NEWS
TECHNOLOGYSPOTLIGHT
Advances in technology across industry
Putting ‘smart mobility’ into maintenance and repairs
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cientists from IBM have revealed a mobile maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) prototype which is designed to help manufacturers and companies supplying and maintaining high-value machinery in sectors such as aerospace, oil & gas and shipping. The mobile system, using a combination of augmented reality and robotics, will help field engineers accurately locate equipment, provide them with critical information and receive real-time visual support from supervising experts based remotely. A remote expert is able to view the on-site engineer’s workspace and support them with real-time video and audio links using a camera and a small projector mounted at the end of a remotely controlled robotic arm. The expert, from his management console, is also able to project a pointer and valuable information such as free-hand sketches, assembly instructions and CAD images directly onto the workspace or a nearby wall. Visit: www.ibm.com
Redefining the kilogram Energy from the oceans M
ETTLER TOLEDO has developed a new microgram load cell for use in an experiment aimed at establishing a new definition of the kilogram. The kilogram is the last unit of the International System of Units (SI) still based on an artifact – the international prototype of the kilogram (IPK), kept at the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM). Mass comparisons with the IPK have indicated a mean drift in the official IPK copies of 0.5 µg/year. To get better stability, scientists have been working on a new definition of the kilogram based on a physical constant of nature, which should be reproducible regardless of geographical location. The new load cell is a critical element in the Swiss based leg of this global challenge headed by the Swiss Federal Office of Metrology (METAS). In a 15-year project, METAS has been using a Watt balance in a twophase experiment: weighing and moving. In the weighing phase, a macroscopic mass and a coil are suspended from a balance with the coil placed in a magnetic field. Using the principle of electromagnetic force restoration, the current needed to compensate for the addition of the weight is measured. In the moving phase, a voltage is induced in the same coil by moving it vertically within the same magnetic field. The voltage measured is directly related to the speed of the movement of the coil. By comparing the two experiments, an equation is derived in which the electrical power is related to the mechanical power, hence the name Watt balance. Collaborative partners in the project include the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) for the movement system, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) for the magnetic system and METTLER TOLEDO for their expertise in mass comparison. Visit: www.mt.com
22 Industry Europe
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ockheed Martin has announced that it is working with Reignwood Group to develop an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) pilot power plant off the coast of southern China. The 10-megawatt offshore plant, to be designed by Lockheed Martin, will be the largest OTEC project developed to date, supplying 100% of the power needed for a green resort to be built by Reignwood Group. OTEC takes the natural temperature difference found in the ocean in tropical regions and uses it to create power. This technology is well-suited to island and coastal communities where energy transportation costs typically make other sources of power very expensive. The process provides a native power source to areas, and, like other renewable energy technologies, OTEC plants will be clean, sustainable and powered by free fuel. Unlike other renewable energy technologies, this power is also base load, meaning it can be produced consistently 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A commercial-scale OTEC plant will have the capability to power a small city. Visit: www.lockheedmartin.com
