Working under contract with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Bob Englar and other researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are helping reduce the aerodynamic drag on tractor-trailer truck by at least 35%. Englar's work involves a pneumatic systems called Circulation Control that creates lift on the trailer by blowing compressed air over curved surfaces on the trailer, smoothing airflow and decreasing drag. He also found that blowing air from the bottom of the truck has the opposite effect, multiplying downward force on the tires to improve traction and braking when needed. The system uses valves that respond to driver changes in a fraction of a second, augmenting force as needed. "The driver wouldn't have to think about how it works," says Englar. He estimates that, if applied to the entire U.S. fleet of tractor-trailers, the pneumatic system could save 1.2 billion gallons of fuel each year. For more information, contact Englar at (770) 528-3222 or e-mail gtri.gatech.edu.
As energy efficiency becomes more and more a concern for makers of electronics devices, researchers are coming up with new ways to harvest energy from sound vibration, footsteps, and even electromagnetic fields in the air.
The government wants to study your brain, and DARPA wants to use similar information to give robots true autonomy beyond any artificial intelligence developed to date. Sound like science fiction? It's not.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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