Shane_Farritor.php

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<h3 class="sec_main">Derailing Derailments</h3>
<p>In a recent six-month period, four trains derailed on a major
coal line in western Nebraska. The cost: approximately $10 million.
Interestingly, three of the accident locations were tagged by a team of
UNL researchers as "trouble spots" for that section of rail, which
happens to support one of the highest transported tonnage anywhere in
the world. But what if many of the nation's derailments could be
predicted and prevented?</p>
<p>According to an innovative method created by Shane Farritor,
associate professor of mechanical engineering, better methods to prevent
such accidents are closer to reality. With a grant from the Federal
Railroad Administration (FRA), Farritor has created an autonomous
railcar that estimates the vertical stiffness of the tracks. These
measurements determine how hard or soft the track is, thereby measuring
whether certain areas will sink under heavy weight. According to
Farritor, it is both the soft sections of tracks and transitions between
soft and stiff track, which are commonly found at road crossings, that
cause problems. And while researchers have tried to determine ways to
measure the stiffness of these areas, none have been very successful.</p>
<p>Until now. The retrofitted coal hopper, donated from Omaha-based
Union Pacific Railroad, features an independent power system and solar
panels. The car is attached to a regular working train and sends a
horizontal red beam that uses cameras and lasers to estimate the
stiffness of the track. It even knows when to "wake up" and begin
working, according to Farritor, as it can sense movement of the train.
The on-board computer then sends the information wirelessly to the
research team.</p>
<p>Nationally, the Federal Railroad Administration also is looking
into this problem. "Due to increased energy demands, more coal than ever
is being transported across the country by rail, causing more and longer
trains," Farritor said. "The railroad industry is operating at a high
capacity."</p>
<p>He noted that only some derailments are caused by issues with the
track; others can be from mechanical problems with the railcars and
other causes. The researchers are trying to use the data gathered from
the autonomous rail car to create trending information to predict future
trouble spots. "I think we've gathered some pretty eye-opening data,"
Farritor said. "We are starting to generate more attention in the
industry."</p>
<p>Ultimately, Farritor hopes to find ways to accurately identify
and assess trouble areas to increase the safety of the railroad and
prevent accidents.</p>

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	<h5 class="sec_header">More Information on <?php echo $firstName." ".$lastName?></h5>
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		<li><a href="http://engineering.unl.edu/academicunits/MechanicalEngineering/faculty-staff/ShaneFarritor.shtml"><?php echo $firstName." ".$lastName?>'s Faculty Page</a></li>
		<li><a href="http://robots.unl.edu">Robotics and Mechatronics</a></li>
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<h3 class="sec_main">Minimizing Recovery</h3>
<p>U.S. and Canadian government agencies used tiny surgical robots
developed by University of Nebraska researchers in an underwater
mission, training doctors to perform surgery in remote locations,
including outer space.</p>
<p>The 18-day NEEMO 9 expedition, associated with NASA, took place
63 feet below sea level in an underwater habitat 3.5 miles off Key
Largo, Fla. Four aquanauts (the undersea version of astronauts) each
spent two hours using the robots to perform tasks mimicking real
surgical procedures. NEEMO stands for NASA's Extreme Environment Mission
Operations. It was NASA's ninth NEEMO mission and at the time, the
longest Aquarius mission ever conducted.</p>
<p>The robots were co-designed by Shane Farritor, associate
professor of mechanical engineering, and Dmitry Oleynikov, director of
minimally invasive surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
</p>
<p>Farritor said that as NASA sends more astronauts to explore Mars
and the moon, surgical needs could arise during expeditions. The
underwater mission models the isolated environment in which astronauts
work. "We want to demonstrate that robots are useful in these
situations," said Farritor, who trained the NEEMO 9 crew to use the
robots.</p>
<p>Farritor, research assistant professor Steve Platt and graduate
students Mark Rentschler, Jason Dumpert, Kyle Berg and Amy Lehman
observed the mission via videoconference and collected data. Farritor
said UNL researchers are studying how long each procedure took and
whether scientists performed tasks efficiently. The information may help
them improve the robots or training methods.</p>
<p>The lipstick tube-sized mini surgical robots enter the body
through laparoscopic instruments, which require tiny incisions and allow
faster recovery for the patient. The mini robots have been featured in
numerous news stories since UNL and UNMC began working on them. The
researchers continue to explore new designs and uses for the robots.</p>
<p>One of the assigned tasks for the NEEMO 9 aquanauts was using the
mini-robots to perform a laparoscopic appendectomy on a surgical dummy.
The mission also was an experiment in telementoring. Through live
videoconferencing, Oleynikov gave the crew instructions to perform the
appendectomy using two of the mini-robots for assistance.</p>
<p>One robot has a camera that tilts and pans. The other robot is
mobile and can be directed to move within the abdominal cavity. Both
give the surgeon better views of the abdomen than traditional
laparoscopic cameras, which have limited mobility.</p>
<p>Platt said robots have potential for use in other remote
locations, such as battlefields or rural areas.</p>
<p>"The ability to bring surgical capabilities to areas that are not
accessible holds great promise for this technology," Platt said.</p>
<p>Farritor said that someday, doctors could use robots to perform
surgery off-location.</p>
<p>"Getting expertise in foreign environments is very useful, and I
think these robots have a lot of potential in space and on Earth," he
said.</p>
<p>The NEEMO 9 mission was a joint project of the Centre for Minimal
Access Surgery at McMaster University, University of Nebraska Center for
Advanced Surgical Technology, the U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced
Technology Research Center, the National Space Biomedical Research
Institute and NASA.</p>
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