Monday, September 05, 2011 6:08:16 AM
Cyborg insects generate power for their own neural control
A piezoelectric beam attached to a Green June Beetle reveals the optimum location to scavenge energy and shows that up to 115 µW total power can be generated from the insect’s body movements.
Image credit: Aktakka, et al.
by Lisa Zyga
August 31, 2011
(PhysOrg.com) -- For many years, researchers have been working on designing and fabricating micro-air-vehicles (MAVs), flying robots the size of small insects. But after realizing how difficult it is to create a tiny, lightweight flying vehicle capable of carrying a payload and being powered by a long-life onboard power source, some researchers have recently stopped trying to copy real-life insects and started using the insects themselves, with a few small tweaks. For instance, using tiny stimulators near their antennae, electrodes implanted in their central nervous systems, or neuromuscular interfaces, researchers have found that it’s easier to control insect’s brains – and therefore, flight – than to build robotic insects from scratch.
“Although we have seen a tremendous and exciting effort in MAV development in the last decade, cyborg insects are much more advantageous when it comes to the aerodynamic performance, flight duration, payload capability, and energy storage at miniaturized scales,” Ethem Erkan Aktakka from the University of Michigan told PhysOrg.com. “The current technology is simply not there yet to beat nature's evolution over several thousands of years.”
So far, the neural control systems in cyborg insects have generally been powered by batteries. But now Aktakka and coauthors Hanseup Kim and Khalil Najafi from the University of Michigan (Kim is currently with the University of Utah), have developed an energy scavenger that generates power from the wing motion of a Green June Beetle during tethered flight. Two generators – one on each of the beetle’s wings – use piezoelectric devices to produce a total of 45 µW of power per insect. The researchers predict that this power could be increased by an order of magnitude through a direct connection between the generator and the insect’s flight muscles.
The study, published in a recent issue of the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, marks the first attempt to scavenge energy from live insects with non-resonant devices. Previous energy harvesting methods from insects have included using thermocouples to harvest the insect’s body heat and resonant magnetic devices to harvest vibration. Solar cells are also an alternative energy source, although their operation is limited to outdoor applications on sunny days. Since the flapping frequency of the beetles’ wings varies among individuals, and even for the same individual under different conditions, the scientists thought that a non-resonant device could have advantages for harvesting the broadband energy.
Three energy-scavenging prototypes: (Top) A piezoelectric cantilever beam attached lengthwise along the beetle’s body generates 11.5 µW. (Middle) Piezoelectric cantilever beams attached across the beetle’s body each generate 7.5 µW. (Bottom) Piezoelectric spiral beams attached on the beetle’s thorax each generate 22.5 µW.
Image credit: Aktakka, et al
Here, the researchers experimented with piezoelectric cantilever beams on the insect’s wings and piezoelectric spiral beams on its thorax and elytra (wing covers). The devices could operate at 85-105 Hz, which is the flapping frequency range of the Green June Beetle. The spiral beams demonstrated the higher power at 45 µW, while the cantilever beams could produce about half that amount or less. Tests showed that the closer the scavenger devices are to the flight muscle base (the source of vibration), the higher the mechanical force from the beetle and the resulting electrical power output. Using a larger piezoelectric beam in one test, the researchers demonstrated that they could harvest 115 µW when at the optimum location.
“The developed device concept enables the practical deployment and extended operation of the same harvester on any individual of the same species, in addition to a great reduction in overall device weight compared to resonant harvesters,” Aktakka said. “A significant power output can be obtained regardless of several Hz of shift in the flapping frequency, or the ambient conditions such as light or temperature.”
The researchers note that cyborg insects could have the same applications as MAVs, which include search-and-rescue operations, surveillance, monitoring of hazardous environments, and detection of explosives.
“Currently, we are working on the development of a new micro-fabrication process for integration of bulk piezoelectric ceramics into traditional silicon processing,” Aktakka said. “This new technology helps to boost the efficiency of miniaturized vibration energy harvesters, compared to conventional thin-film deposition techniques. We also have ongoing studies on the power electronics side for effective utilization of raw power to recharge a battery or ultracapacitor.”
This project is funded by DARPA under Hybrid Insect MEMS program.
More information: Ethem Erkan Aktakka, et al. “Energy scavenging from insect flight.” J. Micromech. Microeng. 21 (2011) 095016 (11pp) DOI:10.1088/0960-1317/21/9/095016 [ http://iopscience.iop.org/0960-1317/21/9/095016/ ]
Copyright 2011 PhysOrg.com.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-08-cyborg-insects-power-neural.html [with comments]
===
New generation of airships to transport goods around the world
Video [embedded]
Airships to return to the skies under Nasa led project
[ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-video/8726208/Airships-to-return-to-the-skies-under-Nasa-led-project.html ]
Airships are set to return to the skies in a Nasa project aimed at revolutionising the way cargo is transported around the world.
By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent
3:08PM BST 03 Sep 2011
The space agency is developing the new generation of airships, which it believes will replace lorries, trains and ships as means of carrying freight.
The first prototype is expected to make its maiden voyage next year and scientists leading the project predict airships capable of carrying hundreds of tonnes of cargo at a time will be airborne by the end of the decade.
It comes more than 70 years after the Hindenburg disaster, which brought an end to the earlier airship era.
However, the development of modern materials and aerodynamics knowledge gained from the space race means that the new generation will be capable of safely carrying loads that could not be managed in the past.
Dr Simon Worden, director of the Nasa Ames Research Center [ http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/home/index.html ; http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2011/11-66AR.html ] in California, said: "Currently the majority of goods are put on trucks and trains to be transported around the country.
"That is a very expensive and time consuming process. You could imagine an airship landing in a field, loading produce directly and then delivering it anywhere in the world for much cheaper than we can today. Those sorts of things look very promising.
"Initially we are expecting to be able to lift tens of tonnes and we are building a demonstrator that we hope to fly at the end of next year. This will be very useful for remote communities like those in Alaska where there are no roads.
"In the long run, I think it could be used for many forms of cargo transport. One of the ideas that people have looked at is that these things can go up to hundreds of tonnes. We will have those by the end of the decade."
As well as carrying cargo, the new craft could also have military applications – providing logistic support – and Nasa is working with the US Department of Defense, as well as a range of private companies, to develop the new vehicles.
The prototype airship is being built with California-based company Aeros, who have developed a new system that allows the buoyancy of the airships to be altered without loading or offloading material.
In the past airships relied on taking on board water or soil as ballast to ensure they stayed on the ground as passengers and cargo was taken on board. It also made adjusting the buoyancy mid-flight relatively difficult.
Instead, the new ships – starting with prototype, the Aeros Pelican – will carry compressor tanks that can add or remove helium to bladders inside the airship to adjust its altitude
A rigid structure using carbon composite fibre instead a metal structure also allows the airship to lift far heavier loads than earlier airships could.
Engineers have also modified the old cigar shaped Zeppelin design for a flatter and more aerodynamic shape.
Airships had been widely used in the early part of the twentieth century, but a number of high profile accidents, including the 1937 Hindenburg disaster in New Jersey that killed 36 people, saw them lose popularity.
The flammable skin and explosive hydrogen gas used to lift the airships made them unsafe, while their fragile structures were also vulnerable to anything but the most calm weather conditions.
Although new, safer airships have been developed and are currently in service, the constraints of their design and technology has meant their use and their numbers have been strictly limited.
The new generation of airships will be vertical take off vehicles that land on rough terrain without the need for infrastructure, like specialist landing pads. This would make loading and unloading them far easier.
They could also be fitted with solar cells, to increase their efficiency.
In a separate development, a British company last month signed a new deal with a Canadian aviation company that could lead to 45 new airships capable of lifting 50 tonnes. Hybrid Air Vehicle, which is based in Cranfield, say they will be capable of travelling at 115mph.
It has also recently delivered an airship to the US Army for use in surveillance, but it is also capable of being modified to carry more than 10 tonnes of cargo.
A spokesman for Hybrid Air Vehicles said: "The Heavy Lift Programme is currently in its detailed design phase with construction planned for 2012 and the first vehicle scheduled to enter commercial service in 2014.
"Our heavy lift and cargo vehicles will have a payload capability ranging from 20 to 200 tonnes with future development potential of up to 1.000 tonnes."
© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2011
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenertransport/8739368/New-generation-of-airships-to-transport-goods-around-the-world.html [with comments]
A piezoelectric beam attached to a Green June Beetle reveals the optimum location to scavenge energy and shows that up to 115 µW total power can be generated from the insect’s body movements.
Image credit: Aktakka, et al.
by Lisa Zyga
August 31, 2011
(PhysOrg.com) -- For many years, researchers have been working on designing and fabricating micro-air-vehicles (MAVs), flying robots the size of small insects. But after realizing how difficult it is to create a tiny, lightweight flying vehicle capable of carrying a payload and being powered by a long-life onboard power source, some researchers have recently stopped trying to copy real-life insects and started using the insects themselves, with a few small tweaks. For instance, using tiny stimulators near their antennae, electrodes implanted in their central nervous systems, or neuromuscular interfaces, researchers have found that it’s easier to control insect’s brains – and therefore, flight – than to build robotic insects from scratch.
“Although we have seen a tremendous and exciting effort in MAV development in the last decade, cyborg insects are much more advantageous when it comes to the aerodynamic performance, flight duration, payload capability, and energy storage at miniaturized scales,” Ethem Erkan Aktakka from the University of Michigan told PhysOrg.com. “The current technology is simply not there yet to beat nature's evolution over several thousands of years.”
So far, the neural control systems in cyborg insects have generally been powered by batteries. But now Aktakka and coauthors Hanseup Kim and Khalil Najafi from the University of Michigan (Kim is currently with the University of Utah), have developed an energy scavenger that generates power from the wing motion of a Green June Beetle during tethered flight. Two generators – one on each of the beetle’s wings – use piezoelectric devices to produce a total of 45 µW of power per insect. The researchers predict that this power could be increased by an order of magnitude through a direct connection between the generator and the insect’s flight muscles.
The study, published in a recent issue of the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, marks the first attempt to scavenge energy from live insects with non-resonant devices. Previous energy harvesting methods from insects have included using thermocouples to harvest the insect’s body heat and resonant magnetic devices to harvest vibration. Solar cells are also an alternative energy source, although their operation is limited to outdoor applications on sunny days. Since the flapping frequency of the beetles’ wings varies among individuals, and even for the same individual under different conditions, the scientists thought that a non-resonant device could have advantages for harvesting the broadband energy.
Three energy-scavenging prototypes: (Top) A piezoelectric cantilever beam attached lengthwise along the beetle’s body generates 11.5 µW. (Middle) Piezoelectric cantilever beams attached across the beetle’s body each generate 7.5 µW. (Bottom) Piezoelectric spiral beams attached on the beetle’s thorax each generate 22.5 µW.
Image credit: Aktakka, et al
Here, the researchers experimented with piezoelectric cantilever beams on the insect’s wings and piezoelectric spiral beams on its thorax and elytra (wing covers). The devices could operate at 85-105 Hz, which is the flapping frequency range of the Green June Beetle. The spiral beams demonstrated the higher power at 45 µW, while the cantilever beams could produce about half that amount or less. Tests showed that the closer the scavenger devices are to the flight muscle base (the source of vibration), the higher the mechanical force from the beetle and the resulting electrical power output. Using a larger piezoelectric beam in one test, the researchers demonstrated that they could harvest 115 µW when at the optimum location.
“The developed device concept enables the practical deployment and extended operation of the same harvester on any individual of the same species, in addition to a great reduction in overall device weight compared to resonant harvesters,” Aktakka said. “A significant power output can be obtained regardless of several Hz of shift in the flapping frequency, or the ambient conditions such as light or temperature.”
The researchers note that cyborg insects could have the same applications as MAVs, which include search-and-rescue operations, surveillance, monitoring of hazardous environments, and detection of explosives.
“Currently, we are working on the development of a new micro-fabrication process for integration of bulk piezoelectric ceramics into traditional silicon processing,” Aktakka said. “This new technology helps to boost the efficiency of miniaturized vibration energy harvesters, compared to conventional thin-film deposition techniques. We also have ongoing studies on the power electronics side for effective utilization of raw power to recharge a battery or ultracapacitor.”
This project is funded by DARPA under Hybrid Insect MEMS program.
More information: Ethem Erkan Aktakka, et al. “Energy scavenging from insect flight.” J. Micromech. Microeng. 21 (2011) 095016 (11pp) DOI:10.1088/0960-1317/21/9/095016 [ http://iopscience.iop.org/0960-1317/21/9/095016/ ]
Copyright 2011 PhysOrg.com.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-08-cyborg-insects-power-neural.html [with comments]
===
New generation of airships to transport goods around the world
Video [embedded]
Airships to return to the skies under Nasa led project
[ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-video/8726208/Airships-to-return-to-the-skies-under-Nasa-led-project.html ]
Airships are set to return to the skies in a Nasa project aimed at revolutionising the way cargo is transported around the world.
By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent
3:08PM BST 03 Sep 2011
The space agency is developing the new generation of airships, which it believes will replace lorries, trains and ships as means of carrying freight.
The first prototype is expected to make its maiden voyage next year and scientists leading the project predict airships capable of carrying hundreds of tonnes of cargo at a time will be airborne by the end of the decade.
It comes more than 70 years after the Hindenburg disaster, which brought an end to the earlier airship era.
However, the development of modern materials and aerodynamics knowledge gained from the space race means that the new generation will be capable of safely carrying loads that could not be managed in the past.
Dr Simon Worden, director of the Nasa Ames Research Center [ http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/home/index.html ; http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2011/11-66AR.html ] in California, said: "Currently the majority of goods are put on trucks and trains to be transported around the country.
"That is a very expensive and time consuming process. You could imagine an airship landing in a field, loading produce directly and then delivering it anywhere in the world for much cheaper than we can today. Those sorts of things look very promising.
"Initially we are expecting to be able to lift tens of tonnes and we are building a demonstrator that we hope to fly at the end of next year. This will be very useful for remote communities like those in Alaska where there are no roads.
"In the long run, I think it could be used for many forms of cargo transport. One of the ideas that people have looked at is that these things can go up to hundreds of tonnes. We will have those by the end of the decade."
As well as carrying cargo, the new craft could also have military applications – providing logistic support – and Nasa is working with the US Department of Defense, as well as a range of private companies, to develop the new vehicles.
The prototype airship is being built with California-based company Aeros, who have developed a new system that allows the buoyancy of the airships to be altered without loading or offloading material.
In the past airships relied on taking on board water or soil as ballast to ensure they stayed on the ground as passengers and cargo was taken on board. It also made adjusting the buoyancy mid-flight relatively difficult.
Instead, the new ships – starting with prototype, the Aeros Pelican – will carry compressor tanks that can add or remove helium to bladders inside the airship to adjust its altitude
A rigid structure using carbon composite fibre instead a metal structure also allows the airship to lift far heavier loads than earlier airships could.
Engineers have also modified the old cigar shaped Zeppelin design for a flatter and more aerodynamic shape.
Airships had been widely used in the early part of the twentieth century, but a number of high profile accidents, including the 1937 Hindenburg disaster in New Jersey that killed 36 people, saw them lose popularity.
The flammable skin and explosive hydrogen gas used to lift the airships made them unsafe, while their fragile structures were also vulnerable to anything but the most calm weather conditions.
Although new, safer airships have been developed and are currently in service, the constraints of their design and technology has meant their use and their numbers have been strictly limited.
The new generation of airships will be vertical take off vehicles that land on rough terrain without the need for infrastructure, like specialist landing pads. This would make loading and unloading them far easier.
They could also be fitted with solar cells, to increase their efficiency.
In a separate development, a British company last month signed a new deal with a Canadian aviation company that could lead to 45 new airships capable of lifting 50 tonnes. Hybrid Air Vehicle, which is based in Cranfield, say they will be capable of travelling at 115mph.
It has also recently delivered an airship to the US Army for use in surveillance, but it is also capable of being modified to carry more than 10 tonnes of cargo.
A spokesman for Hybrid Air Vehicles said: "The Heavy Lift Programme is currently in its detailed design phase with construction planned for 2012 and the first vehicle scheduled to enter commercial service in 2014.
"Our heavy lift and cargo vehicles will have a payload capability ranging from 20 to 200 tonnes with future development potential of up to 1.000 tonnes."
© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2011
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenertransport/8739368/New-generation-of-airships-to-transport-goods-around-the-world.html [with comments]
Greensburg, KS - 5/4/07
"Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty."
from John Philpot Curran, Speech
upon the Right of Election, 1790
F6
Join the InvestorsHub Community
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
