Diesel Diesel engines are renowned for fuel efficiency and torque. They use compression ignition, which means that as the piston squeezes the fuel and air mixture, it ignites without the need for a spark plug. Their advantages stem from the ability to burn with a very lean air-fuel mixture, and their large expansion ratio (valve…
Don’t you give up on me now! I’m not a doctor. I get woozy when I hear the theme from Scrubs. But this was too good an innovation not to share. Gravity fed intravenous (IV) dip is an important method of administering medications and fluids to patients. IV infusions are one of the most common…
In 2016, Amazon.com made more money from AWS, Amazon Web Services than from retail sales. Jeff Bezos approved the idea of experimenting with Amazon infrastructure in 2004, but AWS only became commercially available in 2006. In many ways, AWS is a refinement of the infrastructure that Amazon built for its own operations. Principle 6 –…
There’s a starman waiting in the sky SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon Heavy with the now-famous payload of Starman (a mannequin in a SpaceX-designed spacesuit) in Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster. Test flights usually are sent up with payloads of negligible value like concrete or steel blocks, since there is the high likelihood of the…
So many batteries Tesla cars are renowned for their huge lithium ion batteries under their floor. Less well known is the fact that they also have a 12-volt lead acid battery, too. Why 12 volts? 12 volt electrical systems have been used in cars since the 1950s. Headlights, turn signals, seat adjustment motors and heaters,…
Ups and downs Elevators typically move in one of two ways; electric motors or hydraulics. Traction elevators Tall buildings typically use an electric drive motor to move a cable attached to the elevator car at one end and a counterweight at the other. The cable is suspended over a pulley which attaches to the motor…
W. Edwards Deming is a giant figure in the realm of quality management. In the aftermath of the second world war, Japanese companies turned to Deming, an industrial expert, for his input on creating top quality products. These same companies, including Toyota and Sony, rebuilt the Japanese economy and became global competitors, besting many American…
“There is no such thing as fun for the whole family.” Jerry Seinfeld …but if forced to watch something with the whole family, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee isn’t the worst thing. I’ve googled and can’t figure out if Jerry said that CICGC is “the talk show that comes to you” or if it just…
Reflecting on symmetry In researching a recent article on the mirror-swirl intake on the EcoBlue Ford diesel engine, I came across this patent by Ford. The logic of this patent has a lot in common with the EcoBlue mirror-image inlet manifold. Not as symmetrical as I imagined When thinking of a V8 engine, in my…
Kickstarter project We can safely say this Kickstarter project is a success, with $115,000 pledged on an original goal of $11,000. Can the 40 Principles help us identify any innovations here? The Duo Glass is a hand blown 10 oz drinking glass that has double walls for insulation and a matching ice mold. Integrated 1oz…