FAR AND DEEP: In 2026 Nasa will survey Jupiter's frozen moon, Europa. The mission will include exploring the moon's liquid oceans, buried under 6 Km of ice, using the Deep Phreatic Thermal Explorer called DEPTHX. Distance from Earth means the vehicle will have to work autonomously so it includes numerous sensors and processors. It will communicate with a mother craft via a fibre optic tether and WiFi. Two variable-buoyancy engines sense water temperature, salinity and pressure to adjust its relative buoyancy. The vessel uses sensors and processors to navigate autonomously. The farther we go, the greater the challenge. Gizmodo has the details. Video here.
FAR AND WIDE: The High Energy Stereoscopic System II telescope started operation in Namibia recently. Its 28 metre mirror is dedicated to observing the most violent and extreme phenomena of the Universe via gamma rays. The telescope has the largest mirror area among such instruments worldwide, and has four times more pixels per sky area than the smaller telescopes. The telescope is well-placed for observing the Southern skies. That mirror's around seven car lengths in diameter, or in other words, big. H.E.S.S. explains.
SHORT SPIN: McCamley's vertical axis wind turbines are designed to be mounted on buildings. They start spinning at wind speeds as low as 1.8 m/s and can continue working even in storm force winds. They can even operate in gusting and turbulent winds from any direction, but don't create much vibration or noise. These turbines are intended for use in cities and in testing have shown no bird or bat strikes. Maybe more buildings will start to incorporate wind turbines with a design like this. McCamley has more. Check out the video.
CARPETS AT SEA: The Wave Carpet is a new approach to wave energy from Knowledge Based Systems, Inc. It uses large floating segments that are connected together, move easily and iron out fluctuations in power. Controls are embedded and energy can be stored without needing to connect to an existing grid. But by blocking sunlight from areas is it going to create problems for fish or plants? Knowledge Based Systems, Inc. elaborates.
ROBOT FARMERS: Huge farms of solar panels are a good thing, but installing them takes a lot of labour. German companies are developing mobile robots to install ground-mounted solar panels day and night, in all sorts of weather. That saves time and money. A robot could cut installation costs in half for a 14-megawatt solar plant, for example, and pay for itself in a year. The robot is an arm mounted on a vehicle that carries the panels. Cameras give the robot arm a 3D view for lifting the panels into place. The current robot can mount panels in place on frames that have already been erected by people. Workers then must also screw the panels in place and make the electrical connections. There's an obvious upgrade path for future versions of the robot. Technology Review details.
