Domino’s picks ultimate pizza delivery vehicle

The Domino’s Pack delivery vehicle concept

Pizza delivery usually depends on the delivery person’s own transport, but that may change in the near future. Domino’s Pizza and crowd-source automaker Local Motors have announced the winner in their “Ultimate Delivery Vehicle” contest, which aims at creating a dedicated, high-tech pizza van. After a six-week competition with over 200 entries. the winner of the initial design phase was Anej Kostrevic of Slovenia, who was awarded the US$10,000 prize first prize for his Domino’s Pack delivery vehicle.The Domino’s Pack is a specialized van based on small urban vehicles like the smart car. It has a high profile and a short wheelbase with sliding side doors, an integrated rearview camera and a fog light. It also has auxiliary side lights to illuminate the surrounding area, which those of us who have delivered pizzas at night in rural areas will appreciate.

The engines that Kostrevic selected for the Domino’s Pack are the Fiat TwinAir two-cylinder and the Ford IL Ecoboost three-cylinder, so the van is designed for fuel economy and low emissions rather than speed or performance.

What the Domino’s Pack is designed for is delivering pizzas and advertising the Domino’s brand with a lighted display covering the entire rear door. Inside, there are large sliding shelves for carrying dozens of pizzas in heater bags, a refrigerated drawer holding nine two-liter soda bottles, compartments for other items and a removable sliding side drawer. Next to the driver there’s a large-screen LCD display mounted on an articulated arm that provides customer location and navigation information.

According to Local Motors, the next phase of the project is the Packaging competition. This is scheduled to begin tomorrow, when the Domino’s Pack concept is crowd-sourced to bring the concept closer to production standard. This will be followed by other competition phases over the next six months to design the interior, surfacing and rendering. Local Motors said that it expects this process to be ten times faster than conventional automotive designing.

Whether Domino’s will actually use this vehicle remains to be seen, but for the moment, it will give many a delivery person sitting their rusted-out Cortina a ray of hope.

The video below provides more details on the Ultimate Delivery Vehicle competition.

VIDEO

Source: Local Motors via NextCars

 

List of projects for final year mechanical engineering students

Two Axis Sliding Table
Single Axis Sliding Table
Sliding Table for Grinding Machine
Automatic Blanking Machine
Automatic PVC Pipe Cutting Machine
Automatic Injection Molding
Fabrication of Drilling M/C with Tapping Attachment
Agitator
Fabrication of Wind Mill
Solar Water Heater
Fabricating of Micro Holes Driller
Pneumatic Door Opener
Pneumatic Hand Drilling
Chicken Skin Peeler
Fabrication of Automatic Cone Winding
Fabrication of Pulverize
Fabrication of Automatic Envelope Folding Machine
Automatic Hammer Striker
Fabrication of Coil Winding Machine
Sheet Metal Bend Removing Machine
Fabrication of Yarn Pigment Tester
Fabrication of Key Way Milling Machine
Fabrication of Tilt able Extension Ladder
Fabrication of Duplicate Key Making Machine
Automated Dimensioning Machine
Automatic Drilling Machine
Pneumatic Punching Machine
Automatic Coil Winding Machine
Gas Monitoring System
CNC Bar Feeding Machine
Fabrication of Spring Rolling Machine
Fabrication of Sheet Metal Cutting
Fabrication of Drilling M/C with Key Way Attachment
Indexing Table for Drilling Machine
Pneumatic Cylinder
Hydraulic Cylinder
Design of Effluent Treatment Plant
Automatic filing system
Single Cylinder Double Acting Pump
Solar Based Oven
CNC Thermo Coal Cutting Machine
Paint Mixing Machine
Automatic Cone Releaser
Automatic Sealing Machine
Pneumatic Hand Grinder
Band Saw Cutting Machine
Manual Injection Molding
Fabrication of Drilling Machine with Variable Speed Drive In Level Method
Fabrication of Drilling Machine with Variable Speed Drive In Screw Method
Fabrication of Oven
Jigs And Fixtures
Fabrication of Hydraulic Press
Mini Milling Machine
Metal Detector
Fabrication of Semi-Automatic Ramming M/C
Design & Fabrication of Soft Start Couplings
Motorized Power Jack
Automatic Crane System
Auto Gearing System
Remote Material Handler
Hydraulic Noodles Machine
Automatic Bar Feeding Mechanism
Hydraulic Scissor Jack
Hydraulic Screw Jack
Automated Material Transferring System
Conveyer For Industries
Automatic filling system
Automatic car shutter
Automatic steering controlled lead lamps
Remote controlled wheel chair
ABC controlling through switch
Slave robots
Artificial arm
Inspection system using PC
Machining status informer
Fabrication for Slotting Machine
Fabrication of Pipe Bending Machine
Gear Indicator for two Wheelers
Automatic Vice Control for Bar Feeding Machine
Automatic Quality Testing System
Automatic Poor Quality Rejecter
Bottle Vending Machine
Hydraulic Power Pack
Motorized Door Opener
Plant automation
Simultaneous operations through flow process
Operation method rewinding and analyzing
Process retrievals and its drilling operation
Automated lead screw jaws
Automatic bench marking system
Contact less automatic door opener
Operation identification system
Threading machine with Programmable Controller
Hydro Pneumatic Vice
Auto Braking System
Coin Vending Machine
Automated Threading Machine

ROBOTIC ARM INTERFACING WITH PC/MCU/ IR/RF

1. HYDRAULIC LIFT
2. HYDRAULIC JACK MACHINE
3. LINE FOLLOWER OR TRACING ROBOT
4. AUTOMATED WALKING ROBOT
5. DIGITAL SPEED MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILE
6. LIFT CONTROL USING PC AND MCU
7. ESCALATOR LIFT USING PC & MCU
8. PATH FINDER MOBILE ROBOT
9. MULTILEVEL CAR PARKING LIFT USING MCU
10. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY CROSSING GATE CONTROLLER
11. AUTO REJECTION + CONVEYER BELT SYSTEM
12. AUTO JACK MACHINE
13. AUTO BRACK SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBIL
14. PADDLE CONTROLLED WASHING MECHINE
15. HYDRO ELECTRICITY
16. WIND ELECTRICITY
17. ELECTRICITY FROM SPEED BRAKER
18. SOLAR SUN SEEKER
19. ROBOTIC CRANE WITH UP/DOWN & CIRCULAR MOTION
20. AUTO GRASS CUTTER
21. HYDRAULIC ROBOTIC ARM
22. WALKING ROBOT
23. AUTO DRAIN VALVE WITH AIR DRIER FOR COMPRESSOR
24. AUTO HAMMER STRIKER
25. AUTO SIDE STAND INDICATOR AND CENTER STAND
26. AUTOMATIC LUBRICATING MACHINE
27. AUTOMATIC DIMENSIONING MACHINE
28. AUTOMATIC DISC PARKING SYSTEM
29. AUTOMATIC DRILLING AND TAPPING MACHINE
30. AUTOMATIC GEAR CHANGER
31. AUTOMATIC GEAR DISPLAY
32. AUTOMATIC MOTOR COIL WINDING SYSTEM USING MICROCONROLLER
33. AUTOMATIC POOR QUALITY REJECTER
34. AUTOMATIC QUALITY CHECKING SYSTEM
35. AUTOMATIC SEALING MACHINE
36. BATTERY OPERATED PORTABLE PUMP
37. CIRCULAR CUTTING MACHINE
38. CNC BAR FEEDING MACHINE
39. COIR MAKING MACHINE
40. CONVEYER FOR QUALITY CONTROL
41. ELECTRICAL COMPARATOR WITH DIGITAL DISPLAY
42. ELECTRICAL SPOT WELDING MACHINE
43. ELECTRIFIED TWO AXIS SLIDING TABLE
44. ELECTROMAGNETIC BREAKING SYSTEM
45. ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING
46. ELECTRONIC WISE
47. EMERGENCY BREAKING SYSTEM
48. ENERGY EFFICIENT CONVEYOR WITH AUTO DIMENSIONING MECHANISM
49. FABRICATION OF HYDRAULIC OR PNEUMATIC VICE
50. FABRICATION OF PNEUMATIC PICK AND PLACE ROBO
51. FABRICATION OF SOLID FUEL FABRICATION MACHINE
52. FABRICATION OF WINDMILL POWER GENERATOR
53. FOOT STEP PRESSURE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATOR
54. FRICTIONLESS ELECTROMAGNETIC BREAKING SYSTEM
55. GLASS CUTTING MACHINE
56. HIGH SPEED MATERIAL TRANSFERRING ROBO
57. HYDRAULIC NOODLES MACHINE
58. JIGS AND FIXTURE
59. MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM
60. MICRO HOLE DRILLING MACHINE
61. MINI MILLING MACHINE
62. MOTORISED JACK
63. MULTI PURPOSE MAGNETIC LOCKER SYSTEM
64. MULTIPURPOSE TOOL CHANGER
65. PNEUMATIC HAG SAW CUTTER
66. OVER LOAD INDICATOR FOR MACHINES
67. PEDDLING WASHING MACHINE
68. PEDDLING PUMP
69. PNEUMATIC HAND GRINDER
70. PNEUMATIC PUNCH
71. PNEUMATIC COMPARATOR
72. AUTOMATIC PNEUMATIC DOOR OPENER
73. POWER GENERATION USING FOOTSTEPS
74. POWER GENERATION USING SPEED BREAKER
75. RAIN ACTIVATED WIPER
76. REMOTE CONTROLLED SCREW JACK
77. REMOTE OPERATED WIRELESS CRANE CONTROL SYSTEM
78. SAFETY LOCKING SYSTEM
79. SALT WATER INTO PURE WATER
80. SHEET METAL BEND REMOVING MACHINE
81. SOFT HAND GEAR SYSTEM
82. SOLAR ENERGY POWER SPRAYER
83. SOLAR PANEL TRACKING SYSTEM MECHANISM
84. THERMOCOAL CUTTING MACHINE USING CNC
85. TIDAL POWER PLANT
86. UTILIZATION OF USED AIR IN CYLINDER OR PNEUMATIC AIR SAVER
87. VERTICAL AXIS WINDMILL
88. FABRICATION HYDRAULIC PRESS
89. FABRICATION HYDRAULIC BENDING
90. FABRICATION HYDRAULIC FORKLIFT
91. FABRICATION OF SPY ROBO
92. FABRICATION OF VOICE OPERATED WHEEL CHAIR
93. FABRICATION OF PEDALING COMPRESSOR
94. FABRICATION OF AUTO FEED DRILLING MACHINE
95. FOOD PROCESS CONTROL STATION
96. AUTOMATIC RATION SYSTEM
97. LIBRARY AUTOMATION SYSTEM
98. LOAD TESTS AND MANY OTHER TESTS ON COMPOSITE MATERIAL (FOR AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRIES)
99. DESIGN OF PRESSURE VESSEL TO CODE SPECIFICATION

100. HEAT RECOVERY STEAM GENERATOR (HRSG)

101. TWO AXIS SLIDING TABLE

102. SINGLE AXIS SLIDING TABLE

103. SLIDING TABLE FOR GRINDING MACHINE

104. AUTOMATIC BLANKING MACHINE

105. AUTOMATIC PVC PIPE CUTTING MACHINE

106. AUTOMATIC INJECTION MOLDING

107. FABRICATION OF DRILLING M/C WITH TAPPING ATTACHMENT

108. AGITATOR

109. FABRICATION OF WIND MILL

110. SOLAR WATER HEATER

111. FABRICATING OF MICRO HOLES DRILLER

112. PNEUMATIC DOOR OPENER

113. PNEUMATIC HAND DRILLING

114. CHICKEN SKIN PEELER

115. FABRICATION OF AUTOMATIC CONE WINDING

116. FABRICATION OF PULVERIZE

117. FABRICATION OF AUTOMATIC ENVELOPE FOLDING MACHINE

118. AUTOMATIC HAMMER STRIKER

119. FABRICATION OF COIL WINDING MACHINE

120. SHEET METAL BEND REMOVING MACHINE

121. FABRICATION OF YARN PIGMENT TESTER

122. FABRICATION OF KEY WAY MILLING MACHINE

123. FABRICATION OF TILT ABLE EXTENSION LADDER

124. FABRICATION OF DUPLICATE KEY MAKING MACHINE

125. AUTOMATED DIMENSIONING MACHINE

126. AUTOMATIC DRILLING MACHINE

127. PNEUMATIC PUNCHING MACHINE

128. AUTOMATIC COIL WINDING MACHINE

129. GAS MONITORING SYSTEM

130. CNC BAR FEEDING MACHINE

131. FABRICATION OF SPRING ROLLING MACHINE

132. FABRICATION OF SHEET METAL CUTTING

133. FABRICATION OF DRILLING M/C WITH KEY WAY ATTACHMENT

134. INDEXING TABLE FOR DRILLING MACHINE

135. PNEUMATIC CYLINDER

136. HYDRAULIC CYLINDER

137. DESIGN OF EFFLUENT TREATMENT PLANT

138. AUTOMATIC FILING SYSTEM

139. SINGLE CYLINDER DOUBLE ACTING PUMP

140. SOLAR BASED OVEN

141. CNC THERMO COAL CUTTING MACHINE

142. PAINT MIXING MACHINE

143. AUTOMATIC CONE RELEASER

144. AUTOMATIC SEALING MACHINE

145. PNEUMATIC HAND GRINDER

146. BAND SAW CUTTING MACHINE

147. MANUAL INJECTION MOLDING

148. FABRICATION OF DRILLING MACHINE WITH VARIABLE SPEED DRIVE IN LEVEL METHOD

149. FABRICATION OF DRILLING MACHINE WITH VARIABLE SPEED DRIVE IN SCREW METHOD

150. FABRICATION OF OVEN

151. JIGS AND FIXTURES

152. FABRICATION OF HYDRAULIC PRESS

153. MINI MILLING MACHINE

154. METAL DETECTOR

155. FABRICATION OF SEMI-AUTOMATIC RAMMING M/C

156. DESIGN & FABRICATION OF SOFT START COUPLINGS

157. MOTORIZED POWER JACK

158. AUTOMATIC CRANE SYSTEM

159. AUTO GEARING SYSTEM

160. REMOTE MATERIAL HANDLER

161. HYDRAULIC NOODLES MACHINE

162. AUTOMATIC BAR FEEDING MECHANISM

163. HYDRAULIC SCISSOR JACK

164. HYDRAULIC SCREW JACK

165. AUTOMATED MATERIAL TRANSFERRING SYSTEM

166. CONVEYER FOR INDUSTRIES

167. AUTOMATIC FILLING SYSTEM

168. AUTOMATIC CAR SHUTTER

169. AUTOMATIC STEERING CONTROLLED LEAD LAMPS

170. REMOTE CONTROLLED WHEEL CHAIR

171. ABC CONTROLLING THROUGH SWITCH

172. SLAVE ROBOTS

173. ARTIFICIAL ARM

174. INSPECTION SYSTEM USING PC

175. MACHINING STATUS INFORMER

176. FABRICATION FOR SLOTTING MACHINE

177. FABRICATION OF PIPE BENDING MACHINE

178. GEAR INDICATOR FOR TWO WHEELERS

179. AUTOMATIC VICE CONTROL FOR BAR FEEDING MACHINE

180. AUTOMATIC QUALITY TESTING SYSTEM

181. AUTOMATIC POOR QUALITY REJECTER

182. BOTTLE VENDING MACHINE

183. HYDRAULIC POWER PACK

184. MOTORIZED DOOR OPENER

185. PLANT AUTOMATION

186. SIMULTANEOUS OPERATIONS THROUGH FLOW PROCESS

187. OPERATION METHOD REWINDING AND ANALYZING

188. PROCESS RETRIEVALS AND ITS DRILLING OPERATION

189. AUTOMATED LEAD SCREW JAWS

190. AUTOMATIC BENCH MARKING SYSTEM

191. CONTACT LESS AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENER

192. OPERATION IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM

193. THREADING MACHINE WITH PROGRAMMABLE CONTROLLER

194. HYDRO PNEUMATIC VICE

195. AUTO BRAKING SYSTEM

196. COIN VENDING MACHINE

197. AUTOMATED THREADING MACHINE

 

 

LiquidPiston unveils 40-bhp X2 rotary engine with 75 percent thermal efficiency

The LiquidPiston X2 rotary engine boasts a thermal efficiency of 75 percent

The internal combustion engine (ICE) has had a remarkably successful century and a half. Unfortunately, it’s notoriously inefficient, wasting anywhere from 30 to 99 percent of the energy it produces and spewing unburned fuel into the air. Dr. Alexander Shkolnik, President and CEO of LiquidPiston, Inc. about the company’s LiquidPiston X2 – a 40-bhp rotary engine that burns a variety of fuels and requires no valves, cooling systems, radiators or mufflers, yet promises a thermodynamic efficiency of 75 percent. (Update: The engine has a goal of achieving a 57 percent brake efficiency.)

Co-founder of LiquidPiston with his father Nikolay, Dr. Shkolnik believes that the internal combustion engine is at the end of its development cycle. According to Shkolnik, after 150 years the ICE has made as many incremental improvements as it can. Many varieties of ICE, such as the Otto cycle used by petrol engines and the Diesel cycle, have had their successful points, but all fall short of being as efficient at they could be. Even what seem like very efficient engines, like the diesel, aren’t as good as they might appear.

“Everyone would say at first glance that the diesel engine is more efficient (than the petrol engine). The truth is that if you had both engines at the same compression ratio, the spark-ignited engine has a faster combustion process and a more efficient process. In practice, it’s limited to a lower compression ratio otherwise you get spontaneous ignition.”

LiquidPiston’s approach to the problem was to go back to the basics of thermodynamics and work forward to develop what Shkolnik calls the “High Efficiency Hybrid Cycle” (HEHC), which combines the features of the Otto, Diesel, Rankine, and Atkinson cycles.

The idea is to compress the air in the LiquidPiston X2 engine to a very high ratio as in the diesel cycle and then isolating it in a constant volume chamber. When fuel is injected, it’s allowed to mix with the air and it auto-ignites as in a diesel engine, but the fuel/air mixture isn’t allowed to expand. Instead, it’s kept compressed in a constant volume so it can burn over an extended period, as in the Otto cycle. When the burning fuel/air mix is allowed to expand, it’s then overexpanded to near-atmospheric pressure. In this way, all the fuel is burned and almost all of the energy released is captured as work. Shkolnik calls this use of constant volume combustion “the holy grail of automotive engineering.”

Constant volume combustion and overexpansion provide an HEHC engine like the X2 with a number of benefits. Shkolnik points out that the X2 engine is exceptionally quiet because it burns all of its fuel. In current ICE engines, an alarming amount of fuel goes out the tailpipe. This not only cuts down on fuel efficiency and pollutes the air, it also makes the engine noisy. Since the X2 engine burns its fuel completely, there’s no need for complicated silencing apparatus. (Update: The engine runs quietly due to not needing poppet valves.)

The overexpansion used in the cycle also means that there is very little waste heat. An ICE only converts only 30 percent of its heat into work while the X2 engine has a thermal efficiency of 75 percent, so a water cooling system isn’t necessary. Water may be injected into an HEHC engine during compression or expansion for cooling, but doing so also helps to lubricate and seal the chamber and as the water cools the engine it converts into superheated steam, which boosts engine efficiency.

Shkolnik says that the X2 engine is a rotary because piston engines aren’t suitable for the HEHC and a rotary engine provides much more flexibility. Also, the use of a rotary design greatly simplifies the engine with only three moving parts and 13 major components required. That allows the X2 to be one-tenth the size of a comparable diesel engine.

When asked whether the X2 engine isn’t just an updated Wankel, Shkolnik pointed out that though both are rotary engines, the Wankel is very different. For one thing, it uses a straightforward Otto cycle like a piston engine and operates at a much lower compression rate than the X2. In comparison, the X2 engine is almost the opposite of a Wankel. “It’s almost like the Wankel engine flipped inside-out,” said Shkolnik.

Not only does the X2 engine work on a different principle from the Wankel, but it doesn’t suffer from the same limitations. The X2 engine has a better surface to volume ratio, it doesn’t have the thermodynamic limitations of the Otto cycle and it doesn’t have the emissions problems of the Wankel. The Wankel has apex seals that are carried around with the rotor and need to be lubricated. To do this, oil has to be sprayed on them, which means that the Wankel is burning oil as it runs, resulting in the high emissions that have recently curtailed its use. The X2 engine, on the other hand, moves the seals from the rotor to the housing, so no special lubrication is required.

Another way that the X2 engine differs from the Wankel is that Shkolnik has no intention of it sharing the same fate as the Wankel, which turned into an automotive also-ran when put head to head with the ICE or hybrid electrics to power motor cars, (though he admits that the X2 engine would be an excellent range extender for hybrids). Instead, he plans to go after niche markets that can use the X2’s peculiar strengths.

One place where the X2 engine may have an advantage is in auxiliary power units (APUs). Shkolnik said that an enormous amount of diesel fuel is wasted by lorry drivers for “hotel” purposes. That is, when they stop overnight they leave their engines idling to provide power for the living amenities of their long-distance rigs. Small, lightweight diesel power units with high fuel efficiency, he believes, would be particularly attractive.

Another area is military applications. The U.S. military has a need for APUs that can run on heavy fuels, which the X2 engine can. Also, the Pentagon is very keen on developing robots. According to Shkolnik, “you can do amazing things with robots, but ask a robot to carry this giant engine and there’s problems.” He believes that the X2 engine may be the answer to these problems. In addition, the military has need of APUs for tanks, which suffer from extremely bad fuel efficiency from idling to run electronics.

Currently, LiquidPiston is running its original X1 engine in tests, which has been built after only a year from its first design concept. This month, the company unveiled the X2, which is a more fully integrated engine with a simpler construction, at the DEER Conference in Dearborn, Michigan. Shkolnik says that the X2 will be available for partner tests in 2013 as a new round of financing is launched and he hopes to have a preproduction prototype by 2014.

Source: LiquidPiston

 

 

Flying Kyosho Space Ball: The R/C Death Star and air freshener in one

The Kyosho Space Ball flies like an R/C helicopter, but can bounce off obstacles with ease and even spread fragrances throughout the room

Almost a year ago, the Japanese Ministry of Defense made quite a splash when it revealed a spherical, remote-controlled aircraft that could zip around a room, roll along the ground, and even bounce off obstacles without losing control. But while it was mainly designed for search and rescue operations, many R/C enthusiasts took one look at that hovering orb and said, “I have got to get me one of those.” Luckily, toy company Kyosho must have been listening, since it recently released a similar flying machine of its own for consumers. Kyosho’s “Space Ball” can remain airborne while taking just as much punishment and even emits a fragrance to freshen up a room in the process.

It’s not nearly as state-of-the-art as the version from the JMD, but the Space Ball (or Kyosho Egg) can still zip around the room like a sentient dodge ball. The central tail rotor gives it a full 360 degrees of movement, while the 20 cm (7.9 inch) shock-absorbing frame lets it bounce off furniture and walls without spinning away wildly. Aside from protecting the rotors and electronics, the frame also helps the Space Ball right itself on the ground. Most of the aircraft’s weight is on the bottom, so the whole thing naturally rolls until it rests upright on the flat bottom.

A rechargeable lithium polymer battery powers the motor, but the three channel infrared controller requires six AA batteries. The Space Ball gets about 5 minutes of flight time on a 50 minute charge and it also has a bright LED light on the front, so users can know which way the aircraft if facing.

The most surprising feature of the Space Ball, however, is the optional absorbent sheets, which can be soaked in fragrant oils to spread an aroma around the room. Seems like a lot of trouble for an air freshener, but it could be fun to essentially crop dust your house.

Kyosho is currently offering the Space Ball in black and orange color schemes through Japanese retailers for ¥6,279 (US$78), which includes four replacements for the main rotors and two for the tail. Anyone outside Japan though can pick one up through Japan Trend Shop for US$117, plus shipping.

Check out the video below to see how the Space Ball can go from rolling around the floor to weaving through the air in seconds.

VIDEO

Source: Kyosho via Japan Trend Shop