Robytes
by Jeff and Jenn Eckert
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Now See Here
In 2009, the Australian
government awarded a $42
million grant to Bionic Vision
Australia (BVA, www.
bionicvision.org.au) — a
national consortium of
researchers working to
develop a practical bionic
eye. The goal is to restore
sight to people who suffer
from such retinal
degenerative conditions as
retinitis pigmentosa and
macular degeneration. The
long-term solution involves a
wireless implant that uses
1,024 stimulating electrodes
made of a specially
designed diamond material
that is unaffected by
moisture, and that has no
inflammatory effects on the human body. In a major step toward that goal, BVA researchers recently performed the first
implantation of an early prototype. The "pre-bionic eye" has only 24 electrodes and doesn't really produce anything that
qualifies as vision, but patient Dianne Ashworth verified that it worked when switched on. "All of a sudden I could see a
flash of light," she commented. "It was amazing."
According to surgeon Dr. Penny Allen, "This is a world first — we implanted a device in this position behind the retina,
demonstrating the viability of our approach." The final version is expected to produce clear enough images to allow
recipients to recognize faces and read large print.
Artist's rendering of the BVA bionic eye.
The QBotix Tracking System dynamically operates solar
power plants to maximize output.
Solar Efficiency on Track
One might imagine that the most economical way to keep
solar panels aimed toward the sun would be to fit them with
standard single- or dual-axis tracking systems, but QBotix
( www.qbotix.com) begs to differ. According to the company, the
QBotix Tracking System™ offers the performance of dual-axis
systems at a single-axis price by replacing the hundreds of motors
and controllers found on conventional tracking systems. The
system — designed to handle 300 k W installations (about 200
panels) — uses two battery-operated monorail bots (one active,
one backup) which travel around and successively adjust each
panel's mounting system. According to QBotix, the system can
track both flat-plate and concentrating solar panels with high
accuracy and reliability, resulting in a 20 percent lower "levelized
cost of electricity." According to BEO Wasqu Bokhari, "Regardless
of the choice of solar panels, inverters, foundations, or other
system components, the use of QTS will dramatically lower LCOE
compared to all existing mounting or tracking systems."
8 SERVO 11.2012
