In the belly of the biggest cruise ship...

Image source: Wikimedia

»»» http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8-s6uA2VRU

the 'Oasis of the Seas' is five times as big as the Titanic... and this is what it looks like when 50 captains are steering the ship...

»»» http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6jGDB5KpNY

'Building the impossible' was the principle during the construction of the ship. And this is the result:

• about 241 km of pipes and about 5310 km of electrical lines were installed on the Oasis of the Seas.
• About 600,000 litres of paint were necessary for the paintwork.
• The 21 pools contain approx. 2.3 million litres of water.
• About 2.1 million litres of fresh water are required every day.
• In its Central Park there are 12,175 plants, some of the trees are more than 7 m tall.
• The Oasis of the Seas boasts the longest running track at sea. One lap is 692 metres long.
• The maximum width of the ship roughly corresponds to the wingspan of an Airbus A340-300.
• The Oasis of the Seas is about three times as long as a soccer field.

Take a look at the technical details:

»»» http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Oasis_of_the_Seas

Why the purchase of a spreader is worth it

and why not:

»»» http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAq-uhXmEi8

this is how it should work:

»»» http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UTT_fqQpC0

From water to the skies...

with a high altitude balloon up to the frontier of space:

»»» http://www.ssc.se/?id=15425



"We want to enable experiments in the absence of gravity. Up there, the air is so thin that objects falling down are virtually weightless. We make use of this fact", Speidel explains. "The experiment is made up of a nacelle that is connected to the balloon via a long cord."

The experiment tries to show that low gravity can be reached at much lower costs than current approaches (such as parabolic flights or drop towers). The project is a feasibility study of the technique that can be used to create a low gravity environment.

A look back

MobiliTec - Premiere at HANNOVER MESSE 2010

One of the truly big themes of many sectors is electric mobility. Faced with mounting CO2 emissions and dwindling fossil fuel resources, the world will sooner or later have to embrace alternative mobility and drive technologies. Bringing about this paradigm shift necessitates ongoing multidisciplinary cooperation between automobile manufacturers, drive system and component manufacturers, energy companies, and experts from science and government.

HANNOVER MESSE has been profiling mobility technologies for many years, and from 2010 on will be consolidating these themes in an all-new flagship tradeshow named "MobiliTec." The new show will focus on mobility technologies such as hybrid and electric drive systems, mobile energy storage solutions and alternative fuels.

The new show's exhibition content will be supplemented by an international forum staged on site in the exhibition area. Visitors will also be able to test-drive innovative new electric vehicles on a dedicated test track.

»»» http://www.hannovermesse.de/mobilitec



Image source: Hanover Fair

bauma video

Some more impressions of the bauma fair Munich in motion pictures:

crawler-mounted telescopic pile driver at the bauma

Another demonstration of Thyssenkrupp GfT Bautechnik’s impressive innovative power – in the shape of the new 683 TP crawler-mounted telescopic pile driver.

In close cooperation with Sennebogen and the Dutch company Machinefabriek A. van Hattem & Zoon B.V., the 683 TP has been created as the perfect combination of telescopic crane and leader – a unique addition to the market.

»»» http://www.tkgftbautechnik.com/

bauma 2010

bauma features more than half a million square meters of exhibition space, making it by far the largest and certainly the most impressive exhibition ever. No other industry event features a wider range of products and services. No other exhibition is more international. This is where all of the market’s leading manufacturers and key players are represented. This is where innovations are presented for all sectors.

Here are some selected exhibitors of the fair:




http://www.uplifter.de/

To Day it's off to Munich

After three years at last bauma - the international trade fair for construction machinery and vehicles - takes place again.

What I'm already looking forward to is the Liebherr LTR 1060:



Liebherr adds a 60-ton vehicle to its product range of telescopic crawler cranes. At bauma 2010 the new LTR 1060 will be presented for the first time.

»»» http://www.liebherr.com/


What the heck is the LR series?

Crawler cranes from Liebherr

With the LR series, Liebherr offers a well-balanced range of lattice boom crawler cranes. In the class below 300 metric tons, low transport weights, rapid self-assembly, optimum load capacity values across the entire working range and comprehensive operating information are among these cranes’ main functional features.

»»» http://www.liebherr-bauma.com/

First impressions of bauma fair

A record 555,000 square metres and more of indoor and outdoor exhibition space (gross) at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre are being dedicated to a display of the latest products from the international construction, building-materials and mining machinery sectors between 19 and 25 April 2010. Again over 3,000 exhibitors are expected to make use of this event, the world´s biggest trade fair for the sector, as a platform for innovations and marketing...

»»» http://www.bauma.de/en/Home

Space Elevator?

Image source: Wikimedia

A space elevator is a proposed structure designed to transport material from a celestial body's surface into space. Many variants have been proposed, all of which involve traveling along a fixed structure instead of using rocket powered space launch. The concept most often refers to a structure that reaches from the surface of the Earth on or near the Equator to geostationary orbit (GSO) and a counter-mass beyond...

»»» http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator


The Vision

Climbers ascend a ribbon, 100,000 km long, strung between an anchor on Earth and a counterweight in space. Connecting Earth and space in a way never before possible, the space elevator will enable us to inexpensively and completely expand our society into space.

Beyond Earth, space elevators on the moon and Mars open new economic opportunities and expand humanity's reach ever so slightly into the solar system...

»»» http://www.spaceelevator.com/

The next generation

of window cleaning - is the robot:



Further information:

»»» http://www.urakami.co.jp/en/05/09.html

The professionals

Window washing baskets are really baaaad...

....and do not try this yourself.
Otherwise you could end up at hospital... watch this!"

Special mission on Europe's largest port construction site

...admittedly, this was some time ago, but it is still worth having a look at:

The dimensions are gigantic. In this huge project, 37000 tons of sheet piling steel are processed, 10000 tons of reinforcing steel are laid, 60000 cubic metres of concrete are processed and ten million cubic metres of sand are dredged. The construction of the sheet piling on the water side in the river Weser under full tidal influence is the most important and at the same time most complex stage of the entire project. Therefore, numerous cable dredgers from the Liebherr plant in Nenzing with special add-on units are used. In the years 2004 to 2008 bremenports constructed a further 1681 metres of riverside quay, Container-Terminal 4, out of the bare earth as it were. This gigantic project required a total of ten million cubic metres of sand to create a new working area for the terminal on a site of approx. 90 hectares, where four new berths were built for mega-container vessels.

»»» http://www.bremenports.de/1896_2

Swimming buses

Image Source: DATBV

An amphibious bus just started its regular service in Glasgow, Scotland. It connects the districts of Clydebank and Yoker via the river Clyde. The ferry was no longer profitable due to the decreasing number of passengers. Like something from a James Bond film, a space-age vehicle emerges from the River Clyde in Glasgow. But this bus is not set for the big screen. The 45-seater is part of the city's transport vision for the future.

»»» http://www.station.lu/

New topic: Let's talk about water

... water, logistics and harbours

Never seen a flying ship? ...about flying ships, races that are about more than just money and huge wings instead of sails...

Even in case of little wind, BOR 90 lifts two of its three hulls out of the water and the pilot flies across the sea at an altitude of about ten metres at up to 40 knots (about 74 km/h). BOR 90 (BOR stands for "BMW Oracle Racing", 90 for the length of 90 feet = 27.4 metres) is the result of the most ambitious project in the history of regatta sailing. 150 specialists from 20 nations spent two years building a boat that in many ways is closer to aviation than to water sports: the main sail was replaced by a wing that is bigger than a wing of an Airbus A380...



»»» http://bmworacleracing.com/en/



Image source: www.voile-multicoques.com

And this is what it looks like when it doesn't work...

and ... action ...

»»» Dresden-Breslau 2007 Hellgeth Unimog

»»» Unimog Offroad team Brauwers

»»» Entering the Hut Lake FSR in Squamish, BC Canada

»»» UNIMOG TRUCK TRIAL

Unimog in action

Or it's just on its way from Dresden to Breslau:

»»» http://www.rallye-breslau.com/

That's one of the most demanding rallies in Europe and is compared with the Paris-Dakar race. Registration started in February, the date is: 26 June - 3 July 2010.

Here you can see what's going on all day (sorry only in German):

»»» http://live.abenteuerrallye.com/?topic=blog

Would you still call this a car?
By the way the control system of this Unimog is from Essen.

»»» http://www.hellgeth.de/motorsports/

A Unimog on the road

To compensate for yesterday's sparse information, here some more details (in German):

»»» http://www.unimog-museum.com/



Some more information (in English):

»»» http://www.unimog-forever.com/

»»» http://classicunimogs.com/

Swiss pocket knife of the automotive industry

I just remember the Unimog exhibition last November. By the way, Unimog is a German acronym for "Universal-Motor-Gerät" and an all-terrain vehicle.

»»» http://blog.mercedes-benz-passion.com/

The Unimog has been designed as the ultimate vehicle solution for an almost endless range of tasks. It provides the power and peace of mind to get the job done: carrying and operating attachments, or handling difficult terrain. No matter whether airports, fire brigade or in agriculture – the Unimog is the Swiss pocket knife of the automotive industry...

Tower Crane Assembly

San Marco Tower crane assembly with overview of how climbing system works...

Cranes - cranes - cranes

There is really a blog only about cranes...

»»» http://www.kransite.de/english/indexen.htm



...what you find there is something like this:

Back to our topic

Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/tonyzech

I've never seen how such a wind power station is assembled...

Behind this photo is the company Bäumer...represented by the red crane. The boom is a five section full power boom with a maximum tip height of 40.0 m.

Here some more details:

»»» http://www.baeumer.com/pdf/grove-gmk-3050-1.pdf


Image source: www.manitowoccranes.com

For comparison: LTM 11200-9.1 with 9 axes and a maximum load capacity of 1200 t is the most powerful telescopic crane with the longest telescopic boom - Max. lifting height 170 m - max. protuberance 126 m ...

Here's a list of other interesting cranes:

»»» http://www.neeb-krane.de/



Image source: www.neeb-krane.de

Quite impressive, isn't it?

ROV do it yourself

This Web Site is Dedicated to the Homebuilt Remote Operated Vehicles I have built over the past years. I do not sell Rov's, this sites main purpose is to share my ideas and to help other people who would like to build their own Rov. While I'm no Expert I am always willing to help so if you have any Questions or Comments feel free to E-mail me.

»»» http://www.homebuiltrovs.com/


Some other projects:

»»» http://myrov.spaces.live.com/

»»» http://mar.hs-bremerhaven.de/

»»» http://www.rov-online.com/

What is a ROV?

Image source: Wikimedia

A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is a tethered underwater robot. They are common in deepwater industries such as offshore hydrocarbon extraction. An ROV may sometimes be called a remotely operated underwater vehicle to distinguish it from remote control vehicles operating on land or in the air. ROVs are unoccupied, highly manoeuvrable and operated by a person aboard a vessel. They are linked to the ship by a tether (sometimes referred to as an umbilical cable), a group of cables that carry electrical power, video and data signals back and forth between the operator and the vehicle. High power applications will often use hydraulics in addition to electrical cabling. Most ROVs are equipped with at least a video camera and lights. Additional equipment is commonly added to expand the vehicle’s capabilities. These may include sonars, magnetometers, a still camera, a manipulator or cutting arm, water samplers, and instruments that measure water clarity, light penetration and temperature.

»»» http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/


A robotic submarine is undergoing final preparations to dive to the deepest-known part of the oceans.

If successful, Nereus will be the first autonomous vehicle to visit the 11,000m (36,089ft) Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean.

Only two other vehicles have ever visited the spot before, both of them human operated.

»»» http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8035499.stm

Denise was her name

Denise was her original name, and she was the first underwater vehicle designed expressly for scientific exploration. From 1959 on, the mini-submersible sailed the depths to explore unknown parts of the ocean. On board Calypso, a crane lowered the saucer into the water or lifted her up to the rear deck of the ship. With a diameter of 2.85 meters and a weight of 3.5 tons, she carries a crew of two in her steel cabin. She can work stay as far as 350 meters down, for four or five hours...



More information on this and on sea exploration:

»»» http://www.cousteau.org/

The first tome is done...

and now on submarines... A submarine (in short for submarine boat) is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. The term submarine most commonly refers to large crewed autonomous vessels; however, historically or more casually, submarine can also refer to medium sized or smaller vessels. Submarines in a neutral buoyancy condition are not intrinsically trim-stable. To maintain desired trim, submarines use forward and aft trim tanks. Eh? This is about technology:

»»» http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine#Technology

... so one can even lease submarines

... could be nice to be in a sub:


Image source: Stern.de

or buy it straight away (unfortunately only in German):

»»» http://www.conleys.de/shop/produkt/U-Boot-/3794261

...wuuaaahh: full of advanced technology...combining knowledge and technology from various disciplines.

In the depths...

... of the sea: instead of being on holiday I am now in the depths of the oceans, to be precise Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea:



Jules Verne and Pierre Aronnax take me to a world which is so fantastic and at the same time real... nobody cared to believe me that this huge tome is still interesting to day. Well, of course the book seized me by my passion: technology - after all Jules Verne anticipates the development of the submarine, right?

Here's more information:

»»» http://www.simonlake.com/html/nautilus.html

Gutting an office building in Essen

... I really would like to know how this was done...

With a weight of 61,890 kg attaching importance to good looks...
...a Hitachi Longfront, here's the exact data:

Technical data

• Operating weight (kg): 61,890
• Engine model: Isuzu
• Engine rated power (kW): 260
• max. pin height (mm): 25,000
• max. horizontal reach (mm): 13,800
• max. attachment weight (kg): 3,000
• Undercarriage width (mm): 3,490

»»» http://www.kiesel.net/en/construction-machinery/