Technology post 5/22

The new Vortex bladeless wind-driven generator prototype produces electricity with very few moving parts, and is almost complete silence. Designed to reduce the visual and aural impact of traditional spinning-blade turbines, this new device takes advantage of the power contained in swirling vortices of air. The Vortex takes advantage of the swirling motion of wind and not direct force. This also means that groups of Vortex units can be huddled closer together as the disruption of air movement in the wind stream is nowhere near as critical as it is when positioning standard, blade-driven wind turbines. It can potentially generate more power per square meter. The first model to be made available commercially will be known as the Mini: a 4 kW, 41 ft high unit intended for residential and small-scale commercial application. A larger model is also being designed and is a unit with a greater than one-megawatt output intended for use in large-scale power generation for industry and electricity companies.

Technology Post 5/15

Researchers working at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and the University of California, Santa Barbara claim to have constructed the world’s first electronic memory cell that mimics the analog process of the human brain. By storing memories as multiple threads of  information, rather than a collection of numbers, scientists believe that this device may prove to be the first step towards creating a completely artificial,  bionic brain. Researchers believe that the breakthrough not only carries them closer to reproducing  aspects of the human brain electronically, but could also assist in providing effective treatments for neurological conditions. Memory resistors used in the new device are electronic components whose electrical resistance is not constant like standard resistors, but is determined by the history of the electric current that has previously flowed through it. This current work exploits earlier research at RMIT, where ultra-thin film oxide material 10,000 times thinner than a human hair was used to create Nano-scale, ultra-fast memory components.

Technology post 5/8

     Called the Greased Lightning, or GL-10, the prototype made a successful vertical takeoff and transition to horizontal flight. One of the major challenges for aviation engineers is combining the vertical takeoff and landing and hover capabilities of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft. It does so by rotating their engine nacelles while keeping their wings fixed because it's mechanically simpler and reduces crosswind drag. However, the GL-10 is an unmanned hybrid-electric aircraft that uses 10 electric motors for liftoff and NASA believes that a tilt wing is the better option for handling so many nacelles at once. According to the space agency, the GL-10 can stay 24 hours in horizontal flight and is described as being as quiet as a petrol lawn mower. A much larger version could one day carry one to four passengers. The GL-10 will be exhibited in Atlanta from May 4 to 7, then will go on to be tested.