Simple animation to explain complex principles 1, aircraft radial engine 2, oval Regulation 3, sewing machines 4, Malta Cross movement - second hand movement used to control the clock 5, auto change file mechanism 6, auto constant velocity universal joint 6.gif 7, gun ammunition loading system 8 rotary engine - an internal combustion engine, the heat rather than the piston movement into rotary movement # Via World Of Technology. 1, inline engine - it's cylinders lined up side by side 2, V-type engine - cylinder arranged at an angle of two plane 3, boxer engine - cylinder engine arranged in two planes relative
Washit cleans you and your clothes simultaneously The final concept art for Washit - a combined shower and washing machine - shows both domestic and public use Image Gallery (4 images) Water is a precious resource and in places like Australia and the U.K., the onset of summer coincides with restrictions on water use – hosepipes for watering gardens are banned, and showers are recommended over baths. But even taking a shower uses a fair amount of water, which all ends up down the drain. There is, or at least there could be in the future. Washit uses a closed-water plumbing system that collects the greywater from the shower outlet and stores it in a tank ready for washing laundry. The designers of Washit imagine the appliance will be used both in domestic and public settings. A collection of sketches showing the design process behind the Washit concept Source: Behance via Inhabitat via iF About the Author Dave is a technology journalist with a ravenous appetite for gadgets, gizmos, and gubbins. Post a CommentRelated Articles
2012 James Dyson Award winner announced Dan Watson's SafetyNet, which lets juvenile and non-target fish escape commercial fishing nets, has taken out the 2012 James Dyson Award For the past month, the judges have been casting a discerning eye over the 15 finalists of the 2012 James Dyson Award and they’ve now made what no doubt was a difficult decision. Taking out the major prize is Dan Watson, who will receive £10,000 (US$16,000) for his SafetyNet system that tackles the problem of overfishing by providing escape exits for juvenile and non-target fish caught up in commercial fishing nets. Watson is a graduate of the Royal College of Art in the U.K, which will also receive £10,000 (US$16,000) as a result of him taking the top honors. In awarding the prize, James Dyson said, “This tangible technology approaches a serious environmental problem, we should celebrate it. Source: James Dyson Award About the Author Post a CommentRelated Articles Just enter your friends and your email address into the form below
European Space Agency working on using rocket fuel in cars At first glance, hydrogen seems like a brilliant alternative fuel for motor cars. It burns so clean that all it produces is water, it’s the most abundant element in the universe and it doesn’t need all those rare earth elements and heavy metals that electric vehicles depend on. The only trouble is, it’s very difficult to handle. In an effort to make hydrogen cars practical, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Austrian automotive manufacturer MagnaSteyr are adapting technology developed for the Ariane rockets so that it can be used in cars, as part of ESA’s Technology Transfer Programme. Hydrogen has a few problems as an alternative to petrol. It has a very low energy density, which means you need more of it to do the same job. Hydrogen fuel tank for the Hydrogen 7 (Image: Magna Steyr Aerospace) In 2006, BMW unveiled its hydrogen car, the Hydrogen 7. This is where MagnaSteyr came in. An Ariane rocket (Image: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique Video du CSG) Source: ESA
Cloaking technology could protect offshore rigs from destructive waves Recent years have seen much progress in the development of invisibility cloaks which bend light around an object so it can't be seen, but can the same principles be applied to ocean waves that are strong enough to smash steel and concrete? That's the aim of Reza Alam's underwater “invisibility cloak.” The assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, recently outlined how to use variations of density in ocean water to cloak floating objects from dangerous surface waves. When you look at the sea, it’s easy to imagine that it’s just one big mass of water, but it actually has a structure consisting of layers of different temperatures and densities. They aren't mere abstractions either. If you've ever gone scuba diving you may have swum down only to hit what seems like an invisible barrier that you have to actively push your way through. How the cloaking works (Image: Reza Alam, UC Berkeley) Source: American Physical Society (PDF)
Hamburger-making machine churns out custom burgers at industrial speeds A hamburger made using Momentum Machines' automated hamburger maker Image Gallery (10 images) Hamburgers are a multi-billion dollar business, and while fast food chains have got the process down to an efficient production line process, making them is still labor intensive with armies of burger flippers and sandwich assemblers. In a move that could put millions of teenagers around the world out of their first job, Momentum Machines is creating a hamburger-making machine that churns out made-to-order burgers at industrial speeds and aims to use it in its own chain of restaurants. View all According to Momentum Machines, making burgers costs US$9 billion a year in wages in the United States alone. This self-contained, automatic device sees raw ingredients go in one end and the completed custom-made burgers come out the other at the rate of up to 400 per hour. Source: Momentum Machines via Foodbeast About the Author David Szondy is a freelance writer based in Monroe, Washington.
Underground detectives map secrets in stone Geological surveys are used for everything from finding oil offshore and rare metals in the mountains to how we should construct tunnels. The Bjørge Tunnel in Vestfold County is in the middle of an area where geologists have prepared a map of structural weaknesses in the rock. (Photo: Stephen Mackenzie/Flickr Creative Commons) Geological mapping is often pure basic research. But sometimes the mapping reveals something exceptionally useful to science and society. In recent years scientists at Norwegian Geographical Survey (NGU) have made and digitalised scores of maps that show everything from geohazards such as slide areas, to weak, weathered rock structures that can be hidden beneath layers of stronger stone. Preventing collapses “This can save society billions,” says Jan Steinar Rønning, who has worked with Guri Ganerød to prepare a map of eastern Norway that can help warn planners away from unsafe areas for tunnels. “It cost 13.5 million euros to fix the Haneklev Tunnel. Bottled water
Windmills at sea can break like matches When waves above 13 metres hit wind turbines, an unfortunate force arises at the rear of the turbine. This is called ringing. John Grue is now looking for a general mathematical formula that can explain the special phenomenon. (Photo: Colourbox) Medium-sized waves can break wind turbines at sea like matches. "The problem is, we still do not know exactly when the wind turbines may break," says Professor John Grue from the Department of Mathematics at the University of Oslo. Grue is one of the world's foremost experts on wave research. So far scientists have studied ringing in small and large waves, but as it turns out, ringing is more common in medium-size waves. For wind turbines at sea with a cylinder diameter of eight metres, the worst waves are those that are more than 13 metres high and have an 11-second interval between them. Financial ruin The ringing problem may increase significantly in the years ahead. "Thus far it has not been possible to measure the force exerted by ringing.