Naval and Offshore Engineering--Robotics

What Would Happen If the Earth Stopped Spinning?

2010-07-09T00:50:00.000+05:30

"The following is not a futuristic scenario. It is not science fiction. It is a demonstration of...an extremely* unlikely, yet intellectually fascinating query: What would happen if the earth stopped spinning?" SPOILER: Our continents become one.

If that spoiler wasn't enough, the slightly longer explanation is that, without centrifugal force, the ocean water near the equator would migrate to where the Earth's gravity is the strongest, the poles, leaving us with dry land in the middle.

New Proton Size Breaks Laws of Physics

2010-07-09T00:46:00.000+05:30

A new measurement of the proton particle shows that it is 0.00000000000003 millimetres smaller than previously thought. It may seem irrelevant, but physicists are freaking out. I hope this doesn't mean we are going to cease to exist anytime soon.

Since the size of the proton is used in quantum electrodynamics, it means that a lot of formulas may be fundamentally wrong. This may also affect other fields. For example, the way astronomers calculate the chemical elements of galaxies and gas clouds using spectroscopy.

And while this may not seem relevant to you and me, scientists are taking it a lot more seriously. Talking to Nature, University of Basel physicist Ingo Sick said that "it's a very serious discrepancy," pointing that "there is really something seriously wrong someplace." Jeff Flowers, a scientist with the National Physical Laboratory in the United Kingdom, said that this "is a significant shakeup and could mean a complete rethink of quantum electrodynamics, potentially opening the door to a new theory."

Previously, boffins believed a proton's radius was 0.8768 femtometers, 0.03 femtometers from the latest measurement. The new finding was made after a ten-year experiment by the Max-Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching, Germany. Great.

SAIC YeZ Concept Car inhales C02, emits oxygen

2010-07-06T00:58:00.001+05:30

General Motor's Joint-Venture partner in China, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) rolled out a concept alongside GM's EN-V at Expo 2010 which in many ways is more ground-breaking than the EN-V. The idea behind the YeZ Concept is that it will photosynthesize, absorbing carbon dioxide from surrounding air and emitting oxygen back into the atmosphere. Among the many futuristic aspects of the YeZ (Chinese for “leaf” as Nissan already uses the name for a clever green concept that is heading for production) is a roof that incorporates solar panels and wheels that incorporate small wind turbines to harvest energy from the environment. And if you think this is not within reach by 2030, think again – artificial photosynthesis has proven elusive, but there's every indication it will be a commercial reality within two decades.

SAIC and GM share an impressive pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai and as with many World Expos prior to this one, the share and functionality of what we'll be driving 20 plus years is being envisioned on the General Motors stand. GM first participated in a world Expo in 1931 and its futuristic visions are this time set in the year 2030.

So although we're totally sold on the EN-V, we also acknowledge that the functionality of the YeZ is probably going to be more than viable twenty years from now, albeit without SAIC's optimism that the car won't need to be plugged in. Not much info has been made available in the YeZ, but SAIC claims it will “work during both sunny and overcast days while also being able to leverage wind power”, enabling “mobility with zero greenhouse gas emissions.”

Unless solar panel efficiency evolves massively in the next two decades, we expect the YeZ will have a regular appointment at the powerpoint, but heh, that isn't all that bad. At least when you're producing bulk electricity in one spot, you're able to ensure the resultant emissions are appropriately handled.

We're on GM's case to get more detail on the story, and will report further on the YeZ in the near future.

X-51A Waverider breaks supersonic flight record

2010-07-06T00:47:00.000+05:30

Boeing's X-51 WaveRider has made aviation history by completing the longest ever supersonic* combustion ramjet-powered flight. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flew for almost three and a half minutes in the skies off the southern California coast on Wednesday, reaching an altitude of about 70,000 feet and hitting hypersonic (Mach 5) speeds.

The X-51 WaveRider scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) is being developed for the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) by Boeing and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.

The goal of the program is to create a free-flying, scramjet-powered vehicle capable of operating continuously on jet fuel and achieving continuous hypersonic speeds - a challenge which program officials compare to "lighting a match in a hurricane and keeping it burning."

During its first autonomous flight, the X-51 was launched at 50,000 feet from under the wing of a B-52H Stratofortress before being accelerated to Mach 4.8 using a solid rocket booster from a U.S. Army tactical missile. The rocket then jettisoned and aircraft then flew under the power of its powered by its Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne scramjet motor for around 200 seconds, burning a mix of ethylene and JP-7 jet fuel.

The flight is considered the first use of a practical hydrocarbon fueled scramjet in flight and smashes the previous record for a scramjet burn in a flight test was 12 seconds in a NASA X-43, which has achieved speeds speeds of Mach 9.8, or 7,000 mph.

"We are ecstatic to have accomplished most of our test points on the X-51A's very first hypersonic mission," said Charlie Brink, a X-51A program manager with the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. "We equate this leap in engine technology as equivalent to the post-World War II jump from propeller-driven aircraft to jet engines."

While the flight is being hailed as a success, the terabytes of telemetry data transmitted by the X-51A to both ground systems and an airborne U.S. Navy P-3 Orion is yet to be analyzed.

"This is a new world record and sets the foundation for several hypersonic applications, including access to space, reconnaissance, strike, global reach and commercial transportation," said Joe Vogel, Boeing director of Hypersonics and X-51A program manager.

The Air Force officials plans to fly the three remaining X-51A flight test vehicles this year on virtually identical flight profiles.

* Supersonic speeds are defined as being above the speed of sound (Mach 1).

Via Boeing and USAF.

The Green Cri aerobatic electric airplane

2010-07-06T00:43:00.001+05:30

If stardom is measured by camera time and the number of drooling onlookers, then the Green Cri was undoubtedly the star of the recentParis Green Air Show. The experimental aerobatic electric aircraft hasn't yet spent any time in the air, but that didn't seem to matter. Its four engines, gorgeous smooth lines and intriguing bubble pilot enclosure ensured that it remained constantly within the camera frames of visitors and journalists alike.

The Green Cri was created as a scientific research aircraft by EADS Innovation Works and Aero Composites Saintonge. As its name suggests it was based on the limited, yet popular, short range MC-15 Cri Criultralights first built in the 1970s (pictured below). In fact, its dimensions are the same as the MC-15, having a wingspan of just over 16 feet and being some 12 feet 10 inches long and 4 feet in height.

Instead of the fuel engines sitting in front of each wing, the Green Cri test prototype sports four high voltage, low intensity brushless electric motors with counter-rotating propellers. To keep the aircraft's weight down, it's been made from lightweight carbon composite structures. This helps to balance out the 26.8kg four pack of Lithium Polymer batteries, each providing 100V (5Ah). Once it does get to actually take off, its overall weight (including the pilot) will be just 175.5kg.

Tron Lightcycle: US$35,000

2010-07-06T00:38:00.001+05:30

The lightcycle scene was probably the most memorable part of an absolutely jaw-dropping movie when Tron was released back in 1982. One of the first films ever to use the kinds of computer-generated special effects that later become commonplace, it was a glimpse into a whole new world that left an indelible impression on most that saw it. Now, as Disney prepares to release Tron Legacy, a sequel some 28 years after the original, the lightcycles are back and looking meaner than ever. Built by the same guys that did the memorable Batpod replica, the new lightcycles feature massive dual hubless wheels, carbon fiber/fiberglass bodies and all the lashings of neon that you'd expect. And there's going to be five running models built - all of which are now up for sale on eBay. Check it out!

The lightcycles are to be built by Parker Brothers Choppers, each will be individually numbered from 001 to 005, and each will come with a different color neon highlight. Only five will ever be built.

They're selling for US$35,000 apiece, which is a bit of a steal for something so technically challenging to build - not to mention something that will cause extreme whiplash for the general public, and a stack of dry-cleaning bills for any geek that sees it.

First viable electric Personal Water Craft

2010-07-05T03:46:00.001+05:30

You're looking at the first exclusive images of what we expect to become the Personal Water Craft V 3.0 – it's the Green Samba. It has the same straight line 65 mph performance of the fastest 260 bhp sit-down PWCs, combined with handling and agility far beyond those of a stand-up PWC. The biggest benefit though, is that the Green Samba uses twin direct drive electric propulsion pods (unit pictured bottom left), so it doesn't directly deliver any hydrocarbons, CO2 or NO2 into delicate marine environments. Equally as important as the lack of noxious gases, the Green Samba is also completely silent, removing one of the greatest causes for complaint against PWCs and no doubt offering respite for those creatures with extremely delicate hearing which live on and under the water. A working prototype of the carbon fiber construction Green Samba will be on the water for testing purposes in Q3, 2010. The pictured action shots (bottom center and bottom right) of the Samba are the most recent development of the internal combustion Carbon Samba we first wrote up this time last year.

Things have been extremely busy at Ohio-based Silveira Group, a design and composites company founded by Rodrigo and Kristen Silveira that specializes in carbon fiber components for high performance applications ranging from race car parts and sulkies for horse racing (trotting) through to high end consumer products such as lightweight suitcases. Silveira Group has been working for five years on a tiny stingray-shaped PWC named the Samba. We first reported on the development of the Samba this time last year and that article should be read in conjunction with this one for the full picture. The Samba looks like a stingray and is ridden in a motorcycle-like crouch and was developed with the specific intent of creating the PWC V 3.0.

YACHT BATTERY YTZ10S CTZ10S PARTS UNLIMITED BATTERIES PARTS UNLMTD BATT.12N7D3B - 12N7D-3B

World's first Natural Powered AUV

2010-07-05T02:30:00.003+05:30

NASA, US Navy and university researchers have successfully demonstrated the first underwater vehicle to be powered entirely by natural, renewable, ocean thermal energy. Scalable for use on most robotic oceanographic vehicles, this technological breakthrough could usher in a new generation of autonomous underwater vehicles capable of virtually indefinite ocean monitoring for climate and marine animal studies, exploration and surveillance...

The World's Deepest Drill

2010-07-01T02:55:00.002+05:30

The Chikyu research vessel is already the world's deepest drill, probing nearly 3000 feet beneath the ocean floor. But scientists hope to add another mile to the machine by 2013, allowing it to pierce Earth's mantle for the first time.

PopSci has a look at how the massive drill operates and what it will take to reach Earth's mantle, where scientists expect to find the elements and organisms that were present at our planet's early stages.

Transponders on the ocean floor keep the drill on target as it snakes its way down, with six computer-controlled propellers keeping it from drifting off course. Pipes are added one by one to extend the length of the drill, and synthetic mud is pumped down to the tip to keep it cool and to fortify it against the crushing pressure found at those depths. All the while, 30 foot-long samples of rock are collected and analyzed for various properties.

PopSci has more details on how the Chikyu operates and the measures researchers take to make sure it holds up under the extreme pressure and heat it encounters. It might not be quite as Jules Verne envisioned it, but, piece by piece, this crazy drill is on a journey to the center of the Earth. [PopSci]

New wave power system

2010-07-01T02:53:00.001+05:30

The 1/9th scale version of the AWS III wave energy system at Loch Ness

Solar power might be stealing the limelight when it comes to the subject of renewable energy, but ocean waves are also seen as a great, largely untapped source of clean power. The latest news surrounding attempts to mine this potentially limitless energy source comes from Scottish marine energy technology developer, AWS Ocean Energy, which has started testing its new wave energy device in Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands.

The test unit is a 1/9th scale version of the company’s AWS-III device and consists of a ring-shaped multi-cell surface-floating wave power system. To overcome one of the fundamental barriers to delivering practical wave energy, the AWS-III design eliminates moving mechanical parts coming into contact with sea-water by using a novel system of flexible diaphragms arranged around a steel hull and incorporating air turbines.

AWS Ocean Energy will test the 1/9th scale device on Loch Ness over the next four months, but no electricity will be generated. Instead the tests will provide valuable design data with the goal of confirming the AWS-III’s electricity (and revenue) generation potential.

If the scale device performs as expected AWS Ocean Energy will then build and deploy a full-scale single cell in order to prove the durability of the diaphragms. The company says a single utility-scale AWS-III, measuring around 60 meters in diameter, will be capable of generating up to 2.5 Megawatts (MW) of continuous power. The company then plans to launch a 12-cell, 2.5 MW pre-commercial demonstrator in 2012.

Subject to financing and planning consents, AWS Ocean Energy plans to have a 10 MW pre-commercial demonstration farm operating in 2014.

Double bubble aircraft design

2010-07-01T02:52:00.001+05:30

A second version of the D series has also been put forward. This design doesn't save as much fuel (around 50 percent) but is a more viable near term alternative because it that could be built using current jet technology and materials.

The MIT led project is the result of a $2.1 million contract awarded by NASA in 2008 as part of an aeronautics research program aimed at putting greener planes in the sky by 2035. Boeing, GE Aviation and Northrop Grumman are also taking part in the program.

The team from the MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics was headed by principal investigator Ed Greitzer and Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation and Pratt & Whitney also contributed.

NASA is expected to announce a second phase of the program in coming months.

Anaconda--affordable wave power

2010-07-01T02:48:00.002+05:30

A giant rubber tube known as the “Anaconda” may present an viable solution to the challenge of generating electricity from the power of ocean waves. Under development in the UK, the simple design means it would be cheap to manufacture and maintain, resulting in clean electricity at a lower cost than other types of wave based energy production.

Not to be confused with tidal power, which draws on the ocean’s currents, wave power refers to the energy of surface waves in the ocean and the harnessing of that energy. To date, cost has been a key barrier to the mass deployment of standard wave converters. Traditionally wave energy devices have been made from metal and incorporate expensive hydraulic rams, hinges and articulated joints. Being made from rubber reduces the capital and maintenance costs and scope for breakdowns of the Anaconda.

The cheap-to-make Anaconda is long and thin in shape, and closed at both ends and filled completely with water. It is designed to be anchored just below the sea’s surface, with one end facing the oncoming waves. When a wave hits the end it squeezes the device, causing a “bulge wave” to form in the tube. The bulge then runs through the tube while the wave that caused it runs along the outside of the tube at the same speed. This continues to squeeze the tube and makes the bulge wave bigger. Finally, the bulge wave turns a turbine fitted at the end of the device and the power produced is fed to shore via a cable.

Still in the early stages of development, the concept has only been proven in a lab at very small scale. The next step is a program of larger-scale laboratory experiments and mathematical studies designed to estimate how much power a full-scale device would produce. The experiments will use tubes of 0.25m and 0.5m (0.8ft and 1.6ft) in diameter to assess the Anaconda’s behavior in regular, irregular and extreme waves.

These test are being undertaken by Engineers at the University of Southampton who are collaborating on the EPSRC funded project with Anaconda’s inventors and with its developer Checkmate SeaEnergy.

The full-scale Anacondas will measure 200m x 7m (656ft x 23ft) when built and be installed in water depths of 40-100m (131-328ft). The engineer’s initial assessments indicate that it would be rated at a power output of 1MW (roughly the electricity consumption of 2000 houses) and might be able to generate power at a cost of 6 pence (US$0.12) per kWh or less. Despite the cost being almost double that of electricity from coal-fired power stations, the price is cost-competitive with other renewable energies.

The world’s most innovative catamaran

2010-07-01T02:46:00.001+05:30

he Aeroyacht 110has been dubbed “the world’s most innovative super catamaran” by its designers and, while that’s a pretty big claim, it’s certainly an audacious concept. Capable of speeds of over 32 knots but able to cruise effortlessly at 20, boasting a superbly-appointed 32ft wide salon with 360º sea views and with its own fold-up amphibious plane as a tender

, the Aeroyacht 110 looks to be the ne plus ultra of luxury sailing.

Designed from scratch by Gregor Tarjan, founder of Aeroyacht International, together with naval architect Pete Melvin, of the world-renowned Morrelli & Melvin multihull architects, the Aeroyacht 110 was designed from the outside-in. Tarjan started with the concept for a “pure sailing machine” and, once its streamlined shape was established, only then worked out how many people it could and should accommodate.

Much of the innovation is readily apparent in the technical specifications of the exterior. The hulls are a, literally, bullet-proof combination of Kevlar and carbon. They are double chined – with several flat planes meeting rather than the rounded bottom of traditional boat hulls – for better stability, performance and appearance. But these chines are also “soft”, or somewhat rounded, to minimize water resistance.

Reverse bows, whereby the base thrusts forward rather than rakes back, provide more efficient wave-piercing and much less of the pitch usual in big catamarans. Assymetric dagger boards enable the yacht to sail very close to the wind and slip sideways without tripping. However, because they are also retractable, the yacht’s draught can be minimized to access the best anchorages.

And there are a number of other pleasing innovations to the exterior: a low-profile semi-fly bridge; competition sail rig designed by world specialist Paul “Whirly” Van Dyke; hatch modules that allow air intake and exhaust while keeping a totally flush deck; and 450 square feet of integrated solar panels.

But, frankly, it’s the interior that’s going to attract the people who can afford a boat like this, and the Aeroyacht 110 certainly doesn’t skimp.

Conceived by French interior designer Vincent Duchatelet, the open-plan main cabin is quite spectacular, and probably better-appointed than most apartments. It features two bars, dining room for ten, huge u-shaped lounge, 65” plasma television and LED lighting. There’s a forward loggia sundeck which has been designed as paparazzi-proof, for the very famous. There are three double cabins, each with its own en-suite and crew accommodation for four.

Plus, if you really want it all, you can replace the 16 foot dinghy with a two-seaterIcon A5 amphibian sports plane, which is launched from the davit at the back.

This spectacular sailing machine is yet to be seen in real, but the company has selected a number of preferred ship-builders and says a Russian prospect is ready to go. Construction would take about two years and cost, well, if you have to ask...

Oyster - Hydro-electric wave energy device"

2010-07-01T02:43:00.001+05:30

The world’s largest working hydro-electric wave energy device has been officially launched in Scotland. Known as Oyster, the device, stationed at the European Marine Energy Center (EMEC) Billia Croo site near Stromness, was installed this year and is, at present, the world’s only hydro-electric wave energy device which is producing power.

Oyster produces power by pumping high pressure water to its onshore hydro-electric turbine which feeds into the national grid to power homes in nearby Orkney and beyond.

The device is wave energy company Aquamarine Power’s first demonstration-scale wave energy device. The company believes that a farm of 20 Oysters would provide enough energy to power 9,000 three bedroom family homes.

Oyster is designed to capture the energy found in near-shore waves in water depths between 10-16m (33-54ft). There are minimal moving parts and all electrical components are onshore, making it robust enough to withstand the rigors of Scotland’s harsh seas.

Speaking at the launch, Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond MP, MSP, who was given the honor of switching on Oyster, said: “I’m delighted to see first-hand the full-scale Oyster now installed and operating offshore. This is a key milestone for Aquamarine Power and for Scotland’s marine renewables sector.

“Scotland's potential renewables capacity is estimated to be around 60GW. Our waters hold around ten percent of Europe’s wave power potential and as much as a quarter of its tidal power potential. The EMEC provides world-leading test facilities for Aquamarine and other companies to develop the technology needed to harness this huge untapped potential.

“I am delighted to confirm further R&D funding of almost £1m (US$1.66 million approx.) to Aquamarine Power for the development of Oyster 2, which could be installed within two years.”

Minister Salmond added that the Scottish Government was working to ensure it capitalized on its rich natural resources that would help it meets its ambitious climate change targets and would create more high-skilled green jobs. The marine energy industry could provide as many as 12,500 jobs, contributing £2.5 billion (US$4.1 billion) to the UK economy by 2020. Marine energy such as that produced by Oyster has the potential to meet up to 20 per cent of the UK's energy demands.

Chief Executive Officer of Aquamarine Power, Martin McAdam, said: “This is a fantastic day for the wave energy industry and for Aquamarine Power. We have proved what we always believed – that wave energy can produce sustainable zero-emission electricity to power our homes. The UK has one of the best wave resources in the world. Now it also has the best technology.

He said that with the additional funding, Aquamarine Power would press ahead with the development of next-generation commercial-scale Oyster.

“This is exactly the kind of support the industry needs. With continued support of this nature we can help decarbonise our electricity supply and build a major, world-beating industry here in the UK.”

Managing Director of EMEC, Neil Kermode, said EMEC was delighted to see Oyster up and running.

“I look forward to Oyster being joined by many more machines in the coming years,” he said.

Its performance will now be monitored and the results from the testing will provide a basis for the design of the next-generation commercial-scale Oyster.