It's not easy flying green: Large variability in greenhouse gas emissions from alternative fuels

ScienceDaily (May 11, 2011) — There's a race afoot to give biofuel wings in the aviation industry, part of an effort to combat soaring fuel prices and cut greenhouse gas emissions. In 2008, Virgin Atlantic became the first commercial airline to fly a plane on a blend of biofuel and petroleum. Since then, Air New Zealand, Qatar Airways and Continental Airlines, among others, have flown biofuel test flights, and Lufthansa is racing to be the first carrier to run daily flights on a biofuel blend.

However, researchers at MIT say the industry may want to cool its jets and make sure it has examined biofuels' complete carbon footprint before making an all-out push. They say that when a biofuel's origins are factored in -- for example, taking into account whether the fuel is made from palm oil grown in a clear-cut rainforest -- conventional fossil fuels may sometimes be the "greener" choice.

"What we found was that technologies that look very promising could also result in high emissions, if done improperly," says James Hileman, principal research engineer in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, who has published the results of a study conducted with MIT graduate students Russell Stratton and Hsin Min Wong in the online version of the journal Environmental Science and Technology. "You can't simply say a biofuel is good or bad -- it depends on how it's produced and processed, and that's part of the debate that hasn't been brought forward."

Hileman and his team performed a life-cycle analysis of 14 fuel sources, including conventional petroleum-based jet fuel and "drop-in" biofuels: alternatives that can directly replace conventional fuels with little or no change to existing infrastructure or vehicles. In a previous report for the Federal Aviation Administration's Partnership for Air Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction, they calculated the emissions throughout the life cycle of a biofuel, "from well to wake" -- from acquiring the biomass to transporting it to converting it to fuel, as well as its combustion.

"All those processes require energy," Hileman says, "and that ends up in the release of carbon dioxide."

In the current Environmental Science and Technology paper, Hileman considered the entire biofuel life cycle of diesel engine fuel compared with jet fuel, and found that changing key parameters can dramatically change the total greenhouse gas emissions from a given biofuel.

Land-locked

In particular, the team found that emissions varied widely depending on the type of land used to grow biofuel components such as soy, palm and rapeseed. For example, Hileman and his team calculated that biofuels derived from palm oil emitted 55 times more carbon dioxide if the palm oil came from a plantation located in a converted rainforest rather than a previously cleared area. Depending on the type of land used, biofuels could ultimately emit 10 times more carbon dioxide than conventional fuel.

"Severe cases of land-use change could make coal-to-liquid fuels look green," says Hileman, noting that by conventional standards, "coal-to-liquid is not a green option."

Hileman says the airline industry needs to account for such scenarios when thinking about how to scale up biofuel production. The problem, he says, is not so much the technology to convert biofuels: Companies like Choren and Rentech have successfully built small-scale biofuel production facilities and are looking to expand in the near future. Rather, Hileman says the challenge is in allocating large swaths of land to cultivate enough biomass, in a sustainable fashion, to feed the growing demand for biofuels.

He says one solution to the land-use problem may be to explore crops like algae and salicornia that don't require deforestation or fertile soil to grow. Scientists are exploring these as a fuel source, particularly since they also do not require fresh water.

Feeding the tank

Total emissions from biofuel production may also be mitigated by a biofuel's byproducts. For example, the process of converting jatropha to biofuel also yields solid biomass: For every kilogram of jatropha oil produced, 0.8 kilograms of meal, 1.1 kilograms of shells and 1.7 kilograms of husks are created. These co-products could be used to produce electricity, for animal feed or as fertilizer. Hileman says that this is a great example of how co-products can have a large impact on the carbon dioxide emissions of a fuel.

Hileman says his analysis is one lens through which policymakers can view biofuel production. In making decisions on how to build infrastructure and resources to support a larger biofuel economy, he says researchers also need to look at the biofuel life cycle in terms of cost and yield.

"We need to have fuels that can be made at an economical price, and at large quantity," Hileman says. "Greenhouse gases [are] just part of the equation, and there's a lot of interesting work going on in this field."

The study is the culmination of four years of research by Hileman, Stratton and Wong. The work was funded by the Federal Aviation Administration and Air Force Research Labs.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The original article was written by Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office.

Journal Reference:

Russell W. Stratton, Hsin Min Wong, James I. Hileman. Quantifying Variability in Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Inventories of Alternative Middle Distillate Transportation Fuels. Environmental Science & Technology, 2011; : 110422101727045 DOI: 10.1021/es102597f

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here

EEG headset with flying harness lets users 'fly' by controlling their thoughts

ScienceDaily (May 6, 2011) — A team of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students has created a system that pairs an EEG headset with a 3-D theatrical flying harness, allowing users to "fly" by controlling their thoughts. The "Infinity Simulator" will make its debut with an art installation in which participants rise into the air -- and trigger light, sound, and video effects -- by calming their thoughts.

Creative director and Rensselaer MFA candidate Yehuda Duenyas describes the "Infinity Simulator" as a platform similar to a gaming console -- like the Wii or the Kinect -- writ large.

"Instead of you sitting and controlling gaming content, it's a whole system that can control live elements -- so you can control 3-D rigging, sound, lights, and video," said Duenyas, who works under the moniker "xxxy." "It's a system for creating hybrids of theater, installation, game, and ride."

Duenyas created the "Infinity Simulator" with a team of collaborators, including Michael Todd, a Rensselaer 2010 graduate in computer science. Duenyas will exhibit the new system in the art installation "The Ascent" on May 12 at Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC).

Ten computer programs running simultaneously link the commercially available EEG headset to the computer-controlled 3-D flying harness and various theater systems, said Todd.

Within the theater, the rigging -- including the harness -- is controlled by a Stage Tech NOMAD console; lights are controlled by an ION console running MIDI show control; sound through MAX/MSP; and video through Isadora and Jitter. The "Infinity Simulator," a series of three C programs written by Todd, acts as intermediary between the headset and the theater systems, connecting and conveying all input and output.

"We've built a software system on top of the rigging control board and now have control of it through an iPad, and since we have the iPad control, we can have anything control it," said Duenyas. "The 'Infinity Simulator' is the center; everything talks to the 'Infinity Simulator.'"

The May 12 "The Ascent" installation is only one experience made possible by the new platform, Duenyas said.

"'The Ascent' embodies the maiden experience that we'll be presenting," Duenyas said. "But we've found that it's a versatile platform to create almost any type of experience that involves rigging, video, sound, and light. The idea is that it's reactive to the users' body; there's a physical interaction."

Duenyas, a Brooklyn-based artist and theater director, specializes in experiential theater performances.

"The thing that I focus on the most is user experience," Duenyas said. "All the shows I do with my theater company and on my own involve a lot of set and set design -- you're entering into a whole world. You're having an experience that is more than going to a show, although a show is part of it."

The "Infinity Simulator" stemmed from an idea Duenyas had for such a theatrical experience.

"It started with an idea that I wanted to create a simulator that would give people a feeling of infinity," Duenyas said. His initial vision was that of a room similar to a Cave Automated Virtual Environment -- a room paneled with projection screens -- in which participants would be able to float effortlessly in an environment intended to evoke a glimpse into infinity.

At Rensselaer, Duenyas took advantage of the technology at hand to explore his idea, first with a video game he developed in 2010, then -- working through the Department of the Arts -- with EMPAC's computer-controlled 3-D theatrical flying harness.

"The charge of the arts department is to allow the artists that they bring into the department to use technology to enhance what they've been doing already," Duenyas said. "In coming here (EMPAC), and starting to translate our ideas into a physical space, so many different things started opening themselves up to us."

The 2010 video game, also developed with Todd, tracked the movements -- pitch and yaw -- of players suspended in a custom-rigged harness, allowing players to soar through simulated landscapes. Duenyas said that that game (also called the "Infinity Simulator") and the new platform are part of the same vision.

EMPAC Director Johannes Goebel saw the game on display at the 2010 GameFest and discussed the custom-designed 3-D theatrical flying rig in EMPAC with Duenyas. Working through the Arts Department, Duenyas submitted a proposal to work with the rig, and his proposal was accepted.

Duenyas and his team experimented -- first gaining peripheral control over the system, and then linking it to the EEG headset -- and created the Ascent installation as an initial project. In the installation, the Infinity Simulator is programmed to respond to relaxation.

"We're measuring two brain states -- alpha and theta -- waking consciousness and everyday brain computational processing," said Duenyas. "If you close your eyes and take a deep breath, that processing power decreases. When it decreases below a certain threshold, that is the trigger for you to elevate."

As a user rises, their ascent triggers a changing display of lights, sound, and video. Duenyas said he wants to hint at transcendental experience, while keeping the door open for a more circumspect interpretation.

"The point is that the user is trying to transcend the everyday and get into this meditative state so they can have this experience. I see it as some sort of iconic spiritual simulator. That's the serious side," he said. "There's also a real tongue-in-cheek side of my work: I want clouds, I want Terry Gilliam's animated fist to pop out of a cloud and hit you in the face. It's mixing serious religious symbology, but not taking it seriously."

The humor is prompted, in part, by the limitations of this earliest iteration of Duenyas' vision.

"It started with, 'I want to have a glimpse of infinity,' 'I want to float in space.' Then you get in the harness and you're like 'man, this harness is uncomfortable,'" he said. "In order to achieve the original vision, we had to build an infrastructure, and I still see development of the infinity experience is a ways off; but what we can do with the infrastructure in a realistic time frame is create 'The Ascent,' which is going to be really fun, and totally other."

Creating the "Infinity Simulator" has prompted new possibilities.

"The vision now is to play with this fun system that we can use to build any experience," he said. "It's sort of overwhelming because you could do so many things -- you could create a flight through cumulus clouds, you could create an augmented physicality parkour course where you set up different features in the room and guide yourself to different heights. It's limitless."

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here

EEG headset with flying harness lets users 'fly' by controlling their thoughts

ScienceDaily (May 6, 2011) — A team of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students has created a system that pairs an EEG headset with a 3-D theatrical flying harness, allowing users to "fly" by controlling their thoughts. The "Infinity Simulator" will make its debut with an art installation in which participants rise into the air -- and trigger light, sound, and video effects -- by calming their thoughts.

Creative director and Rensselaer MFA candidate Yehuda Duenyas describes the "Infinity Simulator" as a platform similar to a gaming console -- like the Wii or the Kinect -- writ large.

"Instead of you sitting and controlling gaming content, it's a whole system that can control live elements -- so you can control 3-D rigging, sound, lights, and video," said Duenyas, who works under the moniker "xxxy." "It's a system for creating hybrids of theater, installation, game, and ride."

Duenyas created the "Infinity Simulator" with a team of collaborators, including Michael Todd, a Rensselaer 2010 graduate in computer science. Duenyas will exhibit the new system in the art installation "The Ascent" on May 12 at Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC).

Ten computer programs running simultaneously link the commercially available EEG headset to the computer-controlled 3-D flying harness and various theater systems, said Todd.

Within the theater, the rigging -- including the harness -- is controlled by a Stage Tech NOMAD console; lights are controlled by an ION console running MIDI show control; sound through MAX/MSP; and video through Isadora and Jitter. The "Infinity Simulator," a series of three C programs written by Todd, acts as intermediary between the headset and the theater systems, connecting and conveying all input and output.

"We've built a software system on top of the rigging control board and now have control of it through an iPad, and since we have the iPad control, we can have anything control it," said Duenyas. "The 'Infinity Simulator' is the center; everything talks to the 'Infinity Simulator.'"

The May 12 "The Ascent" installation is only one experience made possible by the new platform, Duenyas said.

"'The Ascent' embodies the maiden experience that we'll be presenting," Duenyas said. "But we've found that it's a versatile platform to create almost any type of experience that involves rigging, video, sound, and light. The idea is that it's reactive to the users' body; there's a physical interaction."

Duenyas, a Brooklyn-based artist and theater director, specializes in experiential theater performances.

"The thing that I focus on the most is user experience," Duenyas said. "All the shows I do with my theater company and on my own involve a lot of set and set design -- you're entering into a whole world. You're having an experience that is more than going to a show, although a show is part of it."

The "Infinity Simulator" stemmed from an idea Duenyas had for such a theatrical experience.

"It started with an idea that I wanted to create a simulator that would give people a feeling of infinity," Duenyas said. His initial vision was that of a room similar to a Cave Automated Virtual Environment -- a room paneled with projection screens -- in which participants would be able to float effortlessly in an environment intended to evoke a glimpse into infinity.

At Rensselaer, Duenyas took advantage of the technology at hand to explore his idea, first with a video game he developed in 2010, then -- working through the Department of the Arts -- with EMPAC's computer-controlled 3-D theatrical flying harness.

"The charge of the arts department is to allow the artists that they bring into the department to use technology to enhance what they've been doing already," Duenyas said. "In coming here (EMPAC), and starting to translate our ideas into a physical space, so many different things started opening themselves up to us."

The 2010 video game, also developed with Todd, tracked the movements -- pitch and yaw -- of players suspended in a custom-rigged harness, allowing players to soar through simulated landscapes. Duenyas said that that game (also called the "Infinity Simulator") and the new platform are part of the same vision.

EMPAC Director Johannes Goebel saw the game on display at the 2010 GameFest and discussed the custom-designed 3-D theatrical flying rig in EMPAC with Duenyas. Working through the Arts Department, Duenyas submitted a proposal to work with the rig, and his proposal was accepted.

Duenyas and his team experimented -- first gaining peripheral control over the system, and then linking it to the EEG headset -- and created the Ascent installation as an initial project. In the installation, the Infinity Simulator is programmed to respond to relaxation.

"We're measuring two brain states -- alpha and theta -- waking consciousness and everyday brain computational processing," said Duenyas. "If you close your eyes and take a deep breath, that processing power decreases. When it decreases below a certain threshold, that is the trigger for you to elevate."

As a user rises, their ascent triggers a changing display of lights, sound, and video. Duenyas said he wants to hint at transcendental experience, while keeping the door open for a more circumspect interpretation.

"The point is that the user is trying to transcend the everyday and get into this meditative state so they can have this experience. I see it as some sort of iconic spiritual simulator. That's the serious side," he said. "There's also a real tongue-in-cheek side of my work: I want clouds, I want Terry Gilliam's animated fist to pop out of a cloud and hit you in the face. It's mixing serious religious symbology, but not taking it seriously."

The humor is prompted, in part, by the limitations of this earliest iteration of Duenyas' vision.

"It started with, 'I want to have a glimpse of infinity,' 'I want to float in space.' Then you get in the harness and you're like 'man, this harness is uncomfortable,'" he said. "In order to achieve the original vision, we had to build an infrastructure, and I still see development of the infinity experience is a ways off; but what we can do with the infrastructure in a realistic time frame is create 'The Ascent,' which is going to be really fun, and totally other."

Creating the "Infinity Simulator" has prompted new possibilities.

"The vision now is to play with this fun system that we can use to build any experience," he said. "It's sort of overwhelming because you could do so many things -- you could create a flight through cumulus clouds, you could create an augmented physicality parkour course where you set up different features in the room and guide yourself to different heights. It's limitless."

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here