Green projects take off at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

May 14, 2009 Airports are windy places and it seems logical to harness this power to reduce operating costs and boost green credentials. In line with this, the environmentally minded Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) has recently installed 10 wind-powered electricity generators and purchased an electric-powered utility vehicle for use at the airport.

The MAC has mounted the 1-kilowatt wind turbines on the roof of the airport's fire station to maximize the use of the prevailing northwest winds. The turbines, manufactured by Aerovironment, are expected to generate 10 kilowatts of electricity an hour. The MAC expects the turbines, which cost USD$94,000 and have an estimated life of more than 20 years, will easily bring a return on investment through reduced fuel costs. Each unit has five black fan blades to protect the blades and turbines from snow, ice and birds.

The new Cushman Motors e-Ride exv2 electric utility vehicle will be used primarily by parking management staff. Equipped with a 72 volt AC motor with a range of 45 to 55 miles, the totally electric vehicle is quiet and eliminates the exhaust emissions of hybrid and fossil-fuel-powered vehicles normally used at airports. Costing USD$22,000, the electric vehicle will only cost about USD$202 a year to run.

The program is part of the Stewards of Tomorrow’s Airport Resources (STAR) program, launched by the MAC in 2008, which is aimed at advancing airport activities that are environmentally, operationally and financially sustainable.

“We will monitor how well the wind-power generators and the electric vehicle perform at MSP to determine whether they might play a bigger role in the airport’s future," says Jeff Hamiel, airport executive director.

For more information visit the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport website.

David Greig

Using light to entrain the body's internal clock

June 2, 2007 Our body's biological clock influences a wide range of factors, including hormone levels, cognitive performance and sleep structure. Left to itself, this internal clock has an average periodicity of a little over 24 hours. For this reason, it has to be calibrated by external factors known as 'zeitgebers', the most important of which is the light/dark cycle. When the biological clock is disrupted, declines in cognitive performance and difficulties sleeping are often the result. New research, funded by the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) through the EUCLOCK project has found that exposure to brief periods of extremely bright light a few hours before sleeping is enough to synchronise the body's internal clock to the required day length.

This latest piece of research looked at how best to 'entrain' people to a day which is longer than 24 hours. This is of particular interest to NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration), which also funded the research. Astronauts often have to cope with disruptions to the circadian rhythm, and associated drops in performance levels have been reported during space missions. In the dangerous spatial environment, this could have serious consequences for crew safety and the success of the mission.

Looking further into the future, during the mission to Mars which is planned for 2020, astronauts will have to spend a year living in synch with the Martian day, which at 24 hours and 39 minutes is longer than the Earth day. The problem is that the light levels on the space craft and the habitation modules on Mars will not be strong enough to entrain the biological clock.

In the study, three groups of subjects spent 65 days in isolation from the Earth day. During this time they experienced sleep-wakefulness schedules which were one hour longer than their natural circadian period. Two groups experienced lighting conditions similar to those found on board the space ship and the Mars habitation modules (25 lux and 100 lux). The third group experienced a 'modulated light exposure' (MLE) protocol, consisting of dim light (25 lux) for the first 10 hours of the waking day, and room light (100 lux) for the rest of the waking day. Towards the end of the waking day, this group was also exposed to two 45 minute pulses of extremely bright light of 10,000 lux.

The scientists found that living in poor lighting conditions leads to a desynchronisation of the body's clock. The sleep and daily vigilance of these subjects deteriorated steadily, and after just 30 days they showed abnormally high reaction times to visual stimuli.

In contrast, the group which experienced pulses of extremely bright light successfully synchronised their circadian system to the wake-sleep cycle imposed on them, as proven by their high quality sleep and cognitive performance.

'Our findings suggest that an appropriately timed light exposure can be used as an effective means to maintain the circadian clock in synchrony with a rest-activity cycle different from 24 hours or under insufficient light conditions,' the researchers write. 'A lighting protocol such as the one tested in the current study would enable astronauts to entrain to the 24.65-hour Martian day while caring for crops in a brightly lit greenhouse module, provided that those duties were performed at the appropriate circadian phase.'

It is not just astronauts who experience difficulties with their sleep-wake cycles. The light-pulse treatment could also be useful to shift workers, in cases of jet lag and for people with sleep disorders.

The work, which was partly funded by, appeared in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

nanoWatt XLP Microcontrollers claim world’s lowest sleep current

April 30, 2009 Employing a sleep mode to cut power consumption and prolong battery life has become a standard feature in electrical devices that need to run constantly, but there is always room for improvement. Microcontroller manufacturer Microchip Technology Inc. has set what it calls a "new industry benchmark" with its nanoWatt XLP eXtreme Low Power Technology providing sleep currents as low as 20 nA.

The nanoWatt XLP technology offers three key advantages. Sleep currents down to 20 nA (which is one fifth that of the competition according to the video comparison below), Real-Time Clock currents down to 500 nA, and Watchdog Timer currents down to 400 nA. The PIC nanoWatt XLP microcontrollers (MCU) also offer numerous wake-up features. There are also options for on-chip peripherals for USB and mTouch sensing solutions which offer power reduction in a broad range of USB and capacitive touch sensing peripherals.

The list of devices that could benefit from the power saving technology is almost endless, including game controllers, digital photo frames, coffee machines, utility meters, security systems, thermostats, timers, car alarms, home medical devices, white goods and portable electronics to name a few.

The low-power PIC nanoWatt XLP microcontrollers are available to manufacturers with prices ranging from USD$1.38 to USD$1.78 each in 10,000 unit quantities.

For a head-to-head comparison video of Microchip's microcontroller power consumption vs. the competition check out the video below.

Apple's tiny new 802.11n AirPort Express

March 19, 2008 Apple has updated its AirPort Express mobile base station with 802.11n to deliver up to five times the performance and twice the range of the previous model. With its single-piece, compact design weighing just 190 grams, the updated Airport Express is claiming the title of the world’s smallest 802.11n-based mobile base station. It can be plugged directly into the wall for wireless Internet connectivity and USB printing and is compact enough to be taken on the road for wireless freedom wherever there is an Internet connection.

The AirPort Express offers both PC and Mac users the ability to share a single DSL or cable broadband connection with up to 10 simultaneous users. Users can also share a printer wirelessly that is connected to the USB port. The Airport Express safeguards data on networked computers with support for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2), 128-bit WEP encryption and a built-in firewall. Apple now includes 802.11n as standard in its entire line of AirPort base stations and Mac notebooks including the MacBook Air as well as iMac, Apple TV and Time Capsule.

Like its predecessor the updated AirPort Express features AirTunes, which works seamlessly with iTunes to wirelessly stream iTunes music from a PC or Mac to any room in the house. It includes a built-in combination digital and analog audio connector allowing users to connect to a home stereo or powered speakers. iTunes automatically detects remote speakers and displays them in a pop-up list for the user to select. Once the remote speakers are selected, AirTunes wirelessly streams iTunes music from the computer to the AirPort Express base station. Multiple AirPort Express base stations can be set up around a home, each connected to a set of powered speakers for a whole-home music experience. AirPort Express can also extend the range of an existing AirPort Extreme wireless network.

AirPort Express is available now through the Apple Store for a recommended retail price of US$99.

For further info visit Apple.

Nemorelax targets personal tranquility amid airport mayhem

February 5, 2008 Finding a quiet space to de-stress, phone home, check emails or catch a quick, comfortable nap in the middle of a busy airport is a challenge that's nigh-on impossible at the best of times. While airport lounges offer some comfort to the weary traveler, the Nemorelaxer aims to take this to a whole new level by providing a fully-connected personal oasis where users can watch films, access wi-fi Internet, make calls, listen to music or just recline for a well earned nap without fear of interruption.

Built around Stressless reclining chairs manufactured by Ekornes ASA of Norway, the pods include a built-in touchscreen monitor and fold-away worktable. The staffed service also incorporates wake–up calls, a luggage lock-up facility and the free loan of a laptop. A second layer of protection from the outside world is also available in the form of an encircling cocoon.

Access to the Nemorelaxer units is to be sold in 30 minute time slots and the company is currently in discussion with International Airport and Transit Authorities. While details of pricing and potential locations are not yet confirmed, the Nemorelax website reports that the first example of its product is set to open in Europe in the near future.

Devilishly clever customer service from Mercedes-Benz

June 29, 2005 Direct from the why-didn’t they-think-of-this-sooner department comes the news that Mercedes-Benz Australia will launch a new customer service concept for Australian luxury car buyers early next year when it opens purpose-built sales and service facilities within airport precincts in Melbourne and Sydney. Based on the premise that luxury car owners travel frequently, and will appreciate the convenience of having their car serviced in the “downtime” whilst away, we think it’s very clever and a logical extension of the company’s customer service philosophy. All drop-offs and pick-ups are arranged by a Mercedes-Benz Airport Express valet and instead of sitting in a carpark, your pride and joy is being looked after with all the tender loving care of Mercedes Benz.

Mercedes-Benz has entered into long-term lease agreements with airport authorities in both Melbourne and Sydney for the development of the sales and service facilities and the new Airport Express locations will be developed in line with existing Autohaus company design guidelines and requirements.

The investment in Airport Express is part of the company’s growing investments in new retail facilities in Australia, including a new multi-million dollar state-of-the-art dealership due to open in Melbourne next January and the recent purchase of a new 17,000 sqm site for the development of a similar facility in Sydney.

“With many luxury car owners travelling more often for business and pleasure, the time is ripe for a retail concept like Mercedes-Benz Airport Express,” said Horst von Sanden, managing director of the Mercedes Car Group in Australia. “With Mercedes-Benz Airport Express we aim to set a new benchmark in customer service excellence in the luxury car market.

“The airport authorities at both Melbourne and Sydney are as excited as we are about this new retail concept and we look forward to continuing our close cooperation into the future,” said von Sanden. The first Mercedes-Benz Airport Express is due to open in the first quarter of next year at Sydney Airport. It is conveniently located on Sir Reginald Ansett Drive, the main thoroughfare into Sydney’s domestic airport.

Melbourne Airport will be home to the second Mercedes-Benz Airport Express, with the location scheduled to open mid next year. The Melbourne facility will be located in a prime position at the entrance to Melbourne Airport on Airport Drive.

Customers who choose to have their Mercedes serviced at an Airport Express location will also benefit from Mercedes-Benz looking after their car whilst travelling, longer opening hours and the convenience of having their car serviced whilst away.

Hummer H2 Bomber ready to hit the slopes with Mattracks rubber tracks

If you’re looking to boost the off-road capabilities of the already pretty capable Hummer H2 then look no further than the Hummer H2 Bomber. This customized vehicle from Germany’s Geiger Cars replaces the H2’s regular 8.5” x 20” rims and 305/60 tires with Mattracks 88M1-A1 rubber tracks on each wheel. These massive structures, 40cm wide and 150cm long, guarantee unrivaled traction on virtually any terrain.

Geiger Cars, creator of the festive-themed Christmas Hummer H2, says its H2 Bomber can handle even extreme gradients without breaking a sweat thanks to its powerful 6.2-liter V8 engine under the hood that has been upgraded to produce 398bhp at 5,700rpm and 574Nm of torque at 4,300rpm - up from 329bhp at 5,200rpm and 494Nm when it rolled off the production line. This outdoes the Mattracks-sporting Subaru WRX STI we came across late last year and is a darn sight more attractive than the strap-on tank effort from a Russian inventor.

The customization doesn’t stop where the rubber meets the road, either. The H2 Bomber is finished in matte silver, with a sunroof and extra headlights mounted on the roof, while the interior is kitted out with a Kenwood DVD drive, roof monitor with headphones and a rear-view camera including a monitor in the rear-view mirror. The vehicle can also be fitted with an LPG autogas system and a 155L fuel tank.

Geiger Cars hasn’t announced what the H2 Bomber will cost, but with the announcement in February that the Hummer brand would be shut down there probably won’t be too many of these hitting the snow-covered road. They could very well become a collector's item.

NVIDIA unleash GeForce GTX 200 GPUs

June 17, 2008 NVIDIA’s new family of GeForce GTX 200 graphics processors (GPUs) - which includes the GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce GTX 260 GPUs - include NVIDIA CUDA technology and the new CUDA runtime for Windows Vista, which allows programmers to offload the most intensive processing tasks from the CPU to the NVIDIA GPUs. The GPUs also deliver 50% more gaming performance over the Company’s previous NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra GPU with impressive shading horsepower at resolutions as high as 2560 x 1600.

Rendering 3D images in real-time is just about the most mathematically intensive task a PC will ever undertake, but as PC applications become increasingly visual, many ordinary tasks will benefit from the graphics horsepower provided by the GPU, including editing photos, simply running a new operating system such as Windows Vista or encoding and playing high-definition videos. Recognizing this the new cards feature NVIDIA’s PureVideo HD Technology, which delivers a combination of HD video decode acceleration and post-processing for unprecedented picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for movies and video. The GPUs also take advantage of massively parallel, general-purpose computing architecture to transcode high-quality video 18 times faster than with CPU-only implementations.

An increasing number of applications are also being written that use the GPU for straight, non-graphical computational tasks. Stanford University’s distributed computing computational program Folding@Home, combines the computing horsepower of millions of consumer GPUs to simulate protein folding to help find cures for diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. With the computing processing power of the GeForce GTX family, applications such as Folding@Home and others can run upwards of 140 times faster on an NVIDIA general-purpose parallel processor than on some of today’s traditional CPUs.

But gamers need not fear NVIDIA is ignoring its gaming roots. NVIDIA believes the CUDA general-purpose parallel processing mode will usher in a new generation of ultra realistic games by using the power of the “CUDA Computing” mode to simulate realistic, physically accurate effects then render images using the “GeForce GPU” mode. NVIDIA GPUs are also the only ones to support PhysX technology, the world’s most pervasive physics engine that allows developers to incorporate effects such as rigid body dynamics, collision detection, and cloth simulation. The cards’ 3-way NVIDIA SLI Technology also offers impressive performance scaling by implementing 3-way alternate frame rendering (AFR) to provide what it claims is the world’s fastest gaming solution under Windows Vista.

Graphics cards featuring GeForce GTX 280 GPUs are available now while Graphics cards featuring GeForce GTX 260 GPUs will be available starting on Thursday, June 26, 2008. Suggested retail pricing for the GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce GTX 260 GPUs are USS$649 and $399, respectively. For further info visit NVIDIA.

NVIDIA officially outs GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 graphics cards

The first NVIDIA GeForce 400 series GPUs have broken cover in the shape of the GTX470 and the GTX480. Representing the first of the Fermi line of consumer products, the gaming graphics units offer dense geometric and photo-realistic image rendering, full high definition 3D performance and the ability to expand screen real-estate across three displays.

It's been some months since NVIDIA first revealed its plans to release graphics processing units based on the Fermi GF100 architecture which holds the promise of up to 512 Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) cores, 48 Raster Operations Pipelines and 384-bit GDDR5 memory. The company says it will have the first couple of units on the shelves in April, the GeForce GTX480 and GTX470.

Both units sport a geometry processing engine which caters for more detailed image modeling and is geared towards generating a more realistic DirectX11 or OpenGL 3.2 gaming experience. As well as utilizing software to automatically convert over 400 standard 2D games into stereoscopic adventures without additional patches, the units benefit from NVIDIA's 3D Vision Surround which delivers up to 746 million pixels per second at 1080p full HD and gives users the option of expanding their gaming views over three displays to offer a whopping 5760 x 1080 immersive visual experience.

NVIDIA says that its new GeForce units represent "the world’s first consumer GPU to enable interactive ray tracing," which traces the path of light through a 3D scene to create photo-realistic image rendering. Further image enhancement is achieved thanks to 32 times anti-aliasing which smooths away any of the jagged mess at the edges of graphics.

The company claims that at maximum resolution, the US$499 GTX480 is 27 percent faster than any other GPU on the market today. Under the hood are 480 CUDA cores (that is by no means full tilt for the Fermi GF100 architecture upon which it is built and does lend itself to the probability of more powerful GPUs coming in the future), 700MHz graphics and 1401MHz processor and 1.5GB onboard GDDR5 memory running at 1848MHz. NVIDIA says that the unit could need up to 250W of power to run (which means it's likely to be a hot potato) so is recommending system power units of at least 600W.

The GTX470 weighs in at US$349 and is basically a scaled down model with 448 CUDA cores, 607MHz graphics and 1215MHz processor and 1.2GB onboard GDDR5 memory running at 1674MHz. It also needs slightly less power to run, 215W with a recommended system power unit of at least 550W.

More detailed information is available on the product pages, including demos of NVIDIA's tessellation technology and interactive ray tracing in action.