The mayor of Tabontabon, Rustico Balderian commissioned the bamboo taxis which have been made from 90% bamboo and run on coconut biodiesel.
Bamboo is an environmentally friendly and renewable material and it didn’t need to undergo a great deal of processing to be able to incorporate it into the designs of the cars. What is great about the product is that the tensile strength of it is just as good as steel, making it a superb alternative sustainable material for building vehicles.
[Image Courtesy of Toti Eco]
The two new taxis have the names of Eco 1 and Eco 2. Eco 1 can carry twenty people around and just one gallon of coconut biodiesel will last for around 80 hours of driving. Eco 2 lasts for just as long but this can carry eight people. 90% of each of the vehicles is made from bamboo and the taxis were constructed by the out-of-school youths from Tabontabon. The vehicles have a covering of the Filipino woven mats that are traditional and go by the name of banig.
[Image Courtesy of Toti Eco]
Via [Toti Eco]
The post Bamboo taxis offer stylish rides in the Philippines appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
Bamboo taxis offer stylish rides in the Philippines
Motorcycles are one of the main modes of transport for getting around in the Philippines. However there is now some competition as the mayor showed off two taxis that have been made from bamboo. The mayor of Tabontabon, Rustico Balderian commissioned the bamboo taxis which have been made from 90% bamboo and run on coconut biodiesel.
[Image Courtesy of Toti Eco]
Bamboo is an environmentally friendly and renewable material and it didn’t need to undergo a great deal of processing to be able to incorporate it into the designs of the cars. What is great about the product is that the tensile strength of it is just as good as steel, making it a superb alternative sustainable material for building vehicles.
[Image Courtesy of Toti Eco]
The two new taxis have the names of Eco 1 and Eco 2. Eco 1 can carry twenty people around and just one gallon of coconut biodiesel will last for around 80 hours of driving. Eco 2 lasts for just as long but this can carry eight people. 90% of each of the vehicles is made from bamboo and the taxis were constructed by the out-of-school youths from Tabontabon. The vehicles have a covering of the Filipino woven mats that are traditional and go by the name of banig.
[Image Courtesy of Toti Eco]
Via [Toti Eco]
The post Bamboo taxis offer stylish rides in the Philippines appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following
Intuitive fast pitch tent from Hemiplanet with price tag of £3,800
Hemiplanet have designed a tent that they claim can be set up in just four minutes. The tent is intuitive and the basic two man model comes in at £280, while if you want something more advanced it will set you back £3,800. For this you get the robust and extremely stable version of the tent, which should be able to withstand winds of up to 110mph.
With festival season approaching, now is the time to start looking for a new tent and of course at festival time the weather in the UK generally brings wind and rain. Rather than having to deal with ropes and pegs to tie down your tent, Hemiplanet has designed an inflatable tent. There are three tents in their range and the base camp-style structured one costs £3,800 and has the name of the Maverick. Of course this could be classed as overkill for a festival and you may want to go for the three man middle range Cave model which comes in at £450.
For this money you only get the tent and as the tent is inflatable you need to buy a foot pump or spend the whole festival trying to blow it up, providing you have a good set of lungs. The company claims the tent can be put up in 4 minutes and it takes a good minute to get it just out of the bag it’s packed in.
Luckily it does blow up relatively easy and you can actually inflate the tent in 4 minutes, which is good news if it’s raining and blowing a gale. Of course there is a downside to an inflatable tent and that is you are at risk of someone carelessly throwing away a cigarette and puncturing a hole in your tent.
Via [Dailymail]
The post Intuitive fast pitch tent from Hemiplanet with price tag of £3,800 appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
Intuitive fast pitch tent from Hemiplanet with price tag of £3,800
Hemiplanet have designed a tent that they claim can be set up in just four minutes. The tent is intuitive and the basic two man model comes in at £280, while if you want something more advanced it will set you back £3,800. For this you get the robust and extremely stable version of the tent, which should be able to withstand winds of up to 110mph.
[Image Courtesy of Philip Ide]
With festival season approaching, now is the time to start looking for a new tent and of course at festival time the weather in the UK generally brings wind and rain. Rather than having to deal with ropes and pegs to tie down your tent, Hemiplanet has designed an inflatable tent. There are three tents in their range and the base camp-style structured one costs £3,800 and has the name of the Maverick. Of course this could be classed as overkill for a festival and you may want to go for the three man middle range Cave model which comes in at £450.
[Image Courtesy of Philip Ide]
For this money you only get the tent and as the tent is inflatable you need to buy a foot pump or spend the whole festival trying to blow it up, providing you have a good set of lungs. The company claims the tent can be put up in 4 minutes and it takes a good minute to get it just out of the bag it’s packed in.
[Image Courtesy of Philip Ide]
Luckily it does blow up relatively easy and you can actually inflate the tent in 4 minutes, which is good news if it’s raining and blowing a gale. Of course there is a downside to an inflatable tent and that is you are at risk of someone carelessly throwing away a cigarette and puncturing a hole in your tent.
[Image Courtesy of Philip Ide]
Via [Dailymail]
The post Intuitive fast pitch tent from Hemiplanet with price tag of £3,800 appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following
TU Delft develops self-healing bioconcrete
After nine years of research and development, a team from TU Delft presented their self-healing concrete prototype that regenerates itself due to the addition of bacteria in its composition. These bacteria have the ability to “break” some specific components in the concrete and gradually fix small cracks and holes.
The formula developed at the university goes beyond merely repairing visible imperfections; If not repaired, these cracks can increase in size and allow water to enter the structure, leading to the corrosion of steel and damaging the mechanical properties of the structure.
“We have invented bioconcrete — that’s concrete that heals itself using bacteria,” professor Henk Jonkers from TU Delft told CNN.
The bioconcrete incorporates some species of bacillus bacteria, that can survive up to five decades without food or oxygen. In order to last so long, the bacillus bacteria are stored within the concrete in biodegradable plastic capsules that only break open when they come into contact with water. After being exposed to water, the bacteria feeds on calcium lactate and produce limestone, which closes up the cracks, repairing the material.
“It is combining nature with construction materials,” Jonkers explains. “Nature is supplying us a lot of functionality for free — in this case, limestone-producing bacteria. If we can implement it in materials, we can really benefit from it, so I think it’s a really nice example of tying nature and the built environments together in one new concept.”
The team is currently testing the ability of the bacteria to resist sulfate attacks or extreme temperature variations. In addition, scientists seek to reduce the production cost of the material so that it becomes an affordable alternative in the market, since their commercial potential is very large.
Via: CNN
The post TU Delft develops self-healing bioconcrete appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
TU Delft develops self-healing bioconcrete
After nine years of research and development, a team from TU Delft presented their self-healing concrete prototype that regenerates itself due to the addition of bacteria in its composition. These bacteria have the ability to “break” some specific components in the concrete and gradually fix small cracks and holes.
Image courtesy of Delft University of Technology
The formula developed at the university goes beyond merely repairing visible imperfections; If not repaired, these cracks can increase in size and allow water to enter the structure, leading to the corrosion of steel and damaging the mechanical properties of the structure.
“We have invented bioconcrete — that’s concrete that heals itself using bacteria,” professor Henk Jonkers from TU Delft told CNN.
The bioconcrete incorporates some species of bacillus bacteria, that can survive up to five decades without food or oxygen. In order to last so long, the bacillus bacteria are stored within the concrete in biodegradable plastic capsules that only break open when they come into contact with water. After being exposed to water, the bacteria feeds on calcium lactate and produce limestone, which closes up the cracks, repairing the material.
“It is combining nature with construction materials,” Jonkers explains. “Nature is supplying us a lot of functionality for free — in this case, limestone-producing bacteria. If we can implement it in materials, we can really benefit from it, so I think it’s a really nice example of tying nature and the built environments together in one new concept.”
The team is currently testing the ability of the bacteria to resist sulfate attacks or extreme temperature variations. In addition, scientists seek to reduce the production cost of the material so that it becomes an affordable alternative in the market, since their commercial potential is very large.
Via: CNN
The post TU Delft develops self-healing bioconcrete appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
Now that is cool!
In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following
Why is there a tiny hole in airplane windows?
If you have already traveled by airplane, chances are you’ve noticed a tiny hole on the lower portion of all passenger windows. And, well, you have probably been wondering what on earth is the purpose of a hole on an airplane window. It’s definetly not there because it looks good, it’s actually quite relevant to your safety during the flight.
Marlowe Moncur, the technology director of aircraft window manufacturer GNK Aerospace explained the purpose of the “breather hole” to io9. It’s a hole designed to balance out the pressure between the last two layers -yes, there are a few layers – of a typical pressurized-cabin window.
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.
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 garantees 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 misterious 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.
However, the effective use of this security layer is incredibly rare. As Moncur explained, all windows are exposed to rigorous testing before receiving the seal of approval.
Furthermore, any possible cracks in the outermost layer of the window is enough to justify an emergency landing – even if the middle layer is fully capable, in principle, to maintain the appropriate cabin pressure conditions. Better safe than sorry, right?
Finally, Moncur also clarifies that 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.
Via: i09
The post Why is there a tiny hole in airplane windows? appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
Why is there a tiny hole in airplane windows?
If you have already traveled by airplane, chances are you’ve noticed a tiny hole on the lower portion of all passenger windows. And, well, you have probably been wondering what on earth is the purpose of a hole on an airplane window. It’s definetly not there because it looks good, it’s actually quite relevant to your safety during the flight.
Marlowe Moncur, the technology director of aircraft window manufacturer GNK Aerospace explained the purpose of the “breather hole” to io9. It’s a hole designed to balance out the pressure between the last two layers -yes, there are a few layers – of a typical pressurized-cabin window.
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.
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 garantees 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 misterious 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.
However, the effective use of this security layer is incredibly rare. As Moncur explained, all windows are exposed to rigorous testing before receiving the seal of approval.
Furthermore, any possible cracks in the outermost layer of the window is enough to justify an emergency landing – even if the middle layer is fully capable, in principle, to maintain the appropriate cabin pressure conditions. Better safe than sorry, right?
Finally, Moncur also clarifies that 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.
Via: i09
The post Why is there a tiny hole in airplane windows? appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
I am now edumacaetd.
This was something I had seen and always wondered about as well.
In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following
Russia turning from oil and gas to solar panels
Russia is widely known as being the biggest oil and gas exporter but now it seems that the country is going to be known for another thing, solar panels.
Russia has begun to make small inroads into solar farms and developer Hevel Solar is putting up an investment of $450 million into building the solar panel farms in Russia between now and 2018. The company is a partnership between the company owned by Viktor Vekselberg, Renova Group, and Rusnano, the nanotech company. They plan on making their own solar panels along with building solar panel farms.
Hevel Solar hopes to finish off their third solar panel farm by the summer and their first project is located in East Siberia. They have another in Orenburg which is close to the southern border of Kazakhstan and this finished construction last week.
Of course Russia isn’t known for its sunny climate as other successful solar farms have been built in such as Chile and the US. They are more known for their gas and oil. However, the company has faith in solar panel farms and they have built them in the sunnier regions of the country. They said that there is a market for replacing off-grid diesel generators as these are expensive when it comes to maintenance and fuel.
Via [Fortune]
The post Russia turning from oil and gas to solar panels appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
Russia turning from oil and gas to solar panels
Russia is widely known as being the biggest oil and gas exporter but now it seems that the country is going to be known for another thing, solar panels.
[Image Courtesy of Carlos Barria]
Russia has begun to make small inroads into solar farms and developer Hevel Solar is putting up an investment of $450 million into building the solar panel farms in Russia between now and 2018. The company is a partnership between the company owned by Viktor Vekselberg, Renova Group, and Rusnano, the nanotech company. They plan on making their own solar panels along with building solar panel farms.
Hevel Solar hopes to finish off their third solar panel farm by the summer and their first project is located in East Siberia. They have another in Orenburg which is close to the southern border of Kazakhstan and this finished construction last week.
Of course Russia isn’t known for its sunny climate as other successful solar farms have been built in such as Chile and the US. They are more known for their gas and oil. However, the company has faith in solar panel farms and they have built them in the sunnier regions of the country. They said that there is a market for replacing off-grid diesel generators as these are expensive when it comes to maintenance and fuel.
Via [Fortune]
The post Russia turning from oil and gas to solar panels appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
In today's Interesting Engineering we have the following
Wi-Fi signals used to power surveillance camera
A regular Wi-Fi router has been tweaked by researchers in the US to make it capable of powering a battery-free surveillance camera continuously. What was even better was the fact that the routers data transfer speeds were not affected.
These news may help researchers to bypass one of the biggest challenges in developing new technology. This includes the Internet of Things, a project aiming to put a chip in appliances in homes to bring them online. It could mean that things could be powered without having to resort to the use of a lot of cords thanks to the appliances having to be plugged in.
Researchers have always known that Wi-Fi routers send out electromagnetic waves and that this could be harnessed for energy along with sending information out. However the main challenge that researchers had was to find a way to do it that was not only reliable but also continuous. Researchers at the University of Washington in the US have found a way to change the way that a router broadcasts and they have named their finding, PoWi-Fi, power over Wi-Fi.
Scientists have never been able to garner enough signals from Wi-Fi to be able to use it to power anything of use. The breakthrough of the scientists came after they attached an antenna to a temperature sensor so that they could check how much power they were able to collect from a nearby router. The results showed them that the signals from the Wi-Fi were not high enough to go over an operating threshold of about 300 minivolts, however they did come close.
The issue with Wi-Fi routers was that they don’t blast out electromagnetic waves continuously but rather send them in bursts in a single channel. When they programmed the router to broadcast noise over a range of channels when it wasn’t transmitting information, they could pump signals enough so that their antenna could be used and this provided power that was continuous to electronic devices.
The researchers used their prototype to show that they were able to run battery-free temperature and camera sensors via Wi-Fi signals from five and six metres. At the same time they showed that they were able to charge ranges of coin-cell batteries at up to as much as nine meters.
They used their prototype in six homes to prove that their set-up would work in a real life environment and to prove that it would not interfere with data transfer speeds. One question that remains unanswered is how the routers interfere with other signals in the region. Even if a problem does occur it could be solved in future generations. The researchers are now working on testing the routers in different conditions so as to make sure that they are able to offer power regularly for devices while using them to browse the internet. If so, then it could change the way that homes are powered.
Via [Sciencealert]
The post Wi-Fi signals used to power surveillance camera appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
Wi-Fi signals used to power surveillance camera
A regular Wi-Fi router has been tweaked by researchers in the US to make it capable of powering a battery-free surveillance camera continuously. What was even better was the fact that the routers data transfer speeds were not affected.
[Image Courtesy of LaughingSquid]
These news may help researchers to bypass one of the biggest challenges in developing new technology. This includes the Internet of Things, a project aiming to put a chip in appliances in homes to bring them online. It could mean that things could be powered without having to resort to the use of a lot of cords thanks to the appliances having to be plugged in.
Researchers have always known that Wi-Fi routers send out electromagnetic waves and that this could be harnessed for energy along with sending information out. However the main challenge that researchers had was to find a way to do it that was not only reliable but also continuous. Researchers at the University of Washington in the US have found a way to change the way that a router broadcasts and they have named their finding, PoWi-Fi, power over Wi-Fi.
Scientists have never been able to garner enough signals from Wi-Fi to be able to use it to power anything of use. The breakthrough of the scientists came after they attached an antenna to a temperature sensor so that they could check how much power they were able to collect from a nearby router. The results showed them that the signals from the Wi-Fi were not high enough to go over an operating threshold of about 300 minivolts, however they did come close.
The issue with Wi-Fi routers was that they don’t blast out electromagnetic waves continuously but rather send them in bursts in a single channel. When they programmed the router to broadcast noise over a range of channels when it wasn’t transmitting information, they could pump signals enough so that their antenna could be used and this provided power that was continuous to electronic devices.
The researchers used their prototype to show that they were able to run battery-free temperature and camera sensors via Wi-Fi signals from five and six metres. At the same time they showed that they were able to charge ranges of coin-cell batteries at up to as much as nine meters.
They used their prototype in six homes to prove that their set-up would work in a real life environment and to prove that it would not interfere with data transfer speeds. One question that remains unanswered is how the routers interfere with other signals in the region. Even if a problem does occur it could be solved in future generations. The researchers are now working on testing the routers in different conditions so as to make sure that they are able to offer power regularly for devices while using them to browse the internet. If so, then it could change the way that homes are powered.
Via [Sciencealert]
The post Wi-Fi signals used to power surveillance camera appeared first on Interesting Engineering.
I like that. In fact I'm going to look into it.
