64 TECHNOLOGY JUN / JUL 2018 • farmers-mart . co . uk
64 TECHNOLOGY JUN / JUL 2018 • farmers-mart . co . uk
OLEDS COULD BOOST VERTICAL FARM EFFICIENCY BY 20 PER CENT
The energy efficiency of vertical farms could soon be boosted by as much as 20 per cent , thanks to a new system developed by a student from Brunel University London .
VFARM , by design student Jonny Reader , 21 , uses OLEDs – organic light-emitting diodes – and smart automation to significantly reduce the amount of power used in vertical farming . |
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The new system , which has already attracted significant interest from industry , will be unveiled at Made in Brunel in June .
Popular in Asia and gaining momentum elsewhere , vertical farming is the practice of producing crops in stacked layers , allowing for better use of space and resources .
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Already a billion-dollar industry , its popularity is expected to soar over the coming years as costs come down .
Where current vertical farms use traditional LEDs , vFarm uses OLEDs , which produce less heat and have a higher energy efficiency . Importantly , OLED panels are
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also significantly thinner than their LED equivalents , meaning greater yields can be achieved at shorter heights .
Whilst the price of OLEDs is currently prohibitive in most circumstances , Jonny predicts costs will fall heavily as the technology gains traction . vFarm also aims to increase efficiency and yield using automation , using a series of sensors to help control factors such as temperature and humidity .
Whilst currently only in its prototype stage , vFarm has been turning heads within the industry , with commercial outfit Hydrogarden so impressed by Jonny ’ s work that they ’ ve invited him in to take part in an official Knowledge Transfer Partnership with them .
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www . brunel . ac . uk |
The first wireless flying robotic insect takes off
INSECT-SIZED flying robots could help with time-consuming tasks like surveying crop growth on large farms or sniffing out gas leaks . These robots soar by fluttering tiny wings because they are too small to use propellers , like those seen on their larger drone cousins . Small size is advantageous : These robots are cheap to make and can easily slip into tight places that are inaccessible to big drones .
But current flying robo-insects are still tethered to the ground . The electronics they need to power and control their wings are too heavy for these miniature robots to carry .
Now , engineers at the University of Washington have for the first time cut the cord and added a brain , allowing their RoboFly to take its first independent flaps .
This might be one small flap for a robot , but it ’ s one giant leap for robot-kind .
RoboFly is slightly heavier than a toothpick and is powered by a laser beam . It uses a tiny onboard circuit that converts the laser energy into enough electricity to operate its wings .
The engineering challenge is the flapping . Wing flapping is a power-hungry process , and both the power source and the controller that directs the wings are too big and bulky to ride aboard a tiny robot . So Fuller ’ s previous robo-insect , the RoboBee , had a leash — it received power and control through wires from the ground .
But a flying robot should be able to operate on its own . Fuller and team decided to use a narrow invisible laser beam to power their robot . They pointed the laser beam at a photovoltaic cell , which is attached above RoboFly and converts the laser light into electricity .
Still , the laser alone does not provide enough voltage to move the wings . That ’ s why the team designed a circuit that boosted the seven volts coming out of the photovoltaic cell up to the 240 volts needed for flight .
To give RoboFly control over its own wings , the engineers provided a brain : They added a microcontroller to the same circuit .
Specifically , the controller sends voltage in waves to mimic the fluttering of a real insect ’ s wings .
For now , RoboFly can only take off and land . Once its photovoltaic cell is out of the direct line of sight of the laser , the robot runs out of power and lands . But the team hopes to soon be able to steer the laser so that RoboFly can hover and fly around .
While RoboFly is currently powered by a laser beam , future versions could use tiny batteries or harvest energy from radio frequency signals , Gollakota said . That way , their power source can be modified for specific tasks .
Future RoboFlies can also look forward to more advanced brains and sensor systems that help the robots navigate and complete tasks on their own , Fuller said .
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