June 12, 2008 at 1:56 pm · Filed under Transportation, Sumitomo
Sumitomo Electric has developed what is being called the world’s first automobile powered by a superconducting motor. The electric passenger sedan — a modified Toyota Crown Comfort — was unveiled in Osaka on June 12 and will go on display at the Hokkaido Toyako G8 Summit on June 19.
Superconductors — energy-efficient materials that can carry electrical current without resistance — are used in applications ranging from medical devices to linear motors for trains. Until now, however, they have never been used to power an automobile, says Sumitomo.
Sumitomo’s motor uses superconducting materials instead of the copper wire typically used in the coils in electric vehicle motors. With virtually no electrical resistance or current loss, the motor can operate with greater energy efficiency and torque — in other words, it uses less electricity to do the same amount of work. The company says the prototype vehicle can travel 10% farther […]
Original post by Edo
August 2, 2007 at 9:34 am · Filed under security, Safety, Asia, Robot, Sumitomo
An autonomous robot janitor built by Subaru (Fuji Heavy Industries) and Sumitomo has landed a job cleaning the outdoor hallways of a new 14-story Bali-themed luxury apartment complex in Tokyo. Lovingly nicknamed ‘Tondon’ in an apparent reference to a legendary Balinese snake god, the robot is a close relative of RFS1, the autonomous floor cleaning robot that received Japan’s 2006 Robot of the Year Award last December.
Like the RFS1, which currently cleans hallway floors inside ten Tokyo-area office buildings, Tondon works unsupervised and relies on an optical communication system to control the building’s elevators, allowing it to move freely from floor to floor as needed. To improve the robot’s ability to clean gritty outdoor surfaces, Tondon’s makers have added a set of heavy-duty brushes designed to sweep up leaves and dirt from hallway floors and drains. Furthermore, Tondon’s outer shell has been strengthened and waterproofed to protect its internal […]
Original post by Edo
