The Cutting Edge: Computing / Technology / Innovation : Walls You Could Warm Up To
Since most homes have only one thermostat, some rooms get too cold while others are too hot. But in the home of the future, tiny sensors may signal when a room is too cold and, in response, tiny heat pumps embedded in the walls will immediately circulate warmer air.
At least that’s the vision of researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest Laboratory. They’re developing a heat pump smaller than a dime--small enough that they could be fabricated on a single sheet and incorporated into the walls of homes and buildings.
Replacing conventional heat pumps would also save energy. That’s because micro pumps don’t need the ducts used to carry heat from room to room, and 20% to 30% of the energy produced by a regular heat pump is lost in such ducts. Another 10% to 15% of energy is lost when the pump cycles off and on.
A working model of the micro pumps, which are made by the same photo-etching process used to make computer chips, is expected to be ready in about three years. Large-scale commercial development will depend on the efficiency of the pump and its manufacturing costs.
X-Rays From Hollow Atoms: Hollow atoms may provide the breakthrough physicists at the University of Illinois, Chicago have been looking for in their 10-year effort to build an X-ray laser microscope powerful enough to reveal how viruses attack cells and how cancer cells grow.
Taking pictures of living cells at a microscopic scale requires an extremely bright light source because the size of the object visible through a microscope is limited by the wavelength of the light source: The shorter the wavelength, the higher the possible magnification. X-rays lie at the short-wavelength end of the light spectrum, but generally they’re still not able to bring molecular-sized objects into view.
The solution may lie in a procedure in which xenon atoms are bombarded with intense ultraviolet radiation, causing the inner shells of the atoms to be ripped away, creating a “hollow” atom. When electrons rush in from the outer shells to fill the hollow space, X-rays are released. Researchers hope to have an operable X-ray laser by the end of the year.
Satellite Golf: Global positioning systems, which use a special network of satellites and miniature satellite receivers to determine exact geographical locations, are used to track truck fleets and airplanes. But Leading Edge Technologies Inc., based near Phoenix, wants to use GPS technology to keep track of golf carts.
The company equips its Prolink golf carts with an on-board GPS system, including a 7.5-inch color monitor, a Rockwell satellite receiver and an individual information-processing system. Not only do the carts provide duffers with a full-color display of hole layouts and yardage, but they can also get tips from the course’s golf pro before playing a hole.
Back at the clubhouse, an additional receiving unit helps the course manager keep track of all players and the speed of play of each cart. Leading Edge provides Prolink to courses on a per-round fee basis.
Treasury Agents: Some people who have wrestled with the IRS might agree that what the service needs is more smart agents. In lieu of hiring a bunch of doctorates, the IRS has begun using the services of “smart” software agents from Comshare Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich. The company’s Commander Exception Monitor “detect and alert” software, co-developed with Anderson Consulting, is being used to help managers with their strategic planning process.
These secret software agents will hide out in the IRS database and monitor whether regional offices are paying their bills on time, tracking non-filers and processing returns in a timely and accurate manner. When the agent finds data that fits the parameters defined by the IRS, it assembles the information in a report that is downloaded to a manager’s desk.
An office that has fallen below acceptable levels will be immediately visible. Eventually, the IRS hopes to have software agents track other functions such as accounts receivable and accounts in litigation.
Sun to ‘Syngas’: One of the problems with solar energy is how to deliver the power to users hundreds of miles away. The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, recently inaugurated a novel system for storing and transporting solar energy in liquid-chemical form.
The key element of the system is a solar reformer. Solar radiation is first concentrated and then directed into the reformer through a domed quartz window.
The concentrated sunlight produces a chemical reaction between carbon dioxide and methane, which in turn produces hydrogen and carbon monoxide as a mixture known as “syngas.” This mixture can be stored until needed and transported through a pipeline to any destination.
