Virgin Oceanic

This week, renowned entrepreneur and adventurer Richard Branson unveiled "Virgin Oceanic"; his mission to explore the depths of the oceans that have never been reached before. The submarine, designed by Graham Hawkes, uses a combination of various advanced materials and technology to enable 'full ocean depth' capability. The first dive, down the Marianna Trench (11km below sea level) in the Pacific Ocean, is scheduled for sometime later this year.

To find out more about the mission and the submarine technology, check out: http://www.virginoceanic.com

President Obama Unveils Energy Plan

In a speech earlier today (yesterday in the USA) at Georgetown University, President Obama unveiled a new energy plan for the nation.

In his speech, Obama cited the increasing uncertainty about the safety and security of energy, noting last year's Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, the recent turmoil in the Middle East around major oil producing nations, and the earthquakes and subsequent nuclear crisis in Japan.

As such, his administration today has released a "Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future", with an ultimate goal to reduce oil imports (currently 11 million barrels per day) by one-third by the end of the decade. This will be achieved with the blueprint aimed to:

• Develop and secure America's energy supplies
• Provide consumers with choices to reduce costs and save energy
• Innovate our way to a clean energy future

You can view his full speech below:

Or you can read a transcript of his speech here.

Also, click here to read the "Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future"

3D Printing

"3D Printing" is a process that can be used to produce three-dimensional objects using similar mechanics to traditional 2D inkjet printing. The field of 3D printing has seen many developments in the past decade; 3D printers are now commercially available and is being used in a number of areas.

The process uses a modern printer head to deposit or 'set' material onto a printing bed, which is lowered each pass such that the 3D object is built up layer by layer. This process can allow the production of almost any object designed using CAD (Computer-Aided Design).

Here is a video of a 3D printer:

Currently, 3D printing is commonly used as a method of prototyping, e.g. prototype aircraft components for wind tunnel testing, designing of new jewelery, production of art/sculpture.

A recent article in The Economist ("The Printed World" - 10 Feb 2011), however, pointed out that whilst the technology is still in its relative infancy, advancement in this area could also revolutionise manufacturing. For example, rather than products being mass manufactured at a factory and then distributed to retail stores, a product could be customised and "3D Printed" in the back of the shop. 3D printing could also open up new doors for inventors and entrepreneurs who now have a much lower cost of entry into manufacturing their new product.

Should 3D printing continue to grow in adoption, it could significantly change the way in which engineers work in the future.

If you'd like to know more about 3D printing, Z Corp., a manufacturer of 3D printers and related products, has a great website detailing some of their technology: http://www.zcorp.com

Radiation Exposure Levels Explained

I saw this excellent chart explaining radiation exposure levels. It seems particularly relevant given the current situation in Japan.

http://xkcd.com/radiation/

Fukushima

The future of nuclear power has once again come into question as the world waits anxiously to hear the latest developments from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan.

Last night on the ABC's "7:30" program, Leigh Sales interviewed the CEO of General Electric (GE), Jeffrey Immelt. Three of the reactors used at the Fukushima plant were based on designs by GE. In the interview, the CEO discusses the safety of nuclear reactors and the future of the industry. You can view the full interview here: http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2011/s3165939.htm

With GE's close connection to the current nuclear crisis, they have created a site where you can keep up with the latest developments at Fukushima, and also learn more about GE's nuclear technology and reactor safety: http://www.gereports.com/facts-on-the-nuclear-energy-situation-in-japan/

Also, if you don't know the first thing about nuclear power, this article is a nice summary of how it all works:

http://www.boingboing.net/2011/03/12/nuclear-energy-insid.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29

Japan Earthquake- Building Designs Save Lives

In the wake of the Japan earthquake, I read an interesting article about precautions that may have saved many lives. On top of earthquake and tsunami drills, which prepare the people that live in at-risk areas, hydraulic shock absorbers make Japanese buildings some of the sturdiest in the world.

From the article in the New York Times:
"The isolation devices are essentially giant rubber-and-steel pads that are installed at the very bottom of the excavation for a building, which then simply sits on top of the pads. The dissipation units are built into a building’s structural skeleton. They are hydraulic cylinders that elongate and contract as the building sways, sapping the motion of energy."


You can find the full article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/world/asia/12codes.html?_r=4&hp

Also, if you would like to make a donation to the Australian Red Cross' "Japan and Pacific Disaster Appeal 2011" to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunami, please follow the link below:

http://www.redcross.org.au/japan2011.htm

Discovery's last trip

Last week, the Space Shuttle Discovery took its last trip into space. In its 27 years of service, it flew 39 missions, deployed 31 satellites and spent almost exactly 1 year in space. Space Shuttles were a milestone in space flight and when the last flight is taken this year, NASA will have no replacement ready.

As a tribute, watch a Space Shuttle launch from a booster rocket's point of view:


For more information of space shuttles, see the great NASA website below:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html