Power and Electrical Engineering

Sensors which are able to predict when mechanical parts in machinery and transport will breakdown before they actually do could be introduced by 2010, slashing maintenance costs across the manufacturing, automotive and plant machinery industries.

Scientists at The University of Manchester are to develop a new type of wireless sensor which will be able to remotely monitor mechanical parts and systems. The aim is to produce a sensor which can be seamlessly fitted inside gearboxes,

Rotary tools will need increasingly high speeds in the future, for example, for drills used in medical technology or spindles used in machine tools. To drive these tools directly and efficiently requires an ultra-high-speed electrical drive system. Today, industrial motors achieve maximum speeds of 250,000 revolutions per minute, but researchers at ETH Zurich have now developed a drive system which achieves speeds of over 500,000 revolutions per minute, generating 100 watts of drive power and is n

One of the most advanced university cleanrooms in the world, the Nanofabrication Laboratory, at the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, MC2, at Chalmers University of Technology, in Göteborg, Sweden, is now offering European Universities and SME:s access, free of charge, to advanced micro- and nanotechnology fabrication resources.

MC2 is the leading Swedish research facility in nanoelectronics and photonics. MC2 has secured a contract with the European Commission to open up the

Tiny fuel cells may provide power to many consumer goods

Carnegie Mellon University’s Prashant Kumta will discuss his novel methanol-powered fuel cell research from 8 to 9:30 a.m., Feb. 18, during the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science at the Renaissance Grand Hotel in St. Louis, Mo.

Kumta, a professor of materials science and biomedical engineering, is developing microscale fuel cells that use methanol instead of expensiv

Fort Bragg could be the model for the nation when it comes to protecting the public through a network that integrates a 911 dispatch system with sensors, alarms and video surveillance.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s SensorNet, a collection of systems for the detection, identification and assessment of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, has been installed as part of a project with the Fort Bragg Directorate of Emergency Services. The military base, locat

Researchers at MIT have developed a new type of lithium battery that could become a cheaper alternative to the batteries that now power hybrid electric cars.

Until now, lithium batteries have not had the rapid charging capability or safety level needed for use in cars. Hybrid cars now run on nickel metal hydride batteries, which power an electric motor and can rapidly recharge while the car is decelerating or standing still.

But lithium nickel manganese oxide, descri