High-temp bearings. Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed high-temperature bearings that will allow engines to run more efficiently. “The bearings we’ve created provide answers to a hurdle for both military and commercial aircraft engines,” said Alan Palazzolo, Texas A&M professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Vibration Control and Electromechanics Lab. “Other universities and companies have been trying to produce a system like this one for a long time.” With collaborators at the NASA Glenn Research Center and the University of Toledo, Palazzolo and his research team — Jason Preuss and Randy Tucker, master’s students in the mechanical engineering department, and Andrew Hunt, a senior civil engineering major — were honored with a 2003 R&D 100 Award for the new bearings. Dubbed “the Oscars of invention,” the awards annually showcase 100 of the best products and technologies from around the world. In current aircraft engines, the bearings that support the rotating parts of the engine can fail because of high temperatures. The newly developed magnetic bearings support rotating shafts via a magnetic (i.e. non-contact) force and a feedback control system, thereby eliminating the friction associated with conventional bearings. “Our main contribution is the electromagnetic coils in the bearings that can withstand high amounts of heat, allowing aircraft engines to run at optimal levels,” Hunt said. “It really all comes down to saving money.” Savings result from elimination of the lubrication system and other friction-related design issues. The bearings can operate at temperatures over 1000°F, far higher than the current maximum 400°F. In the six-year development of the bearings, the team has received funding from the United States Navy and the University of Texas at Austin, in addition to lab sponsorship from NASA. “The funding allows us to bring more students into the research,” Palazzolo said. “They provide creativity and persistence, and a lot of recognition should go to them. I’m mainly the coach.” Other applications include the turbines that power land-based machinery, such as steel mills and petrochemical plants, which operate better at higher temperatures. “There are also a lot of good commercial land-based uses for this technology,” Preuss said. “It has the potential to increase efficiency as well as reduce maintenance costs for many types of turbomachinery.”
Walking chair. The world’s first two-legged walking robot capable of carrying a human being, codenamed WL-16, took two years to develop in a joint project involving the Science and Engineering Department of Waseda University, Tokyo, and robot-maker tmsuk, based in the southern Japan city of Kita Kyushu. The battery-powered robot, basically an aluminum street cafe chair mounted on two sets of telescopic poles (which resemble the parallel kinematic systems being applied for purposes of industrial material handling) bolted to flat plate ‘feet,’ can move forwards, backwards
and sideways while carrying an adult weighing a maximum of 60 kilograms. WL-16’s normal walking stride measures 30 cm, although it can stretch its legs 1.36m apart. The robot can adjust its posture and walk smoothly even if the person it carries shifts in the chair. The prototype is currently radio-controlled, but the research team plans to equip it with a joy stick-like controller for the user. “I believe this biped robot will eventually enable (disabled) people to go up and down the stairs,” said Waseda professor Atsuo Takanishi. tmsuk chief executive officer Yoichi Takamoto said biped or multi-legged types of robots were more useful than caterpillar models over uneven ground. However, it would take “at least two years” to develop the prototype robot into a working model, Takamoto told a news conference. At present, it is only capable stepping up or down a few millimeters, but Takanishi’s team plans to make it capable of going up and down a normal flight of stairs.
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Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed high-temperature bearings that will allow engines to run more efficiently. “The bearings we’ve created provide answers to a hurdle for both military and commercial aircraft engines,” said Alan Palazzolo, Texas A&M professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Vibration Control and Electromechanics Lab. “Other universities and companies have been trying to produce a system like this one for a long time.” With collaborators at the NASA Glenn Research Center and the University of Toledo, Palazzolo and his research team — Jason Preuss and Randy Tucker, master’s students in the mechanical engineering department, and Andrew Hunt, a senior civil engineering major — were honored with a 2003 R&D 100 Award for the new bearings. Dubbed “the Oscars of invention,” the awards annually showcase 100 of the best products and technologies from around the world. In current aircraft engines, the bearings that support the rotating parts of the engine can fail because of high temperatures. The newly developed magnetic bearings support rotating shafts via a magnetic (i.e. non-contact) force and a feedback control system, thereby eliminating the friction associated with conventional bearings. “Our main contribution is the electromagnetic coils in the bearings that can withstand high amounts of heat, allowing aircraft engines to run at optimal levels,” Hunt said. “It really all comes down to saving money.” Savings result from elimination of the lubrication system and other friction-related design issues. The bearings can operate at temperatures over 1000°F, far higher than the current maximum 400°F. In the six-year development of the bearings, the team has received funding from the United States Navy and the University of Texas at Austin, in addition to lab sponsorship from NASA. “The funding allows us to bring more students into the research,” Palazzolo said. “They provide creativity and persistence, and a lot of recognition should go to them. I’m mainly the coach.” Other applications include the turbines that power land-based machinery, such as steel mills and petrochemical plants, which operate better at higher temperatures. “There are also a lot of good commercial land-based uses for this technology,” Preuss said. “It has the potential to increase efficiency as well as reduce maintenance costs for many types of turbomachinery.” 
The world’s first two-legged walking robot capable of carrying a human being, codenamed WL-16, took two years to develop in a joint project involving the Science and Engineering Department of Waseda University, Tokyo, and robot-maker tmsuk, based in the southern Japan city of Kita Kyushu. The battery-powered robot, basically an aluminum street cafe chair mounted on two sets of telescopic poles (which resemble the parallel kinematic systems being applied for purposes of industrial material handling) bolted to flat plate ‘feet,’ can move forwards, backwards
and sideways while carrying an adult weighing a maximum of 60 kilograms. WL-16’s normal walking stride measures 30 cm, although it can stretch its legs 1.36m apart. The robot can adjust its posture and walk smoothly even if the person it carries shifts in the chair. The prototype is currently radio-controlled, but the research team plans to equip it with a joy stick-like controller for the user. “I believe this biped robot will eventually enable (disabled) people to go up and down the stairs,” said Waseda professor Atsuo Takanishi. tmsuk chief executive officer Yoichi Takamoto said biped or multi-legged types of robots were more useful than caterpillar models over uneven ground. However, it would take “at least two years” to develop the prototype robot into a working model, Takamoto told a news conference. At present, it is only capable stepping up or down a few millimeters, but Takanishi’s team plans to make it capable of going up and down a normal flight of stairs.