HULC™_Exoskeleton

The HULC (Human Universal Load Carrier) is the third generation exoskeleton system from Berkeley Bionics, a completely un-tethered, hydraulic-powered anthropomorphic exoskeleton that provides users with the ability to carry loads of up to 200 lbs for extended periods of time and over all terrains. Its flexible design allows for deep squats, crawls and upper-body lifting. There is no joystick or other control mechanism. The exoskeleton senses what users want to do and where they want to go. It augments their ability, strength and endurance. An onboard micro-computer ensures the exoskeleton moves in concert with the individual. Its modularity allows for major components to be swapped out in the field. Additionally, its unique power-saving design allows the user to operate on battery power for extended missions. The HULC’s load-carrying ability works even when power is not available.

http://www.lockheedmartin.com
http://www.berkeleybionics.com

The Copenhagen Wheel

Scientists at MIT’s Senseable City Laboratory have designed a bicycle wheel that can give riders a boost when they need it most. Kinetic energy is released when a rider hits the brakes, and the new wheel, called the Copenhagen Wheel, captures that energy for later use. The new wheel uses a kinetic energy recovery system, the same technology used by hybrid cars, like the Toyota Prius, to harvest otherwise wasted energy when a cyclist brakes or speeds down a hill. With that energy, it charges up a battery inside the wheel’s hub [The New York Times].

The Copenhagen Wheel made its debut today in Copenhagen, one of the most bicycle friendly cities in the world and the site of the current international talks on climate change regulations.The special wheel can be swapped in for any bike’s rear wheel, and includes other bells and whistles such as an odometer, a sensor to track air quality, and a GPS. The wheel can even talk to your iPhone though a Bluetooth connection so you can check your speed, direction, distance traveled, monitor traffic, and find your biking buddies. The wheel is expected to retail for between $500 and $1,000.

Check out the video below for a preview of the Copenhagen Wheel:

http://senseable.mit.edu/copenhagenwheel

Arctic Drifting

Designed by Studio Les Bêtes, an enormous inflatable ball for future explorers. The inflatable research lab, called the Arctic Drifter, would be built out of Hypalon air-bags (a material similar to that used in rugged inflatable boats) and would quite literally roll across the arctic, ignoring water, ice, and crevasses in the process.

Drifting on the Wind
The Arctic Drifter is designed to travel on the prevailing winds above the Arctic Circle, rolling across the landscape gathering images. When fully inflated, the Drifter presents a 15 m diameter profile, cushioned by Hypalon air-bags (a similar material is used for heavy-duty inflatable boats). Because of its size and buoyancy it is able to cover almost any flat terrain, including ice, water and small crevasses. It is able to travel in extreme wind speeds and weather conditions that would ground most travellers.

With the air-bags mostly deflated, however, the Drifter presents a much smaller dome-shaped profile, giving it stability. The inner roll-cage ensures that the crew capsule is able to remain upright. To exit the capsule, the crew deflates a section of the air-bags completely and detaches them.

Sensor Network
Key to our proposal is a new way of seeing the Arctic landscape. Scale an the Arctic can be difficult to grasp from a traditional photograph, ranging from the vastness of the terrain in the far background to incredible delicate detail in the foreground, with very little middle ground for the eye to fix upon.

Utilizing a network of multi-band sensors called the FlyEye system, the Arctic Drifter is able to collect ultra-high-resolution spherical projections by stitching together smaller images in real time. Because the system is working with the combined resolution of all the sensors, the individual devices need not be of the highest resolution, increasing reliability and allowing additional sensors to cover the UV and the IR spectrum.

The images from the sensor network can be immediately projected on the interior surface of the sphere, allowing the crew the experience of being immersed in all weather conditions, with the additional augmentation of the non-visual light spectra. We believe that this system would allow the crew to capture a richer experience of the Arctic than ever before.

Stability/Instability
The crew capsule is mounted inside a three-axis gymbal, and the heavy mechanical systems and batteries are mounted below the center of gravity, causing it to float upright in any orientation. The gymbal system is equipped with two low-speed high-torque electric motors, intended for repositioning the on-site or for short-distance travel. During wind-powered travel, the motors are used for steering control, allowing the Drifter to “tack” away from the wind.

Strategies for Living
Because of the extremes of daylight above the Arctic Circle, the problem for the crew is most often either too much light, making sleep difficult, or too little, causing depression and health problems. Full-spectrum LED fixtures in the crew capsule regulate the crew’s biological clocks, while the panoramic projections inside the crew capsule provides an experience of being outside even in the worst conditions. Power is supplied by batteries in the bottom of the crew capsule. The batteries are recharged by the generators mounted in the gymbal rings while the Arctic Drifter is travelling with the wind. The battery cells provide power for the electronic, environmental and lighting systems as well as the electric motors and pumps for the air-bags.

Though the Arctic Drifter is equipped with a self-contained composting toilet, it does not include a greywater treatment system, as the typical cycle for a non-chemical greywater processor is much longer than the maximum specified operating cycle. We envision instead that the Drifter would be part of a larger base-camp system, discharging cached greywater to central treatment facilities at the end of a mission cycle.

In milder conditions where the Drifter is able to remain partly inflated, several units could be clustered together to share facilities for longer-term operation. As winds pick up, the cluster would move together towards a new base camp location.

http://lesbetes.com
http://lesbetes.wordpress.com

Ion Tiger_23 hour flight

Ion Tiger in flight. The 550-watt fuel cell is show in the box in the lower left corner.
(Credit: Naval Research Laboratory)

The Naval Research Laboratory’s (NRL’s) Ion Tiger, a hydrogen-powered fuel cell unmanned air vehicle (UAV), has flown 23 hours and 17 minutes, setting an unofficial flight endurance record for a fuel-cell powered flight. The test flight took place on October 9th through 10th at Aberdeen Proving Ground. The Ion Tiger fuel cell development system team is led by NRL and includes Protonex Technology Corporation, the University of Hawaii, and HyperComp Engineering. The program is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

The electric fuel cell propulsion system onboard the Ion Tiger has the low noise and signature of a battery-powered UAV, while taking advantage of hydrogen, a high-energy fuel. Fuel cells create an electrical current when they convert hydrogen and oxygen into water, with only water and heat as byproducts. The 550-Watt (0.75 horsepower) fuel cell onboard the Ion Tiger has about 4 times the efficiency of a comparable internal combustion engine and the system provides 7 times the energy in the equivalent weight of batteries. The Ion Tiger weighs approximately 37 pounds and carries a 4 to 5 pound payload.

Small UAVs are growing in importance for naval missions, as they provide capabilities ranging from surveillance collection to communication links. Electric UAVs have the additional feature of being nearly undetectable from the ground. Due to the high energy in the fuel cell system onboard the Ion Tiger, it is now possible to do long endurance missions with an electric UAV, thus allowing a larger cruise range and reducing the number of daily launches and landings. This provides more capability while saving time and effort for the crew.

In 2005, NRL backed initial research in fuel cell technologies for UAVs. Today, says NRL’s Karen Swider-Lyons, “the long endurance flight was made possible by the team’s research on high power, efficient fuel cell systems, lightweight hydrogen-gas storage tanks, improved thermal management, and the effective integration of these systems.”

Fuel cell technology is being developed to impact the operational spectrum of technologies including ground, air and undersea vehicles and man-portable power for Marine expeditionary missions. “The Ion Tiger successfully demonstrates ONR’s vision to show how efficient, clean technology can be used to improve the warfighter’s capabilities,” comments ONR’s Michele Anderson.

http://www.nrl.navy.mil/

Shade Power

Umbrella
Photovoltaic cells made from organic polymers, rather than crystalline silicon, could make solar power much cheaper. Last year Konarka, a startup based in Lowell, MA, opened a factory for such solar panels, which are flexible and produced in a process akin to printing. The first application of Konarka’s potentially transformative technology?
Umbrellas ! SkyShades, based in Orlando, FL, is incorporating the panels into umbrellas designed for outdoor seating areas in places like restaurants and bars. Patrons can recharge mobile devices such as laptops and cell phones from outlets built into the stem of the umbrella. The four-meter-wide Powerbrella can generate up to 128 watts of electricity, which charges a bank of batteries located in its base.

http://www.skyshades.com/