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 UPDATES:
We have a new look! www.fperc.org The Center1s web site has had a complete makeover. We will continue to update the web site with information on current research, educational opportunities, new industry members, news and events.
The Center would like to welcome three new members to the team. Prof. Linyi Gu arrived at the University of Minnesota as a visiting professor from Zhejiang University, which is the premier fluid power research institute in China. Prof. Gu1s research will focus on pulse width modulating (PWM) control of fluid power components and systems. Besides PWM research Prof Gu1s previous work centered around unmanned deep sea oil exploration vehicles. The Center is also fortunate to welcome Mr. Tim Montgomery (graphic and web design) and Mr. Gary Williams (technical support) to our headquarters in Minnesota.
 UPCOMING EVENTS: The Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power will host its first annual meeting at Georgia Tech on April 11, 12 and 13, 2007. This meeting will serve as an exciting forum to learn about research and communicate with faculty and students associated with each of the center1s projects. Presentations will include a panel discussion of the Industrial and Education Advisory Board as well as an overview of each research project and test bed within the Center1s three thrust areas: Compactness, Efficiency, and Effectiveness. The meeting will include a student poster show and lab tours of the Georgia Tech Mechanical Engineering Department. Program and registration information is available on our website: www.fperc.org.
 RESEARCH: Robin Chin and Elizabeth T. Hsiao-Wecksler, UIUC In the U.S., there are over 800,000 individuals affected by gait disabilities caused by weakness of muscle groups below the knee. Test bed 6 will design novel ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) with embedded fluid power control and actuation that assist a person's functional gait. Each design iteration will address progressively more complex gait pathologies, thus allowing for an evolution of advanced fluid power concepts, such as power harvesting and fast-response sensing. Initial designs will utilize fluid-controlled (adaptive-passive) systems to correct toe drop and foot slap problems, helping to lift the foot during swing and initial foot contact during walking. Later advanced designs will use fluid-powered (active) systems to provide torque assistance during the propulsive late-stance phase of the gait cycle. The test bed will demonstrate and integrate compact, efficient, and effective fluid power concepts in a challenging, un-tethered, human-scale device. The long term goal is to develop and test a series of prototype devices that will incorporate current thrust area projects, as well as drive new enabling and systems technologies within the Center. These technologies will follow an evolutionary roadmap addressing the highest priority aspects of the overall test bed first and then integrating developments from other center projects as they become available. This test bed will culminate with prototypes supplied to health care professionals and patients for testing and evaluation.
INDUSTRY: Our focus this past month has been on further raising awareness with our industrial partners by generating the types of communication that they are requesting. Besides this monthly newsletter, we have just finalized our initial industry brochure. To receive a brochure, please contact Stephanie Bettermann at sbetter@umn.edu. We have also developed condensed two-page executive summary overviews for each of our current research projects available to our industry members through a secure web site. Please contact Mike Gust at mjgust@me.umn.edu for further information. Our ultimate goal is match company interest with related research projects. Once these mutual interests are identified there will be even further opportunities to become involved. One such method would be to consider volunteering as an industry Project Champion1. Project Champions provide valuable industry experience directly to the researchers to guide and further refine the research to have the maximum positive effect on the fluid power industry.
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH:
Industrial internships are a centerpiece of CCEFP. The intern program will be kicked off in summer 2007. We need your company to help make this program a success. CCEFP members play a crucial role in training the next generation of fluid power engineers. One of the best ways your company can contribute is by offering one or more paid summer intern positions for bright, energetic engineering students from across the country. To be listed by CCEFP, your intern positions must be engineering related, last for a minimum of 8 weeks during the summer and provide a competitive salary. Travel and living expenses are the student's responsibility, however, assistance with low-cost housing is always appreciated. If your company is new to interns, the CCEFP will show you how easy it is to start and maintain a program that returns the most value to your company and the student employee. Once your internship slots are listed, the Center will market your openings not only to students within the ERC academic institutions but to engineering schools nationwide. For more information visit our web site www.fperc.org and click on Education. Your company must be a member of the Center to take advantage of this opportunity.
GETTING TO KNOW US
 Student Ritson Delpish is a masters degree candidate at North Carolina A&T State University (NCAT), Greensboro, North Carolina. Prior to pursuing post secondary education, Ritson worked in manufacturing and law enforcement. He later earned his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from The Florida A&M University and Florida State University College of Engineering, Tallahassee, Florida. At the Industrial & Systems Engineering Department at NCAT, Ritson is pursuing his graduate degree under the guidance of Dr. Steven Jiang and has successfully passed the Six Sigma Green Belt certification exam as offered by Moses Cone Health Systems. Ritson1s area of focus within the Center falls under Thrust 3: Effectiveness. His primary emphasis will be the design of human-machine interfaces for the rescue robot and mini excavator test beds using a user-centered design approach. Outside of the lab, Ritson enjoys relaxing at home, movies, video games, crossword and Sudoku puzzles.
 Researcher Eric J. Barth earned his undergraduate degree in engineering physics from UC Berkeley and completed both his masters and Ph.D. at Georgia Tech in mechanical engineering. Eric was hired as a postdoc at Vanderbilt University in 2000 and is now an assistant professor in mechanical engineering. Eric1s research, as it relates to the Center, is in the area of free-piston compressor-engine which is an internal combustion engine and air compressor combined into one device. It is intended as a compact source of pressurized gas for pneumatic actuation and therefore relates to the goal of the Center in making fluid power more compact and applicable to a new host of machines and uses. The target applications include untethered robotic platforms, such as search and rescue robots, and high power cordless hand tools. Eric1s research group is currently investigating "liquid pistons" trapped between diaphragms as an additional means of making this dynamic engine concept more compact, while eliminating losses such as piston blow-by and sliding friction.
 Leadership Team Vito Gervasi began his career with Milwaukee School of Engineering by completing his undergraduate in manufacturing engineering and his masters degree in mechanical engineering in 2003. Vito is now the Manager of Research and Development for the Rapid Prototyping Research lab within the Rapid Prototyping Center (RPC) at MSOE. There are eight undergrads, two graduate students and one research engineer that work with Vito in the lab. Vito's research, as it relates to the Center, is new process development, particularly hybrid fabrication processes, using rapid additive technologies. Another area of research is design optimization. Hybrid fabrication combined with design optimization research efforts are anticipated to contribute to many projects within the Center. Outside of the lab, Vito enjoys fishing and camping with his kids. His eye happens to be on Minnesota for a fishing trip in one or two of the 10,000 lakes.
FROM OTHER NEWS SOURCES
Popular Science:Sept 06: The Race to 100 MPG
Gas prices are up, fuel economy is down - but the brightest minds in auto technology are out to do something about it. By Billy Baker.
Control Design Magazine
UMN News May 26, 2006
Reliable Plant
NFPA ERC Announcement
NFPA REPORTER Special Edition (pdf)
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