Cyclone

Steam power engine maker to sponsor conference

Sacramento, Calif. is going to get a little steamy this weekend as the International Association for the Advancement of Steam Power and the Steam Automobile Club of America kick off a conference on the latest developments in steam power technology.

Ten steam-powered cars will be on display at the first-ever IAASP conference, to be held January 13, 14, and 15 at the California Automobile Museum. Conference participants will include steam automobile owners and developers, modern steam locomotive experts, small steam power plant developers and manufacturers, engineers, and enthusiasts.

Cyclone Power Technologies, the company that created the engine for a Cyclone-Williams LSR streamliner, … Read more

RIM may be planning media-streaming device

Rumor has it that Research In Motion is working on a media-streaming device.

BlackBerry enthusiast site NerdBerry has supposedly confirmed with a trusted source that RIM will soon offer a digital media receiver, code-named BlackBerry Cyclone and destined for the market this fall.

Details on the device are a bit slim at this point, but NerdBerry reports that it will have access to Netflix and YouTube (not the most compelling lineup; we'd like to assume there would be more content providers upon launch). Other rumored features include HDMI, Wi-Fi, and DLNA/home network content playback.

As for aesthetics, NerdBerry says the media hub will resemble the BlackBerry Presenter, a small device capable of displaying PowerPoint and PDF files from a BlackBerry onto a monitor/projector. No word if it will feature the next-generation QNX interface found on RIM's PlayBook tablet.… Read more

Wallpaper whiz

Why use one static image for your desktop wallpaper when you can automatically rotate a whole slew of your favorite images instead? Cyclone Wallpaper Changer is an easy-to-use program that lets people do exactly that. With an intuitive interface and plenty of options for customization, Cyclone Wallpaper Changer keeps your desktop fresh and interesting.

The program's interface is plain and easy to navigate. Users can select images individually or just choose a folder full of favorites. Next, choose whether you want the program to center, tile, or stretch your images, and set a background color for those that are … Read more

Raytheon signs on for all-fuel engines

Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems has signed a deal with Cyclone Power Technologies to partner on developing a version of the all-fuel Mark V "clean-tech" engine.

The Cyclone Mark V is a Rankine Cycle heat-regenerative external-combustion engine that the company says can run on "virtually any fuel" including algae fuel and waste oil while emitting few pollutants.

The engine has a thermal efficiency of over 30 percent and produces fewer emissions than a modern gas or diesel internal-combustion engines, according to Cyclone. Mechanical energy is derived through the heating and cooling of water in a closed-loop, piston-based … Read more

Full steam ahead for record-challenging streamliner

Steam-powered engines have been around for about 300 years, but they've never been known for amazing speeds. Now, a company in Florida and a streamliner designer from Tennessee are building a steam-powered streamliner vehicle.

Cyclone Power Technologies today announced it is working to "complete installation of the engine, gearbox, and fiberglass body" of the Cyclone-Williams LSR streamliner--a steam-powered car that could set a new land speed record.

More traditional land speed record-breaking streamliner vehicles, such as Poteet & Main's Speed Demon, can reach speeds of more than 450 mph, with 1045 hp and 672 pound-feet of … Read more

Generator maker sees used motor oil potential

An inventor and a generator manufacturer have come up with a new use for used motor oil.

Cyclone Power Technologies signed a deal with Phoenix Power Group on Thursday to develop an external combustion engine that runs on waste oil. The deal signs over waste-oil-related rights to Cyclone's Mark V external combustion engine to the Phoenix Power, which plans to use the engine in its new Phoenix 5-Series Generator.

"Cyclone still retains rights for the Mark V with other fuels," a Cyclone representative noted in an e-mail. "Phoenix Power only holds exclusive rights for generators running … Read more

Grazing robot would run on biomass

A robot's potential advantage in autonomy is limited by its need to constantly refuel, but what if the robot could graze its way through a mission, skipping the gas station and foraging for biomass fuel along the way?

The biologically inspired Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (EATR) is designed to do just that--find, ingest and extract energy from biomass throughout its operating environment, and switch to conventional or alternative fuels (such as gasoline, diesel, propane and solar) when needed (see PDF).

Robotic Technology of Potomac, Md., and Cyclone Power Technologies of Pompano Beach, Fla., have completed an initial stage in a collaboration that could lead to the world's first grazing robot. The system would obtain energy by "engaging in biologically-inspired, organism-like, energy-harvesting behavior"--in other words, foraging and eating to keep itself going.

It's a tall order. The robot will need to first identify a suitable biomass (wood, grass, paper, etc.) and avoid the indigestible (rocks, metal, or glass).… Read more