This year's prestigious James Dyson award has been given to two students who designed an urban wind turbine. This compact turbine generates electricity in cities. A group of students from TU Delft finished a close second with a device that can detect malaria in blood.
Two students from Lancaster University, from Kenya and Chile, came up with the winning design, called the O-Wind Turbine. This round sphere uses horizontal and vertical wind without the need for steering.
The sphere features geometric vents, so it does not matter what angle the wind comes from. The O-Wind Turbine always rotates clockwise, after which the movement is transmitted via gears to a generator, which then generates electricity.
Cities
The turbine can be used particularly in windy cities, where not only is there too little space for wind turbines, but also too unpredictable a wind direction, making them ineffective. The sphere is only 25 centimetres in diameter, is suitable for example for on facades of apartment buildings and on balconies. Wind from above or below also provides energy in this case, although the young students cannot yet say how much.
The two drew inspiration for the O-Wind Turbine from NASA. Years ago, NASA explored the possibility of using wind-driven spheres for Mars expeditions, but the different wind directions were a major challenge. "Our concept was originally developed as a way to make use of intersecting wind gusts to create an exploration vehicle that drives that in a preset direction. We tested a prototyoe in the Atacama desert and it turned out to work: the vehicle travelled for 7 kilometres in a straight line. The concept has recently been redeveloped into a wind turbine by using its ability to keep moving in the same line despite different wind directions. This also allows the sphere to be used in urban environments where the wind direction is constantly changing."
The makers plan to make larger wind turbines in the future.
Detecting malaria
TU Delft students captured a handsome second place in the competition. They did so with a device that can automatically detect malaria in blood. The device, which they developed last year, can quickly detect malaria. Described on De Ingenieur, "They developed a microscope based on a smartphone, an extra spherical lens and software for automatic image recognition. The parts for the box - a prototype still - were made with a 3D printer."
The James Dyson Award is for budding designers who come up with inventive solutions to major societal problems. This year, several thousand entrants from 22 countries participated. The winner will receive €33,500. A central theme of this year's competition was 'reflection on urban living'.
Source: The Engineer/James Dyson Award
