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New “Green” Power Cables on the Horizon

Posted by Jessica Sabo on May 5th, 2009 | No Comments »

Engineers at the University of Southampton are part of a team developing new “green” power cables which can be recycled at the end of their lives.

The project, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) is being undertaken by a multidisciplinary team drawn from the University of Southampton’s School of Electronics and Computer Science, GnoSys UK at the University of Surrey, National Grid and Dow Chemical Company.

It is in response to a move in the UK and across Europe to place more of the power network that provides electricity to our homes and industry underground, particularly in areas of outstanding beauty and in major cities.

It is also in response to questions such as whether such cables could ever be considered to be environmentally friendly or have a low carbon footprint.

“Moreover, with the emphasis on ensuring security of supply and improving the amount of power that can be transported around the country with a cable that must operate reliably for 40 years or more, the challenge is to meet these needs and have an environmentally clean cable that can be recycled at the end of its life,” said Professor Alun Vaughan of the University’s School of Electronics and Computer Science.

Issues like these are being addressed in this new project which is developing new power cable materials and the tools to evaluate the complex and often competing factors which need to go into a full life-cycle assessment.

The aim is to determine the performance of a new design of plastic insulated cable and its impact on the environment over its complete life from raw materials, through manufacture and years of service, and finally recycling at the end of life. The outcomes of the project will allow utilities to choose the best solution for the environment and the power system.

University of Southampton (2009, April 27). New ‘Green’ Power Cables On The Horizon. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 5, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com� /releases/2009/04/090427075557.htm

Filed under Future, Innovation | Tags: green engineering

Utilities Enter the Digital Age

Posted by Jessica Sabo on April 28th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

According to an article in The Washington Post, many local utility companies are taking the initiative to improve energy consumption through smart-grid technology. The Maryland technology firm, Current Group, is on the forefront of this breakthrough.

Current Group aims to improve the communication between consumers and energy suppliers using a broadband network. Current�s Senior Vice President, Jay Birnhaum explains that the old grid system is inefficient and does not allow consumers a chance to be rewarded for cutting back on their energy usage: �Utility companies are deaf, dumb and blind to the problems on hundreds of thousands of lines in local distribution areas. These are extremely old grids, and the technicians don�t know how to measure what is going on.�

How the new smart-grid works is pretty fast and simple: �In the front yard stands a utility pole hooked up to a special transformer that connects the power lines to high-speed Internet. Hundreds of sensors attached to the lines monitor how power flows through the home. That information is then sent back to the utility company.� Also, since the electricity distribution will be automated, this new method would possibly make the grids more reliable and efficient.

Current Group hopes that by partnering with the utility companies and offering effective results for energy consumption, they would be able to receive funding from the government�s recent stimulus.

Current�s chief executive, Tom Casey, explains that this smart-grid technology would be beneficial for the government�s initiative to rely more upon renewable resources as well (such as solar panels and wind farms): �A smart grid�s system� can be paired up with renewable resources so that when the renewable source is varying, the overall load can be varied as well. This will reduce or eliminate the need for backup coal or gas-based power generation plants.

To read more about Current Group�s smart-grid technology, please visit the following article: Engineering a Smart Grid For Energy�s Future by Kim Hart of The Washington Post.

Filed under Future, Innovation

Man’s New Best Friend: The Robotic Dog

Posted by Dylan on September 10th, 2008 | No Comments »

Boston Dynamics, a Boston-based engineering company, has recently demonstrated its prototype of BigDog, a robotic dog. While it may remind some of Ray Bradbury�s Fahrenheit 451, it has many others excited at its potential uses. A Youtube video of its demonstration has generated over 6 million hits, as well as garnering mentions in such prestigious publications as Army Times.

Sponsored by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, BigDog is intended to carry up to 340 pounds of equipment, while keeping up with foot soldiers in a combat environment.

Its gasoline-powered, hydraulic propulsion system allows it to move at speeds as high as 4 mph, over rough terrain, and up steep slopes, assisted by its triple-jointed legs. In addition, the robot also features an on-board computer, which tracks its �vital statistics,� such as oil temperature, hydraulic pressure, and battery life, and report them back to its controller.

While current models� abilities are limited by remote control from bases, future models are expected to be capable of making basic decisions pertaining to its movements.

Filed under Future, Innovation | Tags: robots

The PlayPump System

Posted by Sheri on September 2nd, 2008 | 2 Comments »

Perhaps you noticed that a merry-go-round spins like a motor, except instead of electricity, children provide the torque needed to make it turn. However, unlike a regular motor (which often operate at peak efficiencies of about 20-30%), the merry-go-round is 100% inefficient (in a mechanical sense). Why not harness the power the merry-go-round produces? After all, it�s as close to a free, renewable and waste free energy source as you can get.

Engineers realized this untapped energy source by creating The PlayPump, a simple machine powered by kids at play. The Playpump propels water up from under ground into a water storage system that then provides the children�s community access to clean water. Sustained access to clean drinking water creates a ripple effect that can potentially lead to improvements in other areas of the community, like education, health care and economic development.

* A child dies every 15 seconds from diseases related to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
* 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water.
* 40 billion hours each year are spent collecting water in sub-Saharan Africa, equal to over 19 million full-time employees.
* Every $1 invested in water yields an economic return worth $8 in saved time, increased productivity and reduced healthcare costs. (UNDP)
* In many areas of sub-Saharan Africa women and girls often walk an average of five miles to the nearest water source every day. If a woman only had to carry water for one hour a day, she could earn an additional US $100 a year.

Related: via Curious Cat: Water and Electricity for All, Engineering a Better World, Engineers Without Borders

Filed under Global, Innovation | Tags: appropriate technology, economics, kids

WoodWorks Announces Educational Partnership with California Polytechnic University and Other Leading Colleges

Posted by Sheri on August 13th, 2008 | No Comments »

Designing and Building large scale non-residential buildings with wood is not something most engineers and architects take seriously. The Great Chicago Fire can be cited as a pretty good reason why not to use this material. Only 137 year ago the city was destroyed by a major fire which grew in strength primarily because most of the buildings were made of wood. In 2002 a survey was taken of professional architects and engineers regarding the use of wood in major non-residential buildings. Most of the responses were negative and respondents noted building codes and the potential for fire as one of the main reasons the material was not used. Other reasons included, the cost effectiveness and performance of wood versus that of other materials and industry inertia. Woods’ one positive aspect, sustainability, was buried under these other concerns.

Now, Woodworks has just announced a partnership with a number of major universities to help teach future engineers and designers how to use wood as primary material in the construction of non-residential buildings. Sustainability is the main reason that Universities are focusing on the material and ignoring the previously noted drawbacks. However, wood has yet to get much more practicle, so students need to be educated on how to deal with wood�s potential problems (fires, termites, mold and rot) and use wood effectively.

Another sustainable material which would have an interesting application in the construction of green design is recycled plastic, or more specifically recycled plastic lumber. Currently recycled plastic lumber has been a popular material for deck construction and other small scale project but perhaps it would be suited for a bigger future in the construction industry.

Filed under Innovation, The Economy | Tags: green design

Engineering students compete to build a robo-mower

Posted by Sheri on August 12th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Lawn-mowing robot

Recently several engineering students from Case Western Reserve competed to build a robo-mower. The students who created this mower took some of the design from biology�s example of a cockroach. While cockroaches don�t have brains, they are good at navigating and avoiding hazards, which is basically what a self guided lawn mower needs to do. To get the machine around the team developed sensors that mimic the tiny hairs and antenna cockroaches use. For instance, instead of hairs to let it know where it is and how fast it�s going, it is equipped with a motion- and acceleration-sensing system. Its’ antenna is a “laser range-finder that sweeps the area ahead of the mower to check for obstacles” and a global positioning system receiver judges the robot’s location.

Filed under Innovation | Tags: robots, student competitions

How to Build an Electric Car Charging Infrastructure: Smart Grids, Fast Charging and Universal Access

Posted by Sheri on July 25th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

“Green studies are among the fastest-growing degree programs at some universities” (posted Yesterday Green Degrees Environmental Courses Signal a Shift in Learning) making the topic of electric cars one that should interest both students and professors. Engineers will most likely be behind designing and implementing the grid system that will power these cars. gas2.0 provides an idea about how that might look.

Filed under Future, How Things Work, Innovation, Society | Tags: electric cars, green engineering

Pop Culture and Engineering Intersect

Posted by Sheri on July 21st, 2008 | No Comments »

The new Film Wall.e released by Pixar in conjunction with Disney, succeeds in bringing attention to engineering education. The robot, Wall.e, creates discussion around current environmental concerns and technological innovation.

Could a robot like Wall.e someday exist?

Filed under Innovation, Society | Tags: robots, webcast

GENI Project

Posted by Sheri on July 18th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

If the internet is going to crash anytime in the future, then Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI) project will be there to catch it. At least that is the hope among its� leaders, a network of University professors and computer scientists in conjunction with the National Science Foundation and BBN Technologies. GENI provides an opportunity for researchers to contribute to the redesigning of the internet in the large scale experimental environment that it has created.

As envisioned, the GENI network will consist of two major components: a substrate that includes the physical networking components such as fiber links, forwarders, storage, process clusters, sensor fields, and wireless regions; and a software management framework. This configuration will allow researchers to run thousands of experiments simultaneously on various slices of the substrate without risk of adverse effects on other sections. Additionally, all GENI components will be programmable, vastly expanding the range and scope of possible experiments compared to today’s Internet, enabling experimental services and architectures to run continuously rather than only in reserved time slots, and allowing incremental adoption of new technologies. End users will be able to participate in and evaluate new services through seamless opt-in mechanisms. GENI’s design, architecture, and interfaces will provide unprecedented flexibility to incorporate new networking technologies and the ability to adapt dynamically.

At the other end, GENI is turning to social scientists and economic professors in the humanities, who know more about internet social behavior. The Chronical of Higher Education focused on this new effort recently:

Filed under Innovation, Research | Tags: GENI, internet, socail networking

Engineers Without Borders

Posted by John Hunter on April 4th, 2008 | 3 Comments »

Engineering as diplomacy

You cannot look into the eyes of a child who is dying from a disease caused by drinking dirty water — something that rarely, if ever, happens in the United States — and not feel changed. You cannot stand before her parents without thinking, “I’m an engineer. There must be something I can do.”
…
A year later, I returned with 10 engineering students from the University of Colorado. We devised a rudimentary pumping system, bringing water to the people of San Pablo. Today, the village’s young girls go to school and are healthier.

That trip was a transforming experience, not just for the villagers, but also for me. Intuitively, we engineers like things big — expansive bridges, colossal dams, massive tunnels. My experience taught me that small-scale engineering can have the most impact on people’s lives.

When I returned to Boulder, I began building something else: Engineers Without Borders — USA. The organization was formed out of the conviction that engineers have a leadership role to play in addressing some of the world’s most serious problems: contaminated water, poor sanitation systems, expensive or harmful energy sources.

In a world focused on bigger and newer, there is growing recognition that small-scale engineering can play a major role in helping end the cycle of poverty that persists among almost half the world’s population. Studies by the World Bank and United Nations suggest the most basic technology is critical to bringing more than 3 billion people out of poverty.

Today EWB-USA counts more than 11,000 student and professional engineers as members and works in 43 countries on 300 projects involving water, sanitation, energy and shelter. Whether it’s combining sustainable technologies with advanced construction techniques to bring affordable housing to pockets of the world, drilling drinking water wells in Kenya, constructing fog collectors in the Himalayas to harvest fresh water or installing solar panels to provide energy for a remote hospital in Rwanda, we are healing communities throughout the globe, giving people dignity and hope for better lives.

Engineers without Borders is another vivid example of the benefits engineering brings to society.

Filed under Innovation, Society, The Economy, The National Interest | Tags: appropriate technology, engineers, Engineers Without Boarders, making a difference, Society

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