Progress with Solar Technology

 

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Current research teams at Harvard are looking into new organic molecule known as quinone. With the help of Japanese industry, they have found that optimal batteries for this state would need to be flow batteries. The liquid power tanks could hold days of energy for solar and wind farms in comparison to the batteries that hold just a few minutes of energy to regulate fluctuations. The issue with these flow tanks of this molecule is that they would cost about $700 per kilowatt hour. The reasoning behind this is that on the positive side of the battery would be an expensive bromine ion complex. For batteries to be economically feasible within the industry, the target price needs to be $100 per kilowatt hour. Harvard has discovered a battery that could reduce the price to as low as $27. Quinone is one of the main reasons for it. Continuing the search for efficiency, they are running simulations and tests narrowing down possibilities from a 10,000 variant table searching for the right conditions like voltage levels, ability to withstand charging and discharging, and dis-solvable in water. Though not involved with Harvard, Robert Savinell, professor at Case Western Reserve University has dived into the project as well. He sees that Quinone is a realistic economic possibility to pushing the solar and wind industry into mainstream use. His skepticism consists in that, can the dis-solvable organic molecule continue its marvelous conducting results 10 to 20 years from now. The sustainability is a key factor to the success of Harvard’s research.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/523251/new-battery-material-could-help-wind-and-solar-power-go-big/

http://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2014/01/organic-mega-flow-battery-promises-breakthrough-for-renewable-energy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinone

A City Made of…..Wood?

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This is one article I am very skeptical of, yet very very amazed. Popular Science released an article talking about recent advancements in material science and buildings. In the past 4 years, Waugh Thistleton has been at the forefront of

architecture engineering. He has brought up a seven-story apartment tower, 90-foot-tall building, and his most famous building, Stadthaus. Stadthaus was the world’s largest modern timber building untill 2012 which was replaced by a 10 story apartment complex. Now all of these accomplished buildings do not compare to the 40 or 60 story skyscrapers in Chicago or New York, but it’s only a matter of time until they are introduced. Architectures now adays are looking for a more environmental friendly approach while continuing to strengthen the building and reduce building costs. CLT was a rec

ent discovery promoted by Australia’s cross- industry funding due to their abundant supply of timber. CLT stands from cross-laminated timber. Wood is naturally strong in its direction of grain and weak in the cross direction. CLT is a fixture of two layers 

WoodTimber

crossed and glued so that as one grain faces one direction, the other layer is perpendicular giving significant strength.

When I began reading the article, I had an immediate red alert go off. FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! The idea that wood can burn so easily distorted by concentration, but the more the read, the more I began to see the logic. The creation ton of steel requires more than 24 times the energy need to create a ton of CLT. CLT is also 15% cheaper than conventional steel and concrete. To continue further, CLT is 350 times more insulative than steel and 5 times than concrete.  Now as all of these numbers are nice, the main perk has yet to come.

WoodWrapWood is a carbon sink. In the creation of the Stadthaus building, it will absorb over 186 tons of carbon. That is equivalent to offsetting 20 years of its daily operations on top of the carbon creatation from the using of concrete and steel in the material process. Wood is also renewable, we can cut it down into more intricate smaller parts for later projects.

Finally, how do we handle the whole fire safety regulations? We all know wood burns, so why would we built apartment complexes or skyscrapers next to each other in a small vicinity? Let’s compare the scenarios, each dealing with the same temperature and size. Because steel is a conductor and lack of insulanity, it will heat up faster and will begin to melt. Once steel begins to melt, “it’s like spaghetti” says, B.J. Yeh, the technical services director for the Engineered Wood Association. When wood begins to burn, it chars and leaves the inside wood protected.

Now, I see many flaws within this ideology. First, it’s clear wood will catch on fire faster than steel. When it chars, structural damage occurs regardless. You would have to repair the entirety of a burning for that you cannot truly know how much damage was taken to underneath the wood. With woods ability to char, it’s also harder to put out because of coals. In case a fire was to occur, the burning smell would be absorbed into the wood. How would you fix that? How would earthquakes affect these wooden structures? Does CLT have a better strength density than steel? If these apartments were set to New Orleans or Jacksonville where water damage is common, how will that affect the building structure. Water warps wood. These are a few skeptics of mine.

http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/world%E2%80%99s-most-advanced-building-material-wood

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadthaus,_London

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineered_wood

Beating the FAA

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Aerion is taking matters into their own hands. Since the retirement of the Concorde in 2003, companies within the commercial airline industry have done little to nothing about supersonic flight. As Boeing, Dassault, and Airbus have dabbled into designs, they are mainly waiting for policies to change. The FAA has restricted supersonic flight in U.S. Domestic airspace. A common way to get around this policy is by flying over the ocean. Aerion isn’t waiting. They are looking to bring their finished product to the market by 2021.

The Concorde was a flawed engineering product of the 1970s. Almost 40 years ago, the idea of looking into the NLF(natural laminar flow) was out of reality. Engineers didn’t have the technology or the capability of creating simulations and prototypes accurately to benefit from this concept. The NLF is the area between the atmosphere and fuselage that allows clean and smooth flight.  This allows significant potential for fuel efficient flying at and near supersonic speeds. Aerion’s philosophy was centered around fuel efficiency and maximizing the NLF. Aerion’s engineers optimized the NLF to within almost 60% of the SBJ’s airframe. However, these concepts weren’t the only priorities. In order to fly over Europe and meet regulations they needed to minimize the sonic boom. To dampen the booms, they moved the traditional swept back wings to being thin and perpendicular to the fuselage. Look at the picture closely, it does not look like the ideal fuselage that you see today. Aerion maximized the SBJ’s flight speed to be right below supersonic speed (647 mph) and one at cruising speed out on the ocean at 1056 mph. Aerion is looking to push the FAA into updating it’s regulations and restrictions to allowing supersonic flight in the U.S., but will not wait for the policy to change. They will be the early birds in this bright morning competition.

http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/beyond-boom

http://aerioncorp.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerion

Briefcase Into a Helmet?

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Jeff Woolf suffered a near death injury almost twenty years ago from an impact from an oncoming car. The only reason why he’s alive today is because he was wearing his helmet. Over 50% of Americans do not routinely wear a helmet while riding a bike. When a survey was taken, many replied with it being an inconvenience. To counter the survey, Jeff Woolf created a fold-able helmet that compares to the size of a textbook. Using the same concept of traditional helmets, he uses a hard plastic foam to surround softer foam to cushion an impact. The trick in his concept is that the hinges between the six sections of the helmet is internal flexible links created from foam as well. There is no metal or hard plastic reducing its safety. The product will no longer be an inconvenience because it can fit into backpacks, suitcases, laptop cases, ects. As it has already passed European safety tests, it is looking to pass U.S. standards in the next few months.

This concept should be very appealing in the U.S. As parents constantly fight for their kids to be safe, this could be a solution. The idea that only an inch of foam can protect someones head completely leaves me with doubt, but as polymers continue to be innovated, I believe technology can prove me wrong. This invention should be a big business boom only momentarily. For sure, there are patents on the product, but it’s only a matter of time until Toys R Us, Target, and other big name family stores will provide a cheaper model.

http://www.morpherhelmet.com/

http://www.cycling-republic.co.uk/article/interview-jeff-woolf-obe-inventor-morpher-helmet

http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/invention-awards-2014-stash-your-bike-helmet-briefcase

 

Battlefield Innovation

xstat-combat-injury-treatment-injectable-spongesIn the Afghanistan and Iraq war, 90% of soldier deaths were resulted from blood loss. Medics are packed down with over 1/3 of their body weight with medical supplies. RevMedx is within its final stages to changing reality. They have created a product that will replace putting gauze inside bullet holes. Instead of shoving in gauze as far as 5 inches deep. RevMedx has created a syringe like injector that will push pill-sized sponges that expand, closing up the hole while at the same time sterilizing it . The product XStat would close up a hole within 15 seconds. Even though it is still looking for FDA approval, this product could be used outside of the battlefield. Emergency responders, law enforcement, and ambulances can all benefit from this product decreasing mortality rates significantly.

The issue I see with this product is that it is much harder to pull out every pill sized sponge in comparison to gauze. If not every sponge is pulled out, it could create a serious blood infection if the surgery is not finished with perfection. Popular Science wrote an article about this invention, but failed to talk about the extraction of these sponges.

http://www.revmedx.com/#!xstat-dressing/c2500

http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/how-simple-new-invention-seals-gunshot-wound-15-seconds

http://www.gizmag.com/xstat-combat-injury-treatment-injectable-sponges/30710/

The Ethics of Care Vs. The Ethics of Competition

Both Carol Gilligan and Lawrence Kohlberg fight for right. As Gilligan fights for empathy, nonrestrictive rules, and productivity through bonding, Kohlberg fights for justice, structure, and loyalty. Kohlberg would side with T&T systems because it is more systematic to have a hierarchy chain. Keeping people from the bottom of the curve would harm productivity by having incompetent workers attempt to reach the goals of the company and the code of ethics, but the system designed for structure, loyalty, power, and competition cannot flourish innovative ideas.

Our brains are constructed to use fewer and fewer neuropathways as we get older in order to generate faster, more rigid, structured answers and decisions. It explains while children are extremely creative, and by the time we reach the age of 50, we have set morals, personal preferences, and appeals. If we adopt Kohlberg’s ideology of structure, competition, and justice, we lose the capability of innovation. Ideas are not stimulated on their own. If you were locked in your office until you are able come up with the next smartphone design to make your company millions, there would be a tombstone in the front of your office desk. Human interaction allows those neuropathways to regrow and adapt a newer perspective of reality. Sociology studies have proven that babies can only learn from human interaction. Without interactions, they would never understand what language, morals, or basic physical movements. We aren’t babies anymore, but human interaction is the fundamental structure of learning. It’s the only thing all humans have in common. WIthout human interactions, the concept of thinking would not exist. Human interaction is the nourishment industries and companies need to survive.

In Kolhberg’s system, there is interaction, but the stress, anxiety, and restrictions are the core inhibits to creativity. Gilligan’s system achieves creativity, yet lacks the structure and power required to hold a well-oiled productive team together. There needs to be both a reward and punishment for individual actions. The majority of higher educated workers like engineers, scientists, and writers value knowledge and intellectual aspirations over monetary value. However, at the end of the day, knowledge isn’t going to get food on the table. There needs a greater incentive to drive workers to meet the requirements individually instead of only “letting down team members”. Team members will cheat and become winners as others are set losers for the sole purpose of being the victim of the socialist system. The most ideal system would be in an environment where Gilligan’s team connection and creativity can flourish in a structured, juristic system free of excess stress and failure.

The Ingenuity of The Otter Box

Apple’s surge with the Iphone in the last year made a renown impact on the stock market. Traders were viciously eager to see how the last design Steve Jobs was apart of will take off, but what many overlooked was the money to be made off the Iphone 5. The Otter Box company slipped it’s way into the money using Apple’s same strategy. Give the consumers what they need before they even know it. Everyone who has had a smartphone in the past knows that they are much fragiler than past phone designs. Metal or Plastic with a glass screen cannot protect itself. The Otter Box company was able to take the corner of the market by not only coming out with a product earlier in the game but using two simple concepts that make their product affordable and stylish. A rubber outside negates and absorbs the impact of the fall, while plastic surrounds and absorbs the harder falls taking the pain away from the phone itself. However, the brilliance is not in the concept. The product has much improvement to be made. Speaking from personal experience, the rubber is too thin in areas and has quickly ripped off leaving the Iphone bare. The Otter Box does nothing to protect the camera area, which has indeed proven to be an issue for that my plastic is shattered like carbon fiber would. However, the ingenuity of the Otter box is it’s slick gender-neutral appearance. By matching the same colors Apple created, their product is compatible with anything Apple designs. The Lifebox is now a competing company, and it’s a race to see who can create the perfect protection system for the oh so dear Iphone 5.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OtterBox

http://www.otterbox.com/apple-new-iphone-5-cases/apple-new-iphone-5-cases,default,sc.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.

An Ubiquitous Energy Supply?

 Two engineers from French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroen have been working in the opposite direction than the rest of the world. As everyone else joins the race in hybrid electric cars; they are looking to overcome the remarkable air/gas run car. Throughout Europe, these two engineers have gotten more satire and remarks than anyone else. Quickly, the critics were put to shame. Taking the concept of commercial plane hydraulics to compress gas and use it to move hydraulic fluid to a pump acting like a motor, these European explorers are making it happen. During normal drive, the system will switch between gas and air, using each energy source when applicable. Gas will be used on highways and steep hills, but in urban areas under 43 mph; air will be the energy source for 60 to 80 percent of the ride. While on gas, the system will constantly repressurize the nitrogen gas tank, and if it isn’t at the max, the regenerative-braking system will fill in the gaps. When Andres Yarce and Karim Mokaddem tested the prototype with Peugeot Citroen, the car worked better than predicted! The French company has decided to begin manufacturing the vehicles and the Hybrid Air powertrain will appear in all Citroen and Peugeot subcompact cars as an option to the consumers. The price is estimated to be equal to other gasoline hybrids.

Source:

Popular Science, “The Car That Runs on Air” March, 2014

Why Do We Use A Hard Taco??

tacoWhy was the hard taco ever created? It is the worst engineered design I’ve ever come across. The structure of a hard taco might be ideal if someone is on the run, but that only lasts for the first bite! After the first bite, you have a wreckage of broken tortilla shells, cold condiments, and hot meat left on the floor or in your hands. This messy concoction leaves the consumer unsatisfied and angry. It might look great on the TV when Taco Bell displays this image, but the result is a disaster. Another issue to point out is that, you will never get an even bite! As the shell is naturally tall, it will always take two bites to take off a piece of the shell. Taco Bell teaches its employees to put the spicy delicious meat on the bottom and condiments on top. No matter how you eat the taco, you will always get one bite being hot with meat and cold with condiments. It’s a wreck! There’s no way to get an even temperature bite. Tostito’s came out with the idea of Scoop chips. Once again, it’s a hard shell. It’s great to get a nice lightweight bite of salsa with these delicious salty chips. However, it can never handle the stress of guacamole, cheese, buffalo chicken dip, and other denser dips. If you were to look at the stress placed on the chip, it’s clear that the area with the ripples will be where the stress fracture occurs. I’m calling for a demand of innovation! Hard tacos need to be redesigned to be able to give an even tempered bite as well as when it breaks, for it to break without causing a wreckage on the floor or hands. Tostito’s Scoops need to look into a way for the scoops to have better strength. 

Sources:

http://www.michigandaily.com/content/hard-shell-tacos-versus-soft-shell-tacos-hardcore-taco-fans-prefer-hard-shell

http://lockergnome.net/questions/37829/hard-taco-or-soft-taco

http://www.sodahead.com/fun/whats-better-soft-or-hard-tacos/question-1687173/

Bring In The Zumwalt

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Bringing in the boom, the U.S. Navy are packing bigger guns then every before. The USS Zumwalt takes control by being twice as heavy and over 100 longer than any destroyer in the Navy’s arsenal. The sleek figure negates 50 times more radar signature than any other carrier equal to one of a fishing boat. On top of being invisible, its mass because of its deadly firepower. State-of-the-art technology has turned their shells into trajectory changing rockets aligned with GPS-guided technology. Turning this massive battering ram to the future takes incredible power. At 30 knots and full power, this machine consumes 58 megawatts, yet continues to produce 78 megawatts. The dual 35 megawatt induction motors are the driving force behind this energy sucking computer. Other systems like radar detection, Sm-2 antiaircraft missiles, surface-targeting Tomahawks, and missile-destroying ESSM interceptors will continue to consume power, but never enough to drain the generators. The USS Zumwalt controls open water territory in the Pacific as the US continues to watch North Korea. This $3 billion untested amphibious-ready ship must take action before the U.S. is confident in mass producing this war machines. Only time will tell to see if this slick machine is what our troops need to be in the next generation intervention.

Sources:

Popular Science, Oct. 2012. Invisible. Invincible. Destroyer