Underwater Robots Lasagne Band Saws Ski & Trekking Poles
Robots perform many underwater tasks, which are impossible or too risky for divers to carry out, like collecting samples from the ocean floor for scientific research, exploring shipwrecks, inspecting underwater pipelines, searching for planted explosives, or recovering bodies. This particular underwater robot is designed to find unconscious drowning victims. Recent incidents have shown that a person recovered within 90 minutes can survive without brain damage when rescuers follow a specific resuscitation protocol. The robot uses a protruding, interlocking jaw to grab the victim by a limb and haul him or her to the surface. Its onboard camera gives operators at the surface an underwater view. When the water's too murky to see anything, video-enhancing technology and imaging sonar detect the outline of objects. Several thrusters propel the robot through the water. For each one, technicians grease, then position a pair of o-rings onto end caps that they install on each end of the thruster housing. The o-rings seal the end caps, keeping water out of the motor located inside the housing. The motor shaft protrudes through propeller the end cap. A mechanical bale secures both thruster end caps to the housing. They fill the thruster with oil. This prevents the thruster from imploding under pressure as the robot descends deeper and deeper. After filling, they draw a vacuum to remove any air bubbles and draw the oil into every nook and cranny. Then then install a reservoir, which they also fill with oil. When the underwater pressure builds, this backup oil supply fills any remaining miniscule air gap the vacuum might have missed. They close the reservoir with a sealing screw to prevent any oil from leaking out. Now they turn their attention to the thruster's main component, a two-blade propeller made of durable nylon. It goes on the back end of the thrusters. They install the camera chassis onto the robot. This chassis also carries the majority of the robot's electronics, such as the computer, communications equipment, and lighting. Here they're hooking up the belt for the tiny motor, which tilts the camera to look up and down. They cover the camera chassis with a transparent, acrylic dome called the viewing port. A cap with an o-ring seal keeps water out. They install the robot's power supply at the opposite end of the robot, then encase it in a metal tube, sealed on both sides with an end cap and an o-ring. For the thrusters to work at maximum efficiency, the robot must be neutrally buoyant, meaning neither too light nor too heavy. So once the robot is fitted with all its thrusters and electronics, technicians install the main float. Certain models have additional floats. They cap each propeller with a vented cover called a kort nozzle. This isolates the water flow, maximizing the propeller's efficiency. These bumper frames act like bumpers on a car. They absorb the force of impact, protecting the robot from damage when it encounters underwater objects. The bumper frames also serve as a structure to attach lights and other components, as well as specialized tools, such as that quick-release jaw, which grabs the victim by a limb. They install the jaw at an angle so that it doesn't block the camera's view. Now the sonar unit. It also mounts to the bumper frames. The sonar projects a 130-degree left-to-right 3-d image onto a monitor at the surface, showing the outline of objects around the robot. Finally, at the top, they install a strobe light-- a flashing beacon that tells rescuers on the surface exactly where the robot is. Every underwater robot goes out for a test drive. They submerge it in a tank, which is essentially an aquarium inhabited by fish of the stick-on variety. These inanimate creatures adhere to the glass, provide colorful images on which testers can focus and unfocus the camera. From there on in, the first mission in open water awaits. There are many ways to make lasagna, but no matter how it stacks up, people seem to never get enough of this classic italian dish. Popular in italy for centuries, its appeals transcends boundaries and cultures. Who anywhere can resist all those layers of flavor? Ruffled, flat noodles define lasagna. They give it structure. In between the layers, the possibilities are endless. Ingredients vary, depending on the recipe. For a veggie lasagna, things start off with sautéed onions, seasoned with pepper and salt. They add pureed tomatoes to the pungent mix. Blades stir the ingredients as they simmer in this steam-heated mixer, and in no time, they have a full-body tomato sauce. They pump the tomato sauce into lasagna tubs. This saucy base is the first layer of flavor, but it also serves a practical purpose, preventing the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the tray during baking. Workers arrange the broad and crinkled lasagna noodles over the sauce. These noodles have been made from a blend of whole grain and semolina flours for a texture that's firm, yet tender. Now for the filling ingredients. This factory lasagna will be made of roasted, organic vegetables. They include chunks of broccoli and uniformly mixed peppers, onions, carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms. They load the sliced and diced veggies into the next steam-heated mixer. The blades swing into action to stir the ingredients as they brown in oil. This causes the natural sugars to break down and the vegetables to become sweeter. Creamy mozzarella cheese will offset the sugary taste of the veggies. They add the caramelized veggies, the shredded mozzarella, and more pasta noodles, building the layers of flavor. And there's a lot more to come. Over in another steam-heated mixer, a combination of milk, oil, and rice flour is on a low boil. Paddles distribute the ingredients, and the sauce begins to thicken. Shredded monterey jack and parmesan cheeses will enhance the creaminess and add another dimension of flavor. Next, a serious dash of nutmeg and another one of salt spices it up. And after more stirring action, the white sauce is velvety smooth and substantially thicker. Meanwhile, a worker shovels crust into a grinder. The crusts are broken pieces from a pizza production line, and they have been dried to a specific consistency, so they should grind up nicely. A spiraling blade turns the crusts into uniform crumbs-- a classic lasagna topping-- adding a bit of crunch to the recipe. With these final ingredients, they're ready to pile it on thick. As the layering process continues, this meal really comes together. The cream sauce and bread crumbs are the finishing touches. With numerous sous chefs involved, things happen a whole lot faster here than on the home front. They assemble 48 single-serving lasagna dishes per minute at this factory... Then place them on trays and transfer them to a specialized freezer. This is a blast freezer, which is also known as a shock freezer. It brings down the temperature of foods very rapidly, preserving the flavor. On the next shift, they remove the lasagnas from the freezer. It's time to wrap up this meal. The lasagnas ride a conveyer through a curtain of cellophane. An automated system heat-seals the wrap around the trays. Things move swiftly to prevent thawing. They package 75 lasagnas per minute on this line, and then it's back in the freezer to await shipping. Once something only mama made, now workers and machines team up to mass-produce this traditional comfort food. So at mealtime, one only has to pop the frozen lasagna in the oven, and then mangia. From the home workshop to the factory floor, the band saw is one of the most popular power tools around. It's called a band saw because the blade is a metal band with teeth that moves continuously in a loop around two or three rotating wheels. It can make straight, curved, and angled cuts. This is an industrial band saw, designed to cut wood, aluminum, and composite materials, such as plexiglass. It can cut pieces up to 12 inches thick and can divide a board up to 40 inches wide into two equal sections. The tabletop tilts to a maximum 45 degrees for angled cuts. It's made of sturdy cast iron. The band-saw manufacturer purchases it from a nearby foundry, then uses a rotary grinder to make the surface, as we can see on the right, smooth and shiny. One of the saw's key components is this lower bearing case. It links the motor to the lower of two cast-iron wheels, which turn the saw blade. Workers will later mount that lower wheel on one end of the bearing case shaft. Now, on the opposite end of the shaft, they mount the drive pulley. The motor will rotate the drive pulley, turning the shaft and consequently the lower wheel on the opposite end, which moves the saw blade looped around the lower and upper wheels. Those cast-iron wheels, meanwhile, need a rubber edge to ensure the blade moves smoothly and without slipping. Workers position a guide over the first wheel, then slip a rubber band onto the guide. Next, they coat both the edge of the wheel and the rubber band on the guide with contact cement adhesive. Then they carefully pull the rubber band off the guide, flip it over, and press the glued side against the glued surface of the wheel. The first wheel now has a rubberized edge. They repeat the same procedures for the second wheel. In the meantime, another department has welded the band saw's steel steal cabinet. After the cabinet gets a paint job, workers begin installing the various components, among them the support assembly for the upper wheel. Behind the wall on which they mount the upper wheel, down at the bottom and protruding forward through the hole in the wall, they install the support for the lower wheel. This support is the shaft of the lower bearing case, the side opposite the drive pulley. After mounting the lower wheel, they move behind the wall, install an electric motor right below the lower bearing case, and link the two with a pair of belts. So now when the motor runs, the pulley rotates, and the lower wheel turns. Next, they bolt in the tabletop. It tilts on trunnions-- pairs of mating, cast-iron supports-- one attached to the table's underside, the other to the cabinet's table frame. Now for the most critical part of the assembly process. Workers use this jig as a precision guide to align the wheels. The wheels must be perfectly balanced to keep the saw blades stable while it's cutting. Once the alignment's complete, workers remove the jig and loop the steel saw blade around the two wheels. They adjust the blade to the correct tautness by simply setting the tension gauge to the width of the blade. And finally, the last step. Above the tabletop, they mount bearings which guide the blade. Without these, the blade would wobble or drift offline due to the force of cutting through the wood or other hard material. Now just a final check to ensure everything runs smoothly and make absolutely sure this band saw is up to speed when it comes to cutting construction materials. Whether skiing down a snowy slope or hiking up a rocky one, pointed metal poles can provide much needed support. They add balance and rhythm to both experiences. Aluminum poles were first developed for skiing. In recent years, the concept has been modified for trekking poles. Ski poles and trekking poles look alike, but there are important differences. Ski poles are one set length, while trekking poles can be extended as needed. Ski poles begin with hollow shafts made of aircraft-grade aluminum. They bake them for up to 12 hours to stiffen the metal. Next, the poles travel between rollers, which apply pressure to straighten them. The stiffening of the metal beforehand is key here. It ensures that the aluminum doesn't snap during this critical straightening. They insert one end of the ski-pole shaft into a device that squeezes it down to precisely tapered dimensions. It's a shape that will better resist breakage and will also make the pole easier to swing. An automated cutting tool spirals into the shaft to even the jagged edge. Another cutter spins around the outside of the wider end of the pole to trim it. Next, a machine punches a little hole in that wider end. The hole will serve as a guide during the stenciling of the trade name and artwork onto the exterior. With the ski poles tapered and trimmed, they head into an inspection station. A supervisor scrutinizes each one. Once he gives them the thumbs up, they're ready for sanding. The ski poles spin between two sanding belts to remove dusty residue and rough up the surface so that the paint will adhere. The poles now twirl on an overhead rail as a spray gun applies the paint. An automated tool then squeegees paint through stencils to transfer designs and lettering onto the poles. Each pass of the squeegee-like tool applies a different color, and this layering effect builds up the designs. The poles now head towards an acid bath. An electrical current ripples through the acid solution. This causes the poles to oxidize for a scratch-resistant finish called anodizing. Meanwhile, on the trekking poles' production line, machinery inserts long-wired, bristled brushes into the various shaft. This roughs up the inner surface. It's a step that will enable an expander device to grip it to extend the poles. Next, a spray gun coats some unfinished poles with clear lacquer. The owner of the factory now surveys a lineup of ski poles. He's on the lookout for smudges or other flaws. They meet his approval, and so it's on to the next step. A carriage moves each ski pole forward towards a carbide tip and presses the tip into the tapered end. With this tough tip in place, the ski pole is now equipped to pierce any hard snow pack. Next, a worker slides rubber grips onto the handle end of the poles. Like a big automated fist, a hydraulic mechanism shoves the grip more tightly onto the pole. There are many different kinds of grips, each with a different look and feel depending on the type of pole being made. Some ski-pole grips even have clips for attaching gloves. Trekking-pole shafts now roll down the production line. An automated arm slides plastic sleeves with carbide points onto the lower shaft section. A spinning tool drives part of an expander mechanism into the trekking pole's middle shaft. This expander will allow the pole to be lengthened or shortened to the user's preference. Machinery then inserts the other part of the expander mechanism into the lower shaft. Finally, a worker assembles the parts, sliding one section of the expander mechanism on the other. Finally, she sharpens the tips. And these poles are now ready for action.