ARPA-E Giving Millions for Energy-Slashing Robots, Shape-Shifting Clothes

Home Science

Mike Senese is a content producer with a focus on technology, science, and engineering. He served as Executive Editor of Make: magazine for nearly a decade, and previously was a senior editor at Wired. Mike has also starred in engineering and science shows for Discovery Channel, including Punkin Chunkin, How Stuff Works, and Catch It Keep It.

An avid maker, Mike spends his spare time tinkering with electronics, fixing cars, and attempting to cook the perfect pizza. You might spot him at his local skatepark in the SF Bay Area.

View more articles by Mike Senese

September 26th, 2015September 26th, 2015 5

There may soon be autonomous robotic air-conditioning robots following you to ensure your comfort — and to cut your energy costs.

The idea, called the Roving Personal Comforter (RoCo), is one of many that comes from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)’s Delta program, which seeks creative ways to solve inefficiencies in the heating and cooling of our homes, buildings, and personal spaces.

“It’s really almost a little bit ridiculous when you think about it: We heat and cool an entire building for the personal comfort of a small number of people who occupy not very much space in that building,” explains Dr. Ellen Williams, the director of ARPA-E, speaking about the impetus for the Delta program after her keynote at MakerCon. “One of our projects is to look at whether we can do personal thermal management for people in a building, to avoid having to heat and cool the entire building.”

ARPA-E launched in 2007 with the goal of creating revolutionary solutions to energy issues through programs like Delta, which aids research at various facilities by providing sizable grants; Delta participants have received $1.8 million to $3 million each to help find ways to reduce energy use nationally by 2%.

Along with RoCo, being researched through the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Energy Engineering, other Delta projects include automated venting systems that direct themselves toward building occupants, underway at the State University of New York (SUNY), and “Passive Thermo-Adaptive Textiles with Laminated Polymer Bimorphs” — clothing that changes shape depending on the temperature — pursued by Saul Griffith’s Otherlab in San Francisco.

“We’ve got about 16 different projects and we’re just kicking off activities, so we expect in the next year we’ll see a lot of great things happening,” Williams explains.

ARPA-E is pursuing other initiatives as well — the Focus program seeks ways to maximize solar power generation with hybrid heat/photovoltaic systems, as well as using more efficient solar trackers such as the pneumatic bellows systems from Sunfolding (another Otherlab endeavor).

Meanwhile, the Litecar challenge, a collaboration with LocalMotors, has over 250 entries for ways to create a lightweight, safe car.

Makers who want to learn more and find ways to participate in ARPA-E programs, or who want to see the showcase of participants from these challenges, should put the upcoming Summit on their calendars — February 29 to March 2 in Washington D.C.

5 thoughts on “ARPA-E Giving Millions for Energy-Slashing Robots, Shape-Shifting Clothes”

Mary Wing says:

September 27th, 2015 at 3:13 am

‎A Way To Get Paid $97/hour And More…….After earning an average of 19952 Dollars monthly,I’m finally getting 97 Dollars an hour,just working 4-5 hours daily online.….. Weekly paycheck… Bonus opportunities…earn upto $16k to $19k /a month……….Only a few hour required to understand and start working…..look over here …
.zuf………
➤➤➤ http://GoogleTopCareersCatchMegaOnlineVacancies/get/morethan$97/h…
✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥
Lillia Bailey says:

September 27th, 2015 at 10:48 am

my mother just purchased an awesome black Kia only from working parttime off a pc. blog link,.,. siteAfterearning an average of 19952 Dollars monthly,I’m finally getting 97 Dollars an hour,just working 4-5 hours daily online.….. Weekly paycheck… Bonus opportunities…earn upto $16k to $19k /a month…Only a few hour required to understand and start working,..,.

Success Your Dreams And Br your Own Boss.. …look Here…

›››› http;//SpotlightFoundationMegaBonusOffer-FinacialWork====================================================
Rona Mayberry says:

September 27th, 2015 at 6:57 pm

my mother just purchased an awesome black Kia only from working parttime off a pc. blog link,.,. siteAfterearning an average of 19952 Dollars monthly,I’m finally getting 97 Dollars an hour,just working 4-5 hours daily online.….. Weekly paycheck… Bonus opportunities…earn upto $16k to $19k /a month…Only a few hour required to understand and start working,..,ii
Success Your Dreams And Br your Own Boss.. …look Here…

›››› http;//SpotlightFoundationMegaBonusOffer-FinacialWork======================================================
Betty Taylor says:

September 28th, 2015 at 8:14 pm

as Jennifer implied I’m shocked that a student able to profit $6943 in four weeks on the computer . read the article of 19952 Dollars monthly,I’m finally getting 97 Dollars an hour,just working 4-5 hours daily online.….. Weekly paycheck… Bonus opportunities…earn upto $16k to $19k /a month…Only a few hour required to understand and start working,….ghg….

≍≍≍≍ www,righttowayfacebookworkindepartment/FacebookJoboffer≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≔≕
alrui says:

October 2nd, 2015 at 9:20 am

Just another glowing example of a USELESS government agency!