What are Nanomachines?

Nanomachines refer to robots that can perform tasks on a molecular level. The prefix “nano” describes the nanometer dimensions of these machines. They have just been introduced recently although they have been a subject of science fiction for a long time. Nanomachines are now quickly being integrated into products and industries and are projected to possibly decipher the human genome, create stronger and lighter body armor than Kevlar and many other applications in the future.  With their limitless use, nanomachines are said to be the most profitable technology of this century and beyond.

The human body is filled with nanomachines, arguably making up most of its mass. A cell might be considered a nanomachine because it consists of nanoscale components. An even more obvious nanomachine would be ribosomes, molecular factories that synthesize proteins. Ribosomes are about 20 nanometers in diameter. Other biological nanomachines would be bacteria and viruses.

Applications

Health
Nanomachines can easily fit inside human cells as they are 2.5 times smaller than DNA. This means they can perform tasks such as repairing damaged tissues, destroying cancer cells or making nanoscale incisions. A nanomachine bandage that soaks into human skin and repair tissue damages brought by infection, wounds or abrasions is already available. Nanomachines have also made delivering important DNA elements to damaged cells possible and has resulted in great leaps in disease control, chronic disorder prevention, as well as reversal of various mental and physical disorders.

Besides the help it gives in bringing good health to people, nanomachines are also poised to provide biological enhancements like additional muscle tissue, stronger bones, and better senses, as well as to alter the physical makeup of human cells. What this means is that scientists could change a person’s eye color, skin color, hair color, height and weight at will. Even gender can be changed if scientists perfected the map of the human genome with the help of nanomachines. Likewise, nanomachines will soon allow cloning to be more practical and efficient and may provide a solution to the problems that cryogenics faces.

Food
Unknown to many, nanomachines have also made their mark in the food industry. These super tiny machines have the ability to alter the characteristics of food just like they can change the characteristics of human cells. Nanomachines can change the taste, texture, appearance, and most importantly, the nutrition that can be acquired from any food.

Crime
Nanomachines have helped law enforcement in Britain and other places around the world catch shoplifters by tracking nanosized RFID chips or bar codes that can only be deactivated upon purchase. Retail outlets in Europe, and now some in the United States, have recently been including these items in their products because shoplifters cannot see or deactivate them.

Sports
Nanomachines allow sports equipment manufacturers to create products that are much more flexible, durable, shock-resistant, and stronger than similar products. Athletes will soon have a much more diverse assortment of gear as nanomachines will allow many new technologies to arise, thereby allowing the development of new sports altogether.

Appliances
Nanomachines are also found in common appliances like refrigerators and washing machines. Billions of nanosized particles of colloidal silver (an antibacterial and antimicrobial solution) are continuously released inside the mentioned appliances for sterilizing their contents.  The colloidal silver prevents germs and bacteria from building up on food or clothes. In fact, the washing machines that use silver nanoparticles are capable of keeping clothes sterile for up to one month after each wash. In addition to appliances, several cleansers that use colloidal silver have been introduced to the market.

Conclusion
Amidst these applications, nanomachines are still in the research stage. If nanomachines could be improved to become self-replicating, or could be built in large quantities using self-assembly, or programmed into cooperating to create objects, they could be formed into a custom manufacturing system with far more capabilities than anything in existence today.

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design. www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

LX Finalist in Australian Small Business Champion Awards 2012

LX Design House has been recognised for its business innovation, passion and entrepreneurial prowess by being nominated in the Australian Small Business Champion Awards 2012.

LX has been named a finalist in three categories: Information Technology, Business Growth Champion and Small Business Champion Entrepreneur.

Criteria to become a successful champion finalist includes past business achievements, positive business culture, sustainability and future business vision.

LX Group is a multi-award-winning Australian electronics design house specialising in wireless and low-power electronics designs. LX’s motto, “we take your concept and make it a reality”, reflects their passion for innovative electronic product development.

The Australian Small Business Champion Awards is a prestigious and comprehensive program that supports and recognises small businesses across Australia. The awards are the pinnacle of business success. They recognise the values associated with successful businesses.

The winner of the 2012 Australian Small Business Champion Awards will be announced in the Grand Ballroom of The Westin, Sydney, on Saturday, 21st April 2012.

–End–

Contacts:

LX Group

Debra Drury, Marketing, Tel:  (02) 9209 4133  Email: debra.d@lx-group.com.au

More Information:

About LX Group, visit www.lx-group.com.au

About Australian Small Business Champion Awards, visit http://www.precedent.net/champions

Published by LX Group for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

The Importance of Business Planning for Design and Engineering Firms

For many creative or technical people, the last thing they think about is business planning. For many right-brained people, sitting down and planning can be boring, and executing them can even be more of a chore. Business plans and continuous planning is necessary for those who go into any business, whether you are an electronics engineer or a graphic designer. These are the necessary steps you need to take to get your business off the ground, or if you’ve already started, to give you focus for the coming months or years.

Design and engineering firms are no different. In the beginning, it’s even more important to have your business plan if you want to open a real office with employees and equipment. Not only is this important to gain funding, but business planning is important to help you stay on track and in business for a long time.

Role of Business Planning
If you didn’t start with a business plan, don’t worry. Many creative and technical firms start out with a few clients, without any real goals except to deliver the goods, get a good pat on the back and perhaps make some profit (or at the very least, not come out in the red.) However, as time goes by, many of these firms may find that although they and everyone in their company are growing creatively, they don’t see much monetary gain, are always strained to make ends meet and they find themselves working harder every year but not really seeing the company grow. Worse, competition is growing and expenses are just too much to keep up with. You start feeling like a hamster running on a wheel – busting your behinds, but not really getting anywhere.

The problem is, for a business to be successful, it cannot stay in the same place. It must move forward or be left behind. Whether you started with a business plan or not, now is the time to create or update your plan. Business plans for design and engineering firms are never static. Your business planning allows you to reflect back on the past and make plans for the future, to allow you to move forward.

The planning process is important both in the beginning and middle. It will make you aware of the challenges that you will face ahead and help you find solutions. It allows you to look at your competition and find out what sets you apart from them, and more importantly, how to convince potential clients they need to do business with YOU. You’ll also be able to include your team and your stakeholders in the process, to ensure your team goals and their personal goals are aligned.

Effective Strategies
You may be telling yourself, “Business planning is so boring!” For creative and technical types, the planning itself can be fun and exciting – just get a bunch of these types of people together in a room and let them start brainstorming. You’ll feel the energy in the room – the excitement and zest! The real problem lies in the execution. Who wants to worry about things like financial projections, profits and losses, cash flow statements and promotional plans.

The key here is to make it your own and really make it simple. There’s really no one way to do a business plan. You may have to package it a certain way, such as having titles like “executive summary,” “values” and “objectives” but all these things really boil down to these simple questions:

– Where are we now?
– Where would we like to be one/five/ten years from now?
– How do we get there?

Answering these basic questions, you can build a good, solid foundation for your business plan. Getting down and doing the dirty work, devoting time to really ironing out what it is you want to happen will be worth it, so you can grow both your creative/technical and business side.

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design. www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

What is Bluetooth 4.0?

What is Bluetooth 4.0?
The fourth version of the popular Bluetooth technology is first seen on the iPhone 4S. If you asked any user, most of them would be happy with Bluetooth 2.0. Meanwhile, Bluetooth 3.0 applications are very hard to find. If this is the case, why do we need a Bluetooth 4.0?

The Bluetooth wireless standard is a brainchild of Ericsson and was first released in 1994. Since then, it has found its way on mobile devices mostly for use in wireless headsets and headphones. It is also the most common way to send files between phones in short distances. Although not all phones support all available Bluetooth profiles, exchanging data between any phone brands was made easy because of it.

Previous Bluetooth Versions
Versions 1.1 and 1.2 provided the device discovery system that most Bluetooth device users are familiar with. This allowed gadgets to be paired by entering a default or defined password. Version 2.0, released in 2004, increased the data transfer speed from 721 kb/s to 2.1 Mb/s by employing the Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) function. Three years after 2.0, version 2.1 was released that featured simple methods for pairing devices. It is also the version that allows other ways in pairing devices, most notable of which was Near Field Communication (NFC).

The third version of Bluetooth added the ability to use Wi-Fi as another means for transferring data. Bluetooth establishes the connection then routes the data over Wi-Fi, making the transfer faster. It was supposed to add Ultra Wide Band (UWB) support but was discontinued for unknown reasons. Only a few phones supported Bluetooth 3.0 whose features were not really needed during that time.

Bluetooth 4.0 and Bluetooth Low Energy
In 2010 Bluetooth 4.0 was introduced. This version increased the range at which data can be sent, from 10m to 100m. But maybe the most significant change that BT 4.0 brought was Bluetooth Low Energy – the technology that brought a Nokia feature to Apple’s iPhone and Mac products.

Actually, Bluetooth Low Energy is not the first low-power radio system to come out. Before it were Z-Wave and Zigbee whose applications are completely similar to what BT 4.0 offers, such as home automation and appliance control.

Bluetooth Low Energy was originally named Wibree by Nokia when it was introduced in 2001. The proponents of the technology made it clear that it can be used to send data intermittently for a long time, consuming power in the range of 0.01 to 0.5W. This and the quick connection set-up times allow BT LE devices to run on a small battery lasting for months.

Bluetooth Applications
One of the first devices to use Bluetooth 4.0 was a wireless heart-rate monitor. The technology allows a device to use a computer or a phone to connect to its associated web service easily. For instance, the device could send your heart-rate to a website for further studies. Another application includes a smart electricity meter that requests your computer to establish a connection to the power provider’s website.

Bluetooth 4.0’s low power consumption allows it to be installed inside watches. A Bluetooth 4.0-powered watch is useful in many situations. For example, your watch can act as a key to open your phone. This will prevent anyone from opening your phone because the phone will know that it is not you.

Bluetooth SIG, the organization that oversees the Bluetooth standard, expects most of the phones that will ship in 2012 to include this technology. The lower power consumption and decreasing cost of silicon will make BT 4.0 come for free, just like how the old Bluetooth functionality was built into Wi-Fi chips. The SIG also sees BT 4.0 to be used in other areas, including remote controls for home entertainment, temperature monitoring and control, proximity sensing and much more.

The Future of Bluetooth?- Final Thoughts

Although BT 4.0 holds a lot of promise, its rise could be thwarted by similar technologies. Set-top boxer makers are already including both Z-Wave and Zigbee which make their kit a hub for home automation and control systems. Some energy companies are using smart metering with Zigbee modules inside, and mobile phones are using ANT+ for their health and fitness sensors.

But if plenty of new phones will include Bluetooth 4.0, this would give critical mass for other devices to follow suit. Whether you will be using it to monitor your blood glucose soon will depend on the race between Bluetooth SIG and its competitors in publishing profiles for device makers.

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design.www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

Robots Are Set to Invade Consumer Electronics

Automation and Robots
Automation and robotics has been a great help in any type of industry that requires efficiency at its finest. They have altered how factories work across the globe by single-handedly transforming how products are made. These robots have become more user-friendly, affordable and intelligent as time goes by.

Robots are now crossing another territory. These intelligent factory works are ready to be useful inside our homes. The field of consumer electronics which was once ruled by cellular phones and computers is now filled with home-based robotic systems.

With each passing year, more and more robots are presented to the electronics consuming public.  Let us look at the robot innovations presented in this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which might have given us a preview of what our lives may look like in the near future.

Mobile Robot Control
Mobile control robot controlling devices remotely is becoming more popular. An example of smart phone remote control is a ball which is actually a robot that can be controlled by your mobile device. Inside the ball is a gyroscope sensor and two micro-wheels that make the ball roll on every command. Communication between the phone and the device is done through Bluetooth. Moving the virtual joystick on your mobile will move the ball. You can also draw a predefined pattern for the ball to follow. Finally, you can also change the color of the glow of the ball, making it usable even in the dark.

Dancing Robot Music
A robot music device at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas is an example of successfully combining two electronic devices  that capture the interest of most of us: robots and music. The robot can transform from a simple mp3 player with speaker to a humanoid once the music starts. It can also dance to the beat by programming it through the included remote control. This device can store 2 GB of music or approximately 500 songs.

Balancing Robot Toys
Teaching a man to balance in a bike is hard, but teaching a robot to balance in a bike is even harder. Not with this a recent robot development. By swinging the stick of the controller to the right direction (much like the Wii controller), you can make the robot move back and forth. It can even move its head following the movement of the controller.

Balancing is done through the help of a gyroscope attached to the robot’s chest. Inside the controller is another gyroscope with an accelerometer for detecting the movements. The robot is a toy for now, but it is a breakthrough in balancing an object without human intervention.

Singing Robot Vacuums
Robot vacuum cleaners are slowly replacing traditional vacuum cleaners.  They help you save time and effort as they can look for dust and dirt themselves. You can now control these intelligent cleaners using your smart phone or smart tablet. Then there’s Deebot, the first vacuum robot that can also work as your personal entertainer, as it can sing tunes and dance to the music.

Walk-about Work Stations
Although technically not a robot, work stations certainly behave like them. Work stations are being developed to be used either at home or at the office. The high-tech chair usually features three 19-inch LCD monitors, a 7” LCD touch screen control panel, a webcam, wireless headset with noise-cancelling, and perimeter and working headlights plus full spectrum lighting for avoiding jaundice. The seat is made up of top-line leather with climate package and head and tilt adjustment. An air purification system is also present.

Consumer Electronics
These products are only a few examples of robots that are invading consumer electronics. These were once only subjects of sci-fi novels, but now we are witnessing them for real. As electronic components and electronics designs become cheaper, we can expect more of these robots become   affordable. This is the dawn of consumer robotics.

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. They specialise in embedded systems and wireless technologies design.www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

Making your Home Smarter

Making your Home Smarter: Automation

The convenience and security of home automation are undeniable, and more and more people are using it. Not only that, a smart home can be an energy-efficient one, as you have more control of your appliances. It is always nice to have your lights automatically dim as you leave your room or play your favourite song just by clapping your hands. Home automation might cost a bit to install but the benefits are worth the investment.

Defining a “Smart” Home

A smart home incorporates a network that connects appliances and devices. This network allows anything that utilises electricity to communicate with each other and respond to your commands. Controlling the devices could be done using a computer, wireless controller, or by voice. The system can be similar to a personal assistant who awaits your every beck and call. Lighting, home theatre, security, temperature regulation and entertainment are the most common systems to be automated.

 

A Short History of Home Automation

It was just a few years back when only society’s well-off could afford an automated house. But now, the developments in electronics technology have paved the way for much cheaper systems, enticing more families to convert their abode to smarter homes. How did smart homes begin?

It was in 1975 when Scottish company Pico electronics created X10, the technology that gave birth to home automation. X10 allowed compatible appliances and devices to “talk” to each other using the existing electricity connections inside a house.

Receivers are installed in the appliances and devices, and a remote control or keypad acts as the transmitter. Pressing the remote control sends out data wirelessly, encapsulating simple codes like 0010 for “on” and 0011 for “off”. The X10 was revolutionary during that time although it has its limitations. For instance, communication among the devices using electrical wires can be unreliable – the signals are heavily attenuated by the 120/240 volt system that is used in American homes.

More technologies emerged since then, all trying to overcome the limitations of the X10. Z-wave and ZigBee moved away from using power lines and used a special frequency channel for sending out radio waves. Both technologies used low-power and low-cost modules that are connected, following a mesh topology. Being low-power allowed ZigBee modules to be manufactured in small sizes and use smaller batteries. Mesh networking provides reliability and a more extensive communication range.

 

Software

Choosing the right automation software is very important. Modules follow the same technical standard and they all work the same, but programs do not. You must choose a program based on how easy use. Activhome is recommended for beginners, as the user interface is simple to follow. You can control your appliances through your computer using it. If you want more customization, then Powerhome could be for you. This program allows you to create timed sequences as well as routines that fit your preference.

Adding other systems would require new programs. For example, if you choose to add a weather monitor, you will need Virtual Weather Station. This program allows your automation software (e.g. Activhome) to communicate with your climate sensors.

Hardware

The server, interface and modules are the hardware of your automation system. The server acts as the brain of the system and will always include controllers, timers and computers. Servers have become more intelligent over the years and may now accept commands from smartphones. E-home Automation products are examples of systems that can process commands from Apple’s iPhone. Interface refers to the connection between the different components of the system, while modules receive the commands for the devices.

Smart Grid and the Future

The term “smart grid” refers to a node in a network of electrical systems that can analyse behaviours and do actions based on what it sees as necessary to maintain the efficiency of the system. The ability to control home appliances and lighting is viewed as an integral addition to the smart grid as it is being rolled out in a few countries.

A combination of home automation systems and smart grids will pave the way for better energy management in the future. A possible application could be turning on the air-conditioning system using the high power derived from a solar panel on a hot day. Smart grid technology will also evolve just like home automation so that this so-called “green automation” can be utilised in more homes.

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design.www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

What is an Embedded System?

Have you ever thought about how truly marvellous all the gadgets we have today are? It’s not just the mp3 players, digital watches, e-book readers etc., but even things like traffic lights, airplane guidance systems and even climate control devices, which, even though we hardly notice them, makes everything more convenient and easy for us to go through our daily routines. And what make all of these things possible are embedded systems.

An embedded system is a computer built for one specific purpose, as opposed to a PC which is built for general purposes and can be used for many things (like watching movies, reading email, surfing the net, etc.) One device can have one or several embedded systems. A great example is a car. A car can have one embedded system to control the anti-locking brakes, another to control the automatic four-wheel drive, one to control the heater and air conditioner, and a multitude of other devices. Embedded systems are great for things that just have one purpose, and it is especially great for tasks which are repetitive and have to be precise (such as the anti-lock braking systems.) Equally, embedded systems are applied to transportation, medical applications and fire safety equipment because they can perform their tasks accurately in real-time without any delay and almost without any need for outside input.

Embedded systems have been around for longer than most people realise. For example, one of the first ones was used in the space shuttle, Apollo Guidance System, in the 60s. These were created to reduce the size and weight of onboard computers for the shuttle craft and one of the first and prime examples of integrated circuit use. Of course, as technology advanced, embedded systems became cheaper and smaller, and thus we’re no longer limited to putting them on million-dollar space shuttle, but even things like microwave ovens, water heaters and dishwashers.

Why an Embedded System?

Perhaps many people may think, instead of using a dozen small computers in one device, why not just put one computer to do all these things? Well, perhaps for things with a lot of embedded systems (such as the car) that may be possible, but what about for simple things, like your coffee machine, oven or a digital watch? Adding an entire computer system wouldn’t make much sense, when all you really need for your embedded system to do is tell time, turn itself on in the morning or make sure it stays a certain temperature. It simply makes much more sense to put in a simple, single-function computer.

When deciding on an embedded system, these are usually the top considerations:

Price – A computer used to be something only governments or big companies could own. Embedded systems make it possible for electronics to be affordable and efficient, so that we can place them in virtually anything and everything (yes, even the kitchen sink.)

Size and Weight – Before integrated circuits, no one could even dream of computers smaller than their living room, much less the palm of their hands. Now, we can have embedded systems in things even smaller than our palms, and they continue to become smaller and lighter.

Productivity – An embedded system does only one thing, and it can do it efficiently. For many repetitive tasks, such as the many mentioned previously, this is enough. It’s simply not a good use of resources to have an entire general purpose computer in something that only does one thing. What about that car example? Well, it’s true you could have one PC to control, but it would not only be expensive, but it would be inefficient. If the computer broke down, then you wouldn’t be able to use your car. With embedded systems, if your car’s temperature control broke down, you could still get to where you needed to go (you’d just need to wear shorts and roll the windows down.)

Embedded systems aren’t perfect, though; for example, you’d need a lot of testing to release certain products out on the market (such as medical and life-saving devices) and because it is embedded deep into the product, you couldn’t update it easily. However, embedded systems have certainly changed the course of human development in the last 20 years, and will most likely do so in the next century.

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design. www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

The Importance of Electronics Prototyping

A prototype is a model that designers use to determine the feasibility of a concept or device and to test the development of the device throughout the research and pre-production phases of the product development. The word is made up of two Greek words meaning roughly something like “first impression.” Prototypes are used in many ways, but are particularly helpful and necessary in electronics development and manufacturing. Electronics prototypes are often assembled manually, which is faster and cheaper than creating an actual stamped PCB board and can be more easily modified, but still allows for circuits to be properly assembled and tested.

Proof of Concept Prototype
A proof of concept or proof of principal prototype is a model that is close enough to the envisioned device to establish sufficient certainty that the idea has the potential to do what is intended, before pursuing the task in earnest. Issues that are identified can be remedied long before the more costly and complex research process begins. This can save time and money that could potentially be wasted if it turned out that the conceptual idea is either impossible or is too difficult to make it worth the time and effort.

Prototype Product Evolution
Demonstration prototypes are the next step in the product evolution. Once designers, engineers and investors are convinced that the product is feasible, the prototype serves as a demonstration tool to sell the idea to others. Usually that refers to investors and others with an interest in the feasibility of the concept. In some cases the prototype is required to file for a patent for the device. Demonstration prototypes are generally more advanced and closer to the fully operational device than the concept prototype, but still not fully functional or formed.

Product Development
Once everyone is satisfied that the product is possible, the next stage of product development begins. In electronics, this often consists of the creation of software and control instructions. The research prototype serves as a test bed for the software and may undergo some hardware changes to ensure compatibility with the software algorithms.  Depending on the device, a research prototype may be used to also help develop appearance and physical designs. Once the research is complete, the final product is built in the form of a functional prototype, which as closely as possible mimics the finished product.

Commercial Production
Once the research necessary to build the device is complete, the final process is the commercial production phase. This is when the device is finally made into the fully functioning product that will be sold to consumers. The first iteration is called an alpha prototype. It will be as close to the intended final product as possible in both form and function and serves to identify any issues that interfere with production. Once complete it will be thoroughly tested and if necessary changes to either the device or production process will be made. The next iteration is the beta prototype, which reflects any changes that were made during the first iteration. Once complete the device is put through more grueling trials and testing. Once again, any identified issues are corrected and when complete the pre-production prototype emerges. This is the final prototype before large scale production begins.

Prototype Process
Prototypes are an important part of the process of creating, building and manufacturing an electronic product. Without utilizing prototypes along the way, the process would suffer frequent setbacks that will consume funds needed for the project. The prototypes evolve as new information comes to light and grows along with the idea. Without a prototype, the only way to know if a device will do what is intended would be to manufacture it, which requires a much larger expenditure of time, effort and money, and the finished product may not work at all.

Prototypes are an essential tool in the development of any electronic device because they take a concept that exists only on paper and in theory and transforms it into something that is tangible and actually performs at least some aspect of the envisioned product. Prototypes are considered so important in the electronics manufacturing field that there are entire companies that specialize in constructing them for other designers, inventors and manufacturers.

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design. www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

Hybrid Solar Collectors: How Do They Work?

As the cost of energy production rises and the availability of fossil fuels decreases, the need, demand and benefits of sustainable sources of energy increases. The two most widely used and available forms of sustainable energy are wind and solar. The race is on to improve collection methods in order to make these technologies as efficient as possible. In the case of solar power collection, attempts to increase the efficiency of solar cells have led to the development of hybrid solar collectors. There are two types of hybrid solar collectors, each of which increases the efficiency of the solar collectors, though they accomplish the increased efficiency in different ways.

The first type of hybrid solar collectors works by increasing the amount of solar energy that is directly converted into electricity. The cells of the collectors are made out of two different materials. One material receives the sun’s energy, which causes electron excitation, and the material begins to give off, or donate, electrical particles. For this reason, it is often called the donor material. The particles it donates are transferred to the second material, called the acceptor. The second material acts to diffuse or disassociate the charged particles and distribute them through the system in the form of usable electricity. The interaction of the two materials together results in a larger amount of solar energy being converted into electricity than would occur with only a single material.

There are several combinations of materials used in the donor/acceptor pair, as well as several designs for both how the transfers occur and how the disassociation of the particles takes place. Popular designs are the nanoparticle/polymer composite design, carbon nanotube design, dye-sensitized design and the inorganic nanostructure/small molecule design.

The second type of hybrid solar collector uses a different technique to increase efficiency. Rather than attempting to increase efficiency by increasing the amount of electricity the system can produce, it instead makes use of both the conversion of energy to electricity and the collection of heat produced in the process. One popular version of this type of hybrid solar collector is manufactured by Solimpeks Corporation in Turkey.

The Solimpeks Volthik hybrid solar collectors use tubes to circulate water through the panels. The water absorbs heat produced by the interaction of the sunlight with the collector materials. The water is then circulated and stored in tanks, which can be used for hot water or heating in the structures. An added benefit is, as the water circulates through the system collecting the excess heat, the collection materials are cooled, which greatly increases their efficiency.

The most optimally efficient hybrid solar collector system incorporates both of these techniques. However, increased costs and installation difficulty associated with the tubing and other components required for the Solimpeks type of hybrid solar collector may mean that the simpler dual material collectors are more practical in some situations. As the systems become more efficient and manufacturing costs drop, the hybrid systems will be more frequently installed during new construction, which in turn will further lower the costs associated with hybrid solar collector.

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design. www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

Achieving Sustainable Energy through Redox Flow Batteries

As the quest to develop viable renewable energy solutions continues at a rapid pace, achieving sustainable energy through the use of redox flow batteries has become a promising possibility. Though sustainable energy applications are certainly not the only uses for redox flow batteries, they are among the most important and widely studied uses of the batteries, and innovations for the use of redox flow batteries for achieving sustainable energy are certain to continue.

One of the biggest problems with current sources of sustainable energy is unpredictability. Consider sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar, and it is quickly apparent that the unpredictable nature of the sun and wind make it difficult to assure sufficient power generation, and thus power distribution, at any given moment. Another problem is the ability to take advantage of the times when there is abundant amounts of sun or wind. Taking full advantage of the resource can be wasteful if that amount of energy production is not needed when the resources are available. What is required is a solution that allows providers to be able to take advantage of times of abundant sustainable energy and continue providing power when the sources are not so abundant. Achieving sustainable energy through redox flow batteries offers a solution to both of these problems.

Redox flow batteries are a type of rechargeable batteries that operate by storing electricity chemically via an electrolyte solution. While this doesn’t differ from many other types of batteries, redox flow batteries offer much higher storage capacities as well as a very low rate of self-discharge. These two characteristics are what make redox flow batteries a good solution for power storage in sustainable energy applications.

Current redox flow batteries are limited by their relatively low energy density. Current redox flow batteries feature an average energy density of about 35 Watt hours per kilogram (35 Wh/Kg). As a comparison, current lead acid batteries have an energy density of about 40 Wh/Kg and lithium ion batteries can achieve an energy density of up to 200 Wh/Kg. However, redox flow battery technology is advancing rapidly and Fraunhofer Institute researchers have claimed they’ll soon be able to increase the energy density of redox flow batteries to a level comparable to that of current lithium ion batteries.

Achieving sustainable energy through the use of redox batteries is already being done in several places around the world. A wind power project in Hokkaido, Japan uses a 275 kilowatt redox flow battery system to balance power distribution. Similar systems are in use in Tasmania, Utah and several other places, including solar power applications.

As the production of energy through sustainable means increases in efficiency and the output becomes greater, sustainable energy will become more widespread and cost-effective, hopefully eliminating the need for other non-sustainable energy sources. But for this to happen, the ability to store the power produced so it is consistently available is essential. Redox flow batteries are the technological innovation with the best chance of providing this necessary component. Achieving sustainable energy through redox flow batteries is the focus of universities and corporations around the world, which illustrates the hope researchers have for the batteries’ success.

 

For further information:

Debra Drury, LX Marketing Coordinator, t: +61 2 9209 4133, debra.d@lx-group.com.au   

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design. www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.