NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt engineers are a key part of the team in an ambitious national effort to advance the field of fluid power, which could lead to reductions in fuel consumption, state-of-the-art rescue robots and new devices to aid people with mobility impairments.
The National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power is funded by a $15 million five-year grant from the NSF, and augmented by $3 million from various industry partners. The center will be directed by the University of Minnesota.
Fluid-power technology encompasses most applications that use liquids or gases to transmit power in the form of mechanical work or pressure. The complexity of these systems ranges from a simple centrifugal pump used to remove water from the basement of a house to sophisticated airplane controls that rely on high-pressure hydraulic systems. Fluid power is a $33 billion industry worldwide. Industry areas include aerospace, agriculture, construction, health care, manufacturing, mining, and transportation.
“Back in the 1950s and 1960s, the United States led the world in fluid-power research, but now Europe and Asia have passed us by,” said Kim Stelson, the director of the new research center and mechanical engineering professor at the University of Minnesota. “We hope that this new center will get us back on track in this growing field.”
Researchers at Vanderbilt will contribute by developing power supply and systems that allow human-scale robots to move. The concept is to use energy-dense liquid fuels to provide significantly more power and efficiency than current state-of-the-art batteries and motors. The Vanderbilt researchers will be led by principal investigator Michael Goldfarb, professor of mechanical engineering, and Eric Barth, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
“This center will enable our research team at Vanderbilt to continue the efforts we have made over the past six years in advancing the state-of-the-art in human-scale robots,” Goldfarb said. “We are pleased to have the opportunity, and look forward to making the most of it.”
Vanderbilt researchers will also develop a rescue robot with legs to use the new power supply and movement system, which is expected to be capable of exerting considerably more force and power than current legged robots.
“This center will advance fundamental knowledge, providing a platform for technology that will spawn new industries. We are impressed with the ambitious goals of the center for research and education and the strong partnership with industry,” said Lynn Preston, leader of the Engineering Research Centers Program at NSF.
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Contact: Vivian F. Cooper (615) 322-2762
Vivian.F.Cooper@vanderbilt.edu
David F. Salisbury (615) 343-6803
David.F.Salisbury@Vanderbilt.edu
Josh Chamot, National Science Foundation, (703) 292-7730
jchamot@nsf.gov