NEWS AS ON Saturday, 9 November 2013
NANOTECHNOLOGY
Saturday, 9 November 2013
Audi A9 Concept Car Repairs Itself And Changes Colour
Audi A9 Concept Car Repairs Itself And Changes Colour
The most amazing feature of the car is the single-piece windscreen/roof which is to be designed using a currently undiscovered nanotechnology material. This material will allow the car to repair any damage automatically as well as change color and opacity, changing visibility in both directions. The nano-material sounds very sci-fi and the cars exterior matches that theme. Moreover, the car boasts an unique ‘electronic painting’ system that allows the owner to change the vehicle exterior colour with the touch of a button. The powerhouse beneath this moving work of art will be an advanced hybrid system consisting of an internal combustion engine paired with four electric motors in the wheels. Pictures of the concept can be seen below.
The Audi A9 Concept (front)
Rear View
Side View
Scale Model of the Concept
Computer-Generated Images
Special Wheels With Built-In Electric Motors
Friday, 8 November 2013
Did Nikola Tesla create free energy?
Did Nikola Tesla create free energy?
There has been a great increase in the popularity of inventor Nikola Tesla in recent years; well deserved, as Tesla’s work helped shape the modern world. However, his return to the spotlight has brought with it fabricated or exaggerated claims about his achievements and intentions, some of the most persistent surrounding Tesla’s biggest failure: the Wardenclyffe tower.
The site has recently been purchased, thanks in part to a fundraising effort promoted by online comic author Matthew Inman, with intentions to convert it into a museum.
One particular myth about the Wardenclyffe facility often repeated by conspiracy theorists is that Tesla would have been able to produce and distribute limitless, wireless power worldwide. Upon discovering this, the conspiracy theorists say, Tesla’s investors, led by J.P. Morgan, withdrew funding from the project. This explanation of Wardenclyffe’s failure is wrong.
Between 1861 and 1865, based on earlier experimental work by Michael Faraday and others, James Clerk Maxwell developed a theory of electromagnetism, predicting the existence of electromagnetic waves, of which radio waves are one variety. Maxwell’s work in electromagnetism became known as the “second great unification in physics,” after Isaac Newton‘s unification of terrestrial and celestial mechanics, as Maxwell’s equations demonstrated that electricity, magnetism, and light are all manifestations of the electromagnetic field.
In 1879, David Edward Hughes discovered that a telephone receiver connected to a microphone of his design would generate a signal wirelessly if a spark was generated. Using more rigorous scientific techniques than Hughes, Heinrich Hertz verified Maxwell’s theory experimentally between 1886 and 1888. It was his experiments that would inspire later developments in radio by Nikola Tesla, Sir Oliver Lodge, Stepanovich Popov, and Guglielmo Marconi, among others.
At the turn of the 20th century, both Marconi and Tesla began investigating the possibility of sending a wireless signal across the Atlantic–Tesla began planning the Wardenclyffe Tower in 1898, and after a letter to J.P. Morgan in 1900, received agreement from Morgan to finance the project, though with the warning that he would not provide any funding beyond $150,000. Tesla had planned to transmit power wirelessly in addition to sending communication, but he did not advertise this to Morgan initially.
On
December 12th, 1901, just as construction on Tesla’s project was
beginning, Marconi claimed to have successfully transmitted a signal-
Morse code for the letter “s”– across the Atlantic. While Tesla’s
facility was still under construction, Marconi was using his system to
relay messages between President Theodore Roosevelt and King Edward VII.
It was at this point which Tesla sent a series of letters to J.P.
Morgan soliciting additional funding for the project, despite the fact
that Morgan had already warned Tesla with his initial investment that he
would provide no further financing.
In Tesla’s third letter to Morgan in 1903, he finally reveals his intent to use the facility to transmit wireless power, saying “. . . If I would have told you such as this before, you would have fired me out of your office. . . . Will you help me or let my great work—almost complete—go to pots? . . .” Morgan responded on July 14th “I have received your letter… and in reply would say that I should not feel disposed at present to make any further advances.”
Quotes from Morgan as stated by conspiracy theorists suggesting that wireless power would be impossible to meter,
and therefore, would be a bad investment are taken out of the proper
context; Tesla had tried to convince Morgan to further invest in his
project by revealing the capability to transmit power, which Morgan
simply did not find an attractive proposition, but in no way was
wireless power the reason for Morgan not investing, as he had already
told Tesla that he did not intend to invest more than the original
agreed upon amount. The “Rich Man’s Panic” of 1903 made it difficult for Tesla to acquire investment from other sources. His
lack of funding was exacerbated further by the expiration of his
patents for AC motors and other methods of power transmission.
Wireless power, due to the aforementioned facts, could only be said to have killed Wardenclyffe if it was the cause of the additional expense of the project compared to Marconi’s radio system.
As for the claims that this power was “free energy” not just in its inability to be metered but also its generation, it seems that they stem from ignorance of how Tesla had designed the facility; the transmitter was to be powered by a 200 kilowatt Westinghouse alternating current generator driven by a Westinghouse auto compound engine. Some conspiracy theorists claim instead that it was to be powered by Tesla’s apparatus for the utilization of radiant energy,” but again, the conspiracy theorists fail to understand that “radiant energy” isn’t “energy all around us,” but rather, is defined as energy in the form of electromagnetic waves– in essence, what Tesla patented is no more a “free energy” device than a solar panel is.
In fact, in the patent, Tesla specifically mentioned that “The apparatus being arranged as shown, it will be found that when the radiations of the sun or of any other source capable of producing the effects before describe fall upon the plate P an accumulation of electrical energy in the condenser C will result.” This isn’t nearly as mind-blowing as somehow tapping into the æther for an unlimited power source would be, but then again, isn’t it par for the course for conspiracy theorists to pretend reality isn’t interesting enough?
Nikola Tesla was one of the greatest inventors of the 20th century– one of the greatest of all time, even. Because of this, I would like to echo the sentiment of Brian Dunning, producer of the Skeptoid podcast, in saying that spreading falsehoods about Tesla is “an insult to the man and his accomplishments.”
What is implied by inventing stories about the man? Are his accomplishments somehow insufficient? Are they somehow uninteresting enough that History Channel needs to insert the claims about free power, death rays, and an earthquake machine into their programming to make it worth watching? It almost seems as if, in coming out of obscurity from popular culture, Tesla is more forgotten than he was buried within physics textbooks, and that is a real shame.
Myths and Rumors persist in the tale of legendary inventor Nikola Tesla
By David Jerale
There has been a great increase in the popularity of inventor Nikola Tesla in recent years; well deserved, as Tesla’s work helped shape the modern world. However, his return to the spotlight has brought with it fabricated or exaggerated claims about his achievements and intentions, some of the most persistent surrounding Tesla’s biggest failure: the Wardenclyffe tower.
The site has recently been purchased, thanks in part to a fundraising effort promoted by online comic author Matthew Inman, with intentions to convert it into a museum.
One particular myth about the Wardenclyffe facility often repeated by conspiracy theorists is that Tesla would have been able to produce and distribute limitless, wireless power worldwide. Upon discovering this, the conspiracy theorists say, Tesla’s investors, led by J.P. Morgan, withdrew funding from the project. This explanation of Wardenclyffe’s failure is wrong.
Between 1861 and 1865, based on earlier experimental work by Michael Faraday and others, James Clerk Maxwell developed a theory of electromagnetism, predicting the existence of electromagnetic waves, of which radio waves are one variety. Maxwell’s work in electromagnetism became known as the “second great unification in physics,” after Isaac Newton‘s unification of terrestrial and celestial mechanics, as Maxwell’s equations demonstrated that electricity, magnetism, and light are all manifestations of the electromagnetic field.
In 1879, David Edward Hughes discovered that a telephone receiver connected to a microphone of his design would generate a signal wirelessly if a spark was generated. Using more rigorous scientific techniques than Hughes, Heinrich Hertz verified Maxwell’s theory experimentally between 1886 and 1888. It was his experiments that would inspire later developments in radio by Nikola Tesla, Sir Oliver Lodge, Stepanovich Popov, and Guglielmo Marconi, among others.
At the turn of the 20th century, both Marconi and Tesla began investigating the possibility of sending a wireless signal across the Atlantic–Tesla began planning the Wardenclyffe Tower in 1898, and after a letter to J.P. Morgan in 1900, received agreement from Morgan to finance the project, though with the warning that he would not provide any funding beyond $150,000. Tesla had planned to transmit power wirelessly in addition to sending communication, but he did not advertise this to Morgan initially.
On
December 12th, 1901, just as construction on Tesla’s project was
beginning, Marconi claimed to have successfully transmitted a signal-
Morse code for the letter “s”– across the Atlantic. While Tesla’s
facility was still under construction, Marconi was using his system to
relay messages between President Theodore Roosevelt and King Edward VII.
It was at this point which Tesla sent a series of letters to J.P.
Morgan soliciting additional funding for the project, despite the fact
that Morgan had already warned Tesla with his initial investment that he
would provide no further financing. In Tesla’s third letter to Morgan in 1903, he finally reveals his intent to use the facility to transmit wireless power, saying “. . . If I would have told you such as this before, you would have fired me out of your office. . . . Will you help me or let my great work—almost complete—go to pots? . . .” Morgan responded on July 14th “I have received your letter… and in reply would say that I should not feel disposed at present to make any further advances.”
J.P. Morgan
Wireless power, due to the aforementioned facts, could only be said to have killed Wardenclyffe if it was the cause of the additional expense of the project compared to Marconi’s radio system.
As for the claims that this power was “free energy” not just in its inability to be metered but also its generation, it seems that they stem from ignorance of how Tesla had designed the facility; the transmitter was to be powered by a 200 kilowatt Westinghouse alternating current generator driven by a Westinghouse auto compound engine. Some conspiracy theorists claim instead that it was to be powered by Tesla’s apparatus for the utilization of radiant energy,” but again, the conspiracy theorists fail to understand that “radiant energy” isn’t “energy all around us,” but rather, is defined as energy in the form of electromagnetic waves– in essence, what Tesla patented is no more a “free energy” device than a solar panel is.
In fact, in the patent, Tesla specifically mentioned that “The apparatus being arranged as shown, it will be found that when the radiations of the sun or of any other source capable of producing the effects before describe fall upon the plate P an accumulation of electrical energy in the condenser C will result.” This isn’t nearly as mind-blowing as somehow tapping into the æther for an unlimited power source would be, but then again, isn’t it par for the course for conspiracy theorists to pretend reality isn’t interesting enough?
Nikola Tesla was one of the greatest inventors of the 20th century– one of the greatest of all time, even. Because of this, I would like to echo the sentiment of Brian Dunning, producer of the Skeptoid podcast, in saying that spreading falsehoods about Tesla is “an insult to the man and his accomplishments.”
What is implied by inventing stories about the man? Are his accomplishments somehow insufficient? Are they somehow uninteresting enough that History Channel needs to insert the claims about free power, death rays, and an earthquake machine into their programming to make it worth watching? It almost seems as if, in coming out of obscurity from popular culture, Tesla is more forgotten than he was buried within physics textbooks, and that is a real shame.
Thursday, 7 November 2013
Organic lights and solar cells straight from the printer
Organic lights and solar cells straight from the printer
Nov 05, 2013
Molecule solutions as ink
But the potential offered by this technology extends beyond screens and displays for consumer electronics, according to Wedel. He believes OLEDs are also ideally suited to all kinds of lighting and to digital signage applications – that is to say, advertising and infor- mation systems such as electronic posters, advertisements, large image projections, road signs and traffic management systems. The scientists worked together with mechanical engineering company MBRAUN to develop a production facility able to create OLEDs as well as organic solar cells on an industrial scale. The innovative part is that it is now possible to print OLEDs and solar cells from solutions containing luminescent organic molecules and absorptive molecules respectively, which makes printing them onto a carrier film very straightforward. Usually, printing them involves vaporizing small molecules in a high vacuum, making it a very expensive process.
Scientists had previously only ever used printing technologies to design components on a laboratory scale. They can now produce larger sample series – and this is particularly advantageous for the applications that the IAP has in mind, as large illuminated surfaces and information systems require tailored solutions produced in relatively small numbers. "We're now able to produce organic components under close-to-real-life manufacturing conditions with relative ease. Now for the first time it will be possible to translate new ideas into commercial products," Wedel says.
At the heart of the pilot plant is a robot that controls different printers that basically act like an inkjet printing system. OLEDs are applied to the carrier material one layer at a time using a variety of starting materials. This produces a very homogenous surface that creates a perfect lighting layer. "We're able to service upscale niche markets by offering tailored solutions, as we can apply the organic electronic system to customers' specifications, just like in digital printing," explains Wedel.
Industry experts estimate that printed OLEDs hold out the promise of becoming a billion-dollar market. "The focus in Germany and Europe is on OLED lighting because this is the home market for large companies such as Osram and Philips," explains Wedel. "The manufacturing facility will help secure competitive advantages in this particular segment of the market. It strengthens the German research community, and also demonstrates the capabilities of German plant engineering," says Dr. Martin Reinelt, CEO of MBRAUN in Garching.
OLEDs have several advantages over conventional display technologies. Unlike liquid crystal displays they do not require backlighting, which means they consume less energy. As it is the diodes themselves that emit colored light, contrast and color reproduction are better. The electroluminescent displays also offer a large viewing angle of almost 180 degrees. And because they require no backlighting, they can be very thin, making it possible to create entirely new shapes.
There are still several challenges to be met before OLEDs become firmly established on the market. "The main hurdle, as far as I'm concerned, is the high level of investment required to set up manufacturing," says Wedel. This is why, at least where lighting is concerned, he expects OLEDs to complement rather than replace conventional lighting devices. His view of where OLED production technology could head is less modest: "My vision is that the day will come when all we need do is switch ink cartridges in our printers in order to print out our own lighting devices."
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