This week we investigate an artificial skin that will allow robots to feel and learn from pain. We also look at a new method for eliminating chronic back pain in humans and we discover a few sources of energy in the ocean that we may be able to harvest. Finally we look at a new approach to Hydrofoils that may save up to 80% of the fuel required for ocean journeys.
Artificial Skin that can feel pain
Last week we examined an artificial muscle that may allow greater interaction between humans and robots in operating environments. Researchers at the University of Glasgow have developed an electronic skin that learn from “feeling” pain. This may allow us to develop a generation of smart robots with human like sensitivity thus further improving the ability for robots to operate in conjunction with humans.
Engineers from the University of Glasgow developed the artificial skin with a new type of processing system based upon “synaptic transistors”. These transistors mimic the brain’s neural pathways in order to learn. A robot hand with smart skin shows the ability to learn to react to external stimuli.
When human skin receives an input, the peripheral nervous systems begin processing the signal at the point of contact. Only vital information is sent to the brain. This reduction in information transmission allows more efficient use of the communication channels to the brain. The brain can then respond immediately for the body to react.
To build a similar system the team printed a grid of 168 synaptic transistors made from zinc-oxide nano wires directly onto a flexible plastic surface. They connected the synaptic transistor with the skin sensor’s present on the palm of a fully-articulated, human shaped robot hand.
When the sensor is touched, it registers a change in electrical resistance. The harder the touch the higher the resistance. This mimics the way our sensory neurons work. The varying output of the sensors was used to teach the robot hand to react. The robot learnt that a sharp jab hurt and this would cause the robot to recoil their hand.
This research may lead to the development of robots that are capable of exploring and interacting with the world. It may also lead to the development of prosthetic limbs which are capable of near human levels of touch sensitivity.
Eliminating Chronic Pain
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have used a new gene therapy to reduce neuropathic pain resulting from spinal cord or nerve injuries in mice with no detectable side effects.
Currently we treat nerve damage or dysfunction with drugs which have lead to significant addiction and other issues with patients. Researchers have now found the origin of neuropathic pain. This allows new types of treatments for pain blocking.
Any treatment must not cause unwanted side effects such as muscle weakness, sedation or development of a tolerance for the treatment. The goal is to develop a single treatment that will have long lasting effect.
The team injected a gene modifying virus into mice that were experiencing neuropathic pain resulting from damage to the sciatic nerve. Damage to the sciatic nerve is often a significant source of pain in humans. The virus contained two naturally occurring genes (GAD65 and VGAT) that can produce gamma-aminobutyric acid. This chemical appeared to inhibit the pain signaling neurons in the mice.
The mice experienced a significant reduction in paid associated with their nerve damage for at least 2.5 months and had no detectable decrease in motor performance or loss of tactile or thermal sensation for up to 13 months. The same treatment was also tested on pigs and non human primates with similar results.
Whilst the treatment appears promising there is a long regulatory and development process before it becomes available for use by those with chronic pain. For now stick to the gym routine and keep doing the recommended exercises.
Renewable Energy from the Ocean
After the 2011 tsunami that wiped out the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, Japanese Heavy Machinery Maker IHI Corporation, started working on an alternative power source for the energy hungry country.
Japan sits on the edge of the Kuroshio Ocean Current, one of the most powerful ocean currents in the world. IHI has developed a turbine that will live in the ocean and transmit power via seabed cables. The Japanese New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization estimates that when completed the sea turbines could produce up to 60% of Japan’s current power generation capacity.
The advantage of generation of power from ocean currents is they run 24 hours per day and there is a greater energy capacity factor of 50 to 70% (the ratio of actual energy production over the total energy in the resource). Onshore wind (29%) and solar (15% to 25%) are not as efficient in energy production.
There are many obstacles to overcome before fields of sea turbines will power Japan. It is complicated to install vast underwater systems and the turbines need to be tough enough to withstand the hostile conditions in deep ocean currents.
If the project is successful Japan will have a large and reliable source of energy that will reduce their reliance on imported fuel. This type of solution will only work for the few countries that have access to the strongest of the Earth’s Oceans currents.
There are other Ocean based renewable energy projects being developed the use the differential temperature between the surface and depth of the oceans. The temperature difference is harnessed to produce power.
The sun will heat the surface of the water which results in the surface being significantly warmer than the deep water. This is most pronounced in tropical regions. A temperature difference of 20 degrees C is enough to power a turbine which will generate electricity. Many tropical areas have differentials up to 40 degrees C.
The warm surface seawater will heat a liquid (e.g. ammonia) and give off a gas in an evaporator. The gas is then fed into a turbine which drives a generator which creates power. A sea bed cable takes the power to shore. The gas is cooled and liquified by the lower colder sea water and then fed back into the evaporator. The closed loop system has zero waste.
As these projects work best in tropical regions, they may be a future solution for pacific and other islands that currently spend a significant proportion of their national income on energy generation.
Ships “flying” over the surface
Whilst we are talking about the ocean and energy, we may soon start to see ships that use hydrofoils to reduce drag and thus save energy consumption. Hydrofoils have been around for some time. Recent advances in design have revolutionized sailing making elite boats “fly over the water” at very high speed.
A team at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden has created a unique method for further developing hydrofoils that can significantly increase the range of electric vessels and reduce the fuel consumption of fossil-powered ships by up to 80%.
Hydrofoils lift the boat’s hull above the water surface and allow boat to travel with considerably less water resistance. In the 60’s and 70’s Hydrofoils were made of steel which is heavy and has significant maintenance costs. Today’s hydrofoils are made of carbon fibre which is much lighter and can be tailored to the expected loads at sea.
The team’s research concentrated on how the hydrofoils reacted under load at sea in varying conditions. This is now paving the way for the use of carbon fibre hydrofoils on larger passenger ships that can travel in a safe, controlled and economic way even at low speeds. The goal is to carry as much weight as possible at as low a speed as possible with the least resistance. This results in the most efficient use of energy.
Paying it Forward
If you have a start-up or know of a start-up that has a product ready for market please let me know. I would be happy to have a look and feature the startup in this newsletter. Also if any startups need introductions please get in touch and I will help where I can.
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Till next week.