Chinook: the race for clean energy engineers

Each school has its own clubs, starting with thoughtful chess matches and ending with quick races across the field in, for example, football. And some universities are associated with Chinook. This is a team of engineers from Montreal (Canada) that designs, builds and chases windy cars. Not only are race cars incredibly fast, there are also ways to reinvent the clean energy industry.

When I first heard about them, I immediately thought that the team was great, ”said Patrice Rolland, a 25-year-old student at Ecole de technologie superieure University and software developer Chinook.

The word "chinook" comes from the name of the wind that blows from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains - it is a ridge in the Cordillera system of North America. Rolland is working on a device that will be as beautiful, lightning-fast and energetic. Developments in this area are much more important than just a gold medal for winning the next race. Global climate change is occurring, and green energy is becoming increasingly important.
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“What we do is a combination of art, technology and the environment,” says Rolland. - We need to expand the boundaries of energy efficiency.



Only students are engaged in the Chinook project. Their achievements go far beyond the classrooms. The team is already in contact with the Netherlands Navy about the technology used in the car. Not bad for students who "just pick up arrangements on weekends," Rolland laughs.

Work on the project begins after the end of the school week. The team gathers in the garage: there are printed circuit boards on the table, a lot of cables on the floor, a ThinkPad illuminates the room, and Dropkick Murphys sounds from the speakers. All this creates a fun and energetic atmosphere that shows people's passion for their work.

The main thing that binds the team - except going to the pub after work, of course - the craving for technology. “Our ThinkPad X1 Carbon works like a brain machine. We installed the sensors on the car, and in real time we get the necessary parameters. You can quickly make edits, ”says Rolland.



With the push of a button, the Chinook team launches a myriad of processes in the car: the speed of rotation of the turbine, the pitch of the blade, the change in speed for best efficiency. The races are held in the open air, and it is very opportune that the ThinkPad can work in almost any weather.

The team is not only thinking about the functional aspects, such as the location of the wheels and software. Rolland also makes chips for fun: “This year I want to make the machine sync with a Twitter account. When someone mentions a car, it will whistle. Obviously, the task is not paramount. ”



Aeolus race takes place on the coast of the North Sea. The organizer is the Dutch Wind Energy Event Association. The goal is simple: to achieve the best performance indicators in speed relative to wind dynamics. In 2014, the Rolland team set a world record of 96.9%. But since then, Germany has taken its place on the throne. Chinook seeks to return the title of the best.

Racing week is always stressful, says Rolland. - Every day we rise early, repair what broke the day before, load the car, conduct tests and make adjustments. I am glad that the ThinkPad has an incredible battery life, and we can analyze the results all day.



This year, Chinook, nothing should prevent the winning of the Grand Prix. The team completely redesigned, starting with a completely new mechanical system and electronic components.

It is very streamlined; “Looks like a fantastic supercar,” explains Rolland. - Aerodynamics improved, software updated. We will connect the machine to the Raspberry Pi to simplify the development of future updates - Bluetooth support and the addition of a web server to get real-time information about the mechanisms and wind speed.



Regardless of the outcome, Chinook's ideas show how the industry should care about the effectiveness of its products: “These developments can be used on boats to recharge batteries and heat. Now we are focused on the race, but the possibilities of using technology are almost endless. ”

Laptop Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon opens a new level of opportunities for work and leisure. Being exceptionally light and thin, it is not an ultrabook in the conventional sense of the word - it is a full-fledged laptop in a carbon fiber case. It weighs only 1.18 kg, and this is the best result for a 14-inch device on the market. Moreover, the X1 Carbon is incredibly durable - its body has been rigorously tested for resistance to extreme conditions (dust, vibration, heat, cold, altitude, humidity, and even mold). A battery will provide full-time battery life, and even beyond that - up to 11 hours.

The basic configuration includes a dual-core Intel Core i5-6200U processor with a frequency of 2.3 GHz, 4 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD. However, the processor may be different, and the maximum possible amount of RAM is 16 GB. The price of Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon starts at 75,450 rubles.

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