3D Printing Could Help to Reduce Global Oil Consumption

 3D printers and electric vehicles can help to reduce oil consumption—to a greater degree than has been predicted by the International Energy Agency (IEA), according to Thina Margrethe Saltvedt, a Norwegian analyst for Swedish financial services group Nordea. According to Saltvedt, 3D printing could reduce oil consumption by increasing the local production of goods, reducing the need for a fuel-demanding import and export system. With more businesses able to fabricate items on location using 3D printers, the world could see a reduction in energy consumption across land, sea, and air.
Saltvedt is actually arguing against the IEA, a Paris-based intergovernmental organization that acts as an energy policy adviser to members states and other countries, recently predicted the continued growth of global oil consumption due to increased demand for aircraft, shipping, trucks, and petrochemical products.

ATR invest in NDT inspection Published by Louise Mulhall, Editorial Assistant 

Energy Global, Wednesday, 23 November 2016 10:30

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ATR Group has announced a six-figure investment towards developing its inspection capabilities which will see in-house personnel delivering further rope access services and non-destructive testing (NDT), a method fast becoming one of the most in-demand techniques used by the energy industries across the globe.

NDT measures various material and mechanical properties of an object without affecting its operating performance. According to a recent report the global NDT market was estimated to be valued at US$12.98 billion in 2015 and is projected to reach US$18.88 billion by 2020.

As part of strengthening the capabilities of ATR Lifting Solutions’ 33 in-house engineers, the Group has appointed George Byers as divisional manager. An industry veteran with 30 years’ experience in oil and gas under his belt, he joins ATR following six years at international inspection services company Reel Group where since March 2015 he was the regional general manager in Houston, Texas.

ATR’s personnel are currently fully trained to industry body Lifting Equipment Engineers Association standards and are also qualified in accordance with Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. Based in Aberdeen, Mr Byers will oversee the workforce as they attend a combination of external and in-house training to become fully qualified in magnetic particle, dye penetrant, eddy current and ultrasonic NDT methods.

ATR Lifting Solutions divisional director Findlay Moir said:

“We have one of the largest teams of inspection engineers in the UK oil and gas industry and, with George on board, the company is in a strong position to further develop our inspection and testing services to the next level.

“Given the challenging times facing the sector, we believe it is important to keep investing in and developing our people to ensure we can continue to offer increased value to our clients and galvanise our workforce.

“Advanced inspection services are the next logical step for ATR Lifting Solutions and we’ve already had strong interest from our clients to deliver this class of inspection. With the prospect of just one engineer needed to carry out routine inspections and NDT on the same work scope, it automatically makes it more time and cost effective for clients. It also has better safety implications.

“We look forward to George coming on board and broadening our inspection team’s expertise.”

Mr Byers, who began his career as an NDT technician moving into management 10 years later, added: “ATR has a fantastic reputation for delivering successful campaigns here in the UK and globally, and I’m thrilled to be part of helping build on this even further.

“The supply chain has been hit hard by the downturn with companies looking to cut costs and make savings where possible. I truly believe this kind of investment in training will not only pay dividends to the business but strengthen ATR’s position as a leader in the sector.”

ATR Group is the market leader in the rental, sale and inspection of specialised equipment to the petrochemicals, marine, subsea and the offshore oil and gas industry. Its four business units are ATR Equipment Solutions, ATR Lifting Solutions, Underwater Engineering Services and Safety & Technical Hydraulics.

Hackers Turn Tesla Into a Brain-Controlled Car

"Oh it's turning. Brake! Alright, we're scared but we're good."

The Tesla Model S had only gone a few feet, rolling mostly straight from one empty spot in the parking garage to another. The driver wasn't actually behind the wheel, though. He sat in the passenger's seat, donning an EEG headset that allowed him to control the vehicle with his mind. Meet Teslapathic.

This feat is the brainchild of California-based technologists Casey Spencer, Lorenzo Caoile, Vivek Vinodh and Abenezer Mamo. Their team used Spencer's 2015 Tesla Model S 85D for the hack, and their project placed third at the Cal Hacks event for university students this month.

The team only had 36 hours to make Teslapathic happen for the hackathon. In their setup, an EEG headset translates the brain activity for "stop" or "go" into analog signals broadcast by an off-the-shelf RC radio and articulated actuators on the pedals and a motor on the steering wheel, according to the team's description.

A machine learning training program turned the brain activity into specific commands. For "go," Spencer thought about tapping his right foot, and for "stop," he thought about clenching his left hand. The analog signal for "go" caused a linear actuator affixed to the brake pedal to recede, and the actuator on the gas pedal to engage. For "stop," it was the opposite.

Steering was slightly clunkier, and not brain-controlled. They installed a windshield wiper motor fitted with a potentiometer on the steering wheel. A head-mounted gyro for the driver provided some steering so when the Spencer turned his head right or left, the steering wheel responded.

For safety, the code included an emergency brake in case of failure, the user had to hold a dead-man's switch in order to broadcast a signal, and a block wedged behind the accelerator prevented the Tesla from going too fast. And, at worst, the passenger could kick the actuators away from the pedals.

Granted, once it went, the Tesla wasn't quite between the lines and probably would have dinged the neighboring sedan if Spencer didn't think hard enough about stopping. But those few feet represent an incredible surge into the future.

A year ago, Spencer created a brain-controlled golf cart (video) dubbed the "Cranium Cart" for Cal Hacks. Potentially wrecking a golf cart isn't the same as risking a $85,000 Tesla, but Spencer clearly isn't afraid to put his car to the test. He is upfront about participating in Tesla's referral program, too, which probably helps.

In September 2015, he became the first person to break the 500-mile limit by going 550.3 miles on a single charge (video) going about 21 mph across two states with no stops. Earlier this year he pitted the Tesla against a 2015 BMW M4 (video).

"I especially love going the extra mile," Spencer wrote on his YouTube channel. "Mostly because it doesn't cost anything."

Source- http://www.livescience.com