As a result of this software update, there would be significant improvement in the use of this wearable computer. For example, battery charge estimation of the device has been improved and the speed of message transcription hugely enhanced. There would also be bug fixes, and the device’s data syncing in the background would require Wi-Fi connection and power. Glass X lab has also made modifications on the device that allows users to comment and add posts directly through the Glass. The explorer edition of Google Glass can not be used by people who wear prescription glasses, but continued research will eventually develop Google Glass for this category of people.

He has a pending patent that is simple but quite effective in the role that it can play. He explicitly explained that his inspiration came by the frustration he felt during winter when wipers freeze onto the car windshield. This is common phenomenon that New Englanders understand better. ‘This is the reason why a good number of people do flip their wipers the moment snow is forecast’, He explained. However, he was quick to add that this was a recipe for vandalism, and it was not the best solution to counter the issue. It was for this particular reason that he decided to find a long-lasting solution for this recurring problem.

Daniel Perlman is credited for developing an obstructive solution; a spring-loaded peg that will automatically retract when wipers are turned on. What the peg does is that it raises wipers an inch or two off the wind shield surface. This is a space good enough to avoid windshield freezing to the car glass.

The advantage of this method is that the peg doesn’t affect wiper operations in any way. When the driver exits the car he needs to manually flip down the wipers when snow is forecast. However, with only a flip of the wiper switch the blades are reset to their intended position to counter freezing. Perlman who is a Brandeis researcher is scouting for a company that will be able to license this technology and also commercialize it. He lightly commented on the issue saying that; although he is not the only one frustrated during the winters, he was the only person trying to find a way to fix the problem.

Photo source: www.carzoos.com.au/Used_Cars

Ethanol – the pure alchocol has many uses. Besides being an alhocolic beverage it is widely used as fuel. It mostly has good effects on engine performance but not so good on exhaust emission.

Basics:

Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. A psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs known, ethanol produces a state known as alcohol intoxication when consumed. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a solvent, and as a fuel. [1]

The Ethanol Effect refers to the unintended consequences of United States’ reliance on the biofuel ethanol as a substitute for fossil fuels and as a quick-fix solution for America’s reliance on foreign oil in a post 9/11 world. The term was first coined, according to American Public Media’s Marketplace Radio, by a University of Iowa study in 2007.[1]
Ethanol champions declare corn as the “new oil” and that it will forever end our dependence on the unstable OPEC nations. Sustainability advocates say that new and advanced methods of growing crops, that weren’t present 20 years ago, will more than cover the world’s food and fuel needs. [2]

Performance tests were conducted for equivalence air–fuel ratio, fuel consumption, volumetric efficiency, brake thermal efficiency, brake power, engine torque and brake specific fuel consumption, while exhaust emissions were analyzed for carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and unburned hydrocarbons (HC), using unleaded gasoline–ethanol blends with different percentages of fuel at three-fourth throttle opening position and variable engine speed ranging from 1000 to 4000 rpm. The results showed that blending unleaded gasoline with ethanol increases the brake power, torque, volumetric and brake thermal efficiencies and fuel consumption, while it decreases the brake specific fuel consumption and equivalence air–fuel ratio. The CO and HC emissions concentrations in the engine exhaust decrease, while the CO2 concentration increases. The 20 vol.% ethanol in fuel blend gave the best results for all measured parameters at all engine speeds. [3]

This study was focused on fuel energy efficiency and pollution analysis of different ratios of ethanol-gasoline blended fuels (E0, E3, E6, and E9) under different loadings. In this research, the experimental system consisted of a small engine generator, a particulate matter measurement system, and an exhaust gas analyzer system. Different fuels, unleaded gasoline, and ethanol-gasoline blends (E0, E3, E6, and E9) were used to study their effects on the exhaust gas emission and were expressed as thermal efficiency of the small engine generator energy efficiency. The results suggested that particle number concentration increased as the engine loading increased; however, it decreased as the ethanol content in the blend increased. While using E6 as fuel, the carbon monoxide (CO) concentration was less than other fuels (E0, E3, and E9) for each engine loading. The average of CO concentration reduction by using E3, E6, and E9 is 42, 86, and 83%, respectively. Using an ethanol-gasoline blend led to a significant reduction in exhaust emissions by approximately 78.7, 97.5, and 89.46% of the mean average values of hydrocarbons (HCs) with E3, E6, and E9 fuels, respectively, for all engine loadings. Using an ethanol-gasoline blend led to a significant reduction in exhaust emissions by approximately 35, 86, and 77% of the mean average values of nitrogen oxides (NOx) with E3, E6, and E9 fuels, respectively, at each engine loading. The E6 fuel gave the best results of the exhaust emissions, and the E9 fuel gave the best results of the particle emissions and engine performance. The thermal efficiency of the small engine generator increased as the ethanol content in the blend increased and as the engine loading increased. [4]

Use of Gasoline as an alternative fuel in Gasoline engine is becoming a need, looking at the scarcity of petroleum fuels in near future. This paper investigates the use of mathematical model to find effects of using gasoline and ethanol blends on SI engine performance at various compression ratios. This is done by first making a mathematical model of the engine and testing it for various operating conditions. The aim of this paper is to develop a simple, fast and accurate engine simulation model without the need of complex computational power or knowledge of precise engine geometrical data. The effectiveness of this model is verified by conducting trials on the engine. A four stroke, single cylinder, Kirloskar made Variable Compression Ratio SI engine is used for conducting this study. In this study the effects of adding ethanol to the unleaded gasoline on engine performance have been investigated numerically. The ethanol gasoline blends have been obtained by adding ethanol to a gasoline in different ratios by volume. Several parameters like BP, IP, Break Thermal Efficiency, Indicated Thermal Efficiency Mechanical Efficiency, BSFC, were calculated. The performance of the engine was evaluated with gasoline and with the said fuels at varying speeds and different compression ratios. After running this mathematical model, it was observed that this model gives fairly close results and can be used to evaluate the performance of the engine for various speed, compression ratios and different combinations of gasoline- ethanol fuel blends. Errors were also calculated and it was observed that these errors are in the range of -0.12 % to 7.63% for BSFC & BP respectively. [5]

In this study, the effect of unleaded gasoline and unleaded gasoline lended with 5% and 10% of ethanol or methanol on the performance and exhaust emissions of a spark-ignition engine were experimentally nvestigated. The engine tests were performed by varying the engine peed between 1000 and 4000 rpm with 500 rpm period at threefourth throttle opening position. The results showed that brakespecific fuel consumption increased while brake thermal efficiency, emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HCs) decreased with methanol-unleaded gasoline and ethanol-unleaded gasoline blends. It was found that a 10% blend of ethanol or methanol with unleaded gasoline works well in the existing design of engine and parameters at which engines are operating. [6]

Conclusion:

Many researches have been conducted on effects of blending unleaded gasoline with ethanol and it has been proven that it increases torque, the brake power,fuel consumption , volumetric and brake thermal efficiencies , however it decreases the fuel consumption specific for brake and equivalence air–fuel ratio. Unfortunately the CO2 concentration increases.

References:

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_effect
[3] ”Effect of ethanol–unleaded gasoline blends on engine performance and exhaust emission” by: M Al-Hasan
[4] ”Effect of ethanol-gasoline blends on small engine generator energy efficiency and exhaust emission” by: Lin WY, Chang YY, Hsieh YR.
[5] ”Mathematical Modeling of Variable Compression Ratio Engine Operating on Gasoline Ethanol Blend” by: Prafulla HatteY., J. Bhalerao
[6] ”Exhaust emissions of methanol and ethanol-unleaded gasoline blends in a spark-ignition engine” by: Şehmus Altun, Hakan F. Öztop, Cengiz Öner, Yasin Varol

While the technology in the study might be new, the relationship between visual stimulation and facial expression imitation is something that has long been recognized. This knowledge has served as a secret weapon for many tricksters, sales people and others, who use the chameleon effect to get what they want from others. The fact is that the ability to mimic other’s expressions is an important part of social growth.

The real question is about what happens when humans are not given any visual feedback. How can they learn to imitate others accurately?

To find the answer to this question, Richard Cook of City University London, Cecilia Heyes of the University of Oxford and Alan Johnson of University College London performed research into the cause. Their approach was an attempt to seek out the mechanisms that might be underlying human imitation abilities. There were two studies that guided their research which can be found in Psychological Science, one of the journals for the Association for Psychological Science.

For the first experiment, a special computer program was used that could evaluate the accuracy of facial expression imitations. Videos were made of participants wherein they were told to imitate four facial expressions that had been chosen at random. In the videos, the participants recited jokes as they imitated the expressions. Practicing making the faces until they felt that they were accurate representations of the expressions they had been told to imitate, the participants recorded their attempts with a simple mouse click.

The new technology of the computer program used in the study allowed for greater measurement of accuracy as opposed to older studies where the assessments could only be made subjectively. It was even shown in one study that participants were able to improve their imitations thanks to visual feedback they received from the computer. However, participants that did not have access to this feedback, but could only sense the position of their facial features relative to the images did not improve their imitations but continued to get worse.

The findings of these studies further confirms the associative sequence-learning model. This model states that the human capacity to accurately imitate relies heavily on the relationships learned between what they see, the visual input, and what they feel. It has therefore been concluded by the researchers that the effectiveness of rehabilitation and skill-training programs which focus on improving facial imitation ability, can be greatly enhanced through the addition of visual feedback.

The conclusion is that humans can improve their ability to imitate the facial expressions of others when they have visual feedback. Without this, they can have a hard time imitating with any degree of accuracy and may even worsen in their ability over time. Programs such as the one used in this study can improve the accuracy of facial expression imitation.

GravityLight is designed in a very simple way and is very inexpensive hence affordable to many people. It has a cable hand that is attached from a gear mechanism and it holds a plastic bag that is filled with rock to give it more weight hence more gravity pull. Under the normal gravitational forces, the energy is created when the bag is pulled down by gravity and is usually enough to power LED bulb for up to thirty minutes. The creation of this lamp have been posted on the fund sourcing site by Riddiford and Reeves and pledges have been doubled their goal of $55,000. They also noted on their official pages that a billion and half people all over the world have no access or they can’t afford electricity today.

During the dark hours, their main source of light comes from burning peat, wood and other biomass materials and kerosene being the most popular and the most used. Riddiford and Reeves also noted that there has been estimates from the World Bank that three quarters of a billion people mostly women and children are affected by regular inhale of kerosene smoke which may be equivalent to at least smoking 2 packets of cigarette each day. This usually leads to high rates of lung cancer, on the other hand millions of people who use the same source of energy are burned every year when lamps are accidentally upended forcing them to catch up fire hence causing explosions.

People also encounter problems of a lot of carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere and have been approximated to 244 million tones of this dangerous air in one year. As a way of finding the solution to the problem, Riddiford and Reeves have spent four years looking for solution and building lighting options and luckily enough they have settled on their creation of GravityLight. This lamp is unique and has no cells or batteries and is also made to produce energy that last for longer, the lamp also has free weight that allows portability at any position or anywhere and has no other recurring costs. Using this advanced lamp is very beneficial since people will be able to save the money they usually use for kerosene and they will be able to change their lifestyles. At the moment the cost of these GravityLight is only $10 and is expected to drop to $5 in order to reach more people and have quality lives with healthy families.

The system is equipped with a camera and laser rangefinder to spot obstacles. An algorithm identifies safe zones and computes the location of obstacles. MIT believes that the system will be easier and cheaper to implement, as it is simpler than Google’s driverless car fleet that is based on a set of programs and sensors.

These developments are part of an ongoing process by research groups and automakers to bring better intelligence into the vehicle cabin. These systems of different levels of complexity have seen varied results. General Motors is currently building a system that detect other cars in crowded highways and auto applies the brakes. Volkswagen is coming up with a temporary autopilot system that takes over the control of the car in certain circumstances. Europe’s road-train program allows cars to follow each other by connecting them wirelessly.

These systems perform specific tasks based on preset instructions. The MIT system attempts to go beyond this. Instead of programmed rules or robotic instructions, this response system seeks to make a car operate like a human. The system has been test run 1200 times by MIT research scientist Karl Lagnemma and student Sterling Anderson. It has performed well for most part, with a few collisions on account of the quirky hardware configuration.

As Anderson puts it, the system works in line with human thought processes and takes decisions based on certain factors. A human driver on a lane typically identifies the region he/she can use and a safe zone within this region. The driver tries to avoid collisions and stay safe, without bothering to stick to a specific line of traffic. The system divides the entire traffic area into triangles which define safe and unsafe areas. The driver has the control of the car in safe zones and makes the driving choices. The system takes over control where the triangles identify obstacles and keeps the car in safe zones.

In the tests conducted so far, drivers use remote control to steer a utility vehicle through the obstacle course and monitor through the car’s field view through computers. The system works best for those who trust it. According to Anderson, when the system is installed in regular vehicles, drivers will barely notice it. It will work discreetly in the background and help them safely maneuver the road. This may prove detrimental to drivers – new and experienced, as it diminishes their ability to learn from mistakes and makes them dependent on automated systems. Training humans to become better drivers before working with robotic help is equally important.

In San Francisco, a company named Leap Motion ventured in work that resulted in a re-invention of reciprocal action between computers and humans. The Leap is the name given to the device that was made. The device is three inches in length and captures movements thus enabling users to have control over computers and to skillfully manage objects displaying on computer screens by use of simple finger waves.

The Leap is usually in connection to any computer operated on Windows or Mac OS X. The device makes use of infrared LED technology and sensors that have a camera of 1.3-megapixel capability. This device can continuously check motion in a field of 8 cubic metres. The device software operates usual-practice algorithms to change in to different form what it captures into the user hand’s 3-D map. There is very little limitation of what magnitude the device can see as it can detect movements as minute as of a hundredth of a millimeter magnitude. The one special thing about the Leap device is that it is more precise to the point of 0.01 mm. The hand waves therefore do not need to be waved around in big gesturing arcs as very simple movements like a small gesture by the tip of the figure will be tracked.Manufacturers of laptops and tablets can comfortably integrate the Leap device into existing systems on these devices since the Leap is very small in size.

Moreover, the Leap device will be able to phase out existing technologies in onscreen navigations .Plans are underway for Leap manufacturer to hand out the initial round of the devices to developers of Softwares of different specializations. These will include: Graphic designers and games designers among others. Thereafter, the Leap manufacture will launch a set-apart application store. Some software developers have so far placed suggestions for applications for managing orchestras, translation of sign language into text messages and sculpting virtual clay.

The survey carried in June that showed most American automobile buyers was not a wind noise or inadequate acceleration. Drivers today expect vehicles to be advancing in technology, and the automakers are making their driving experience together with it. At the moment the companies have problem of keeping up with the advances. As the apple company comes up with new model of iphone the General Motors also needs to finalize hardware and software in time before their cars reach their market. The automakers will soon emulate the software engineers who write the Smartphone application as they improve their cars. Now you can be able to connect you smart phone using the USB-cable to your car dash board, load your contacts and music. According to engineer David bloom of the BMW group, he considers a Smartphone as free powerful computer customer is bring to the car which will revolutionize you cockpit from navigation screen, gauges and voice commands just as Smartphone this days.

Engineers began to think a way automobiles can communicate with the drivers this is to prevent digital technology from becoming a distraction, for example, Early this year Audi exhibited a system that conveys data about the terrain that could be used in cars. The Cadillac XTS sedan 2013 model sends data to their drivers using tactile feedback from the seat to warn the drivers of dangers. Like movement through blind spots. The Carnegie Mellon University designed a steering wheel that only uses vibration to transmit instructions. As the car reaches turning point, the frequency of 20 tiny buzz increases in clockwise or counterclockwise pattern, thus drivers know which way to turn to.

THE CARBON FIBER

With only two third weight of steel yet 5 times stronger the CFRP is the choice material in making of the racecars. However it is uneconomical for passenger vehicle because of its time consuming and labor intensive manufacturing process. BMW will start selling i3 electric car the following year made with carbon fiber chassis. The four-seat weighs 50% less that of a steel structure. BMW joint enterprise has invested around 100 million dollars in Washington State factory that manufactures carbon fiber bundles of 50,000 carbon fiber filaments. The i3 carbon fiber chassis saves enough weight that offset the mass of the car’s lithium-ion battery pack. The car reaches 100 miles of driving range using smaller, cheap battery than their competitors. The automaker plan is to begin building 1 million or more carbon fiber structural parts yearly by the following year. According to the M.D. BMW Washington Mr. Joerg Pohlman the carbon fiber still costs more than aluminum but BMW can cut the costs to par with aluminum once it starts building cars large quantity. This could make car faster, efficient and more crash resistant.

BEAUTY OF ULTRA-CAPACITORS

Acceleration an electric car reduces the driving cars battery miles but smooth and slow drive the range of drive increases thus perfect battery predictability range. However pairing the batteries with ultra capacitors you could fix that. Ultra-capacitors store charges in electromagnetic field between the two electrodes coated in a porous active carbon allowing them to capture more electricity as fast as an outlet can discharge. This is translated to fast recharge and powerful acceleration.

Today the best ultra-capacitors hold only about 5% as much energy compared to a sized lithium-ion battery this is not enough to power an electric car but it surely helps. A professor in department of electrical engineering at MIT, researching on ways to use nano-tubes to improve ultra-capacitors, says hybrid is the best solution where battery is advanced to store the total energy, while the ultra-capacitor takes care of the peak power demands during acceleration. This could solve the problem of long recharging time of empty electric vehicle to less than 30 minutes. The Ultra-capacitors captures full charge in matter of minutes, enabling faster charging of empty batteries.

AUTONOMOUS CARS

Today highly advanced cars correct you when you steer out of lane, brake automatically preventing knocking other vehicle and also determine when you are almost falling asleep. For this network of autonomous cars to work, vehicles must communicate with each other. In May the European Union members funded project called SARTRE that dispatched a trail consisting of tractor trailer being followed by 3 Volvo vehicles on a highway in Spain. The vehicles were separated by 20 feet, all traveling at 50 miles an hour with only one driver driving the This is the 1st real world test of trail of cars autonomous that followed human operated lead vehicle. This trailer of vehicles can be passenger cars on long journey. Thus if the wind resistance is dealt with, this convoys could reduce fuel consumption and reduce tail-pipe emissions by 20% .This in turn can make road trips more pleasant.

THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION

Car manufacturers are including turbocharger and computer controlled direct injection to engines since fuel economy standard is set to increase to 54.5 mpg by year 2025. For example, 2012 BMW 328i runs on turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces more torque compared to the six-cylinder when replaced. However, turbochargers and direct injection can not do much thus engineers have to think of internal combustion. Scuderi Group in Massachusetts is testing engines that devote separate pistons to compression and power strokes, hence sets motion in series of changes that improves mileage by 50%. The EcoMotors Michigan based firm is perfecting an opposed cycle engine that allows a pair of pistons moving horizontally to share combustion chamber. This added efficiency can push compact car to 100 mpg.

Biodiesel is an organic fuel which is very similar in properties to normal diesel. It consists of methyl or ethyl esters, depending on whether methanol or ethanol is used in the production process. Biodiesel can be made from plant oils including straight vegetable oil or used/waste vegetable oil (UVO/WVO) and even animal fats or tallow.  Biodiesels are helpful in the reduction of emissions from diesel-fed engines.

Generally, Biodiesels are used in standard diesel engines. Although they come from natural sources, they are distinct from vegetable oils or waste oils, which are commonly used in fuel converted engines. Biodiesels are pure; however, they can be used alone, or they can be blended with a petrodiesel.

Biodiesels have a great lubricating property. It has also higher cetane rating than most low-sulfur diesel fuels. The calorific values of biodiesels are lower than regular petodiesels. The calorific value of Biodiesel range at about 37.27 Mj/kg. Biodiesels also have varying color. They can be found between golden brown and dark-brown color, depending on feedstock production. Biodisels are also immiscible in normal water and has a high boiling point with a lower vapor pressure. Biodiesels also have low or almost zero sulfur content.

Earlier, it was mentioned that biodiesels are produced by the reaction of lipids with fatty esters. Biodiesels generally are produced by transesterification of natural oil. Several methods can be used to carry out the transesterification of natural oils. These methods include batch process, ultrasonic methods, supercritical processes, and microwave methods.

Another by-product of transesterificaion process is glycerol. Glycerol was once valuable in the global market, however, the massive production of biodiesel lead to the crash of this by-product on the global market.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Renewable_energy/Selected_picture