This Engineering Newswire looks at saving birds with bladeless wind turbines, smashing bugs in the Bayou and floating on the world’s largest gigayacht.
World’s Largest Gigayacht
Pictures were just released of the world’s newest gigayacht. It will also be the world’s largest featuring nine decks and two helipads.
Named the Double Century, it will sit 88 feet above the water and will be 656-feet long, twice the length of a football field. The gigayacht was designed by Christopher Seymour, and will cost $770 million.
According to Seymour, the Double Century was created to be “the next step in the evolution of gigayachts.” He adds, “I want the concept to be something magnificent, respected and admired for what the vessel is, not because of who owns, built or designed her, but for her own merits.”
Bladeless Wind Turbines Kill Fewer Birds
Spanish startup Vortex Bladeless has developed tube-like wind turbines without any spinning blades. The company has been developing the technology over the past few years, and even built its own wind tunnel to prove just how successful the technology could be.
Vortex claims that its design could reduce manufacturing costs by 53%, cut maintenance costs by 80%, and would be a 40% reduction in the carbon footprint and generation costs compared to conventional wind turbines with blades. Although they’ve produced a few smaller working prototypes, the company eventually hopes to build its full-size 490-foot turbine (capable of 1 MW of power) by 2018.
NASA Smashes Bugs in the Bayou
Engineers from two elite organizations spent two weeks in Shreveport, Louisiana studying, of all things, bug guts. NASA and Boeing engineers tested non-stick coatings designed to shed insect residue and help reduce aircraft fuel consumption.
Most insects fly relatively close to the ground. So, to test the coatings, Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator 757 flew in and out of the Shreveport Regional Airport. The city was chosen because of its significant bug population. One coating showed particular promise, but there is still much research to be done.
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