SNOOPING FOR SAFER PIPELINES
An ongoing research at the University of British Columbia is aiming at making residential gas pipelines safe by using ultrasonic sensors to detect leaks, weaknesses and siphoning off. As considerable research has gone into diagnosing methods for such defects in steel gas pipes using radiography, ultrasonic testing, visual inspection and ground penetrating radar, none of that has been tried out on the commonly used high-density polyethylene pipe, which carries natural gas to homes. The new monitoring method limits gas diversions, which allows siphoning off gas without being metered, an act that can affect the pipelines and cause leaks posing a warning.
SMALLER, POWERFUL THRUSTERS FOR CREWED INTERPLANETARY MISSIONS
A s interplanetary space missions are evolving, the prevailing belief that Hall thrusters — an efficient kind of electric propulsion using ions widely used in orbit — need to be large to produce a lot of thrust is being rewritten. A new University of Michigan study points to smaller Hall thrusters generating much more thrust. In a Hall (named after Edwin Hall) thruster electrons accelerated by a magnetic field have to run in a ring around a channel. But research revealed that if more thrust was attempted by driving more propellant through the engine, the electrons whizzing in a ring would get knocked out of the formation, breaking down that effect. The researchers tried an alternative with a lighter gas Krypton than the one used — Xenon — and were able to achieve 1.8 Newtons thrust, at par with the much larger 100-kilowatt-class X3 Hall thruster. This breakthrough has opened up possibilities for using smaller thrusters for interplanetary missions.
FISH INSPIRE UNDERWATER SWARM ROBOTICS FOR SURVEILLANCE
Research is on to replicate mechanoreceptor sensors found under and on the surface of fish’s skin to develop underwater swarm robotics for surveillance. Mechanoreceptors detect stimuli like touch, pressure, vibration, and sound from external and internal environments. They contain primary sensory neurons that respond to changes in mechanical displacement, usually in a localised region at the tip of sensory dendrite appendages designed to receive communications from other cells or from external disturbances.
University of Bristol scientists are particularly studying the sensors situated on the lateral line system distributed over the head, trunk and tail of a fish. The scientists found that the mechanism can inspire a novel type of easily-manufactured pressure sensor for underwater robotics, particularly swarm robotics, where cost is a large factor. The research team plans to integrate the sensor with robotic platforms to help a robot navigate underwater and demonstrate its effectiveness.