Reasons why Hydraulics will be used in the future as well.

Hydraulics are, in several respects, an underrated technology. Compared to electronics, the research dollars going into fluid power are miniscule, and while it is partially because hydraulics is a mature industry, I don't foresee this changing any time soon. The advantages of hydraulics, however, are high, so they will still have a place in our universe, and I feel strong enough about this to share my list of five reasons why hydraulics will still be around in 2120.

1. Hydraulics have the highest power density of any mechanical transmission system in existence.

This means that the most force and power can be created from the smallest actuator. For example a medium range hydraulic cylinder with a 2 inch diameter piston will operate in the range of 1500 psi. using that you will be easily able to push more than 20000 N of force, which could easily lift a SUV without breaking a sweat..

2. Fluid power is going to be very affordable eventually.

The precious metals used in electrical and electronic devices are going to become even more precious and rare at some stage in the future. I predict that the metals used in electronics will become so rare that it will be extremely costly to have massive electrical components needed for very large actuators. If a servo motor costs ₹ 50,000 (inflation adjusted) in a century, then hydraulics are suddenly more desirable with their cast iron design. I'm sure advanced types of composite materials would be both powerful and inexpensive by then, even if iron prices increase in line with other metals. Either way, components of fluid power will keep getting more accessible.

3. Advancements are still happening in the fluid power world.

Although most hydraulic development has been through motion control and advanced electronics, innovative advancements are still happening. Hydraulics are compatible with other green industries by technologies such as kinetic energy recovery systems used in garbage trucks and delivery vehicles. There are also exotic technologies with the potential for future fluid power applications.

With exposure to a magnetic field, magnetorheological fluid changes viscosity and in some situations, the fluid may go nearly solid. Without the use of flow control valves, this type of fluid could be used to control fluid power actuators or could be used for load-holding applications.

4. Hydraulics will still be reliable.

Hydraulics are not only reliable, they are easy to service in order to preserve the reliability. In the aerospace industry, a crucial application not likely to replace hydraulics anytime soon is. While large centralized hydraulic systems are a thing of the past, they are efficient, fast and reliable, lightweight, self-contained circuits placed within an aircraft.

Even the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter uses its main flight controls with hydraulic actuators. Neither electrical nor mechanical systems have the hydraulic cylinder's speed and power capacity, which is capable of moving an aileron while the plane is flying at near mach speed. With frequent maintenance of the hydraulic systems, any aircraft is able to sustain this performance. With the exception of physical damage, a cylinder can be serviced and patched several times and helps the hydraulic systems to last for decades if done proactively.

5.Hydraulics may one day harness the superfluid.

A superfluid, such as liquid helium, moves with zero viscosity. As you can imagine, a superfluid can be pumped at massive volumes with no backpressure. Fluid lines could be miniscule, but still pump at a high rate. A superfluid will even travel against gravity under its own volition; this is being studied in quantum physics..

The challenges with a superfluid are numerous, which is why this is a technology for the future. Liquid helium requires pretty much absolute zero to be a superfluid, which makes it difficult to take advantage of. The entire hydraulic system would have to be self-contained in a space with no thermal energy.

There are many challenges in achieving this in reality.As liquid helium has zero viscosity, you can imagine how prone to leakage a hydraulic system would be. Keeping the challenges aside, superfluidity is a fantastic concept, with too many benefits to ignore in the future

For these 5 reasons, I’m certain hydraulics will be a large part of machinery for the next century. I’m also certain this list could be longer, because it’s difficult to predict the technologies that will surface as we advance exponentially forward. For example, absolutely nobody predicted the Internet in 1950, but I’m still waiting for my flying car. I only hope I’m around for another fifty years to see how this list changes halfway through this next century.