Wind Turbines & Automobile Engines To Benefit From Cheaper Magnetic Alloy

Currently, the high performance permanent magnets that are used in wind turbines as well as automobile engines make use of a rare earth element called 'Dysprosium' which is really costly and not available in abundance. As an alternative to this traditionally used material, a team of researchers from AMES Lab (U.S. Department) involving Karl A. Gschneidner (from Materials Sciences and Engineering), Arjun Pathak and Mahmud Khan among others, have given birth to a new magnetic alloy that used 'Cerium' which is a plentifully available rare earth material. The new alloy made up of iron, neodymium and boron co-doped with cerium and cobalt is 20-40% cheaper than the one containing dysprosium. Scientists at AMES laboratory believe that the new alloy holds potential for given serious competition to the sintered magnets that have been used for so many years. 

The new alloy (which replaces dysprosium by cerium) has the ability to resist demagnetisation at high temperatures. Their experiments showed that the material performed better than any other material at temperatures more than 150° C. This means the alloy can be used as a permanent magnent in high-temperature applications with ease. 

Image: Researcher Arjun Pathak arc melts material in preparation
for producing a new type of magnet.​

This is definitely not the first attempt to find a substitute for the permanent magnet used in our car's engines. Most experiments where cerium was used would fail because the alloy would lose its permanent magnet properties above a certain temperature. Therefore, when the AMES Lab team used co-doping with cobalt, they not only retained the properties, but also performed better.

Manufacturers currently rely heavily on dysprosium and the demand for the scarcely found material is too high in comparison to the pace of its recycling and mining. Therefore, finding an alternative alloy would be a great boon for our automobile industries.

What are your thoughts about the new research work? Share with us in comments below.

TATA Nano GenX Easy Shift [Pictures] Getting Ready For May 2015 Launch

A lot of buzz got around as TATA initiated a campaign called # WeTheNanoGen as it was prepping to take the wraps off the latest variant of its people's car, now called, GenX TATA Nano. Though the car is set to be launched in May 2015 (2nd May being a probable date), the company has revealed its images via their social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter. The new facelift version of Nano is called the 2015 GenX Nano Easy Shift and it is slated to feature (AMT) Automated Manual Transmission. In the first version of Tata Nano, many consumers had lodged serious complaints against the car. However, in subsequent versions (Nano CNG eMax and Nano Twist XT) the company did its best to feature improvements. With Nano GenX Easy Shift, the company hopes to remove all setbacks and is leading people to have high expectations from the small car. 

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It goes without saying that the Nano GenX will be the most affordable car in India featuring automatic transmission given the track record of the company sticking to its 'cheapest' label. The major highlights to look forward to are the cosmetic changes to the car and some modifications in specs. For instance, as you can see from the image below, the car comes with the bright Sangria red colour, ear-to-ear wide bumpers and a functional tail gate (a feature that's a relief because riders no more have to fold the backrest to load/remove the luggage, even though there's no mention of increase in boot space). We hear that 110 litres of luggage space has been promised.

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Speculations suggest that the GenX Tata Nano variants will be XE, XM, XT (Manual) and XE, XT (Automatic). The Nano variants are said to offer a mileage of 21.9 kmpl and a significantly increased fuel tank capacity of 24 litres.

Some reports reveal that the Nano GenX AMT will get the same 624 cc MPFI petrol engine that delivers power of 37.5 bhp and a max torque of 51 Nm. Talks about the arrival of a 'creep function' are also making rounds. This function is said to be really helpful for those commuting daily in heavy traffic as it makes the vehicle crawl after releasing the brakes without the use of the accelerator. 

The company has started taking booking for the next generation Tata Nano with a down payment of Rs. 5,000. The company has also introduced a scheme for existing Nano owners. Called 'Power of 1+1', this campaign lets you get the best exchange price for their cars in addition to a special loyalty bonus of Rs. 20,000. So as to increase it sales, Tata has also made tie up various financial institutions that will offer the best interest rates for those taking car loans.

That's all we know about the GenX Nano so far. We've heard that in addition to the bright red seen in the picture, the car will also be offered in white, gold, blue, purple, silver and red color options. We will update the topic to add more details as the launch becomes official. Till then, let us know your thoughts about the new Nano in comments below.

New 4D Printing Tech Will Leave You In Awe As It Uses 'Time' As 4th Dimension

As the world still remains spellbound about the exciting new applications in the world of 3D Printing, here's an awesome innovation from University of Wollongong & ACES researchers that has potential to stir a great revolution in the field of additive manufacturing. Called '4D Printing', the new research work talks about using external stimuli such as water or heat for changing the shape of a 3D printed object after it's completely produced. Since the shift in shape is done post production, the team uses 'time' as the 4th dimension in the new technology now called 4D printing. The new tech holds key to take 3D printing to an awesome new level where the possibilities in applications are limitless (be it construction or robotics, medicine or automation).

The Wollongong & ACES researchers want you to imaging a 3D printed structure that is built layer by layer, with the only modification that the materials are able to transform themselves from one shape into another. With the ability to change shape or even the function of the object on-demand and over a set period of time, 4D printing technology is extending the potential of 3D printing. By combining smart actuating and sensing materials with additive manufacturing techniques, the team has been able to successfully develop a versatile yet convenient method to manufacture custom-designed sensors. They have created a 4D printed smart valve that actuates in response to its surrounding water’s temperature. 

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Tapping into the field of soft robotics, the team developed a 'smart valve' by 4D printing of hydrogels that are mechanically robust and thermally actuating. The valve operates autonomously in that it closes itself when in contact with hot water. The printed hydrogels are made up of an interpenetrating network of alginate and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide). The most interesting thing about this tech is that the fully functioning device is ready to be used right from the top of the 4D printer, meaning that no separate assembly is needed. 

The existing 4D printed objects use water absorption or thermal shape memory to demonstrate impressive change in shape. However, they are slow to respond and show limited reversibility. The ACES and Wollongong University researchers have built a relatively faster & reversible skeletal muscle-like linear actuation & incorporated it in a smart valve. We are only looking forward to what the future holds as additive manufacturing takes new twists and turns.

What are your thoughts on 3D and 4D printing? Share with us in comments below.

Gecko inspired tiny robots move stuff 100x their weight

Engineers at the Stanford University in California have designed tiny robots that can move stuff about 100x their own weight. These new tiny, yet super-powered robots will be showcased at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Seattle (ICRA 2015). Robotics engineers deriving inspiration from nature is not very new. At CrazyEngineers, we've been following such machines curiously for a long time now. Considering the smaller form factor of these nano-bots, their weight-lifting capability is simply mind blowing!

The key element adopted by the creators in designing and developing these robots is the adhesives on the contact areas. Inspired by geckos, the engineers covered the adhesives with tiny rubber spikes to create exceptional grip on the surface. Under pressure, the spikes bend and thus the contact surface area grows which results into added stickiness. When the robot wants to move legs, the rubber spikes straighten out and can detach from the surface without much effort. 

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The video below shows these tiny bots in action. You'll quickly relate their movement with that of insects. While a set of legs moves forward, the other ones firmly stay in place to support the load. All the sophisticated computer algorithms ensure that the movement of the legs is in perfect synch to avoid fall. All this super-cool engineering leads to exceptional power capabilities in these robots. A tiny robot weighing just under 10 grams can move 1Kg load. The most impressive among these robots is the one named μTug. It weights just about 12 grams but can drag weight that is close to 2000x heavier. Just for the sake of analogy - imagine yourself dragging a blue whale.

Skype for India App: Engineered for Indian 2G/3G Networks

Microsoft owned Skype Corporation is designing a new version of their Internet telephony cum video-calling software specifically for Indian 2G and 3G networks. Microsoft recently had a team of specialists study the current state of Skype adoption in India and found out that the rival messengers like Viber were providing much better services that work on relatively slower 2G / 3G networks in India. The company decided to develop a special version of Skype app for India that will address issues that exist because of slower networks.

While no information was provided on the ETA for the app, it's expected that Skype will launch the app in the next 2-4 months. The app is likely to be very lightweight and consume very limited resources on the client devices viz. budget phones powered by Windows operating system. Microsoft is likely to target wider adoption of the app through their Nokia Asha and Lumia cellphone models. We do not have information whether Microsoft will target Android and iOS platforms as well for the new app.

With number of Internet users likely to be world's second largest by 2016, second to China, it's no wonder that India is an important target group for Microsoft's Skype. The competition among the internet telephony services providers in India is huge with established players like Skype and the market disruptors like WhatsApp that recently launched voice calling services.

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Microsoft officials informed IndianExpress that in future majority of CPU / GPU processing is likely to happen in the cloud and not on the client's device. This will allow for the lower-end devices to run complex applications and even play graphics intensive games. Microsoft is reportedly working on integrating their latest technology called HoloLens with Skype which will allow the users to actually see people they are calling in real time.

Skype is also working with the Government of India to solve the issues related to cyber security. There is an ongoing debate over the net neutrality which is going to affect the way Skype and other services are provided in India. Do let us know your thoughts about the new lightweight Skype for India.

Making Transparent Bullet-Proof Glass Out Of Clay: A U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Innovation

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has refined the process of making a special ceramic material called as Spinel that can serve as an alternative to conventional bullet-proof glass. Dr. Jas Sanghera who heads the team at the NRL says that spinel is actually a mineral called as magnesium aluminate. He also claims that the material is tougher, stronger and harder than glass and with the new manufacturing process that they invented the material can be moulded into any shape. This means they can be used, not just for military applications like armour but also for protecting consumer durables like camera lenses and smartphone displays. Conventional bullet-proof glass is made by pressing alternating layers of glass and plastic sheeting together and this prevents infrared wavelength of light. This means they cannot be used to protect a drone’s lens that has night-vision capabilities. The spinel however allows infrared light to pass through it, making it an excellent protection for UAV cameras. The team also says it can be fitted to the high-power military lasers that are used to obliterate missiles.

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The team at NRL took ten years to develop a process called as sintering to make Spinel. Old methods for manufacturing spinel dictated that you had to melt the raw material, ceramic at temperatures of 2000 degrees centigrade. This was an expensive and energy hungry method and the NRL wanted to change that. The spinel made by the NRL is a polycrystalline material that is formed by pressing different types of crystal materials together. Sintering is the process of making spinel with the help of a hot press. The team put in the ceramic powder in a hot press under vacuum. The powder gets squashed together and the entrapped air is removed and the result is a clear glass-like material. To prevent cloudiness in the glass, the team added lithium fluoride which lubricates the powder particles to reduce friction and prevent the powder from moving around. If you want to improve the optics of the spinel, all you have to do is polish and grind the spinel just like you do with gems.

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Dr. Sanghera says that the process is scalable and depending on the mould of the press you can make glass of any shape and size. The NRL is planning to license the manufacturing process not just to the Department of Defence but also to commercial manufactures.

Lenovo A5000 Features Android Kitkat | Quad Core | 4000 mAh Battery

Lenovo has been on fire ever since the launch of its spectacular A6000 smartphone whose sales began in January this year exclusively via Flipkart. The company has silently unveiled yet another A-Series phone in India with Lenovo A5000 that is reportedly priced at Rs. 10,250. The news about the phone came to light when Mahesh Telecom posted an image on Facebook along with the the phone's complete features list. It has only been a day after A5000 was officially launched in Russia for $227 (~Rs. 14,300) price tag. There's no official word from Lenovo India as of now, however since we've got our hands on the specifications, let's see if they fit its pricing.

Coming with a 5 inch IPS capacitive touchscreen (with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution), more than 300 dpi and 16 Million colors, the Lenovo A5000 has a 1.3 GHz Quad Core [MediaTek MT6582] processor as its engine. Special nano coating makes the screen A5000 resistant to liquid splashes. At dimensions: 71.4 x 9.98 x 140 mm, the phone weighs about 160g which isn't very light weight. Powered by Android 4.4 KitKat operating system, the phone packs 1 GB RAM, internal memory: 8 GB with MicroSD support up to 32GB.

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The biggest USP of the phone is its 4000 mAh (Li-Polymer) fast charging, non-removable battery which is said to deliver a talk time of up to 17 hours on 3G and up to 33 days on standby. The rear 8 megapixels with autofocus and LED flash looks alright and a 2 megapixel snapper on the front comes with fixed focal length lenses

Launched in two color options - Black & White, the phone supports two SIM card slots (Micro + Mini). On the network and connectivity front, the Lenovo A5000 offers GPRS, EDGE, HSPA + data, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n, 2G & 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/A-GPS and Radio.

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What are your thoughts about the new Android phone in India? Share with us your opinions about the Lenovo A6000 via comments below.