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TECHNOLOGYSPOTLIGHT New research project for FRAMOS: In the future, robots will help to empty sea containers
Advances in technology across industry
Lightweight aircraft engines of the future
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he Bremen Institute for Production und Logistics at the University of Bremen (BIBA), in collaboration with its development partners BLG Handelslogistik, Schulz Systemtechnik, and FRAMOS, is conducting research on the automated unloading of standard 40-foot containers, with the project, ‘Interactive Robotic System for Unloading of Sea Containers’ (IRiS). In the future, intelligent robots will carry out this difficult and predominantly manual task automatically. The robot will be equipped with an innovative grappling system, that will move autonomously between the gates and drive directly into the container. The robot, equipped with machine learning methods, will independently classify different packing scenarios and use this information to unload the containers in the best possible way. FRAMOS, a specialist in industrial image processing, is developing state-of-theart methods for the IRiS project based on artificial intelligence, for the reliable classification of both packing scenarios and the analysis of container contents. “Object recognition is based on 2D/3D image data. It uses state-of-the-art image processing and combines these with machine learning techniques, such as deep learning,” explains Dr Simon Che’Rose, head of Engineering at FRAMOS. “This allows the system to detect whether a container can be unloaded fully automatically, or whether manual control of the robot is required in special situations. The location and orientation of the contents are analysed fully in advance, allowing optimum planning of the unloading process.” Visit: www.framos.com
Lumenaza completes its first project outside of Germany
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.ON, together with Lumenaza, has created a local energy system in Simris, a small village located in southern Sweden, fully based on renewable energy. The energy for the approximately 140 households mainly comes from a wind turbine and photovoltaic panels, supported by a battery system. Residents of the village are not only consumers of energy, but also produce their own energy through a combination of photovoltaic and battery systems. Furthermore, heat pumps and other steerable load assets are integrated into the village’s energy system. “We are in the middle of tremendous changes in the energy sector. In the future, the generation of energy and its consumption will be renewable, decentralised and local. Simris is a perfect example of how to realise the energy transition on the local level and how to reach a high degree of self-sufficiency. We are happy to help with our software to drive this change,” comments Christian Chudoba, founder and CEO of Lumenaza. Lumenaza started in 2013 to connect and control producers and consumers of renewable energy intelligently. The software platform works nowadays as a utility-in-a-box, enabling every energy market participant to become an innovative and digital utility. Visit: www.lumenaza.de 28 Industry Europe
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nder the European Clean Sky 2 research programme, long-term partners MTU Aero Engines, German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)), and GKN Aerospace Engine Systems, Sweden have joined forces to enhance an engine’s compression system and make it lighter. The new technologies could already go into the next generation of geared turbofan engines. At the DLR site in Cologne, the test campaign on the ICD rig has now officially kicked off. ICD stands for Inter Compressor Duct and is the name of the transition channel between the low- and high-pressure compressors. The goal is to precisely fine-tune the interaction of the low-pressure compressor, ICD and high-pressure compressor to identify and leverage new potential for even more fuel-thrifty engines. An important step in this direction is the systematic mapping of the flow conditions in short, steep transition channels (ICDs). To this aim, an entirely new windtunnel test rig was built at the DLR Institute of Propulsion Technology in Cologne, MTU’s Center of Competence (CoC) for propulsion systems. The ICD rig measures the channel flow in an unprecedented depth of detail: 500 pressure tapping points, probe measurements at three traversal levels, the use of laser technology and turbulence probes allow detailed insights into the flow mechanisms. Dr Gerhard Kahl, Chief Engineer, Technology Demonstrators and Rigs at MTU says, “By conducting these tests, we’ll certainly gain a much better understanding of the flow conditions in the ICD, the aim being to come up with particularly compact designs to further reduce the length, and hence the weight, of the engines in the future.” Visit: www.mtu.de
