Pemurnian Air Berjalan

Unit Desalinasi Berjalan Menawarkan Harapan Bagi Kawasan Terserang Bencana

Kekurangan air adalah masalah yang berkembang di seluruh dunia, terutama di negara-negara berkembang. Desalinasi, atau mengubah air laut menjadi air minum, adalah salah satu cara untuk meningkatkan pasokan air, tetapi Pembangkit Desalinasi memerlukan sejumlah besar energi dan infrastruktur. Sekarang tim Jepang telah mengembangkan Kurir Air, Desalinasi mobile unit yang memiliki potensi besar untuk membantu orang-orang di daerah yang terkena oleh kekurangan air atau bencana alam. Unit ciri khas adalah mobilitas. Dengan desain yang kompak, Kurir Air dapat diinstal pada empat ton truk, membiarkannya bepergian jauh dan luas.

Menggunakan Energi Yang Bisa Diperbarui

Desalinasi air laut yang dipraktekkan di seluruh dunia. Ini biasanya dilakukan dengan memisahkan air dari garam dan kotoran lain menggunakan membran reverse osmosis, yang membiarkan melalui molekul air kecil tapi tidak ion dan molekul yang lebih besar. Masalah dengan sistem konvensional adalah bahwa hal itu membutuhkan banyak energi untuk menghasilkan tekanan tinggi diperlukan untuk mendorong air melalui membran. Membuat air minum cukup murni panggilan untuk fine membran, dan membran halus, semakin tinggi tekanan harus membiarkan molekul air melewatinya. Kebutuhan akan begitu banyak energi telah membuat Desalinasi air laut tidak cocok dengan sistem energi terbarukan, kemampuan pembangkitan listrik yang cenderung terbatas.
Kurir Air, sebuah truk-sistem dimuat baru-baru ini dikembangkan bersama oleh Organisasi untuk Pengembangan Partisipasi Swasta dalam Proyek Publik dan beberapa perusahaan swasta, untuk mengatasi masalah ini. Mencakup sebuah pompa yang menghasilkan tekanan sekitar 6 MPa, cukup untuk menghilangkan garam air laut, dengan hanya sejumlah kecil energi. Di atas atap adalah panel surya yang menyebar ke lebih dari dua kali lebar truk, dan dua turbin angin. Dalam cuaca cerah listrik yang dihasilkan dari matahari dan angin dapat menyediakan hampir 100% dari daya yang dibutuhkan, memungkinkan sistem untuk beroperasi, bahkan di daerah-daerah dengan catu daya yang tidak memadai, seperti terpencil atau masyarakat yang terkena dampak bencana.

Sebuah Koagulan Aman dan Alami

Air mempekerjakan kurir koagulan yang aman terbuat dari bahan-bahan alami termasuk polyglutamic asam dan kalsium. Polyglutamic asam adalah polimer asam amino yang dikenal secara luas bertanggung jawab atas goo benang dari natto, makanan Jepang tradisional atau dikenal sebagai kedelai difermentasi. Yang koagulan digunakan untuk menggumpal partikel kotoran dalam air sebelum filtrasi oleh reverse osmosis, menyederhanakan proses filtrasi. Pembekuan secara signifikan meningkatkan kualitas air, serta mengurangi ketegangan pada membran reverse osmosis.
Di samping keamanan dan efisiensi, Koagulan dari Kurir Air ini  berbeda  sebab hanya berpengaruh sedikit terhadap tingkat pH air. Ini menghilangkan kebutuhan untuk menyesuaikan pH air menggunakan natrium hidroksida atau agen pedas lain, yang tidak dapat ditangani tanpa izin khusus. The koagulan juga menghilangkan logam berat apapun yang terkandung dalam air.
Truk Muat sebagai Kurir Air  mampu menghasilkan 7,2 ton air minum dalam sehari, cukup untuk 3.600 orang, dengan asumsi bahwa seseorang minum 2 liter per hari. Sebuah sistem tipe kontainer juga telah dikembangkan. Meskipun tidak bergerak, ia mampu memurnikan beberapa kali lebih banyak air dari mitra mobile-nya dan akan diangkut ke tujuannya terutama oleh kapal. Kedua sistem penjernihan air diharapkan dapat digunakan baik di dalam negeri maupun luar negeri, seperti untuk bantuan bencana dan di pulau-pulau terpencil, dan di seluruh dunia, termasuk di daerah kering dan daerah tanpa air yang mengalir. Para pengembang mulai memasok sistem pada akhir 2009.

reference resource Web Japan Organization dan diedit serta diterjemahkan oleh Timotius Jaya untuk posting ke Sprucefir Netsphere.

Leave Your Chores to a Robot

Development of Housekeeping Robots Accelerates

Sp: This article was written in bilingual; English and Indonesian. English article used italic formatted font, while Indonesian used normal formatted font. So do not confused when you read the article. If you prefer English, then please only read the article with italic format.

Researcher at the University of Tokyo are integrating information technology and robotics to develop robots that can perform household chores. Their work on the Information and Robot Technology Research Initiative, or IRT, has already resulted in public demonstrations by some housekeeping robots. One such demonstration featured the Home Assistant Robot, developed in collaboration with seven private sector firms, including Toyota Motor Corp. and Olympus. In another demonstration, IRT’s Kitchen Robot, developed together with Panasonic, showed off its ability to load dishes into a dishwasher.

Peneliti dari Universitas Tokyo menggabungkan teknologi infomasi dan teknolgi robot untuk megembangkan robot yang dapat elakukan pekerjaan rumah (housekeeping). Pekerjaan mereka pada sebuah institute IRT telah menghasilkan demonstrasi public yang dilakukan oleh beberapa robot pekerjaan rumah (house keeping). Salah satu demonstrasi menyertakan Robot Pembantu Rumah Tangga, dikembangkan dengan kolaborasi dari tujuh perusahaan termasuk Toyota Motor Corp. dan Olympus. Pada demonstrasi lainnya, IRT Robot Daput, dikembangkan bersama Panasonic, menunjukan kemampuannya untuk memuat cucian piring ke mesin pencuci piring

The Home Assistant Robot is 155 centimeters tall and has a humanoid appearance. It moves about on two wheels, has three fingers on each hand, and has several cameras on its head that allow it to recognize the objects in front of it. The robot’s most remarkable features are its ability to grasp soft objects and its capacity to reattempt tasks that it has failed to perform correctly.

Robot Pembantu Rumah Tangga tingginya adalah 155 cm dan mempunyai berbentuk seperti manusia. Robot ini bergerak dengan dua roda, mempunyai tiga jari di setiap tangan, dan beberapa kamera di kepalanya yang membuatnya dapat mengenali benda di depannya. Fungsi yang paling mengagumkan dari robot ini adalah kemampuannya untuk memegang benda lembut dan kapasitasnya dalam mencoba kembali tugas yang telah gagal dilaksanakannya.

At its public demonstration the robot performed such tasks as operating a washing machine and mopping the floor. First off, it picked up a tray of dishes and carried them from the dining table to the kitchen sink. Then it demonstrated its ability to use a washing machine by grasping a shirt hanging over the back of a chair and taking over to the washer. At that point, however, it was unable to pinpoint the location of the button to open the washer’s lid. It did not give up, though; it retreated momentarily and made two or three further attempts before succeeding in opening the lid. When mopping the floor, meanwhile, the robot deftly moved a dining room chair with its right hand while using its left to mop under the table. Thereafter it resumed using both its hands to mop the areas free of furniture.

Pada saat demonstrasi public robot melakukan tugas-tugas seperti mengoperasikan mesin pencuci piring dan mengepel lantai. Pertama-tama, robot mengambil piring dan membawa mereka dari meja makan ke wastafel dapur. Kemudian mendemonstrasikan kemampuannya untuk menggunakan mesin cuci dengan cara  mengambil kemeja yang tergantung di belakang kursi dan membawanya ke mesin cuci. Akan tetapi pada point ini, robot tidak mampu mengidentifikasi letak tombol untuk membuka tutup mesin cuci, tapi robot ini tidak meyerah; secara beberapa saat robot ini mengulang tindakan dan membuat  sampai  tindakan percobaan sebelum akhirnya sukses dalam membuka tutup. Ketika mengepel lantai, sementara robot menggerakan kursi meja dengan tangan kanan sambil mengepel di bawah kursi dengan tangan kiri. Kemudian melanjutkan tindakan mengepel dengan kedua tangan untuk mengepel area yang bebas dari perabotan.

The Kitchen Robot IRT’s Kitchen Robot is shaped like a hinged desk lamp; instead of a light, though, at the tip is an appendage with two parts that open and close like a crocodile’s mouth, enabling it to grasp objects. Handling delicate objects like dishes calls for an accurate sense of the object’s center of gravity and the application of just the right amount of pressure – not too weak, not too strong.

Robot dapur dari IRT berbentuk sepeti lampu meja; akan tetapi dibandingkan dengan lampu, pada ujungnya terdapat dua bagian yang dapat menutup dan membuka seperti mulut buaya, memungkinkannya mengambil benda. Mengatasi objek-objek rapuh / pecha belah seperti piring, membutuhkan indera mengenai akurasi akan titik tengah gravitasi sebuah benda dan pengaplikasian dar tekanan yang tepat – tidak terlalu lemah, tidak terlalu kuat.

To make this possible, multiple sensors were built into the robot’s gripping appendage, and the surface of the mechanism was constructed of soft nylon resin and silicon rubber. In demonstrations, the robot used its hand to grasp each bowl, plate, or glass carefully by its rim, rinse it two or three times, and empty any remaining water before placing it in the nearby dishwasher. It was especially careful when loading the dishes; for example, the robot would pause if a dish came into contact with a partition inside the dishwasher. After successfully loading three dishes, the robot closed the washer and pushed the switch to turn it on.

Untuk membuat hal ini dapat dilakukan, sensor-sensor bertingkat dibangun pada pencapit robot tersebut dan bagian luar mekanisme dibangun dengan getah nilon yang lembut dan karet silicon. Pada saat demonstrasi robot menggunakan tangan untuk mengambil setiap mangkuk, piring, atau gelas secara hati-hati, membilasnya dua atau tiga kali, dan mengosongkan air yang tersisa sebelum diletakan di pencuci piring terdekat. Robot ini secara hati-hati memuat perabot makan tersebut; sebagai contoh robot akan berhenti jika perabot makan bersentuhan dengan partisi di dalam pencuci piring. Setelah sukses memuat tiga perabot makan, robot menutup mesin pencuci dan menekan tombol untuk menyalakannya.

In addition to these two robots, IRT is also working to develop household robots to assist the elderly and the disabled. For example, its Personal Mobility Robot provides a single, seated user with the means to move about, and its Monitor Robot keeps an eye on users’ movements and issues an alert if it notices something unusual.

Sebagai tambahan untuk kedua robot ini, IRT juga mengembangkan robot pengasuh untuk membantu lansia dan orang cacat. Sebagai contoh, Robot Bergerak Pribadi menyediakan sebuah kursi tungal untuk pengguna untuk membantu mereka bergerak, dan Monitor Robot mengawasi gerakan dari pengguna dan mengeluarkan peringatan jika menyadari sesuatu yang ganjil.

The article resources come from local network news of Japan country and IRT forum. Edited and translated in Indonesian by Sprucefir Netsphere, while in English by Web Japan Organization.

Related Topic:

Robots Nowadays Can Chat And Make Expression

Dari Botol Menjadi Tas

Dari Botol Menjadi Tas
Botol Plastik Didaur Ulang menjadi Produk Baru

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Recently more and more plastic bottles are being collected after use and made into new products. The recycled material has been turned into uniforms for schools and companies, egg cartons, and even business cards. But this is not enough. Because of their convenience, plastic bottles are being manufactured and collected in ever-increasing numbers, and without corresponding new ways to reuse them, problems with garbage will worsen. The challenge now is to make it possible to reuse plastic bottles for their original purpose – holding drinks and food products – and the cooperation of consumers is the key to making this a reality.

Akhir-akhir ini banyak botol plastic dikumpulkan setelah digunakan dan dibuat menjadi produk baru. Bahan daur ulang ini telah dirubah menjadi seragam untuk sekolah dan perusahaan, kartun telur, dan bahkan kartu nama bisnis. Tapi ini belum cukup. Karena keparktisan mereka, botol plastik diproduksi dan dikumpulkan dalam jumlah yang terus meningkat, dan tanpa pemberdayaan cara baru untuk mendaur ulang mereka, masalah mengenai sampah akan memburuk. Tantangannya adalah sekarang adalah memungkinkan untuk menggunakan kembali botol plastic untuk fungsi mereka yang semula – menyimpan makanan dan minuman dan kerja sama dari consumer adalah kunci untuk merealisasikan hal ini.

Environmental Awareness Growing
Most of the plastic bottles that are collected and reused end up being turned into fiber. Led by middle schools in the Tohoku area, new students at some 800 elementary and middle schools carry school bags that have been woven from the fiber produced by recycling ten 1.5 liter plastic bottles. While these bags cost the same as previous school bags – between ¥5,000 and ¥8,000 (between $40 and $64 at ¥125 to the dollar) – the fiber is stronger than nylon, so they can last up to five or six years.

Kebanyakan dari botol plastic dikumpulkan dan didaur ulang menjadi benang fiber. Dimulai dari sekolah menengah di daerah Tohoku, murid-murid bari dari 800 sekolah dasar dan sekolah menengah membawa tas sekolah yang terbuat dari bahan fiber hasil produksi daur ulang sepuluh botol berukuran 1.5 liter. Sementara harga tas ini sama dengan harga tas sekolah sebelumnya berkisar antara ¥5,000 dan ¥8,000 (antara $40 dan $64 pada saat ¥125 per dollar atau sekitar Rp.420,000 dan Rp.672,000) – bahan fiber lebih kuat daripada bahan nilon, jadi dapat bertahan sampai lima atau enam tahun.  (wow, keuntungan yang cukup menari, tapi jadi teringat kasus kondom bekas yang dijadikan digunakan kembali menjadi ikat rambut, kira-kira ikat rambutnya bertahan berapa lama ya? Hehehe just kidding -_-;)

Fibers obtained from plastic bottles are also used in the production of school and corporate uniforms. With environmental education becoming more prominent in schools and with the implementation of the new Law on Promoting Green Purchasing in April 2001, momentum for the use of products made from recycled materials appears likely to build.

Bahan fiber didapatkan dari botol plastic juga digunakan untuk memproduksi seragam perusahaan dan sekolah. Dengan pendidikan mengenai lingkingan menjadi wajib di sekolah dan implementasi dari Hukum  Mempromosikan Pembelian Produk Hijau pada April 2001, momentum untuk menggunakan produk yang terbuat dari bahan daur ulang nampaknya akan terwujud.

Dari Botol ke Botol
The Containers and Packaging Recycling Law has been implemented in stages since 1997. It requires consumers to sort their waste, municipalities to collect it separately, and businesses to use recycled materials in the creation of new products. Plastic bottles, mainly used to hold drinks like tea or water, are light and sturdy, and their use continues to grow year after year, as does the number of recycled bottles. According to the Japan Containers and Packaging Recycling Association, 362,000 tons of plastic bottles were produced in Japan in fiscal 2000 (April 2000 – March 2001), 125,000 tons of which were recycled, giving Japan a world-best recycling rate of 34.5%, well ahead of the United States (22.3%) and Europe (22.0%). The association forecasts that Japan’s recycling rate will jump to 44%.

Hukum Daur Ulang Pengemasan dan Wadah telah diimplementasikan sejak tahun 1997. Hal ini membutuhkan perhatian konsumen untuk memisahkan sampah mereka, secara berkala mengumpulkannya terpisah, dan bisnis untuk mendaurulang material menjadi kreasi produk baru. Botol plastic, pada umumnya digunakan untuk menyimpan minuman seperti the atau air, sangat ringa dan kuat, dan mereka terus berkembang dari waktu ke waktu sama seperti jumlah dari botol daur ulang. Menurut Asosiasi Pendaurulangan Kemasan dan Wadah Jepang, 362,000 ton botol plastic diproduksi di Jepang perkiraan tahun 2000 (April 2000 – March 2001), 125,000 ton adalah hasil daur ulang membuat Jepang mendapatkan peringkat dunia yang terbaik sebanyak 34.5% melampau Amerika Serikat (22.3%) dan Eropa (22.0%). Asosiasi memperkirakan tingakt daur ulang di Jepang akan meningkat hingga 44%.

Because plastic bottles are so bulky, they have the potential to become a major cause of problems if they are collected and not reused. At present, they are mainly made into sheets that are then used as fiber or to make plastic egg cartons, so creating demand for new uses is seen as important. The task ahead is to reuse these plastic bottles again as containers for drinks and food products. Up to now, it has not been possible to attain a 100% guarantee of safety, but technology has advanced to the stage of practical use. Industry insiders are appealing to consumers for help in making this dream a reality, urging them to remove the caps from plastic bottles and rinse them out before setting them aside for recycling.

Karena botol plastic sangat padat, mereka berpotensi menjadi masalah besar jika mereka dikumpulkan tapi tidak didaur ulang. Pada saat ini mereka umumnya digunakan menjadi lemaran kemudian digunakan menjadi fiber untuk membuat kartun telur plastic, jadi permintaan untuk mengkreasikan kegunaan baru terbilang penting. Tugas kedepan adalah menggunakan kembali botol plastic sbagai wadah produk minuman dan makanan. Sampai sekarang masih belum memungkinkan untuk mendapat jaminan 100% keamanan, tapi teknologi telah berkembang dalam kegunaan sehari-hari. Kalangan industry menarik konsumen untuk membantu merealisasikan cita-cita tersebut, dengan mendesak mereka untuk melepaskan tutp botol dari botol plastic dan mencucinya sebelum didaur ulang.

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Copyright (c)  Japan Information Network. Di edit dalam bahasa Inggris oleh Japan Echo Inc. Di edit dalam bahasa Indonesia oleh Sprucefir Netsphere. Berdasarkan sumber berita Jepang domestic. Artikel disajikan hanya untuk bahan referensi bukan mewakilkan kebijakan dan sudut pandang Pemerintahan Jepang.

The Suit which can be wash just with shower

Slight Revolution in Business Attire

A Shower Clean Suit. ©KONAKA CO., LTD.

The suit is the uniform of the working professional. Suits are worn every day in a variety of business settings, causing them to become dirty, wrinkled, and occasionally even coffee-stained. Who has not wished their suit could be easily washed without having to take it to the dry cleaner’s? Now a new suit has hit the market that takes care of just this problem. The Shower Clean Suit can be washed in warm water from the shower, does not require ironing, and maintains a sharp crease in the trousers.

Wash as You Shower
The Shower Clean Suit is produced by menswear maker Konaka Co. The company uses a special blend of wool and high technology to create what it is touting as a world first in business attire. Konaka developers first hit upon the idea when they were trying to come up with a way to keep suits perpetually clean and fresh. “Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just wash the suit when you take a shower,” they thought. This was easier said than done, however. They first had to come up with a material that would allow dirt to be rinsed off. The design team focused on using wool, since dirt does not easily penetrate wool fibers. In addition, they managed to blend the wool with water-soluble fibers. After being sewn together, the suit is soaked with water, causing the water-soluble fibers to dissolve. This creates a material made up of wool fibers and tiny hollow cavities. Thus water is able to pass easily between the fibers, taking any dirt along with it. What is more, the material is very breathable and exceptionally lightweight.

Washing one of the suits. ©KONAKA CO., LTD.

Preventing Wrinkles with a Natural Amino Acid
Even if a suit is clean, it cannot be worn in business situations if it is covered in wrinkles. To keep the suits looking stylish without the need for ironing, Konaka applies an anti-wrinkle process using the natural amino acid L-cysteine, a substance found in hair, skin, and fingernails. The suits do not shrink after washing and are said to last approximately as long as ordinary suits, even if subjected to daily washings. And not only are the suits functional, Konaka has also made them fashionable by employing well known designers. Prices for men’s and women’s Shower Clean Suits start at ¥51,450 (about $468 at ¥110 to the dollar) and ¥29,400 (about $267), respectively. Although they have only just gone on sale, potential customers overseas, as well as in Japan, are already expressing interest.

Ready in the Morning After a Quick Shower
Sweat stains and odors, dust, pollen, food stains, and wrinkles can all be washed away in the shower, although grease stains may prove more resistant. Washing one of the suits is a snap: simply turn the jacket and pants inside out and place them on a hanger. Shower them thoroughly with warm water (about 40 degrees Celsius) for two to three minutes, turn them right side out and repeat the process. If the suit is still dirty, rub some bath soap on and rinse once again. That is all there is to it!

There is no need for chemical-based cleansers, so the suit is environmentally friendly. To dry, simply wait one to two hours for excess water to drip away, then hang the suit in a shady, well-ventilated spot. After about six hours, the suit should be completely dry and ready to wear.
Perhaps Konaka’s new suit will usher in a new lifestyle, one in which businesspeople wash their suits in their evening shower and wear them clean again the next morning.

source: web-japan.org

Robots Nowadays Can Chat And Make Expression

Japanese Technology Continues to Amaze

CBi. (C)JST, ATR

Japan possesses some of the world’s most advanced robotics technology, and Japanese researchers have developed a succession of groundbreaking models in the field of humanoid robots. Recently, attention has focused on robots with a high level of learning ability and robots whose human appearance and facial expressions make them more approachable.

HRP-4C. (C)AIST

Saya. (C)Tokyo University of Science

Robot Mimics Humans and MonkeysThe Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) has developed a humanoid robot called CBi that possesses extraordinary learning abilities. CBi is equipped with a computer system that automatically programs physical movements. To demonstrate this ability, an experiment was conducted in January 2008 between ATR in Kyoto and Duke University in the United States, in which CBi imitated the movements of a monkey. The research team at Duke had a monkey walk on a treadmill. While it was walking, the electric signals in its brain were measured and sent via the Internet to CBi at ATR. CBi then reproduced the walking motion of the monkey based on these signals, and walked in a similar manner.

Humans can also teach CBi to perform actions. If a human takes CBi’s hand or leg and repeats the same movement a number of times, CBi will learn that movement. CBi has already learned high-level movements such as batting a ball thrown by a human and rolling a ball on its palm. People were amazed when they saw a video released in January 2009 of CBi batting a ball – an exceptionally complex feat of coordination. Controlling a robot today requires expert knowledge, but there are high hopes that future developments will enable CBi to be controlled by general users.

Robots with Expressive Faces Elsewhere, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has developed a humanoid robot that is about the size of an average young Japanese woman. HRP-4C has facial expressions and movements that resemble those of humans, which makes people more comfortable in its presence that with earlier robots. HRP-4C’s facial expressions were created with the face of an average Japanese woman in mind and exude an air of elegance. The material used for the surface of the face is highly elastic silicon, which enables HRP-4C to smile or express surprise. Since its movements are based on data from detailed analysis of human movements, it can move in a smoother and more human-like way than previous robots. The institute expects that HRP-4C will be used in the entertainment field; the robot has already acted as MC for a fashion show.

Saya. (C)Tokyo University of Science

Professor Kobayashi Hiroshi of Tokyo University of Science has developed a humanoid robot called Saya that has an even wider range of facial expressions. Like HRP-4C, Saya has the appearance of a young Japanese woman. Saya’s face is made of synthetic rubber, beneath the surface of which lie 30 motors. By combining the movements of these motors, expressions from laughter to anger can be achieved. Saya is not equipped with artificial intelligence and is currently remotely controlled by humans. In an elementary school classroom, however, “she” was able to smile and have simple conversations with students, while occasionally cautioning students with a stern look. Saya’s range of expressions, beyond the capabilities of previous robots, have attracted attention. With the addition of artificial intelligence and other improvements, robots like Saya may be able to provide nursing services or be used in psychological counseling. (July 2009)

This article raw source come from domestic local news network. Edited by Web Japan Organization and redirected in Sprucefir Netsphere.