I would like to introduce myself as the new editor of Motion Control. I am excited to be part of the impressive Technews team and I am looking forward to meeting as many as possible of our advertisers and readers.
Our environment
After a great party it is time to look forward again. The state of the planet is an issue that comes to mind. Volcanic ash and hurricanes have been in the news, as has global warming. Meanwhile under the sea, BP has struggled to control the disaster caused by making a hole in the ocean floor. It looks like oil is going to be in increasingly short supply in the years to come, and energy saving will become even more important.
It struck me that many of the articles in this issue of Motion Control are related to energy saving or alternative energy, and they illustrate how companies are responding to the challenge in a variety of innovative ways.
Electromobility
'Siemens electromobility' is a report on the electric Porsche from Siemens. Makers claim that electric vehicles are five times more energy efficient than petrol or diesel vehicles and that they cause 80% less pollution from greenhouse gases. Further progress will depend on developments in battery technology. China and Korea are the front-runners here.
Harness the wind
Wind power is in wide evidence overseas and is starting to take a hold in this country. Anyone flying into Port Elizabeth can see Coega’s first wind turbine, and it appears that there are more wind farms in the pipeline in the Eastern Cape. 'A win-win agreement' is a description of SKF’s Nautilus bearing which is being supplied to a manufacturer of wind turbines.
Local innovation
It is good to see how local companies are encouraging innovation. Festo, Siemens and Lapp Kabel are the sponsors of the Cyber Junkyard competition, where teams of engineering students developed a high-tech soccer game which used renewable energy to tie in with the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
The News section features the imminent launch of Schneider Electric’s Plantstruxure. This is a collaborative system for process management that optimises energy usage. Schneider has also launched its e-learning website, Energy University, which offers information and professional training on energy efficiency concepts and best practice.
Other articles with an energy-saving message cover Therm-Omega-Tech’s energy saving valves, as well as Parker SSD’s innovative way of linking centrifuge drives in a sugar mill. There is also a description of two hydrostatic pumps from Sauer-Danfoss that will help meet the stringent new Tier 4 vehicle emission requirements scheduled for enforcement in the USA.
Learning from nature
BP contracted at least four robotics innovators to help in the effort to place a cap on its leaking well head. Oceaneering International’s remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) played a key role but were hampered by a lack of flexibility and communication with the operator on the surface. They were only designed for drilling, not complex hand movements. 'Learning from nature' shows how Festo is learning from nature and applying new ideas to biomechatronics. Inspired by an elephant’s trunk, the Bionic Handling Assistant can handle and manipulate delicate objects. What if the two concepts could be combined into a ROV that could perform delicate hand movements a mile under the sea?
Recent events are forcing the world to start taking its resources seriously, and it looks like this will affect many areas of life, motion control being one of them.
Kim Roberts
Editor: Motion Control in SA
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