Bucyrus Erie 2570-W Walking Dragline "Big Kate"

A slightly closer crop on the two cabs and the machine house. This dragline has had an interesting past. It started work in 1971 and continues to this day! It did undergo an incident where it almost slid into the pit. I don't have the details YET, but I have heard some rumblings about the incident.

Some information about "Big Kate": Bucket Capacity: 100 cubic yards, Boom Length: 310 feet, Boom Angle: 35 Degrees, Maximum Suspended Load: 550,000 lbs., Overall Weight: 10.4 Million lbs., Approximate Walking Speed: 0.15 mph, Digging Depth: 140 ft., Double Operators Cab

Armstrong Coal was formed in 2006 to acquire and develop coal reserves in Western Kentucky. Having acquired over 39,000 acres and 450 million tons of coal, Armstrong’s mission is to supply custom blend coals to a variety of electricity-generating utility companies.

Utilizing current technology and an experienced management staff, Armstrong produces clean coal from surface and underground mining operations. Armstrong not only has a goal to be one of the most reliable coal producers in the region, it strives to be fully committed to the health and safety of its workforce and to become an industry leader in achieving award winning compliance with reclamation and environmental standards.

Bucyrus Erie 2570-W Walking Dragline "Big Kate"

A slightly closer crop on the two cabs and the machine house. This dragline has had an interesting past. It started work in 1971 and continues to this day! It did undergo an incident where it almost slid into the pit. I don't have the details YET, but I have heard some rumblings about the incident.

Some information about "Big Kate": Bucket Capacity: 100 cubic yards, Boom Length: 310 feet, Boom Angle: 35 Degrees, Maximum Suspended Load: 550,000 lbs., Overall Weight: 10.4 Million lbs., Approximate Walking Speed: 0.15 mph, Digging Depth: 140 ft., Double Operators Cab

Armstrong Coal was formed in 2006 to acquire and develop coal reserves in Western Kentucky. Having acquired over 39,000 acres and 450 million tons of coal, Armstrong’s mission is to supply custom blend coals to a variety of electricity-generating utility companies.

Utilizing current technology and an experienced management staff, Armstrong produces clean coal from surface and underground mining operations. Armstrong not only has a goal to be one of the most reliable coal producers in the region, it strives to be fully committed to the health and safety of its workforce and to become an industry leader in achieving award winning compliance with reclamation and environmental standards.

Talon Small Mobile Robot

TALON is a powerful, lightweight, versatile robot designed for missions ranging from reconnaissance to weapons delivery. Its large, quick-release cargo bay accommodates a variety of sensor payloads, making TALON a onerobot solution to a variety of mission requirements. Built with all-weather, day/night and amphibious capabilities standard, TALON can operate under the most adverse conditions to overcome almost any terrain. The suitcase-portable robot is controlled through a two-way RF or F/O line from a portable or wearable Operator Control Unit (OCU) that provides continuous data and video feedback for precise vehicle positioning.

TALON’s payload and sensor options include: multiple cameras (color, black and white, infrared, thermal, zero light), a two-stage arm, gripper manipulators, pan/tilt, two-way communications, NBC (nuclear/biological/chemical) sensors, radiation sensors, UXO/countermine detection sensors, grenade and smoke placing modules, breaching tools, communications equipment, distracters and disrupters.

The TALON robot is used for bomb disposal. It is operated by radio frequency and equipped with four video cameras that enable troops to determine which areas enemy soldiers occupy. In addition, the TALON is waterproof up to 100 feet, allowing it to search for explosives off-land. The TALON also was used to locate victims and debris at the World Trade Center. It was developed for the EOD Technology Directorate of the Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ by the engineering and technology development firm Foster-Miller.

Concept Trucks by Luigi Colani

This so called ‘Space Truck’ by famous German industry-design star Luigi Colani uses 30% less fuel than comparable trucks."Luigi Colani is a legendary Swiss-German industrial designer, whose concepts have rounded, organic forms, which he claims are ergonomically superior to traditional designs."

The online newspaper News.ch, with their column ‘Green Investment’, has enabled to present this vehicle to a wider audience in Switzerland. The truck is currently touring through various Swiss cities such as Lucerne, Berne and Basle. With the support of climate projects such as myclimate, SuisseEMEX and Green Village, the Mercedes Benz Actros truck will drive CO2-neutral.

Colani develops streamlined trucks since the fifties. His goal: Saving fuel consumption through a flowing streamlined shape of the vehicles. The German controlling agency TÜV verified in 2005 that Colani’s truck uses 30% less fuel than a conventional truck. With its aeronautic curvatures, the Space Truck follows Colani’s main design characteristics: the rounded, organic forms, which he terms "biodynamic" and claims are ergonomically superior to traditional designs.

Spitzer / Colani model:

Mercedes-based model: