Archive | June 30, 2012 | Armed with Science

Tapping Into Underwater Solar Energy

Filed under STEM, Technology by jtozer on June 30, 2012 at 7:13 am {no comments}

Power density of GaInP and crystalline silicon cells, underwater, as a function of depth. (U.S. Naval Research Laboratory)

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Electronics Science and Technology Division, dive into underwater photovoltaic research to develop high bandgap solar cells capable of producing sufficient power to operate electronic sensor systems at depths of 9 meters.

Underwater autonomous systems and sensor platforms are severely limited by the lack of long endurance power sources. To date, these systems must rely on on-shore power, batteries or solar power supplied by an above water platform.

Attempts to use photovoltaics have had limited success, primarily due to the lack of penetrating sunlight and the use of solar cells optimized more towards the unimpeded terrestrial solar spectrum.

“The use of autonomous systems to provide situational awareness and long-term environment monitoring underwater is increasing,” said Phillip Jenkins, head, NRL Imagers and Detectors Section. “Although water absorbs sunlight, the technical challenge is to develop a solar cell that can efficiently convert these underwater photons to electricity.”

Even though the absolute intensity of solar radiation is lower underwater, the spectral content is narrow and thus lends itself to high conversion efficiency if the solar cell is well matched to the wavelength range.

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I See The Light (Scanner)

Filed under STEM, Technology Licensing by jtozer on June 29, 2012 at 7:26 am {one comment}

The concept of new technology is something that always grabs my attention, but no more so than when real research suggests that my dramatic daydreams of science fiction technology might actually become a reality.

So when I heard that the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) was developing a real life scanning device, my first immediate thought was STAR TREK SCANNER!

Captain, I have signs of intelligent life! Shall we go down to the planet surface and violate the Prime Directive, or wait for a tragedy to strike so we can swoop in to the rescue? (Copyright © 2005 Paramount Pictures)

And then I took a deep breath, reeled it in, and read more. I mean, come on, that kind of technology is centuries away…right?

As it turns out, NRL’s scanning device isn’t that far removed from Star Trek’s fictitious future world or Doctor Who’s technoverse gadgetry. Although, instead of being an impressively multipurpose-yet-unfortunately-fictitious sonic screwdriver, this real life device uses light to scan objects from far away.

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has developed a Photothermal Infrared Imaging Spectroscopy (PT-IRIS) technology for stand-off detection of explosives, illicit drugs, chemical warfare agents and biochemical warfare agents. That’s right; technology that can scan for dangerous objects from a distance. PT-IRIS has been demonstrated for standoff or proximity detection of explosives.

That, my friends, could be a huge help to our troops.

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Improving The Hand Grenade

Filed under Logistics by jtozer on June 28, 2012 at 7:04 am {one comment}

Soldiers engage in grenade training. The hand grenade is familiar to the general public by virtue of its frequent appearance in countless war movies. Yet the basic technology is almost 100 years old. A Picatinny arsenal engineer wants to give a modern face-lift to the warhorse of warfare. (By U.S. Army photo)

As far as the design of the basic hand grenade goes, essentially it has been frozen in time.

The first pull-pin design with a lever and delayed fuze dates back to May 1915 and is often referred to as the grandfather to the current variation.

“The basic technology is almost 100 years old,” said Richard Lauch, a Picatinny Arsenal engineer, referring to the Mills Bomb No. 5.

The Mills bomb is the popular name for a series of prominent British hand grenades. They were the first modern fragmentation grenades and named after William Mills, a hand grenade designer.

Lauch, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, has been on a mission to modernize the hand grenade so that it is safer as well as easier to use and cheaper to produce.

During the last year and half of his Marine service, Lauch was primary marksmanship instructor in the Weapons Training Battalion at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, Calif.

While he was assisting in training recruits on the proper use of the M67 hand grenade, Lauch became intimately familiar with what he saw as the grenade’s deficiencies.
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Working On Full Charge

Filed under Energy, STEM, Technology by jtozer on June 27, 2012 at 7:13 am {no comments}

Scientists studying new ways to squeeze more energy from batteries are making great strides in developing new methods and materials to potentially increase the energy density of batteries by 30 percent at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. (Photo provided by ARL)

We all know the routine.

You buy the battery pack of 150 thinking you’ll never need another battery ever again! Then three months later you’re cursing the universe because your XBOX 360 remote needs two batteries and the only one you’ve managed to find is a suspicious-looking, partially gnawed AA you found under the couch.

And let us not even get into the arduous process of actually having to dispose of them.

And sure, you could make the argument that rechargeable batteries are the more responsible way to go, but I find that I have trust issues when it comes to those things. The more they get used, the less useful they seem to be.

Ah, but fear not, battery-users! Scientists from the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) are working to improve the life and power of batteries. How are they doing that? It all comes down to the science of energy.

ARL researchers have developed a substance that increases the life of a battery by 30% without increasing the weight. The new technology deals with the electrolyte part of lithium-ion batteries. By modifying the liquid electrolytes, the battery is able to tolerate higher voltages.

So why are they doing this? Well, the Army wants to increase the cell voltage of lithium ion batteries, but still maintain their reliability. Get the best of both worlds, so to speak. Sounds too good to be true?

Surprisingly, it isn’t.

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These Robot Legs Were Made For Walkin’

Filed under Robots, Videos by jtozer on June 26, 2012 at 7:40 am {no comments}

"They call me...PETMAN." (No really, they call him Petman)

Remember the $2 million-dollar robot contest I was telling you about a couple of months ago?

Well check out these babies.

This video shows versions of DARPA and Boston Dynamics robots climbing stairs, walking on a treadmill and doing pushups.

A modified platform resembling these robots is expected to be used as government-funded equipment (GFE) for performers in Tracks B and C of the DARPA Robotics Challenge. The GFE Platform is expected to have two arms, two legs, a torso and a head, and will be physically capable of performing all of the tasks required for the disaster response scenarios scheduled in the Challenge.

However, despite the appearance of the robots in the video, the Challenge is decidedly not exclusive to humanoid robot solutions.

Any designs are welcome provided they are compatible with shared human-robot environments, compatible with human tools, and compatible with human operators so that a human without expertise in robotics can give commands and confidently anticipate the response.
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The Opportunity Of A Lifetime

Filed under Space, Videos by jtozer on June 25, 2012 at 7:54 am {no comments}

Ever wonder what it’s like to be part of a NASA team? Well, three student interns have been given the opportunity of a lifetime. They were asked to create a major component for the Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII) mission. Principal Investigator Stephen Rinehart mentored the students and gave them the freedom to be creative in making a star camera, which will study star birth in deep space.

Video provided by the NASA Goddard YouTube Channel

For more info about Goddard Internships, click here.

Or find NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on Facebook. and on Twitter, too!

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Wolfenbarger Receives Fourth Star, Assumes Leadership of AFMC

Filed under Featured, STEM by jtozer on June 24, 2012 at 7:23 am {no comments}

In the time-honored military tradition signifying assumption of command, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz passes the Air Force Materiel Command guidon, or unit flag, to Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger. Wolfenbarger assumed command of AFMC June 5, 2012, in a ceremony at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Michelle Gigante)

Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger became the first female four-star general in the Air Force and assumed the top position of the major command responsible for the technology, acquisition, test and sustainment of the service’s current and future weapon systems during ceremonies.

Wolfenbarger took the reins of Air Force Materiel Command from Gen. Donald Hoffman during a change of command held at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Prior to the change of command, Wolfenbarger received her fourth star during a promotion ceremony.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz presided over the ceremony, during which he lauded AFMC’s excellence in keeping Air Force weapon systems ready, available and effective, and expressed his confidence that the command is in capable hands with Wolfenbarger.

“We honor Janet Wolfenbarger, an extraordinary public servant and a model Air Force officer,” Schwartz said. “Based on her record, Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and I are entirely confident that she is up to the task of commanding this great organization.”

Wolfenbarger thanked Schwartz and Donley for their faith in her ability to lead AFMC and said she was looking forward to once again being part of the AFMC team.

“This opportunity only really exists because the Air Force has embraced a culture of diversity,” she said. “This culture has been cultivated over many years, driven by leadership at every level who acknowledge and appreciate the value of contributions from every airman.

“I promise I will serve in my role as AFMC commander with my absolute best effort,” Wolfenbarger continued. “What’s more, I have total confidence in the men and women of this command. We will always rise to the occasion and accomplish our difficult mission with determination and enthusiasm.”

Schwartz also highlighted Hoffman’s dedication to both AFMC’s mission and its workforce.

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Saturday Space Sight: A Celestial Swan and Butterfly

Filed under Space by jtozer on June 23, 2012 at 7:31 am {no comments}

This image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows planetary nebula NGC 7026. Located just beyond the tip of the tail of the constellation of Cygnus (The Swan), this butterfly-shaped cloud of glowing gas and dust is the wreckage of a star similar to the sun.

Planetary nebulae, despite their name, have nothing to do with planets. They are, in fact, a relatively short-lived phenomenon that occurs at the end of the life of mid-sized stars. As a star’s nuclear fuel runs out, its outer layers are puffed out, leaving only the hot core of the star behind. As the gaseous envelope heats up, the atoms in it are excited, and it lights up like a fluorescent sign.

Fluorescent lights on Earth get their bright colors from the gases with which they are filled. Neon signs, famously, produce a bright red color, while ultraviolet lights (black lights) typically contain mercury. The same is true for nebulae: their vivid colors are produced by the mix of gases present in them.

This image was produced by the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. A version of it was entered into the Hubble’s Hidden Treasures Competition by contestant Linda Morgan-O’Connor. Hidden Treasures is an initiative to invite astronomy enthusiasts to search the Hubble archive for stunning images that have never been seen by the general public.

Image Credit ESA/NASA

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