Archive for the ‘prototype’ tag
GMR takes a swipe at medical tests
Scientists from the University of Utah have created a sensitive prototype card-swipe device that could be used to test microscopic blood, saliva or urine samples loaded in a card, for dozens or even hundreds of diseases simultaneously, using giant magnetoresistance, or GMR technology.
Read more on: Bio Tech, Design, GMR, prototype, reader, University of UtahBomb-proof litter bins to help keep Britain streets clean - safely
Designed to withstand the force of a bomb blast, the Renew bin could provide a solution to security concerns, help increase recycling and keep computers up to date with breaking news, weather and delays on the tube.
During the five-year design and testing period, prototypes of the Renew bin, which costs £15,000 to produce and £3,000 to install, were blown up in the New Mexico desert.
The plastic surround is made from recycled materials and has an LCD screen on which news, weather and sports reports can be shown. Each unit is big enough to contain a typical household wheelie bin - making it easy for binmen to collect and empty.
Read more on: Civil, Design, LCD, plastic, prototypeA low cost route to increased fuel economy
Engineering solutions firm Ricardo, has unveiled a research prototype vehicle that demonstrates the company’s patent pending electromagnetic linear actuator technology, which it says offers a low cost route to robust and highly efficient Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) and Dry Clutch Transmission (DCT) vehicles, capable of providing increased fuel economy and lower emissions.
The development vehicle is based on an Opel Corsa 1.2l petrol automated manual transmission, in which the control and actuation system of the original Easytronic system has been replaced with Ricardo’s patent-pending electromagnetic linear actuator technology which can be multiplexed in order to operate both the clutch control and gear selection functions.
Read more on: Automotive, emissions, fuel, prototype, vehicleChip could spell the end of food-borne diseases
Food-borne diseases could soon be detected using a lab-on-chip device made possible through microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.
A team of European researchers has created a prototype system to prepare samples and perform DNA tests on bacteria in a portable, cost-effective chip.
The EU-funded OptoLabCard project is based at the Spanish research centre Ikerlan.
What sets the OptoLabCard prototype apart from previous devices is the material used to manufacture the components of the chip, and the way in which samples are prepared prior to testing.
Using a single material for most components – a negative thick photoresist, makes the chips simpler and cheaper to produce.
The chip itself is disposable, while a reader or base unit contains all the electronics and optics. Meanwhile, incorporating sample preparation into the chip means that users can effectively replicate laboratory processes out in the field.
In order to detect the presence of bacteria, a reliable sample is essential. Rubbing a swab across a chicken carcass, for example, might produce a sample containing as few as ten bacteria, an amount that size could go undetected once transferred into the device. The inability to provide a representative sample could lead to the bird, or the entire batch to be deemed clean, when actually, the meat may be covered with dangerous pathogens.
Read more on: chip, Design, MEMS, prototypeMicro flying robot from Epson
Based on its micromechatronics technology, Epson has developed the uFR, Micro Flying Robot, claimed to be the world’s smallest flying prototype microbot.
The uFR causes levitation by use of contra-rotating propellers powered by an ultra-thin, ultrasonic motor with a high power-weight ratio. It can be balanced in mid-air by means with a stabilising mechanism using a linear actuator. Furthermore, the essence of micromechatronics has been brought together in high-density mounting technology to minimise the size and weight of the circuitry’s control unit.
By developing the uFR, Epson has demonstrated the possibility of expanding the activity range of microrobots from two-dimensional space (the ground) to three-dimensional space (the air). The company now plans to test any problems related to the functional use of space by microrobots, and further concentrate its efforts on advancing its original micromechatronics technology and cultivating applications to meet future needs.
Read more on: microbots, micromechatronics, motors, prototype, robot, RoboticsSpreading light on silicon
A collaboration between Matsushita Electric Works and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering, has produced a light emitting device prototype that generates visible light by discharging electrons from a silicon device measuring 5nm or smaller into xenon gas.
The light emitting device doesn’t use an electric discharge, and so the luminance efficiency of the light can be easily enhanced.
The prototype version generates high energy electrons by applying a voltage to a ‘nanosilicon electron source’. Silicon discharges electrons when processed on the nanoscale and the prototype uses this property.
The electrons generated are discharged into xenon gas to excite the xenon molecules, which produces vacuum ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 200nm or less. The vacuum ultraviolet light collides with phosphor to be converted into visible light.
This technology is expected to find applications in high-efficiency, high-luminance lighting equipment.
Read more on: Electronics, electrons, light emitting device, prototype, Silicon