This week we will discover a road that will charge your car’s battery whilst you are driving. We also investigate a new type of electric engine that needs zero maintenance and two Sydney startups with interesting new products. One has developed a more functional robot gripper for picking up any object and the other, a new range of advanced textiles. We also speculate on the product developments that may be released by Apple at their upcoming WorldWide Developer Congress.
Roads that recharge your car
There have been a few attempts to build roads that recharge your car whilst driving. Solar panels that have the strength and durability to withstand the weight of cars and trucks and still generate enough charge to charge cars whilst stopped at lights have been developed. The problem is cost and maintenance. There are multiple companies that sell solar panel driveways. Here is an example. The problem with this solution is that it only charges when the car is at home and it needs battery storage for the electricity generated so that it is available when required. It is much cheaper to put panels on the roof to generate the power.
Researchers from Cornell University have developed a much better solution. They took a cue from NASA’s method of sending data through deep space. The concept uses alternating magnetic fields to generate electric currents along a road. Many of us have wirelessnchanging pads for our phones and other devices. This is the same concept.
The problem with this method to now is that large magnetic fields are unwieldily to control. Also the process needs to be controlled to stop heating reinforcement bars in the road and Ferrite (the material used to guide the fields) is brittle, expensive and loses a lot of energy when magnetic fields are changing quickly.
Associate Professor Khurram Afridi used the same underlying physics that is used to send messages via radio waves to spacecraft, to solve the problem. The system uses pairs of insulated metal plates that are placed in the ground. The plates are connected to a power line through a matching network and a high frequency inverter.
The plates create an oscillating electric field that attracts and repels charges in metal plates attached to the underside of the vehicle. A high frequency current is then driven through a circuit on the vehicle where it charges the vehicle’s battery. The voltage generated is weak so it is boosted and operated at very high frequencies to achieve the desired level of power transfer.
The system is easy to embed into roadways. The team envisages a single charging lane on major roads that will allow drivers (or automated cars) to charge up as they are going about their day. Electric cars could then, theoretically, operate 24 hours per day. Automated taxis would not need to return to base for charging every few hours.
A similar system could be built into warehouses and manufacturing plants to automatically recharge electric robotics and other equipment.
Magnet Free Induction Motor
German Manufacturer MAHLE has developed a new magnet free indiction motor for electric vehicles. The motor does not use any rare earth metals. One problem with electric car motors at the moment is the need to use rare earth metals. As the name implies, these metals are rare and therefore expensive.
This new motor uses a wireless transmitter to send an alternating current to the rotor in the engine. This induces a current in a receiving electrode, which in turn charges a wound copper coil to produce an electromagnetic field that spins the coil and generates torque. A gap is left between the various parts which eliminates wear. There is no maintenance required!
The motor is suitable for vehicles ranging from small compact cars up to commercial vehicles. There are multiple companies working on the development of induction motors including Bentley who released their induction motor in late 2020.
Robotic Grippers
We have previously spoken about the need for robots to have the ability to grip and pick up a range of objects in order to integrate seamlessly into a human world. These objects range from small and fragile to bulky and heavy, slippery and wet to coarse and dry. Sydney based startup, Contactile, is developing the next generation of grippers for robots. Their goal is to give robots a human sense of touch so that the robot can use its’ hands with extraordinary dexterity, just as humans do.
The PapillArray sensor is a soft silicone array, somewhat similar to a human finger pad. It can measure 3D deflection, 3D force and 3D vibration as well as properties such as torque, incipient slip and friction. These measurements give the essential tactile parameters for the robot to have dexterity.
The system also uses a Novel Optical technique to identify objects. A cavity is created inside each soft pillar of the sensor array. LEDs, a reflector disk, aperture and 4 photodiodes form a camera inside the cavity. The infrared LEDs flood the pillar cavity with light. The diffuse reflector at the top of the cavity reflects the light down towards the aperture where a light spot is projected onto the four photodiodes. The light intensity signals measured by the four photodiodes are used to infer the displacement and force applied to the pillar tip. This system allows the robotic gripper to adjust the force used for every individual object.
XEFCO
Xefco is an advanced materials startup also based in Sydney. Prior to Xefco the founders spent a decade in the development of advanced textiles for sails on racing yachts. They used this knowledge and combined with RMIT and Deakin University to develop a range of advanced textiles.
Xreflex is a radiant barrier technology for textiles that improves heat retention, The material allows up to 50% less insulation to be used in making clothing. This allows products to be thinner, lighter and warmer, thus improving performance and comfort. The technology uses thin metallic layers that reflect radiating body heat not normally insulated by fibre or down insulations.
MetalliX is an antimicrobial coating technology. Initially developed in response to Covid, MetalliX applies a trace amount of 99.9% pure copper as an ultra thin coating on the fibre of textiles. The product harnesses the unique antimicrobial properties of copper to provide rapid antiviral and antibacterial protection without changing the hand feel, breathability or weight of the treated fabric. MetalliX inactivated Covid19 by 97.79% within 5 minutes and 99.95% within 15 minutes. No infectious virus is detectable after 30 minutes.
The product can also be used in the production of PPE, face masks and air filters.
Xefco is also developing an atmospheric plasma coating technology suitable for the finishing of textiles and an eco friendly water repellent technology for treating textiles.
What is Apple about to announce?
The next Apple WorldWide Developers conference is scheduled for June 7. There are always tons of rumors about what Apple may release for developers to start to work on prior to releasing new products to the public. Scobleizer is a blogger and author who has written a very interesting blog post about what Apple may release including immersive 3D TV killer products, mesh networks that will speed up the processing on your PC or laptop, VR/AR headsets, 3D experiences for the upcoming Apple car and tons more. The work on many of these products started over a decade ago when Steve Jobs was still leading Apple. I know that a couple of readers are Android devotees, you should bookmark the blog post and come back in a couple of years when competitive products are available. If Scobleizer is correct it will take some time for the competition to catch up.
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.
If you have any questions or comments please email me via my website craigcarlyon.com or comment below.
I would also appreciate it if you could forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might be interested.
Till next week.
Then again trams recharge at stops. Locate these roads at traffic lights.
Trams recharge at the stops now. The electric charging road can be located before traffic lights. Easily get a charge in the endless congestion. Then again, electric bicicyles are the real winner of city transport.