Is research and development of new electrical machines almost dead, now that all types have been developed, or are new machines being developed as we speak?

 

Your prediction of the death of innovation is premature.

John

 

Believe me, Just when you think there is nothing more to discover, there will always be someone thinking outside the box.
Max.

 

Is research and development of new electrical machines almost dead, now that all types have been developed, or are new machines being developed as we speak?

Probably the most exciting research frontier is high temperature super conductors. When I was an undergraduate the super conducting temperature was 4 K. (Four degrees above Absolute Zero). Today it is about 1.52 orders of magnitude higher:

mercury barium calcium copper oxide (HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8) at around 133 K. That is still pretty cold, but 1.52 orders of magnitude in 50 years ain't too shabby.

 

You would have to explain to me what electronic machines are.

 

...now that all types have been developed...?

Are you joking? What proof do you have that all types have been developed? I can think of several that would have a market but don't already exist.

 

now that all types have been developed

Nah. There will always be scope for innovation.
I bet they're busy developing the Mk2 version of the flux-capacitor overdrive as we speak .

 

Are you joking? What proof do you have that all types have been developed? I can think of several that would have a market but don't already exist.

As far as I know, all types have been developed for both dc and ac (BLDC, induction, synchronous and the rest) and are optimized to the limit (with the exception of superconductors). By the way what are the types you said had a market but don't exist?

 

Probably the most exciting research frontier is high temperature super conductors. .

True, but thats material sciences and physical chemistry, not circuits and machines.
No offense man

 

As far as I know, all types have been developed for both dc and ac (BLDC, induction, synchronous and the rest) and are optimized to the limit (with the exception of superconductors). By the way what are the types you said had a market but don't exist?

In your OP you mention 'Machines' now you refer to motors. or motive power, this is just considered one part of a machine in the usual definition.
Max.

 

True, but thats material sciences and physical chemistry, not circuits and machines.
No offense man

I think that is kind of a narrow viewpoint. The prevalence of high temperature superconductors is going to require a number of new circuits for sensing and control. It is going to require new types of bearings and other mechanical parts. Exactly why is your imagination so limited. Maybe you should switch to Art History. At least there you won't be able to do quite so much damage.

 

I think that is kind of a narrow viewpoint. The prevalence of high temperature superconductors is going to require a number of new circuits for sensing and control. It is going to require new types of bearings and other mechanical parts. Exactly why is your imagination so limited. Maybe you should switch to Art History. At least there you won't be able to do quite so much damage.

I was joking (a bit). Can you elaborate on how high temp superconductors will require new circuits?

 

I was joking (a bit). Can you elaborate on how high temp superconductors will require new circuits?

Sure. One of the things that a super conducting motor will require is a circuit that will simultaneously measure temperature, speed, and current to rapidly compensate for any possible deviations from ideal operating conditions. This circuit will be a mixture of analog, digital, and software algorithms. This is inherently similar to flying combat aircraft. Nobody does it with manual control any more, it is all fly by wire.

 

Is research and development of new electrical machines almost dead, now that all types have been developed, or are new machines being developed as we speak?

Well there's always the FTL drive which seems possible - since Cerenkov radiation is a reality - if only we could figure out how to drive matter/mass faster than C in a vacuum and not turn our partticular universe inside out in the process.

 

By the way what are the types you said had a market but don't exist?

One example I was thinking of was an implantable, bionic eye. That's an electronic machine that was imagined long ago but as far as I know does not exist in the practical world. Yet.

Magnetic bearings have been invented, but they likely have wider application than they currently enjoy. Or how about a Curie effect motor.

 

Is research and development of new electrical machines almost dead, now that all types have been developed, or are new machines being developed as we speak?

A century or so ago (1899) the recommendation was made to close the patent office because everything that could be invented had been invented. Now, as it turns out, that was actually in a parody magazine (Punch), I guess it was sort of like Mad is today. But the same notion existed back them.

 

A century or so ago (1899) the recommendation was made to close the patent office because everything that could be invented had been invented. Now, as it turns out, that was actually in a parody magazine (Punch), I guess it was sort of like Mad is today. But the same notion existed back them.

Can you cite the issue of Punch in which that article appeared, please?

 

As far as I know, all types have been developed for both dc and ac (BLDC, induction, synchronous and the rest) and are optimized to the limit (with the exception of superconductors). By the way what are the types you said had a market but don't exist?

Not as high tech as high-temp superconductors, but check out the history of electric motorcycles in the Isle Of Man TT electric race. That's just one example, but there is still a ton of R&D happening in the electric motor area, just to name one single type of "machine".

 

I think that is kind of a narrow viewpoint. The prevalence of high temperature superconductors is going to require a number of new circuits for sensing and control. It is going to require new types of bearings and other mechanical parts. Exactly why is your imagination so limited. Maybe you should switch to Art History. At least there you won't be able to do quite so much damage.

Ouch for the "damage" slur.

Can you post schematics of any of the circuits to which you refer, or is your conjecture all pie in the sky?

 

Ouch for the "damage" slur.

Can you post schematics of any of the circuits to which you refer, or is your conjecture all pie in the sky?

If I already had them, there would be no need to develop them. Based on my knowledge of low temperature physics and the sensitive nature of the environment where superconductivity is possible I am inferring the need to control the environmental factors with speed and precision. Can you offer an argument that says this will not be required?

The damage I referred to was convincing some bright young engineer that making the effort to design new circuits was not worth the effort.