invention

We have been trying to optimize cooling for centuries. My grandfather from Toledo solved the heat with the simplest invention: a door split in two

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He looks at me and says: “broken doors.” In his country house, my grandfather’s door opens in half: bottom leaf, top leaf, each with its own hinge. Every time I see it I think of cowboy movies, the logo of saloon from some after-dinner western. I imagined: “of course, for the cat.” Nothing to see. history class. The idea of ​​the split door is not only from La Mancha or Toledo, it is the same principle as the Dutch doors or stable doors from four centuries ago. According to the definition itself, the first dutch doors They date from the mid-17th century, around period 1640-1650. From here they became a practical solution in farms and rural houses in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, in order to let air and light in while keeping out animals, dust and some of the cold. The chronology itself can be found in Dutch paintings of the time, such as ‘Young Woman at a Dutch Door’, from 1645 and attributed to Samuel van Hoogstraten, a painter in Rembrandt’s workshop. Its use became popular in the American colonial era and its fame decreased towards the end of the 18th century, in favor of more robust, secure and single-leaf doors. A tunnel of cold and cleanliness. At that time, the word air conditioning did not exist, but there was a concern for hygiene: when you open only the upper half, the door works like a large window, releasing pollution from cooking smoke, which, being less dense, always accumulates at the top. And thus a small renewal current was created with the lower leaf closed. If the house had another opening on the opposite façade, the effect was amplified: cross ventilation is generated that brings in cooler air on one side while hot air leaves on the other. A simple but very effective formula if activated first thing in the morning or in the late afternoon, when the sun sets. And in winter? Well, the same door allows the opposite: opening only the lower part for a few minutes to ventilate without the entire pocket of hot air stuck to the ceiling escaping, reducing thermal losses in houses without modern insulation and where the heat was produced from braziersglories (under the floor) or low chimneys. In winter you open the bottom part to ventilate without losing the warmth that gets trapped on top. In summer, quite the opposite: you open the upper part so that the hot air can escape while the ground floor remains in darkness. If you light a fire in the kitchen, just open the top so that the smoke comes out through natural convection —chimney effect pure and hard—while the lower leaf continues to act as a barrier against the cold that comes from outside, usually the corral or the orchard. Thick walls, slow summers. The split door works because it works in tandem with another ancient technology: fat walls. So thick that they do not allow the electromagnetic radio waves that make WiFi to work. In the traditional architecture of the Meseta it is not uncommon to find enclosures more than fifty centimeters thick, chambers made of stone, rammed earth or solid brick, with a thermal inertia similar to that of a cave. The physics behind it couldn’t be simpler: the more mass the wall has, the longer it takes the outside heat to pass through it. Meanwhile, the interior remains relatively cool, as happens in any church where the sun takes hours to show itself or sometimes not even that. The same wall, in winter, absorbs part of the heat from braziers and stoves and slowly releases it when night falls, reducing thermal fluctuations in homes without radiators. What we call today “passive comfort management” is this very thing. And without IoT sensors or apps. Grandparents know it all. Silos: fresh but dry. The third lesson is taught to us silos and traditional barns. To store grain, a dry and cold microclimate must be created, in order to stop fungi, bacteria and insects that can rot the grain. When the grain is wet, the dough breathes, generates heat and creates pockets where the temperature rises and moisture condenses; If there is no ventilation, the pile becomes a breeding ground that can ruin tons of harvest. The solution is as simple as creating aeration ramps at the base and airlocks – small windows – along the walls that allow air to travel through the bulk, equalizing temperatures and removing steam upwards. It is the chimney effect but on the contrary: if you leave the ventilation openings open, the hot outside air enters through these ducts, rises through the mass of grain and heats it from within, forcing the openings to be sealed well once the cereal is dry and cold. Domestic science, with convection c. This whole repertoire of split doors, thick walls, and silos with eyes works because it takes advantage of three basic ideas of fluid physics: hot air rises, cold air falls, and air moves from areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure. End. The cross ventilation —that is, opening opposite openings so that air crosses the home—relies on pressure differences between facades and the orientation of the wind, while the chimney effect uses vertical corridors (patios, stairs, door openings) so that hot air rises and sucks in cooler air from below. In research On traditional patio houses, it has been measured how two patios with different temperatures activate a convection current that keeps the main rooms within comfortable ranges, without a single air conditioning machine. Each and every passive ventilation strategy involves some cooling, because “convection helps dissipate the heat accumulated inside as long as the openings and volumes are well thought out.” In the end, my grandfather’s split door didn’t hack anything, it was just properly installed. Two hundred years ago there were no engineers INTA in San Pablo de los Montes or in Quintanar de la Orden, but there were people with heat … Read more

There was a time when having a thermometer in the car was a luxury. This is how this ingenious invention solved it in the rearview mirror

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Today we have basic elements in our cars that have remained almost in the same place for decades. For example: the thermometer. For many years we have been able to know what temperature it is outside from the comfort of our car (although sometimes we wonder if the sensor works as it should). However, long before this element was incorporated into the instrument panel or the central screen of our car, some manufacturers opted for another place: under the driver’s side mirror. And at a time when analogue predominated, there was no other choice. The luxury America of the seventies The analog thermometer in the exterior mirror It was an invention born in the United States, in the context of the great American luxury cars of the seventies. A time when the most prestigious brands in the country competed to offer the most extravagant equipment possible, from Cartier watches integrated into the dashboard to garage opening systems or autonomy indicators. Click on the image to go to the post The mechanism was simple as well as ingenious. And just as they collect On the Curbside Classic forum, where owners and enthusiasts have debated this type of vehicle accessories for years, the thermometer worked using a spiral spring made of a material sensitive to changes in temperature (normally two metals with very different thermal expansion coefficients, such as brass or iron-nickel alloys). One end of the spring was fixed to the inside of the mirror housing; the other, to the small outer drum. As it expanded or contracted with heat or cold, the spring rotated the drum, which displayed the corresponding temperature on a graduated scale. There were no cables or electronics. It was pure precision mechanics. Additionally, some manufacturers included lighting built into the fixture, either through a light bulb or fiber optic which came from the dashboard (like in some Cadillacs). This last method was better, since it did not generate heat and did not alter the thermometer reading. Cadillac first, Lincoln later The brand that first offered this peculiarity was Cadillac, the jewel in the crown of General Motors. According to they count In The Autopian, Cadillacs equipped these thermometers in the side mirror around 1976, even before its direct rival Lincoln. The Cadillac Seville, the brand’s flagship model at that period, was one of those that included this accessory in its equipment, which was also available in other models in the range such as the Eldorado, the DeVille or the Fleetwood. Thermometer in a Lincoln. Image: Vanguard Motor Sales (Instagram) From Hagerty Media, in an article about the 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, they say that the thermometer in the side mirror was an option available in that year’s catalog at a price of $18, which placed it among the most affordable extras within a menu of options that included everything from cruise control ($104) to the alarm system ($114) or the radio cassette ($239). The Buick Park Avenue, GM’s other big bet in the premium segment, also carried it from its early years as an equipment package to differentiate itself from the rest. As it appears on the equipment sheetthe original Park Avenue from 1975 already included the mirror with a thermometer along with other elements such as air conditioning and automatic rear leveling in the suspension. For its part, according to account In the middle, Lincoln, Ford’s luxury division, incorporated the illuminated thermometer into its models starting in 1978. A luxury that is difficult to find today Lincoln rearview mirror with built-in thermometer and wiring for automatic mirror control. Image: eBay Just like express the middle the middle, today it is extraordinarily difficult to find these mirrors in good condition. A mirror with thermometer for a 1988 Lincoln Town Car can reach between $140 and $660 on second-hand platforms such as eBay depending on the condition of the part, while one intended for the 1976-1979 Cadillac Seville can exceed $800. The Lincoln thermometer of the eighties already incorporated the double scale Fahrenheit and Celsius, something that the models of the late seventies did not have, as they only showed the temperature on the Fahrenheit scale. However, Cadillac started getting rid of its analog thermometerssince at the beginning of the 80s they already included more advanced temperature systems in their vehicles where the outside temperature was also displayed in digital format. The leap to digital The arrival of increasingly advanced electronic systems made these thermometers obsolete. In the first half of the 1980s, manufacturers they began to integrate digital screens on the dashboards that showed, among other data, the outside temperature. It was the era of “high-tech”, and digital had enormous appeal for the luxury buyer. The first car with digital instrumentation was the Aston Martin Lagondapresented as a prototype in 1976, although its cathode ray tube technology was too expensive for the mass public (imagine how expensive, if buying an Aston Martin wasn’t exactly cheap in itself). It was the arrival of liquid crystal LCD screens, and in particular the technology TN LCDcheaper and lighter, the one that democratized digital panels in cars during the first half of the eighties. From that moment on, show the outside temperature on a display inside the passenger compartment. It went from being a novelty to an increasingly common featurefirst in premium cars and, over the years, in increasingly accessible segments. In the mid-nineties, it was already a relatively common element in mid-high range cars. And if you have ever wondered where the sensor that measures the temperature and that is reflected on your car’s screen is located, usually It’s on the front bumperaway from the heat of the engine. Seen in perspective, the thermometer in the side mirror was a product of its time, but seeing it today, even in images, gives it a glimpse of very picturesque mechanical elegance. Cover image | The Autopian (eBay) In Xataka | Eddie Hall had a Bentley and many millions in the bank: he used both to set the most unlikely … Read more

Sleeping straight is a modern invention, not an evolution

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Regarding sleep, there are some deeply rooted beliefs such as that falling asleep in less than five minutes is good (spoiler: not at all), that we need to sleep eight hours (we are probably sleeping too much) or that sleeping straight through the night is ideal. There are no two without three and indeed: neither. In fact, if you wake up around three like magic, it’s not strange. After all, getting eight hours of uninterrupted sleep is a modern invention. Sleep science, history and biology all point in the same direction: we have never slept straight through. Understanding and assimilating this can change the way we approach our nights. Why it is important. Because we live in a time in which sleep disorders and the use of sleeping medicines are the order of the day, this reminder has therapeutic value. There are people with insomnia who do not have a disorder, but rather an ancestral biological pattern that clashes with modern life. It is not a problem of the dream, but of our expectations. Be careful, this is not an excuse for not treating pathological insomnia, but it is an excuse to help people reduce their anxiety regarding sleep and taking medication that they may not need. When the night was divided in two. Until about two centuries ago, it was not normal for people to sleep straight through. The pattern was the following: people went to bed shortly after dark, slept for about four hours, and then woke up for a little while to go back to sleep later, until dawn. It is known as biphasic sleep and is widely documented throughout the planet. Virgil already spoke of “the hour in which the first sleep begins for weary mortals” in his Aeneidalthough one of the people who has studied it the most is Roger Ekirch, who dedicated 16 years of research and gathered more than 500 references from documents of all types. Why we lost biphasic sleep. In two words: artificial light. Since the 18th century, when humanity had oil, gas or electric lamps, the night became useful time. And as we already know, light is not harmless to the brain: inhibits melatonin production and alters our circadian rhythms, advancing them. The more light we get before bed, the later we fall asleep and the less likely we are to wake up in the middle of the night. The Industrial Revolution did the rest: the rigidity of schedules ended up concentrating rest in a single block. What human evolution had established throughout our existence, the frenetic life of production and its advances had disrupted it forever. Return to the origins. When science subjects volunteers to conditions that simulate long winter nights, without lights, clocks, and completely dark, people spontaneously return to biphasic sleep with a quiet period of wakefulness. This 2017 study in a Madagascan farming community without electricity corroborated this pattern in real-world conditions. Light not only regulates sleep, it also affects our perception of time. Research from the Environmental Temporal Cognition Lab at Keele University evidence that with low lighting it seems that time passes more slowly, an effect that is magnified in people with a low mood. This explains why for many people winter feels eternal and depressing. And why if you wake up at 3 am time seems longer. What to do when you wake up in the middle of the night. If this nocturnal awakening has a biological basis, the key is in how we respond. The usual treatment through Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Give specific guidelines: if you haven’t slept for more than 20 minutes, get up and do a quiet activity with dim light, such as reading. And go back to bed when you feel drowsy. Also, forget about the clock: looking at the time triggers anxiety. But above and beyond procedures, it is important to understand something: this vigil does not have to be an alarm signal, but rather a sign of something deeply engraved in human nature. Accepting it instead of fighting it is often the shortest path back to sleep. In Xataka | The work ethic has been selling for years that getting up at 05:00 AM is good. Science is clear that absolutely In Xataka | If you fall asleep in less than five minutes, you don’t have a “superpower”: it’s a warning signal from your brain Cover | iam_os

In Ukraine we had seen armored vehicles from Mad Max, but the latest Russian invention has left everyone speechless: assault “hedgehogs”

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Last June, several images captured by reconnaissance drones of the Ukrainian forces sighted a unprecedented Russian offensive: Waves of two-wheeled troops launching motorcycle charges to break the kyiv front. If the scene seemed like a still from Mad Max, shortly after it would become reality with the appearance of trucks that we saw in the movie. The latest: in an unprecedented turn of the screw, Moscow has brought out its assault “hedgehogs” The tank turned into a “hedgehog”. The recent appearance of a T-80BVM Russian equipped with an extreme structure of steel cables along with foliage and tree branches, described as an “assault hedgehog”offers a revealing picture of the state of mechanized warfare in Ukraine. The photographs, broadcast by the channel Vodohray Telegramshow a T-80BVM with an anti-mine roller TMT-K and a T-72B3 with a KMT-7, both wrapped in dense cable cages covering the chassis, tower and top. On the T-80BVM, in addition, a electronic warfare system. This modification, primarily intended to thwart FPV drone attacks, represents the rapid adaptation of the battlefield to a threat that has completely altered the relationship between armor, mobility and survivability. And more. The structures that are seen look for prevent direct impact or cause drones to become trapped or damaged before reaching vulnerable points. However, the additional protection noticeably increases weightvolume and operational complexity: tanks become slower, more visible and difficult to maneuver in urban or forested areas. Still, the fact that these modifications arise not only from field improvisations but also from organized units highlights the extent to which drone warfare is redefining the very form of ground combat. T-80BV in the Kubinka tank museum Evolution of the T-80BVM. He original T-80developed in the late 1970s, was conceived as an elite tank capable of combining firepower with exceptional mobility thanks to its gas turbine engine. This feature made it faster and quieter than other Soviet models, which made it a symbol of military modernity in its time. With the dissolution of the USSR, many T-80s were stored, but the version T-80BVM (introduced in the 2010s) introduced important improvements: Relikt reactive shieldingmore modern optical and thermal systems, and mechanical adjustments to increase reliability, especially in cold environments. In Ukraine, where a war of attrition is being fought with very dynamic fronts, the T-80BVM has been used like crash car for quick attacks or penetration maneuvers, but the proliferation of drones has reduced their safety margins, forcing the modification of even a tank originally designed to move quickly and freely. Other armor seen in Ukraine FPV and the collapse of the classics. The expansion of FPV drones (capable of attacking from above or vulnerable flanks) has generated a conceptual crisis for traditional armor. Tower ledges, engine cover and commander’s hatch hinge have become critical points that even a cheap drone can exploit with an improvised payload. For this reason, both Russia and Ukraine have experimented with “cages”“mobile bunkers” and supplementary armor. It turns out that the first versions of these cages, superficial or with rigid bars, were insufficient: the drones learned to maneuver between gaps or detonate just above them. Hence the cable structures They represent a more advanced iteration of that improvised defense: they are more flexible, denser, and more likely to entangle or slow down small aircraft. However, its effectiveness is uneven, depending on the quality of the wiring, the speed of the drone and the ability of the FPV operator to manually adjust its trajectory. Camouflages and protections. we have gone counting before. The war has generated enormous tactical creativity on both sides. They have been seen covered armored of thermal networks to confuse infrared cameras, coated vehicles of tires to absorb shock waves, camouflaged transport with awnings and scrap metal to break silhouettes and even towers protected by improvisations of beams and bars that are reminiscent of shed roofs. Some of these designs seek to deceive reconnaissance drones, others intend just gain seconds before the impact of an FPV, a time that can allow the crew to abort, retreat or request cover. Each innovation introduces new countermeasures: when the cages appeareddrones began to carry loads at an angle, and when jammers appeared, wired drones or drones with more autonomous guidance systems began to be seen. War, in this sense, has become a constant laboratory where adaptation is measured in hours, not years. Uncertainty. Having said all this, the image of the “steel hedgehog” around the T-80BVM is not only curious: it symbolizes a war in which the rules of armored combat are changing at great speed. Tanks are still valuable, but can no longer operate without a dense layer electronic supportinfantry cover and constant surveillance of the nearby sky. The question that emerges is whether these adaptations keep the car useful or whether they represent an attempt to keep a car alive. concept in transformation. For now, the response on the front is pragmatic: any measure that allows us to survive one more mission is welcome, even if it turns a vehicle designed for speed and direct impact into a slow, heavy creature covered in metallic thorns. Because in the war in Ukraine, survival has become the true armor. Image | Telegram, Alan Wilson, ArmyInform In Xataka | An imperceptible hum is wreaking havoc in Ukraine. When it arrives there is no turning back: the Russians are already everywhere In Xataka | The Ukrainian army has been asked what it urgently needs. The answer was clear: no missiles or drones, just cars

As Europe fights Russia’s hybrid war, a Spanish invention simplifies how to take down its drones in seconds

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Europe attends a wave of drone raids that have violated its airspace, closed airports and exposed the fragility of its defenses. Faced with this hybrid and growing threat, the European Union study get up an “anti-drone wall”: a technological network of radars, sensors and neutralization systems designed to shield the continental sky against an invisible, cheap and increasingly closer enemy. In fact, Spain has several developments underway that it is about to test. The awakening of Spain. The advancement of drones in modern conflicts has completely transformed the nature of warand Spain is preparing to face it with an ambitious military modernization plan. The Armed Forces will celebrate from October 20 to 24 the Atlas 25 exercise in Huelva, the largest joint meeting of Land, Air and Navy for defense and attack with drones. There, Spanish observation, interception and electronic warfare systems will be tested, with the participation of the Defense Operations Command and INTA. It is not just a tactical maneuver: it is a awakening demonstration technology of the national industry, in which companies such as Indra, Arquimea, TRC and Escribano seek to position themselves at the core of European defense against an enemy that already dominates the sky with cheap and lethal swarms. Atlas 25: the great showcase. The exercise will serve as a testing ground for solutions ranging from offensive drones like the Q-Slam 40 of Archimeacapable of operating without GPS, to inhibition and defense systems developed by Indra and Escribano. But it will also be an industrial showcase in which Spain will show its capacity for technological integration and public-private cooperation. The war in Ukraine has shown that every platform is vulnerable to surveillance and air attack, and that survival depends on the speed with which new electronic warfare tools are developed. Following the recent incursions of Russian drones into European airspace, the need for this “anti-drone wall” has become a priority. The Atlas 25Therefore, it is not only a military exercise, but a political and strategic gesture that places Spain at the forefront of that continental response. Nexor Nexor full integration. The Army has chosen the Nexor systemdeveloped by TRC, as the cornerstone of its new electronic warfare strategy. We are talking about a new platform modular command and control which centralizes the information from all deployed sensors in a single interface. In recent maneuvers in Ciudad Real carried out by the 31st Electronic Warfare Regiment, Nexor (militarily named like Cerberus) has demonstrated its ability to detect, intercept and inhibit hostile drones or enemy communications, even in crowded electronic environments. He integrated system artificial intelligence and machine learning, and its open architecture allows the incorporation of new sensors or updates without redoing its structure. On a front where every second counts, Nexor promises to reduce the gap between detection and responseoffering the soldier a unified and simplified view of the environment to overthrow drones in fractions of a second. Nexor National product. In other words, with this system that is being tested, Spain takes a step towards technological sovereignty by processing and storing its own data, without depending on foreign codes or transferring sensitive information to allied or competing powers. The collaboration between TRC and the Army has led to a 100% national tool that reinforces the country’s strategic autonomy and anticipates the type of war in which so much waves like data They are as (or more) decisive than missiles. Strategic investment. The Ministry of Defense promotes a program of 646 million euros intended to reinforce the electronic warfare of the Army, awarded to Indra under the protection of article 346 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which allows certain contracts to be excluded from common regulations for reasons of national security. 60% of the investment will be allocated to light capabilities, with 16 mobile systems equipped with Vamtac vehicles and interoperable sensors. The forecast is that Indra will rely on specialized companies as CRTwhich has worked with the Army to adapt the solutions to their real needs. The objective seems clear: to create a Spanish, scalable and sovereign system, which combines industrial experience with the technological agility that the battlefield demands today. Spain and the new border. There is no doubt, the lessons from ukraine have exposed both the vulnerability of armies against drones and the urgency to adapt to a war where control of the spectrum is as important as that of the land or the air. Atlas 25 comes at a time when Europe is seeking shield your skies in the face of the Russian hybrid threat and in which Spain emerges as a unexpectedly prepared actor. If you also want, the national industry has gone from being a secondary supplier to becoming a tactical innovation laboratorywhere the integration between technology, intelligence and digital sovereignty set the course. If the future of warfare is a fight between algorithms, sensors and autonomous machines, the nation seems willing to not to be left behind. And Atlas 25 will ultimately be the litmus test of that commitment. Image | CRT In Xataka | Europe has found the antidote to Russian drones. So demand for a 100-year-old gun has skyrocketed In Xataka | Europe has decided to take action against Moscow’s hybrid war. So Germany has started hunting for Russian drones

A Spaniard has patented a mast that transforms wind and waves into electricity. His invention challenges diesel in ships

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A mast shaken by the wind, the waves pushing without rest: usual scenes in any maritime journey. The interesting thing is that the same movement can serve to generate electricity. A canary who is one step away from being an engineer has designed a system that converts the strength of the ocean into usable energy, with the ambition to reduce the dependence of the diesel in the ships. It is an idea that takes the everyday of the sea and makes it a concrete technical proposal, simple enough to intrigue and ambitious enough to demand validation in the sea. “In the end it is a three -dimensional generator,” Juan Francisco Sarmiento Medina said in an advance of the Podcast of the Stier Groupand described the mechanism with simple images: “Let’s imagine that my arm is the mast. When the wind comes in front, it clashes, as the mast of a flag, and begins to oscillate. The keel works as a piston of a combustion engine (…) then movement occurs in the x, y y y z axes, all under Faraday’s law,” he explained. That narration of the inventor itself forms the technical spine of the project. What exactly is the e-mast. In its LinkedIn account the project appears as E-MAST (Energy Mast System) and is presented as a technology that transforms the structural vibration of the mast into clean electrical energy. According to the textthe system integrates an encapsulated rotor without exposed parts, linear generators and piezoelectric elements to convert oscillations into electricity, and can direct part of the induced air under the keel in the form of microburbujas. The advantages of the inventor are clear: “Without diesel engines, or maintenance. The owner of the boat, as there are no mechanical parts that have to be maintained with oil or that are broken, also reduces costs in that sense,” He pointed to El Español. The inventor also underlines the operational silence due to the absence of external propellers and the total structural integration into existing masts. These benefits, in any case, will require trials to measure power, autonomy and acoustic signature. Of production patent. The applications of applications published by the author encompasses autonomous marine surveillance, oceanographic research, defense and ecological navigation platforms in protected areas. According to Sarmiento Medina, the e-mast is protected by two patents, ES202430338 and ES202430339, with a favorable report according to the promoter. According to the newspaper La Provinciathe promoter figure around half a million euros international protection and development and has conversations with shipyards in France and the Netherlands to explore production. The sea still has the last word. Sarmiento says that he is a neighbor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and recognizes that part of his learning and opportunities come from the Stier Group, which has supported his training. This local support, added to the intellectual protection that it declares in its public profile, has allowed to convert a daily element of any ship at the base of an ambitious technological proposal. Now the most difficult part remains: validate the system in the sea. But the idea has already demonstrated something important: that there is still margin to imagine new things, even in an environment as old as navigation. Images | Juan Francisco Sarmiento Medina In Xataka | A “Roomba” to clean rivers: the ship that the three throats has launched in China

The solution to the drone problem was in an invention of 500 years

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Although for a while to this part The drones It seems that they are associated To the war machinery of the different Conflicts on the planetthe truth is that its utility has always been ambicious much further of the contests. These devices could be the solution to many of the problems of the big cities, but they have several “buts”, and one in particular. It turns out that the solution has been able to be in a notebook for centuries. Leonardo and a “modern” dilemma. The genius Leonardo da Vincialthough limited by the technology of his time, he seems to have once again found validity five centuries later. Their notebooks, full of visionary schemes, included the Famous “Air Screw”a helical design conceived as a flying machine that, although it was never built or viable with the media of the Renaissance, already represented an early idea of propeller generating support. Now, a study from Johns Hopkins University, Available in Arxiv And still pending pairs, it points to this mechanism could solve one of the most serious problems of current drones: excessive noise. A contemporary problem. The drones, no doubt, have become a omnipresent tool: They serve For bailouts in The Himalayasfor Environmental experiments in Pacific Islands, to Military Missionsartistic or even recreational. However, society is beginning to perceive them as a growing source of noise pollution. A 2021 report I already noticed that the noise of the drones not only equals, but it is More annoying than traffic or conventional aviation. The reason is not only the sound intensity, but the quality of the frequencies that generate: acute, sinusoidal and persistent tones, which bounce on the ground and amplify its irritating effect. Parallel investigations They have explored metamorphic materials capable of absorbing until 94% of the noisebut the great challenge is still to rethink the propeller itself. Renaissance inspiration. This is where the researchers led By Suryansh Prakhar They look at Leonardo. That Air screwpossibly inspired by the beginning of Archimedes’ screwwas three -dimensional modeling by CAD and subjected to numerical simulations to evaluate their performance against conventional two -blade rotors. Although in its Original Conception It had to be driven by men running around an axis (which made it unfeasible in its time), its helical geometry was surprisingly promising. The modernized model, based on the design ELICO from the University of Maryland in 2020, he showed that the air screw was not only able to generate support, but did With acoustic advantages and energy efficiency. Science verdict. The results They indicated that, for the same lifting load, the air screw requires Less mechanical power and produce Less noise than a conventional propeller. Its largest contact with air allows you to turn more slowly, thus reducing turbulence and emitting smaller, less irritating and rapid dissipation sounds. In practical terms, the Leonardo design It would not exceed modern propellers in absolute thrust capacity or performance optimization, but it does offer a concrete way to solve the problem of noise in densely populated urban environments, where the social acceptance of drones is still limited. LESSONS OF THE PAST. He study It does not propose to immediately replace current rotors, but to point out that unconventional geometries, inspired by ideas such as Da Vinci, can open roads to drones most silent and sustainable. The paradox is eloquent: centuries of aerospace research had not seriously considered this helical form, and now science recognizes that a fifteenth century sketch It contains useful clues for 21st century engineering. In Prakhar’s wordsthe objective is to continue exploring traditional, experimental and biomimetic configurations to perfect aerodynamics and aeracoustics of drones. Ultimately, rather than demonstrating that Leonardo “invented modern drone”, the investigation Validate your talent to think radically differently, remembering on the path that technological progress does not always advance in a straight line and that sometimes the future needs the past to find answers. Image | David Rodriguez, Luc Viatour In Xataka | A drawing by Leonardo da Vinci hid a hidden map. The work has revealed the secret tunnels of a castle of the 20th century In Xataka | Da Vinci’s last secret was not in his paintings or notes, but in his family: a direct link with Barcelona

A man wanted to put order in the fish of the fish market. His invention financed one of the largest cars collections in Europe

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In everyday life, there are inventions as simple as it is essential that, however, they often go unnoticed. One of them is the “shift” ticket dispenser that we find in fishing, butchers and supermarkets, and that has ended the discussions in Waiting tails. Behind this invention is Rodger Dudding, a British who with his business vision kneaded a great fortune that allowed him to fulfill his great dream: to gather one of the Collections of more impressive cars from the United Kingdom and Europe. As They counted in Motorpasionthanks to his ingenuity, today we not only enjoy more orderly linesbut we can also contemplate one of the largest private collections of classic cars in Europe with More than 450 cars ranging from Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin or the Ford T, to such humble models as the Fiat Topolino. Rodger Dudding and the invention that changed the queues Rodger Dudding was born in the United Kingdom and is a training engineer. At 87, he is responsible for the distribution in the United Kingdom of one of the most used inventions in businesses around the world: the queue management system based on a Shift ticket dispenser. In 1970, Dudding He founded Lonsoa company that is still active, and began to manufacture the ticket dispensers that have avoided more fights and confusion when waiting for the turn and supermarkets. The classic red dispenser quickly became a standard, facilitating life to both customers and merchants. Even today, a significant percentage of Dudding’s benefits comes from the commercialization of this system, which remains essential in businesses of all kinds. Passion for cars With the money obtained from ordering the tails of the shops, Rodger Dudding decided to invest in his great passion: classic cars. Although, the millionaire collector has preference for British models, in An interview For the channel Bellow the Radar Carshe confessed that he had not been able to resist to the Ferrari or any beautiful car that was shot. Dudding said that, at first, not his intention to start a collection as such, but was limited to going buying the cars they liked. One day, his wife got fed up with his garage full of old cars, so Dudding acquired An old tram garage To save your cars. Almost without realizing it, the garage with capacity for about 120 cars He was smallgiving rise to the current collection that already It occupies three stores. The Dudding collection, known as Studio 434includes models of all times and styles: from 1911 models, such as Ford T, through racing cars prior to World War II or exclusive Limited luxury editions. The collector millionaire confesses that, beyond the Ferrari, Rolls-Royce or Aston Martin that form his collection, there is only one car through which life would be played to rescue him from a fire: a Morris Minor that his father bought again in 1952 and that his sister inherited. He bought a more current car equivalent and incorporated his father’s car to his collection. According to estimated Dudding, the collection is valued in More than 40 million pounds sterling (which are about 47.7 million euros) and includes, in addition to cars of all kinds, motorcycles and objects related to the motor world. His fetish: Aston Martin Lagonda Despite the diverse of the Studio 434 collection, there is a model for which Dudding feels a special predilection: Aston Martin Lagonda. The millionaire has no less than 24 units of different versions, including the first and last one that were manufactured. The Dudding collection had 26 lagonda in its catalog, but, as confessed in its interview with Bellow the Radar Carsthey made a purchase offer for them that he could not reject and were to be part of other collections, so he dispensed with two of them. One of the most striking aspects of Rodger Dudding’s collection is that All vehicles are in perfect condition of operation. The collection has a motor engineer who works full -time by cyclionally reviewing each and every one of the cars and has them A day in maintenance. In addition, provided that the British climate allows it, the revised vehicles go around the storage apple so that the suspensions and mechanical elements They move. Studio 434, the company that manages the collection, is responsible for renting some of these Classic cars for eventsweddings, movies and television series, thus contributing to the conservation of the collection that has become a reference for motor lovers. Some of the cars in this collection have participated in series such as The Crown or in the saga of Harry Potter. In Xataka | They are founders and ultra -ups, but they have not always driven luxury supercoches: a review of the cars of the Tech millionaires In Xataka | McLaren only sent five units of this Senna LM to the US: a millionaire bought them all to be the only one to drive it Image | Flickr (Elyse Horvath, Niels), Studio434

Green hydrogen consumes huge amounts of water. A new incredibly simple invention allows you to use seawater

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Green hydrogen is the missing piece in the puzzle of decarbonization. In a day like today, in which Spain It has produced 107.3% of the country’s energy demand From renewable sources, a greater storage capacity (batteries or pumping centrals and a more flexible demand is needed. Produce green hydrogen When electricity is very cheap It is the country’s commitment to take advantage of that surplus. There is a problem. While green hydrogen It occurs with solar or wind energy (That is why it is said that it is an energy vector that stores clean energy), the process to produce itwater electrolysis consumes huge amounts of fresh water, an increasingly scarce resource for billions of people in threatened regions For chronic drought. The obvious solution is to use seawaterthe most abundant resource on the planet. But of course, salt and impurities run the equipment and reduce the efficiency of the process. External desalination makers are needed, adding costs and energy consumption; or super -resistant electrolyzers, which are still under development. There is a third way. MIT researchers, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University and Michigan State University joined forces to find an alternative that nicknamed the “triumph of sustainability.” The system, detailed in Energy & Environmental Scienceproduces green hydrogen directly from sea water. It does so using solar energy with impressive efficiency, and generating drinking water as a byproduct. How they have done it. Taking advantage of the entire solar spectrum. The central idea of ​​this new approach, officially called HSD-We (Hybrid Solar Distillion-Water Electrolysis), is to squeeze the maximum solar energy. We know that photovoltaic panels convert only part of sunlight into electricity (The most efficient are around 25% efficiency). The rest of the energy dissipates as a residual heat. What if that heat, instead of wasted, will be used for something useful? Eureka! Simpler than it seems. Like many other systems for the production of green hydrogen, the HSD-We integrates solar panels that turn light into electricity and an electroly of protons exchange membrane (PEM) that breaks down the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The secret is at the rear of the solar panels, they are where the HSD-We has an interfacial thermal distiller coupled that uses the residual heat of photovoltaic cells to evaporate seawater. A simple membrane that absorbs salt water. It is a genius. The best thing is that it works. The electricity of the solar panels directly feeds the electrolyz. At the same time, the residual heat of the panel heats sea water in the interfacial distiller, evaporating it. This pure water vapor (already without salt) is transported by a small air space to the electrolyz, where it is directly condensed in the anode, adding ultra -patrol water for electrolysis. The prototype, tested by the MIT both in laboratory conditions, under simulated sunlight, and outdoors, on a partially sunny day, threw impressive figures. They achieved 35.9 liters of dry hydrogen per square meter of solar panel per hour, using real sea water. In terms of efficiency, The system turned 12.6%a comparable rate or even above current green hydrogen production technologies with drinking water. Cheap hydrogen finally? Beyond technical feat, preliminary economic analysis is also promising. Not depending on external supplies of electricity or purified water, the operating cost is minimal, so the price of hydrogen produced with this system could drastically fall with the scale. While conventional electrolysis fueled by the electricity grid and using drinking water It costs about 10 per kilothis HSD-We system, in exchange for a slightly larger initial investment, could reach 5 dollars per kilo after 3 years of operation and lower the kilo at 1 dollar in 15 years. A price that would undoubtedly change the rules of the game. Image | Nickelgreen In Xataka | Europe waste so much renewable energy that needs green hydrogen. And the country that leads it is Spain

The Spanish invention that already interests in the industry

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We have been doing decades Combustion engines more efficient, but always with the same basic principles. Now, a Spanish startup has a radically different idea: an engine designed from scratch for hybrids of the future. It is called E-Rex and has captured the attention of two giants: Renault and Geely. And the tests will begin to see if the fiance “Spanish revolutionary engine” becomes the heart of the new electrified cars. The e-rex. Juan Garrido Requena He is an engineer and co -founder of Innengine. In 2020, a video With a striking holder. “E-Rex: The real engine for extended range.” In it, he told us about his vision for the creation of a combustion engine that would revolutionize hybrid mobility. Such an engine should be compact, light, that did not have vibrations or emit a remarkable noise and, in addition, that it was efficient. His e-rex He met these conditions and claimed that he was the first designed specifically for the cars of the future, since the hybrid motors then, and now, were modifications of traditional combustion motors. Like a 2,000 cc of gasoline. The key of the e-rex is not only its size and weight of about 35 kilos, but the power. It is an engine of a time that, according to Garrido, is twice more powerful than one two -stroke and four times more powerful than one four -stroke. The consumption is low, also the emissions of CO₂ and NOX and is comparable in potential at a four times of 2,000 cc. Its confrontated piston design and a variable compression relationship system is what makes it possible to adapt to different needs (power or efficiency) and what eliminates vibrations, since the strength of the pistons is compensated naturally. Extended autonomy hybrids. This engine is not designed, apparently, to retire the current combustion engines, since Juan Garrido refers to its creation as what the future of something more concrete will define: extended range vehicles. These are like a hybrid, but vice versa: instead of having a main combustion engine with the support of an electric motor, the electric motor is the main and the combustion is to feed a generator, which is the one that gives energy to the electric to move the wheels. In summary accounts: the combustion engine becomes the ‘pile’ of the electric motor, which also has a battery of which to ‘throw’. It is an electric in theory, but a hybrid in practice. Horse enters the equation. These Extended range vehicles They were not the most popular hybrids five years ago. Nor are they now, but things can change because a giant has entered the room. Horse is one Joint Venturewhich becomes a company created by two or larger companies that join forces to achieve a common goal. Like the loss in combat NorthvoltOh. In this case, those two large are Renault (45%), Geely (another 45%) and Aramco (the remaining 10%). Among the company’s objectives, is the development of new hybrid engines, batteries and other elements for that vehicle of the future. They have plants in various parts of the world, being Spain one of them and cradle of the engine of Renault Rafale E-Tech HybridFor example. Above, a conventional engine. Below, the e-rex. They claim that it is 40% cheaper to manufacture without the need for new techniques or materials Evidence. In that search to get new generation engines, Horse began this year to produce New 49 kW engines that are capable of feeding hybrid cars at speeds of 130 km/h, but the next steps point to the E-Rex’s e-rex. In a releaseboth companies have confirmed an agreement to prove two of the E-Rex prototypes. These tests will be carried out in the Laboratory of the Department of Clean and Thermofluid Mobility of the Polytechnic University of Valencia and these results will be used to see if the Group licensed exclusively by the INNENFINE technology. If this occurs, the next step is to produce them in mass. Revolution. Julien Faure is Horse’s director of Technology and has commented that “revolutionary technology and architecture could completely change the dynamics of combustion technology with implications for automotive, navy, aviation, drones and energy generation.” Faure ensures that these tests “potentially are of historical importance.” For his part, Roberto Leandro, Executive Director of Innengine, says that collaboration is more than a milestone: “a bold step towards a more sustainable future.” It is clear that you have to be with an eye on this Spanish engine that, if it meets these tests, can be an important impulse for electrified cars while we are still waiting for solid state batteries. Images | INNENGINE In Xataka | Hyundai and Kia want to save combustion by burning hydrogen. And they have a very promising engine.

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