Study describes passive cooling system that aims to help impoverished communities, reduce cooling and heating costs, lower CO2 emissions. Passive cooling, like the shade a tree provides, has been around forever. Recently, researchers have been exploring how to turbo charge a passive cooling technique — known as radiative or sky cooling — with sun-blocking, nanomaterials that emit heat away from building rooftops. While progress has been made, this eco-friendly technology isn’t commonplace because researchers have struggled to maximize the materials’…
KIT researchers develop printing process for inexpensive, three-dimensional thermoelectric generators Thermoelectric generators, TEGs for short, convert ambient heat into electrical power. They enable maintenance-free, environmentally friendly, and autonomous power supply of the continuously growing number of sensors and devices for the Internet of Things (IoT) and recovery of waste heat. Scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now developed three-dimensional component architectures based on novel, printable thermoelectric materials. This might be a milestone on the way towards use of…
Powerful X-rays watch solid state batteries charging and discharging Despite worldwide use of lithium batteries, the exact dynamics of their operation has remained elusive. X-rays have proven to be a powerful tool for peering inside of these batteries to see the changes that occur in real time. Using the ultrabright X-rays of the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility at the DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, a research team recently observed the…
Secure human-robot collaboration thanks to radar A breakthrough in collaborative robotics is within reach thanks to a joint project coordinated by Fraunhofer IAF. In the project “RoKoRa – Safe Human-Robot Collaboration using High-Resolution Radars”, researchers have succeeded in developing an innovative radar technology. It is an enabling technology for functional safety in various robot systems and applications, including high-performance robots. With the goal of safe human-robot collaboration (HRC), the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF and six partners…
Researchers develop low-cost artificial robotic skin with high-performance, vision-guided sensing, opening the doors to large-scale tactile sensing technology. Modern-day robots are often required to interact with humans intelligently and efficiently, which can be enabled by providing them the ability to perceive touch. However, previous attempts at mimicking human skin have involved bulky and complex electronics, wiring, and a risk of damage. In a recent study, researchers from Japan sidestep these difficulties by constructing a 3D vision-guided artificial skin that enables…
A new generation of thermomagnetic generators Alloy film thickness and footprint influence electrical power — publication in Joule. Use of waste heat contributes largely to sustainable energy supply. Scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Tohoku University in Japan have now come much closer to their goal of converting waste heat into electrical power at small temperature differences. As reported in Joule, electrical power per footprint of thermomagnetic generators based on Heusler alloy films has been increased by a…
Researchers at Chemnitz University of Technology develop Ultra-wideband technology for precise indoor navigation even in complex buildings to market maturity The technology for navigation outside buildings is widely established and available. Until now, however, it has been a major technical hurdle to seamlessly continue navigation from outside inside buildings. That’s because while we are guided from Point A to Point B by GPS satellites outside. GPS-like positioning technology doesn’t exist inside buildings – until now. A team of researchers at…
New or subsequently soaked concrete components, screeds and plasters may only be coated with other materials when they have dried sufficiently. Otherwise, there is a risk that the coatings may flake off. The duration of the drying process depends on the level of moisture and the temperature and humidity on site. Material moisture meters which measure with electrical methods make it possible to assess the progress of the drying process quickly and easily. In the event of moisture damage, such…
As the energy transition progresses, the expansion of the electricity grids is becoming increasingly important. More and more renewable generation plants as well as electrical storage systems are being connected to the grid. This gives power electronics a decisive role, because it is essential to connect these systems to the grid. However, in addition to the mere feed-in or feed-back of electrical energy, power electronics must also perform other grid-supporting tasks. In the “SiC-MSBat” project, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute…
A cascaded dual deformable phase plate wavefront modulator enables direct AO integration with existing microscopes–doubling the aberration correction range and greatly improving image quality. Microscopy is the workhorse of contemporary life science research, enabling morphological and chemical inspection of living tissue with ever-increasing spatial and temporal resolution. Even though modern microscopes are genuine marvels of engineering, minute deviations from ideal imaging conditions will still lead to optical aberrations that rapidly degrade imaging quality. A mismatch between the refractive indices of…
Scientists at the University of Southampton and University of Edinburgh have developed a flexible underwater robot that can propel itself through water in the same style as nature’s most efficient swimmer – the Aurelia aurita jellyfish. The findings, published in Science Robotics, demonstrate that the new underwater robot can swim as quickly and efficiently as the squid and jellyfish which inspired its design, potentially unlocking new possibilities for underwater exploration with its lightweight design and soft exterior. Co-author Dr Francesco…
A project at Landshut University of Applied Sciences is developing a control system for electricity storage in order to reduce power grid losses and support the energy transition. In the course of the necessary energy transition, it is important for the use of renewable sources of energy to be increased. The huge increase in the number of photovoltaic systems, however, means that existing power lines are now reaching their limits, as peak loads are overloading the power grid. That means:…
Robotics researchers at the University of Zurich show how onboard cameras can be used to keep damaged quadcopters in the air and flying stably – even without GPS. As anxious passengers are often reassured, commercial aircrafts can easily continue to fly even if one of the engines stops working. But for drones with four propellers – also known as quadcopters – the failure of one motor is a bigger problem. With only three rotors working, the drone loses stability and…
Max Planck scientists publish their findings in the journals Nature Communications and Nano Energy How to increase the efficiency of solar cells and thus pave the way for a higher usage of green energy in industry? Dr. Torsten Schwarz, senior researcher in the group “Nanoanalytics and Interfaces” at the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, analysed how surface treatments of chalcogenide semiconductors influence their defect concentrations and thus their performance and which adjustments during the manufacturing of solar cells are needed to achieve…
Researchers in the Oregon State University College of Engineering have developed a battery anode based on a new nanostructured alloy that could revolutionize the way energy storage devices are designed and manufactured. The zinc- and manganese-based alloy further opens the door to replacing solvents commonly used in battery electrolytes with something much safer and inexpensive, as well as abundant: seawater. Findings were published today in Nature Communications. “The world’s energy needs are increasing, but the development of next-generation electrochemical energy…
In an additive manufacturing process, miniature loudspeakers can be produced efficiently and cost-effectively as part of piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems – so-called piezo-MEMS – using a combination of inkjet printing and laser technology. This has been demonstrated by scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, the Institute for Materials in Electrical Engineering 2 (IWE2) at RWTH Aachen University and the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology ISIT. The partners manufactured a corresponding demo component as part of the recently completed…
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