Gopala Gopala || Bhaje Bhaaje || Venkatesh Daggubati, Pawan Kalyan, Shriya Saran

Gopala Gopala || Bhaje Bhaaje || Venkatesh Daggubati, Pawan Kalyan, Shriya Saran

Micromax Yu Yureka - Cyanogen - Unboxing and Hands On - iGyaan

2015 NEW YEAR WISHES

New Year wishes are indispensable part of New Year celebration. Every time we usher a new year with much enthusiasm and look forward to fulfill all dreams and desires. The tradition is therefore to wish 'Happy New Year' to friends and family at the beginning of a new year.

The tradition of New Year wishes is as old as the celebration of the event itself. There are evidences that Romans too used to wish happiness and prosperity to each other during the New Year.

For us all New Year is the time to get over the failures of the past year and take a positive approach towards the coming year to make it successful. During the New Year time we make promises to become a better person as well as learn from our past mistakes. It is also the time to make fresh commitments and look forth at the new beginning. New Year wishes are therefore full of hopefulness and promises.

Interesting Engineering Innovations of 2014

Around three thousand years ago humans discovered that it was easier to roll heavy objects on a round tree log. Hence came the idea of building the mechanical wheel – one of the first significant engineering inventions. Indeed, engineering inventions have been crucial to help us realize life as it is today. Our quest to evolve deeper understanding of science and technology results in more ingenious inventions spawning almost each day. The wheel itself has come a long way ahead from the primitive wooden design. Take for instance the Active Wheel System - a present day invention which shelters the engine, suspension, gearbox and transmission systems all incorporated into the wheel itself!

In 2014, we had a host of incredible engineering inventions. This article takes a look at some of the engineering breakthroughs which we think were compelling. Here are the inventions categorized by various engineering disciplines:

Automobile Engineering

Depleting sources of fossil fuels has forced us to look into electrical alternatives to power future automobiles. Researchers from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) designed a novel two-in-one electric motor that promises to increase range of electric vehicles by 15 to 20 percent. The design merges the air-conditioning compressor with a traditional electric motor. This allows extra space for using bigger batteries which in turn will help electric cars to cover more distances. Additionally, this electric motor achieves greater efficiency with lesser energy costs.

In another achievement, researchers at University of Wisconsin-Madison created an engine that converted 59.5 percent fuel energy to motion – the highest recorded efficiency till date. With the help of sensors and computers, the engine system could vary a mixture of diesel and petrol to reduce heat losses from the engine.

Aerospace Engineering

Turbulence, or unsteady flow of air, causes an airplane to wobble in midair much to the displeasure of nervous passengers. Inspired by birds, researchers at Melbourne’s RMIT University have devised an effective anti-turbulent system that will calm down those nerves. Birds counter turbulence by detecting shifts in wind and airflow with their feathers. The system tries to replicate this natural phenomenon by sensing flow disturbances prematurely.

2014 also saw the world’s first biodegradable drone in the world made with bacteria, fungi and saliva of wasps - which decay into Earth material when the drone crashes. Elsewhere, researchers are trying to replicate the ability of birds to flex their feathers into aircraft designs. More on that later. We would also like to give a special mention to ISRO’s successful Mangalyaan mission, which made India the only country to reach Mars in the first try!

Mechanical Engineering

3D Printing is an ever rising manufacturing technology, and this year it has emerged even more. 3D Printing inventions are coming up almost every day. But the one that caught our eye was Strati, the first fully operational 3D Printed car designed by Local Motors from America. It took 44 hours to print the car components and another two days to assemble them. Consider this – the car only has 40 components as compared to 20,000 components of an average car. Local Motors say that they designed the car this way to reduce tooling costs and overall complexity.

3D Printing technology has indeed captured the imagination of engineering minds across the globe. From human organs to concrete, almost everything can be 3D printed now. Space agency NASA achieved the amazing this year when they orchestrated 3D printing of objects at zero gravity. The space crew at the International Space Station even manufactured a broken wrench using the 3D printer!

Robotics Engineering

The first kick of the football world cup was done by a paralyzed person wearing a brain-controlled robotic exoskeleton! Advances in neuroscience and artificial intelligence clearly made it possible. As it is always, robots showcase the latest in science and technology. Among interesting robotic inventions, we saw a robot that could move like a sidewinder snake. Researchers also created the first untethered soft robot which remained unaffected by harsh conditions – it even survived when run over by a car! But researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology came up with two inventions that impressed us the most, the first one being a robot with unprecedented dexterity – equipped with a unique GelSight sensor that uses optics and computer vision algorithms to drastically improve robotic precision. The other invention from MIT was an advanced version of the Cheetah robot that used custom-built motors, and a new bounding algorithm allowing the robot to exert measured forces on the ground before leaping ahead!

Electrical Engineering

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology build a microwave circuit that transmitted data at 40 gigabytes per second! In University of Arkansas an integrated circuit was designed which can bear temperatures greater than 350 degrees Celsius! Engineers from NTU were able to print complex circuits on everyday materials like plastic, aluminum foil, and paper! But Polytechnic University of Valencia made the most buzzworthy invention – an energy transfer device that can charge any device wirelessly. The device cleverly uses resonance coupling between an energy transmitter and the chargeable device to achieve the needed transfer of electrical energy.

Energy Systems Engineering

In a radical development, energy experts from Australia’s University of New South Wales managed to convert 40 percent of sunlight received by solar panels into electricity - setting a world record in solar energy efficiency! To achieve this feat, they stacked three solar panels which captured separate waves of sunlight. The excessive sunlight, that generally gets wasted, was diverted using custom optical band pass filters and mirrors onto a fourth cell – staggeringly increasing the efficiency. Meanwhile, German scientists converted 46 percent of sunlight to electricity in a laboratory environment. The system captured more light by implementing multi-junction solar cells made of numerous semiconductors.

Another breakthrough was achieved by NTU researchers to develop a battery that remarkably lasts 20 years! They used ultra-thin Titanium dioxide anode that abundantly speeds up the chemical processes for superfast charging.

Civil Engineering

In 2014, a host of methods were invented to improve concrete use. Reducing the constituent Calcium to Silicate ratio, Civil Engineering experts at MIT produced stronger and durable concrete with 50 percent reduced carbon emissions. Experimenters at North Carolina State University conceived a sensing skin technology integrating electrodes and computing to quickly detect cracks or damage in concrete structures.

In another successful experiment, Swiss researchers proved that shape memory alloys can be used in the building industry for applications like reinforcement of bridges. As the name suggests, a shape memory alloy remembers its shape when deformed. These materials could be used to overcome concrete’s weakness in tension – offering an alternative to prestressed concrete.

Computer Science Engineering

The most striking computing technology in our opinion came from Google with the No CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA application programming interface which allows users to confirm they are human by simply clicking a checkbox saying - I’m not a robot. The sophisticated system can analyze simple human movements like a pause before clicking a checkbox.

Computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University developed Wyvern, a programming language which facilitates the use of multiple languages for one programming task. Wyvern is the first type specific language that understands and converts literals across various types of programming languages. These were the interesting engineering innovations of 2014 that grabbed our attention. Do comment below if we missed out on any developments.

Motorcycles coming to India in 2015

2015 Yamaha YZF-R1 and R1M

India Yamaha has confirmed that the 2015 R1 will go on sale in March, while Facebook posts from dealers confirm that the prices will be between Rs 28 and Rs 32 lakh ex-showroom approximately. The new R1 is all-new and offers 200PS, new styling and cast magnesium wheels. The R1M is a more hard-core version with carbon bodywork. Yamaha is also pitching its new electronics suite that includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and an M1-derived slide control system.

Bajaj Pulsar 200SS, 160NS and more

In an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18, Rajiv Bajaj revealed that Bajaj has four products lined up for the coming year. We believe all the action will kick off with the 160NS which will likely replace the ageing Pulsar 150. Then the 200SS should come towards the end of the fiscal year. The other two will be a four-valve engine-d Platina and a new Discover by our reckoning. Stay tuned.

TVS-BMW project bikes

Towards the end of the year, TVS and BMW are expected to reveal the two motorcycles they’ve been developing together. We expect to see a motorcycle in the 300-500cc range but actual information is thin on the ground and we will just have to wait until the bikes show up. TVS will manufacture the bikes for both brands but BMW Motorrad intend to sell the bikes through their own network in India. We expect BMW Motorrad’s current Indian partners (in Delhi and Mumbai) to show up in the new network as dealers rather than importers. Expect the TVS’ to be priced competitively while the BMWs will boast a premium price just like Bajaj-KTMs do.

Kawasaki Ninja H2

Kawasaki India Motors is likely to start sales of the 200PS supercharged H2 streetbike in India by March 2015 at an on-road price of Rs 30 lakh approximately. Kawasaki India is very unlikely to offer the track-only H2R for sale in India, though.

Kawasaki Versys 1000

Though the first bike was delivered at the India Superbike Festival in Pune, Kawasaki India is expected to officially launch the Versys 1000 adv-tourer in India in January at a price of Rs 12.5 lakh. Bookings are open now.

2015 Triumph Tigers

Triumph has already previewed the new Tigers to the media globally. We now expect Triumph India to open bookings for the four models from the new Tiger range shortly before sale commences around March. Expect a substantial hike in prices.

Honda CBR650F

Honda CBR 650F

Honda showcased the CBR650F at the Auto Expo 2014 and promised to bring it to India by early 2015. We expect this delectable motorcycle to the hit the market by February 2015. The CBR650F makes 86PS of power and 63Nm of torque and has ABS as a standard fitment. Icing on the cake then will be that HMSI is assembling it here and therefore prices can be expected to be very competitive.

Honda CBR500R

It is unclear as of now if HMSI will assemble it here but the CBR500R is coming to the Indian market for sure. The 500R doesn’t have a competitor as of now on the Indian motorcycle scene but it will be an exciting prospect nonetheless. Expect it to be launched towards end-2015.

 Hero HX250R

Hero’s single cylinder 250cc offering will be in the market in 2015. It will be a fully faired motorcycle, as seen at the expo, and will be set to take on the CBR250R. The HX250R boasts an indigenously developed liquid-cooled motor from Hero and makes 31PS of power and 26Nm of torque. It comes mated to a six-speed gearbox, a first for a Hero motorcycle. 0-60kmph is dispatched in a claimed 2.7 seconds while the motorcycle comes with optional ABS as well. It is expected to be priced around Rs 1.6 lakh when it goes on sale by mid-2015.

Hero Dash

Hero displayed two scooters which looked production ready at the 2014 expo and recent spy shots suggest that there is indeed a larger capacity scooter ready to be launched. The Dash will have a 125cc engine. Expect a marginal increase in price and the scooter, like the Activa 125, could come with a front disc brake. We believe Hero will launch the 125cc scooter around March-April.

Hero Zir

The Zir is a PCX-ish scooter that has a 150cc motor that claims to propel the scooter to speeds over 110kmph. There were two versions displayed at the expo, one was for the European market and the other for India. The Zir was expected to follow the launch of the Xtreme Sports, however, a source says that the plans may have been delayed.

Hyosung GD250N

Hyosung’s naked motorcycle, the GD250N has already been reviewed by us. While the pre-production model had some issues to be ironed, we expect DSK-Hyosung to sort them out before the first batch of motorcycles arrive in showrooms in 2015. It is a compact motorcycle designed to take on the likes of the 200 Duke. The 250cc motor is all-new and makes 28PS of power and 24Nm of torque. The entire package weighs just 145kg.

Mahindra Mojo

Yes, we know this one has been in the production stage for too long. In fact, Mahindra may be shooting itself in the foot with a motorcycle that was originally intended for a 2011 launch and will ‘finally’ be launched in 2015. The Mojo has been undergoing extensive testing as Mahindra wants it to be a foolproof motorcycle as and when it is launched. Expect a mid-2015 launch.