What is an airfoil?

An airplane wing has a special shape called an airfoil.
As a wing moves through air, the air is split and passes above and below the wing. The wing’s upper surface is shaped so the air rushing over the top speeds up and stretches out. This decreases the air pressure above the wing. The air flowing below the wing moves in a straighter line, so its speed and air pressure remain the same.
Since high air pressure always moves toward low air pressure, the air below the wing pushes upward toward the air above the wing. The wing is in the middle, and the whole wing is “lifted.” The faster an airplane moves, the more lift there is. And when the force of lift is greater than the force of gravity, the airplane is able to fly.

 

Examples of airfoils in nature and within various vehicles. Though not strictly an airfoil, the dolphin fin obeys the same principles in a different fluid medium.

To learn how an airfoil works please click on the link below:-

How an airfoil works is best illustrated in this report.

What Is Artificial Intelligence ?

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Definition...

Artificial Intelligence is a branch of Science which deals with helping machines find solutions to complex problems in a more human-like fashion. This generally involves borrowing characteristics from human intelligence, and applying them as algorithms in a computer friendly way. A more or less flexible or efficient approach can be taken depending on the requirements established, which influences how artificial the intelligent behaviour appears.
AI is generally associated with Computer Science, but it has many important links with other fields such as Maths, Psychology, Cognition, Biology and Philosophy, among many others. Our ability to combine knowledge from all these fields will ultimately benefit our progress in the quest of creating an intelligent artificial being.

Further details... Field of Artificial Intelligence

Why Artificial Intelligence?

Motivation...

Computers are fundamentally well suited to performing mechanical computations, using fixed programmed rules. This allows artificial machines to perform simple monotonous tasks efficiently and reliably, which humans are ill-suited to. For more complex problems, things get more difficult... Unlike humans, computers have trouble understanding specific situations, and adapting to new situations. Artificial Intelligence aims to improve machine behaviour in tackling such complex tasks.
Together with this, much of AI research is allowing us to understand our intelligent behaviour. Humans have an interesting approach to problem-solving, based on abstract thought, high-level deliberative reasoning and pattern recognition. Artificial Intelligence can help us understand this process by recreating it, then potentially enabling us to enhance it beyond our current capabilities.

Tell me more! Artificial Intelligence Discussion

When will Computers become truly Intelligent?

Limitations...

To date, all the traits of human intelligence have not been captured and applied together to spawn an intelligent artificial creature. Currently, Artificial Intelligence rather seems to focus on lucrative domain specific applications, which do not necessarily require the full extent of AI capabilities. This limit of machine intelligence is known to researchers as narrow intelligence.
There is little doubt among the community that artificial machines will be capable of intelligent thought in the near future. It's just a question of what and when... The machines may be pure silicon, quantum computers or hybrid combinations of manufactured components and neural tissue. As for the date, expect great things to happen within this century!

What about... The Future of Artificial Intelligence

How does Artificial Intelligence work?

Technology...

There are many different approaches to Artificial Intelligence, none of which are either completely right or wrong. Some are obviously more suited than others in some cases, but any working alternative can be defended. Over the years, trends have emerged based on the state of mind of influencial researchers, funding opportunities as well as available computer hardware.
Over the past five decades, AI research has mostly been focusing on solving specific problems. Numerous solutions have been devised and improved to do so efficiently and reliably. This explains why the field of Artificial Intelligence is split into many branches, ranging from Pattern Recognition to Artificial Life, including Evolutionary Computation and Planning.

Show me! Artificial Intelligence Knowledge

Who uses Artificial Intelligence?

Applications...

The potential applications of Artificial Intelligence are abundant. They stretch from the military for autonomous control and target identification, to the entertainment industry for computer games and robotic pets. Lets also not forget big establishments dealing with huge amounts of information such as hospitals, banks and insurances, who can use AI to predict customer behaviour and detect trends.
As you may expect, the business of Artificial Intelligence is becoming one of the major driving forces for research. With an ever growing market to satisfy, there's plenty of room for more personel. So if you know what you're doing, there's plenty of money to be made from interested big companies!

Two Different Types Of Programming Involved In Robotics

There are two main methods of controlling a robot, the first method is using feedback which is called Closed-Loop Control and the other method is called Open-Loop Control, in which case robots incorporate no feedback, therefore, they depend instead on mechanical stops to control movement. This method is used to carry out simple instructions accurately, since most robots only do a specific job, such as screwing in a few screws, they only need to know the boundary of their specific area. While other sophisticated robots rely on feedback in the form of continuous data. These robots are being made to resemble human decision-making techniques, some of which are still in the developmental stages. The data (feedback) can come from a variety of different devices such a vision systems, tractile sensors or in terms of industrial use, devices that detect the positions and the rate of movement of the robot's joints.

However, there are still simple robots that use the Closed-Loop Method. An example of this would be a household thermostat. It is a device that senses the environment and has a mechanism that reacts to the environmental change. In this case a bimetallic strip changes shape in reaction to temperature change and thereby turning on the heating or cooling unit. The diagram in Figure 1 illustrates the closed-loop method and can be used to display the workings of a thermostat. First the controller is programmed to the desirable temperature, this information is then sent to the mechanism which in this case is the thermostat. The device then responds with a physical action which modifies its external or internal environment. Next, sensors detect and measure the modification, then returns the results to the controller, which then calculates the difference between the actual and desired results and closes the loop by issuing a corrective command to the mechanism.

The Future Of Robotics

What does the future hold for robotics? What is the next step, or the next technological boundary to overcome? The general trend for computers seems to be faster processing speed, greater memory capacity and so on. One would assume that the robots of the future would become closer and closer to the decision-making ability of humans and also more independent. Presently the most powerful computers can't match the mental ability of a low-grade animal. It will be a long time until we're having conversations with androids and have them do all our housework. Another difficult design aspect about androids is their ability to walk around on two legs like humans. A robot with biped movement is much more difficult to build then a robot with, say, wheels to move around with. The reason for this is that walking takes so much balance. When you lift your leg to take a step you instinctively shift your weight to the other side by just the right amount and are constantly alternating your center of gravity to compensate for the varying degrees of leg support. If you were to simply lift your leg with the rest of your body remaining perfectly still you would likely fall down. Try a simple test by standing with one shoulder and one leg against a wall. Now lift your outer leg and observe as you start to fall over.

Indeed, the human skeletal and muscular systems are complicated for many reasons. For now, robots will most likely be manufactured for a limited number of distinct tasks such as painting, welding or lifting. Presumably, once robots have the ability perform a much wider array of tasks, and voice recognition software improves such that computers can interpret complicated sentences in varying accents, we may in fact see robots doing our housework and carrying out other tasks in the physical world.

2013 Mercedes Benz SLS AMG e-cell Prototype Drive

Last December, Audi let us drive the R8-based E-Tron in California, and we came away impressed by its 313 hp and a level of refinement we’ve never before experienced in an electric car. Recently, Mercedes invited us to Kristiansund, on the west coast of Norway, to drive the fully electric version of its gullwing SLS. As in the E-Tron, power in the SLS AMG E-Cell is routed through four electric motors, one at each wheel. With 526 hp and 649 lb-ft of torque—the latter available from 0 rpm—the SLS E-Cell is in league with some venerable supercars, even though it tips the scales at a considerable 4400 pound. Before you mat the throttle, consider the appropriate driving program. In the comfort setting, the SLS shows its soft side, utilizing just 40 percent of the motors’ capability and exhibiting cautious responses to inputs. Switch to sport, and throttle response gets a bit sharper, and 60 percent of the power and torque become available. In sport plus, you get a super-aggressive throttle and the entire 526 hp. In comfort and sport, applying full throttle still gets you full power in an instant. An additional mode, manual, acts like sport plus but switches off regenerative braking entirely.
If you have so far associated electric cars with ridiculous humming boxes on wheels, hang on. This car catapults you into another dimension. In the SLS E-Cell, getting from rest to 62 mph takes a claimed four seconds flat; 130 mph, fewer than 12 seconds. At 50 or 60 mph, triple-digit speeds are mere seconds away, and the charge forward happens in utter silence. “Surreal” is a proper description for the acoustic character of this silent predator.
Autobahn credentials are standard, with a top speed governed at 155 mph. Ungoverned, 165 would be possible. That’s shy of the 197 mph reached by the regular SLS but enough to get you a room in a U.S. county jail. We were impressed by the absence of rattles, noises, and whines up to velocities well over 100 mph. At these speeds, a Tesla roadster feels like a prototype, but this actual prototype seems ready for customer delivery. Incidentally, Mercedes insists that Tesla—in which it now has a stake of ownership—was in no way involved in the development of the E-Cell.
The SLS E-Cell offers four modes of regenerative braking in addition to being completely off in the manual powertrain setting, which leaves you “sailing” with minimal drivetrain drag. Paddles on the steering column allow you to gradually increase the resistance; steps one and two feel like a regular car coasting; step three is a bit more aggressive, and step four decelerates the SLS so strongly that AMG considered switching on the brake lights as soon as you take your foot off the accelerator. Unlike Tesla, AMG decided not to. This mode is perfect for extreme driving, when you are standing on one of the two pedals at all times anyway.
The Same But Different
AMG has developed an entirely new front axle—a pushrod-actuated setup—that replaces the regular SLS’s unequal-length control-arm design, and the steering is now electrohydraulic. Like many similar systems, the steering could offer more feel and feedback. Although we enjoyed the silent, artificial character of the electric motors, we wouldn’t mind a bit more feedback from the chassis. Granted, this is a prototype, and as development progresses, it will benefit from torque vectoring, achieved by running the electric motors at different speeds.
Just like the regular SLS, the E-Cell is a big car, with a hood that seems to extend beyond the curvature of the planet. The instrumentation and the center console are exclusive to the E-Cell, the center stack being executed as a huge touchscreen, which hopefully hints at a change in philosophy for Mercedes in general. It works almost flawlessly and looks ready for series production. 

The E-Cell’s Achilles’ heel, unsurprisingly, is its range. This prototype carries a 48-kWh lithium-ion battery, but AMG hopes to fit the car with a 60-plus kWh battery pack when it becomes available to customers. The current range is about 90 miles, which is likely to grow to more than 130 miles. The current claims are perhaps even conservative: After a sharply driven 60 miles, battery capacity was still about 30 percent. With a fast-charging station, it took an hour to recharge the batteries to almost 100 percent. Extended trips still require planning, but the progress in battery technology is tangible.

If all goes according to plan, you will be able to buy the SLS E-Cell by late 2012 or early 2013—six or so months after Audi launches the E-Tron. There is no word yet on pricing, but figure on a premium of $50,000 to $100,000 over the regular SLS. Just having the money won’t be enough to get you an E-Cell, though, as customers will be handpicked.
The jury is still out on precisely when electric cars will become mainstream mobility—or if they are even the future at all. But if it happens, we can assure you there is still joy on the road ahead. Having flogged the SLS E-Cell unchaperoned for some 60 miles over lightly trafficked country roads, we began to appreciate the car. If this is the electric future, we’re starting to warm up to it.

GSAT-7, India's first satellite dedicated to military, successfully launched.

India's first satellite dedicated to use by the military has been successfully launched into orbit. The GSAT-7, which has cost Rs. 185 crore, will transform the capabilities of the Indian Navy, allowing it to communicate with its fleet across the Indian Ocean through a top-secret encrypted system.

Navy ships will be able to exchange data about the precise location of enemy ships and submarines. In the process, each ship in the fleet will have a comprehensive digital map of the position of friendly forces and enemy forces. The frequency bands of GSAT-7 will help space-based marine communications.

Earlier, satellite communication in ships was through Inmarsat, a major provider of global mobile satellite communications services.

Built by the Indian Space Research Organization or ISRO, the satellite was launched during a 50-minute launch window starting 2 am from Kourou in South America using a French-made Ariane rocket. After a flight of almost 34 minutes, the satellite was injected into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) of 249 km perigee (nearest point to earth), 35,929 km apogee (farthest point to earth) and an inclination of 3.5 degree with respect to the equator.

Though the satellite has been built at home, India had to rent a European rocket for the launch since its own heavy rocket, the Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) has had several mishaps, the most recent being when it nearly went up in flames recently after a massive fuel leak.

The entire mission has cost India Rs. 655 crore, including the rental for the rocket and insurance.

With the launch of the 2.5 tonne satellite - as heavy as five adult elephants - India has joined a select club of countries including USA, Russian, France, Britain and China that have dedicated military communication satellites.

Indian Air Force inducts C-17 Globe Master, its biggest transport aircraft.

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force today inducted a massive new transport aircraft. The C-17 Globe Master, capable of lifting tanks to the border with China and Pakistan, has made its debut with a test flight at the Hindon base in Uttar Pradesh.

Capable of landing on forward short runways including advanced landing grounds along the India-China border with short turnaround times, the C-17 is seen as an important signal from India at a time when China has been building up its military infrastructure along the disputed border of Line of Actual Control.

"The C-17 Globe Master transport aircraft will change the way we deploy forces in the North and North East," said Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne.

10 of the Boeing Globe Masters have been bought from the US at a cost of 5.1 billion. The Globe Master can carry 80 tonnes of weight and 150 fully-armed soldiers.

Three planes have already been delivered by the US; two more are expected by the end of this year and the rest 5  will arrive in India by the end of next year.