Tim Peake drives remote robot on Earth from orbit

                           

The rover known as Bridget enters the "cave" at the Airbus simulation "Mars yard" UK astronaut Tim Peake has performed a challenging remote control experiment on the International Space Station.He had to command a robot rover on Earth, driving it across a big sandpit in Stevenage, near London, that simulated the surface of Mars.The Briton experienced some software glitches, but achieved his objectives.These involved finding a series of painted targets in a darkened room that had been set up to represent a cave on the Red Planet.

It was all part of a European Space Agency (Esa) project which aims to learn how astronauts can control remote systems on other worlds.Known as Meteron (Multi-Purpose End-To-End Robotic Operation Network), the programme has already seen Danish ISS crewman Andreas Mogensen get a robot on Earth to precisely place some pegs in a set of holes.But Major Tim's job, which got under way at 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT), took things up a notch in terms of complexity.Inside the cave were several "science targets" that needed to be mapped. One of his big obstacles was time. His control link had to transmit down to Earth, bounce through numerous communications nodes, before reaching the robot in its simulation "Mars yard" at the Airbus Defence and Space Company.It meant every command - and all the feedback - had several seconds of associated delay. His link also had some drop-outs.At one point, he hit a big rock, which required the intervention of local Airbus engineers to sort out; and then there were some software glitches on the laptops he was using in orbit.But despite all this, Major Tim managed to race through his tasks, finding and mapping five targets in the cave. These targets were boulders that had been painted to show up in the UV light shone from the rover's masthead.Jump media playerMedia player helpOut of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.Media captionWatch highlights as astronaut Tim Peake controls the roverThe astronaut managed to get in and out of the cave within two hours."That was great driving," Esa's operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany, told the Briton. "Everyone on the ground is really proud of you. You succeeded to mark five targets. One was actually marked twice due to a software reboot."


Major Tim responded: "Thanks for everyone's help and support. It was an awful lot of work on everyone's behalf to get this up and running, but it was great to see, and I'm really happy everything went so smoothly."Tim Peake, at his workstation, had to deal with seconds of delay and one or two software.The targets had crosses that were illuminated by the rover's UV lights.


Both of the US space agency rovers on the Red Planet today, and those planned in coming years, use a high level of autonomy. Once instructed to go to a location, the vehicles will sense their surroundings and compute the most efficient route. But it is a very slow process.The scenario suggested by Friday's simulation is the possibility that we might one day have an astronaut in orbit above Mars who could assist a surface robot in investigating a location that engineers would normally try to avoid.Going into a cave would be extremely risky. The lack of light would make it harder for the sensors on the autonomous navigation system to discern hazards. And with no sunlight falling on the robot's solar panels, the amount of energy available to operate in the cave might very quickly become an issue.Having a human in the loop could help speed up decision-making, ensuring the rover completes its science investigations with enough time to get back outside the cave and start recharging its batteries.Rovers on another planet would ordinarily use autonomous navigation systems
Airbus DS is leading the development of the rover that Esa will send to Mars in 2018 or, more likely, in 2020. As part of this project, it uses a number of "breadboard" robots to test flight hardware and software.

James Clerk Maxwell (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879)

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James was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1831.From his early childhood, he displayed a natural inquisitiveness, always asking how things worked and moved as they did. When he was eight, his mother died, and his father John took responsibility for his upbringing along with his sister-in-law Jane. In 1841, he went to the Edinburgh Academy. He was a satisfactory student, but took great interest in subjects outside the school syllabus, especially geometry, drawing and maths. At the age of 14, he wrote his first scientific paper (Oval Curves). In 1847, he moved to the University of Edinburgh where he studied classes on logic, mathematics, and natural philosophy. However, like at school, he was more interested in pursuing his own studies outside the curriculum. He investigated the properties of polarized light and prisms, and importantly made his early investigations into electric and magnetic equipment. Aged 18, he presented another two scientific paper – though as he was considered too young, it was delivered to the Royal Society by his tutor Kelland instead.

In 1850, he moved to Trinity College, Cambridge, and studied mathematics under the great tutor – William Hopkins. Maxwell, graduated with a top degree in mathematics, and was able to pursue his own research interests. At the time, this included investigating the properties of colour. He delivered his first lecture to the Royal Society Of Edinburgh in March 1855 on hisExperiments on Colour. In the same year, he was made a fellow of Trinity. But, shortly after, in 1856, an opportunity arose to take the Chair of Natural Philosophy at Marischal College, Aberdeen and he applied and took it. He married Katherine Mary Dewar in 1857.

At Aberdeen he spent part of his time lecturing and marking exam papers, but he still had the opportunity to pursue other areas of research. He was able to display his considerable talent, by providing a theoretical explanation for Saturn’s Rings, it also earned him £130 and the Adams Prize from St John’s College, Cambridge.

In 1860, he suffered a serious bout of smallpox, but survived and moved to Kings College, London. In his time in London, he became acquainted with Michael Faraday at the Royal Institute and made great progress on his work in electro-magnetism, including a model for electromagnetic induction. In one of his most important works, he wrote:

This velocity is so nearly that of light, that it seems we have strong reason to conclude that light itself (including radiant heat, and other radiations if any) is an electromagnetic disturbance in the form of waves propagated through the electromagnetic field according to electromagnetic laws. A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field (1864), §20.

In 1865, he returned to Glenair in Scotland and wrote a book Theory of Heat (1871)

In 1871, he moved back to Cambridge, working on the development of the Cavendish laboratory.

He died in of abdominal cancer on 5 November 1879 at the age of only 48 .

James Maxwell was a real polymath. As well as his scientific discoveries, he loved poetry and enjoyed drawing. Though many contemporaries mentioned he lacked grace and confidence in social situations. He gained reputation as a typical eccentric scientist. He was also an evangelical Christian. He wrote on the link between science and Christianity

I think men of science as well as other men need to learn from Christ, and I think Christians whose minds are scientific are bound to study science that their view of the glory of God may be as extensive as their being is capable. But I think that the results which each man arrives at in his attempts to harmonize his science with his Christianity ought not to be regarded as having any significance except to the man himself, and to him only for a time, and should not receive the stamp of a society. (Draft of a reply to an invitation to join the Victoria Institute (1875), in Ch. 12 : Cambridge 1871 To 1879, p. 404)

James Maxwell Scientific Achievements

Maxwell’s equations have had a greater impact on human history than any ten presidents.

– Carl Sagan

• Maxwell’s greatest contribution to science included:
• The observation electromagnetic fields travel at speed of light showing the connection between light and electro magnetism.
• Prediction of waves and oscillating electric and magnetic fields
• Writing equations for electromagnetism. Later known as Maxwell’s equations.
• The concept of the electromagnetic field, which was later worked on by Albert
• Einstein, leading to his theory of special relativity.
• His work on optics and colour, laid foundations for practical colour photography.
• He also helped explain the phenomena of colour blindness
• He developed Kinetic theory for gases – Called Maxwell distribution.
• Work on thermodynamics
• Control theory relating to centrifugal governor used in steam engines.

Nikola Tesla

                    

Nikola Tesla was born 10 July 1856, of Serbian nationality in Smiljan, the Austrian Empire. Tesla was a bright student and in 1875 went to the Austrian polytechnic in Graz. However, he left to gain employment in Marburg in Slovenia. Evidence of his difficult temperament sometimes manifested and after an estrangement from his family, he suffered a nervous breakdown. He later enrolled in the Charles Ferdinand University in Prague, but again he left before completing his degree. During his early life, he experienced many periods of illness and periods of startling inspiration. Accompanied by blinding flashes of light, he would often visualise mechanical and theoretical inventions spontaneously. He had a unique capacity to visualise images in his head. When working on projects, he would rarely write down plans or scale drawings, but rely on the images in his mind.

In 1880 he moved to Budapest where he worked for a telegraph company. During this time, he became acquainted with twin turbines and helped develop a device that provided amplification for when using the telephone. In 1882 he moved to Paris, where he worked for the Continental Edison Company. Here he improved various devices used by the Edison company. He also conceived the induction motor and devices that used a rotating magnetic fields.

With a strong letter of recommendation, Tesla went to the United States in 1884 to work for the Edison Machine Works company. Here he became one of the chief engineers and designers. Tesla was given a task to improve the electrical system of direct current generators. Tesla claimed he was offered $50,000 if he could significantly improve the motor generators. however, after completing his task, Tesla received no reward. This was one of several factors that led to a deep rivalry and bitterness between Tesla and Thomas Edison. It was to become a defining feature of Tesla’s life and impacted on his financial reward and prestige. This deep rivalry was also seen a reason why neither Tesla or Edison were awarded a Nobel prize for their electrical discoveries.

Disgusted without even receiving a pay rise, Tesla resigned, and for a short while, found himself having to gain employment digging ditches for the Edison telephone company. In 1886, Tesla formed his own company, but it wasn’t a success as his backers didn’t support his faith in AC current. In 1887, Tesla worked on a form of X-Rays. He was able to photograph the bones in his hand; he also became aware of the side-effects from using radiation. However, his work in this area gained little coverage, and much of his research was later lost in a firm at a New York warehouse.

“The scientific man does not aim at an immediate result. He does not expect that his advanced ideas will be readily taken up… His duty is to lay the foundation for those who are to come, and point the way.”

– Nikola Tesla – Modern Mechanics and Inventions (July 1934)

In 1891, Tesla became an American citizen. This was also a period of great advances in electrical knowledge. Tesla demonstrated the potential for wireless energy transfer and the capacity for AC power generation. Tesla’s promotion of AC current placed him in opposition to Edison who sought to promote his Direct Current DC for electric power. Shortly before his death, Edison said his biggest mistake was spending so much time on DC current rather than the AC current Tesla had promoted.

In 1899, Tesla moved to Colorado Springs where he had the space to develop high voltage experiments. This included a variety of radio and electrical transmission experiments. He left after a year in Colorado Springs, the buildings were later sold to pay off debts.

In 1900, Tesla began planning the Wardenclyffe Tower facility. This was an ambitious project costing $150,000 – a fortune at the time.

In 1904, the US patent office reversed his earlier patent for the radio, giving it instead to G.Marconi. This infuriated Tesla who felt he was the rightful inventor. He began a long, expensive and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to fight the decision. Marconi went on to win the Nobel Prize for physics in 1909 This seemed to be a repeating them in Tesla’s life. A great invention that he failed to personally profit from.

Nikola Tesla also displayed fluorescent lamps and single node bulbs.

Tesla was in many ways an eccentric and genius. His discoveries and inventions were unprecedented. Yet, he was often suspected for his erratic behaviour (during his later years, he developed a form of obsessive compulsive behaviour). He was not frightened of suggesting unorthodox ideas such as radio waves from extra terrestrial beings. His ideas, lack of personal finance and unorthodox behaviour put him outside the scientific establishment and because of this his ideas were sometimes slow to be accepted / used.

“All that was great in the past was ridiculed, condemned, combated, suppressed — only to emerge all the more powerfully, all the more triumphantly from the struggle.”

– Nikola Tesla, A Means for Furthering Peace (1905)

Outside of science he had many artistic and literary friends; in later life he became friendly with Mark Twain, inviting him to his laboratory. He also took an interest poetry, literature and modern Vedic thought, in particular being interested with the teachings and vision of modern Hindu monk, Swami Vivekananda. Tesla was brought up an Orthodox Christian, though he later didn’t consider himself a believer in the true sense. He retained admiration for Christianity and Buddhism.

Isaac Newton

                                      

Regarded as the greatest scientist ever born, Isaac Newton is remembered for the infamous apple incident and the modern day cliche “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”. Called upon as the Father of Classical Mechanics, his experiments led to the famous 3 laws of motion.  Isaac Newton was a man whose vision touched versatile levels. Be it Mechanics, Optics, or Mathematics; Newton developed each of these fields to a new dimension. Discovering calculus, the key element to all mathematical treatments of physical data, he gave birth to a new age of Science and Technology. There practically is no physics without the mention of Newton.  He framed the theory of gravitation. He was a student at Trinity College, Cambridge.  Newton’s birth in the year of death of Galileo is often termed as a mysterious coincidence.

Regarded as the greatest scientist ever born, Isaac Newton is remembered for the infamous apple incident and the modern day cliche “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”. Called upon as the Father of Classical Mechanics, his experiments led to the famous 3 laws of motion.  Isaac Newton was a man whose vision touched versatile levels. Be it Mechanics, Optics, or Mathematics; Newton developed each of these fields to a new dimension. Discovering calculus, the key element to all mathematical treatments of physical data, he gave birth to a new age of Science and Technology. There practically is no physics without the mention of Newton.  He framed the theory of gravitation. He was a student at Trinity College, Cambridge.  Newton’s birth in the year of death of Galileo is often termed as a mysterious coincidence.

Electric car boom drives surge in charging-station demand

On a road trip to California from Toronto in his Tesla Model S, Daniel Valadares got a taste of just how popular the luxury electric cars are on the West Coast. The whole way there — the tech consultant did the trip in 68 hours, swapping driving duties with three companions, including his mother — they didn't once have any hitches charging up the car's battery at any of the dozens of Tesla power stations along the way.

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But at the Tesla supercharger station in San Mateo, just south of San Francisco, all eight charging spots were taken when he arrived, so he had to wait. A popular charging station by a scenic ranch a few hours southeast often has waits of 30 or 40 minutes to get a quick refill, he said.The major consumer concern with early models of electric cars revolved around something called "range anxiety," the fear that the battery would run out before you could make it to your destination or a charging station. But now that charging stations abound — there are thousands publicly available across Canada for all makes of electric cars — an emerging worry is that electric cars are becoming so popular, there will be too much charging station congestion to plug in when you need to, particularly once Tesla's mass-market Model 3 arrives."I'm on the blogs and forums, and people are afraid of having that happen. I think this is going to be a problem in the future," Valadares said.

At Plugshare.com, a website that maps North American charging stations, people complain of just that.

"I'm waiting my turn for a quick charge," a commenter posted last April while in line at Montreal's only public quick-charging station.

"We're three people here at the same time! A recharge that should take 15 minutes will take 45 because we're waiting in line."He said peak times seem to be Friday and Sunday nights on the expressways between Montreal and Quebec City, when travellers are heading out on or coming back from a weekend trip.

"Our data have shown us what sites have had congestion and where we need to build more stations. We want to ensure there's no waiting line and will act in advance to prevent that."

Electric Circuit counted 619 charging stations as of last week, 30 of which are high-voltage quick-charging installations. The province is aiming for a total of 800, including 60 quick-charge, by year's end to meet the needs of its 8,500 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Ontario is doling out $20 million in grants to get private and public-sector partners to build more charging stations, with the aim of having quick-charging stations every 60 to 80 kilometres along major highways and potentially hundreds of regular-charge terminals in cities. Details are expected to be announced within days.

Robots infiltrate insect world to learn their ways

Others are looking at how robots can infiltrate colonies and influence behaviour. Bee bots could protect pollinating bees against mites – or keep a hive updated with weather forecasts, releasing pheromones to prevent a new brood hatching when bad weather is likely to prevent foraging. Robots can even be used to encourage groups of animals to do things they normally would not: a robo-roach can trick cockroaches into venturing into the light, for example. But getting the robots to behave in a way that makes them blend in can be tricky. In previous work, José Halloy at Paris Diderot University in France and his colleagues programmed their robot cockroaches largely by hand. But this is hard – and cannot easily be adapted for use with other types of animal. So Halloy’s team has now developed a way to generate the robots’ behaviour automatically using a mix of descriptions of cockroach habits, combining models of individuals’ movement with group activity. They then usedevolutionary algorithms to optimise the models.Programming the robots to behave like individual insects is not the best way, says team member Nicolas Bredeche at Paris-Sorbonne University. “You don’t know if these small details will capture the global behaviour of the cockroaches when they are together,” he says.

The team tested their generated behaviours in a computer simulation in which a mixed group of 45 cockroaches and five robots had to cooperate to make a collective choice between two shelters. Generating insect-mimicking behaviour automatically was a lot quicker than doing it by hand – and led to more lifelike behaviour. They found that the mixed group acted like a real cockroach group – grouping along walls in realistic ways, for example.

The team think that the approach could be used to generate behaviours for mimics of other social species, such as honeybees, fruit flies, birds and fish. Behaviour is much more important than looks, says Bredeche. A fish will accept a robot as another fish if it acts like one, even if it doesn’t look the part. And group level behaviour matters even more than individual actions. The movement and paths followed by the robo-roaches did not need to match those of real cockroaches for them to fit in.

Using robots that mimic and influence behaviour as well as traditional techniques such as sounds and pheromones is a great addition to researchers‘ toolkit, says Terry Page at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Small, cheap gravity gadget to peer underground

Such gravimeters already exist but compared to this postage stamp-sized gadget, they are bulky and pricy. The new design is based on the little accelerometers found in smartphones. To begin with, the team - from the University of Glasgow - tested it by measuring the Earth's tides over a period of several days. Tidal forces, caused by the interacting pull of the Sun and Moon, not only drag the oceans up and down but slightly squash the Earth's diameter. "It's not a very big squeeze, but it means that essentially Glasgow - or anywhere else on the Earth's crust - goes up and down by about 40cm over the course of 12-13 hours," said Richard Middlemiss, the PhD student who made the new instrument. "That means that we get a change in gravitational acceleration - so that's what we've been able to measure."In fact, Mr Middlemiss and his colleagues, writing in the journal Nature, report that their contraption can detect even smaller gravity changes - such as those that would be caused by a tunnel less than 1m across, buried 2m underground.

Fleets of these devices could eventually be scattered around volcanoes or mounted on drones, they suggest, to conduct subterranean surveys.

They could even help civil engineers locate pipes under roads, Mr Middlemiss said, to save them digging in the wrong places. "What we wanted was to make a gravimeter that was very small and very cheap." Speaking to BBC News, he estimated that the device - in a few years' time - could be priced in the hundreds of pounds. This is much better than the £70,000-plus charged for today's commercial gravimeters, which are largely the preserve of wealthy oil companies.

The UK team has a patent pending on its design.It was working with fellow Glasgow physicists and engineers - including some of those involved in the recent detection of gravitational waves - that made the development possible, he added. But those famous ripples in space-time are well beyond Mr Middlemiss's small, silicon sensor.

"There is absolutely no way that our device could measure gravitational waves! But it's the expertise that's come out of the Institute of Gravitational Research, and the gravitational wave community generally, that has allowed us to do this."

For example, those colleagues showed him the importance of controlling the temperature in his sensor - while those in the School of Engineering helped him work out how to fabricate it.