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Monarch Tractor showcases ‘world’s first fully electric, driver-optional tractor’

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Monarch Tractor has been showcasing what it says is “the world’s first fully electric, driver-optional tractor” and has been selected for 2022 CES Innovation Award in the process.

The annual CES competition honors outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products.

Monarch says it has been named a CES 2022 Innovation Awards Honoree and was honored in the Robotics category for its flagship MK-V tractor, which it says is “the first to deliver a convergence of electrification, automation and data analysis that empowers sustainable farming, increases efficiency and safety, and maximizes profitability for farmers”. [Read more…] about Monarch Tractor showcases ‘world’s first fully electric, driver-optional tractor’

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  • Vertical turbines could be the future for wind farms
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    Vertical turbines could be the future for wind farmsThe now-familiar sight of traditional propeller wind turbines could be replaced in the future with wind farms containing more compact and efficient vertical turbines. New research from Oxford Brookes University has found that the vertical turbine design is far more efficient than traditional turbines in large scale wind farms, and…
    Tags: design, engineering, news

Robot performs laparoscopic surgery without guiding hand of a human

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By Catherine Graham, Johns Hopkins University

In four experiments on pig tissues, the robot excelled at suturing two ends of intestine – one of the most intricate and delicate tasks in abdominal surgery

A robot has performed laparoscopic surgery on the soft tissue of a pig without the guiding hand of a human – a significant step toward fully automated surgery on humans.

Designed by a team of Johns Hopkins University researchers, the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot, or STAR, is described today in Science Robotics.

Senior author Axel Krieger, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Johns Hopkins’ Whiting School of Engineering, says: “Our findings show that we can automate one of the most intricate and delicate tasks in surgery: the reconnection of two ends of an intestine. [Read more…] about Robot performs laparoscopic surgery without guiding hand of a human

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    Robot-assisted surgery: Putting the reality in virtual realityCardiac surgeons may be able to better plan operations and improve their surgical field view with the help of a robot. Controlled through a virtual reality parallel system as a digital twin, the robot can accurately image a patient through ultrasound without the hand cramping or radiation exposure that hinder…
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  • A helping hand for working robots
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    A helping hand for working robotsUntil now, competing types of robotic hand designs offered a trade-off between strength and durability. One commonly used design, employing a rigid pin joint that mimics the mechanism in human finger joints, can lift heavy payloads, but is easily damaged in collisions, particularly if hit from the side. Meanwhile, fully…
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  • ‘World’s first’ magnetic robotic-assisted surgeries performed with Levita Magnetics’ newest platform
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    ‘World’s first’ magnetic robotic-assisted surgeries performed with Levita Magnetics’ newest platformLevita Magnetics, a company with a mission to improve access to better surgery for more patients, says “the first ever” robotic-assisted surgical procedures have been performed using the company’s newest system in development, the Levita Robotic Platform. The first case was a reduced-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) completed by Dr…
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  • Versius receives ‘indication’ extended into thoracic surgery
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    Versius receives ‘indication’ extended into thoracic surgeryCMR Surgical says its Versius Surgical Robotic System has been “indicated” for thoracics to support surgeons providing minimally invasive surgery to patients undergoing operations in the lungs, thymus and oesophagus. In medicine, an “indication” is a valid reason to use a certain test, medication, procedure, or surgery. Following a gradual…
    Tags: surgery, hospital, surgical, system, robotic, health, news

World-first facility ‘will change the way we design and construct major infrastructure’

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High performance shaking tables and deep soil pit will cut financial and environmental costs whilst ensuring resilience of high-value infrastructure

The new UKCRIC Soil-Foundation-Structure Interaction (SoFSI) facility is a one-of-a-kind facility that promises to deliver major cost savings and reduce the carbon cost of high-value infrastructure projects such as High Speed 2 (HS2), bridges and offshore wind farms.

The centre, located at Bristol University, western England, officially opens tomorrow, Thursday 27 January.

The University of Bristol received £12 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for the construction of the SoFSI Laboratory at its Langford Campus to enable large, close to prototype scale experiments for use by both academics and industry. [Read more…] about World-first facility ‘will change the way we design and construct major infrastructure’

Hannover Messe 2022 rescheduled for beginning of June

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This year’s Hannover Messe, one of the world’s largest trade shows for industrial technology, has been rescheduled for beginning of June. It usually takes place in April.

Deutsche Messe AG, the company which organises the event, says the decision to delay Hannover Messe is “due to the current situation surrounding Covid”.

It says that this year’s exhibition is now scheduled to take place from 30 May to 2 June, adding that the new date “provides exhibitors and visitors with planning security”. [Read more…] about Hannover Messe 2022 rescheduled for beginning of June

Intelligent battery cell production

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The Cluster of Competence for Intelligent Battery Cell Production (InZePro), coordinated by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), is aimed at holistically optimizing production systems and making them more flexible in terms of quantity, format, material, and technology.

For this purpose, cross-process, data-driven optimization approaches and Industry 4.0 solutions are developed.

To meet current requirements, battery cells will have to be produced in Germany in an economically efficient way in small, medium, and large series for various applications and markets. [Read more…] about Intelligent battery cell production

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  • Tau invents wire that doubles the power of electric motors and raises €10.25 million
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    Tau invents wire that doubles the power of electric motors and raises €10.25 millionA startup company called Tau, which specializes in materials science and automotive electrification, says it has delivered a prototype wire that enables electric motors to double their power output without changing their size.  The technology could mean that electric vehicles and machines of all kinds can keep going for longer…
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  • The Earth is flat. Everything else is just fake news. Or is it?
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Modeling a circular economy for electronic waste

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Think about how many different pieces of technology the average household has purchased in the last decade. Phones, TVs, computers, tablets, and game consoles don’t last forever, and repairing them is difficult and often as expensive as simply buying a replacement.

Electronics are integral to modern society, but electronic waste (e-waste) presents a complex and growing challenge in the path toward a circular economy – a more sustainable economic system that focuses on recycling materials and minimizing waste.

Adding to the global waste challenge is the prevalence of dishonest recycling practices by companies who claim to be recycling electronics but actually dispose of them by other means, such as in landfills or shipping the waste to other countries. [Read more…] about Modeling a circular economy for electronic waste

Thin, stretchable biosensors could make surgery safer

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A research team from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Purdue University have developed bio-inks for biosensors that could help localize critical regions in tissues and organs during surgical operations.

“The ink used in the biosensors is biocompatible and provides a user-friendly design with excellent workable time frames of more than one day,” said Kwan-Soo Lee, of Los Alamos’ Chemical Diagnostics and Engineering group.

The new biosensors allow for simultaneous recording and imaging of tissues and organs during surgical procedures. [Read more…] about Thin, stretchable biosensors could make surgery safer

Printing a better microgrid

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The future of electronic displays will be thin, flexible and durable. One barrier to this, however, is that one of the most widely used transparent conductors for electronic displays – indium tin oxide (ITO) – doesn’t perform as well on larger areas and can crack and break down with wear.

Indium is also a rare earth mineral, which is relatively scarce, and the process to create ITO requires high energy consumption and expensive equipment.

One emerging alternative is metal “microgrid” conductors. These microgrids can be customized to their application by varying the microgrid width, pitch and thickness, and they can be made with a variety of metals. [Read more…] about Printing a better microgrid

How an elephant’s trunk manipulates air to eat and drink

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New research from the Georgia Institute of Technology finds that elephants dilate their nostrils in order to create more space in their trunks, allowing them to store up to nine liters of water.

They can also suck up three liters per second – a speed 50 times faster than a human sneeze (150 meters per second/330 mph).

The Georgia Tech College of Engineering study sought to better understand the physics of how elephants use their trunks to move and manipulate air, water, food and other objects. They also sought to learn if the mechanics could inspire the creation of more efficient robots that use air motion to hold and move things. [Read more…] about How an elephant’s trunk manipulates air to eat and drink

Using waste heat to power an environmentally sustainable future

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In his most recent published research, appearing in Applied Thermal Engineering, City, University of London’s Dr Martin White explores a novel organic Rankine cycle system, based on a two-phase expansion through numerical simulations of the system.

His paper, Cycle and turbine optimisation for an ORC operating with two-phase expansion, considers the use of modern fluids whose properties could help to mitigate concerns around turbine damage, whilst allowing the benefits of two-phase expansion to be realised.

Waste heat from a range of industries, ranging from iron and steel to food and drink, is currently ejected into the environment. Thus, the recovery of this wasted energy could have a significant role in reducing the environmental footprint of the manufacturing sector and help to ensure future manufacturing practices are sustainable. [Read more…] about Using waste heat to power an environmentally sustainable future