Once a secret project, Google's autonomous vehicles are now out in the open, quite literally, with the company test-driving them on public roads and, on one occasion, even inviting people to ride inside one of the robot cars as it raced around a closed course.
Google's fleet of robotic Toyota Priuses has now logged more than 190,000 miles (about 300,000 kilometers), driving in city traffic, busy highways, and mountainous roads with only occasional human intervention. The project is still far from becoming commercially viable, but Google has set up a demonstration system on its campus, using driverless golf carts, which points to how the technology could change transportation even in the near future.
You can read more (and watch relevant videos) by clicking on IEEE Spectrum.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Direct Conversion from Heat to Electricity using Multiferroic materials
Hello future engineer,
Multiferroic materials are the materials that exhibit more than one ferroic properties, the ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties being the most popularly known.
Recently, research workers (working with Prof. Richard James) at the University of Minnesota, discovered a new multiferroic material that can convert heat to electricity directly. This has huge implications on generating electricity from waste sources of heat that could not otherwise be tapped. You can read the entire article here.
Just in case if you are not aware about how electricity is obtained from heat, I would like to point out that typically, the conversion of heat to electricity in commercial power plants is by way of mechanical work by a prime mover (like driving a turbine using steam, combustion products, or some other vapor). The prime mover is coupled to an electric generator that converts the mechanical work to electricity (or electrical energy to be more precise).
Multiferroic materials are the materials that exhibit more than one ferroic properties, the ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties being the most popularly known.
Recently, research workers (working with Prof. Richard James) at the University of Minnesota, discovered a new multiferroic material that can convert heat to electricity directly. This has huge implications on generating electricity from waste sources of heat that could not otherwise be tapped. You can read the entire article here.
Just in case if you are not aware about how electricity is obtained from heat, I would like to point out that typically, the conversion of heat to electricity in commercial power plants is by way of mechanical work by a prime mover (like driving a turbine using steam, combustion products, or some other vapor). The prime mover is coupled to an electric generator that converts the mechanical work to electricity (or electrical energy to be more precise).
Friday, June 3, 2011
Inver Hills Rocketry Team earns 5th place in prestigious NASA USLI competition
Inver Thrills, the rocketry team from Inver Hills Community College, earned 5th place (overall) in the NASA USLI (University Student Launch Initiative) rocketry competition. There were 28 teams from different educational institutions (mostly universities, and three community colleges) from within USA. The overall rankings were as follows:
1) Utah State University
2) MIT
3) Vanderbilt
4) North Carolina State University
5) Inver Hills Community College
You can read more about our rocketry team's accomplishments here. Please also click on other links (video of our team's rocket launch in Alabama) at that website. Enjoy!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Generating electricity from depleted uranium
Hello Future Engineer,
TerraPower claims to have come up with an idea to generate electricity from depleted uranium. Depleted uranium is a by product of enrichment process and is popularly known for its use in armor piercing shells.
According to TerraPower's website, the Traveling Wave Reactor (TWR) converts depleted uranium into usable fuel without need for further enrichment or reprocessing. Considering huge stockpiles of depleted uranium resulting from nuclear fuel enrichment, there is virtually an inexhaustible source of energy waiting to be used!
You can read more about it at TerraPower's website. You can also watch a video clip about it at the bottom of the aforementioned link.
TerraPower claims to have come up with an idea to generate electricity from depleted uranium. Depleted uranium is a by product of enrichment process and is popularly known for its use in armor piercing shells.
According to TerraPower's website, the Traveling Wave Reactor (TWR) converts depleted uranium into usable fuel without need for further enrichment or reprocessing. Considering huge stockpiles of depleted uranium resulting from nuclear fuel enrichment, there is virtually an inexhaustible source of energy waiting to be used!
You can read more about it at TerraPower's website. You can also watch a video clip about it at the bottom of the aforementioned link.
Voyager 1: Alive & Kicking!
Hello Future Engineer,
It is with great joy that I would like to inform you that Voyager 1 is still functioning. Voyager 1 is now 33 years old and outside the solar system. You can read more about what Voyager 1 is doing here.
Perhaps, you may not be aware but the spacecraft Voyager's route was discovered (calculated) by Prof. Gary Flandro, when he was a graduate student at Caltech. Currently, he is an emeritus professor at UTSI.
It is with great joy that I would like to inform you that Voyager 1 is still functioning. Voyager 1 is now 33 years old and outside the solar system. You can read more about what Voyager 1 is doing here.
Perhaps, you may not be aware but the spacecraft Voyager's route was discovered (calculated) by Prof. Gary Flandro, when he was a graduate student at Caltech. Currently, he is an emeritus professor at UTSI.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Myth vs Fact about some energy issues
Hello Future Engineer,
You may have heard the buzzword green/renewable energy a lot since last few years. But are you sure you can identify myths related to the green energy? Maybe you can, but it doesn't hurt to read this article and confirm your knowledge about green energy.
You may have heard the buzzword green/renewable energy a lot since last few years. But are you sure you can identify myths related to the green energy? Maybe you can, but it doesn't hurt to read this article and confirm your knowledge about green energy.
Engineers investigate cancer from a mechanistic perspective
Hello Future Engineer,
These days biomedical engineers are not only assisting surgeons with their tools and devices, but also investigating the cause and cure for diseases from engineering/mechanics perspective. Please meet Dr.Mauro Ferrari (click on his name), and read his article on how some engineers are investigating cause and possibly a cure for cancer.
These days biomedical engineers are not only assisting surgeons with their tools and devices, but also investigating the cause and cure for diseases from engineering/mechanics perspective. Please meet Dr.Mauro Ferrari (click on his name), and read his article on how some engineers are investigating cause and possibly a cure for cancer.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)