Abstract: A micro-turbo generator device (10) includes a housing (12), a rotor (14), a plurality of stator cores (16), and coils (18) encircling the stator cores. The housing (12) includes a shaft (34) which has an axis (11). The rotor (14) is rotatably mounted onto the shaft (34) and includes a perimeter (32) and a plurality of rotor poles (24) extending generally radially about the axis (11). Each rotor pole (24) includes a magnetizable tip (30) and a concave fluid impact surface (26). The stator cores (16) are disposed about the rotor (14) and include first pole face (15) and second pole face (17) facing the perimeter (32) of the rotor (14) and spaced apart therefrom. The coils (18) helically encircle the stator cores (16) and conduct electrical current to magnetize the stator cores (16) to magnetize the tips (30) and to alternately conduct induced electrical current generated in response to changes in magnetic flux between the first and second pole faces (15, 17) and the magnetizable tips (30).

Abstract: An automated welding apparatus (20) supports a work head (30) for motion in at least two dimensions along a seam (24) in a work piece (21). A tactile sensing probe (33) is mounted to the work head (30) to rotate about it and is controlled so that the tip (35) of the probe is in contact with a wall (26) of the seam at a constant force or deflection. The position of the probe (33) as it contacts the seam wall is sampled and stored to establish a data base for the geometry of the seam wall, and the work head (30) is then driven to follow the established data base while the probe (33) precedes it acquiring new data for the seam wall geometry. The work head may include a welding head (31) rotatable about an axis which can be controlled to be directed at a constant angle with respect to a normal to the seam wall.