2020 – Page 86 – Impact Lab

drones, Energy, Record Breaker, Science & Technology News

Hydrogen-fueled Drones Will Inspect U.S. Gas Pipeline

February 6, 2020

Public-safety drone consultancy Skyfire Consulting has announced a partnership with UAV company Doosan Mobility Innovation and hydrogen-fuel service provider ReadyH2 to tackle a pipeline-inspection project for an unnamed American company.

Doosan will deploy a hydrogen-powered octocopter. The drone sports a hydrogen-powered generator fueling two hours of flight time per mission over nearly 50 miles.

ReadyH2, in cooperation with parent company Fortress UAV, will be responsible for providing a ready supply of hydrogen gas for the project.

The six-month mission will establish inspection procedures for a domestic gas pipeline.

“Distances like that are simply not possible on battery technology,” Skyfire CEO Matt Sloane said.

Continue reading… “Hydrogen-fueled Drones Will Inspect U.S. Gas Pipeline”

Energy, new technology, Science & Technology News, Solar Energy, Solar Power

The smart cell turning solar energy into hydrogen

February 6, 2020

What could be better than a solar cell that captures most of the visible light spectrum to generate energy? A cell that can capture the whole visible light spectrum and turn the energy into hydrogen. The cell is actually a molecule, and it is a busy molecule: it not only harnesses 50 percent more solar energy than existing solar cells, but it also turns this energy into hydrogen.

“The whole idea is that we can use photons from the sun and transform it into hydrogen. To put it simply, we are saving the energy from sunlight and storing it into chemical bonds so it can be used at a later time,” explains the lead researcher in the team that developed the molecule, chemistry professor Claudia Turro from the Ohio State University.

“What makes it work is that the system is able to put the molecule into an excited state, where it absorbs the photon and is able to store two electrons to make hydrogen,” Turro added. “This storing of two electrons in a single molecule derived from two photons, and using them together to make hydrogen, is unprecedented.”

The molecule is a form of rhodium—an inert metal and member of the platinum group—and because it can both collect solar energy and then act as a catalyst to turn it into hydrogen, it makes for a much more efficient fuel production system than existing alternatives, at least with respect to energy loss during the process of conversion of solar energy into hydrogen.

Continue reading… “The smart cell turning solar energy into hydrogen”

Medical Breakthrough, new technology, Robotics, Science & Technology News, Wearables

Paralyzed man breaks world record for finishing a marathon in an exoskeleton suit

February 5, 2020

Adam Gorlitsky says groups of people kept him going as he finished mile after mile of the 2020 Charleston Marathon.

(CNN)A South Carolina man competing in the 2020 Charleston Marathon has beaten the world record for the fastest time to finish a marathon in an exoskeleton suit.

Adam Gorlitsky, who is paralyzed from the waist down, completed Saturday’s 26.2-mile race with a time of 33 hours, 50 minutes and 23 seconds, Cory Michel, one of the organizers of the Charleston Marathon, told CNN.

The current record holder is British man Simon Kindleysides, who finished the 2018 London Marathon in 36 hours and 46 minutes, according to Guinness World Records.

Guinness has not certified Gorlitsky’s race results, which Gorlitsky said he plans to submit to the organization Monday.

Continue reading… “Paralyzed man breaks world record for finishing a marathon in an exoskeleton suit”

Science & Technology News

How does the embryo make all its parts at just the right moments?

February 5, 2020

FIVE BIG QUESTIONS: If events weren’t properly timed, pandemonium would ensue. Researchers are ferreting out the internal clocks that control developmental sequence and scheduling.

Experiments, classic and contemporary, shed light on fundamental problems an embryo must solve during development.

How does the embryo make all its parts at just the right moments?
How do body parts grow to their right sizes?
How do bodies map out left and right?
How do bodies position arms, legs, wings and organs?
Will we ever fully know how a body gets built?

Continue reading… “How does the embryo make all its parts at just the right moments?”

Agriculture, Farming, Food, Science & Technology News

So you’re too ethical to eat meat; but should cows go extinct?

February 5, 2020

Vegetarianism and veganism are becoming more popular. Alternative sources of protein, including lab-grown meat, are becoming available. This trend away from farmed meat-eating looks set to continue. From an environmental perspective and a welfare perspective, that’s a good thing. But how far should we go? Would it be good if the last cow died?

Many people value species diversity. Very many feel the pull of the intuition that it’s a bad thing if a species becomes extinct. In fact, we sometimes seem to value the species more than we value the individual members. Think of insects, for example. The life of a fly might be of trivial value, but each fly species seems considerably more valuable (despite the lack of any direct instrumental value to us of flies). Do we – should we – value cattle? Should we be concerned if cows (or a subspecies of cows) is threatened with extinction? Should we take steps to preserve them, just as we take steps to conserve pandas and wolves?

Continue reading… “So you’re too ethical to eat meat; but should cows go extinct?”

Science & Technology News

Seven mysterious sounds science has yet to solve

February 4, 2020

The loneliest whale in the world is just one example.

Pings. Buzzes. Rumbles. Booms. Hums. Bumps in the night. Sounds of unknown origin can be more than unsettling; they can inspire decades of mythos and fear—and obsessive scientific inquiry. Some cases of enigmatic noise are now closed, like the southern Pacific “bloops” detected by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hydrophones in 1997 and finally, in 2005, tied to Antarctic icequakes. But other cacophonous culprits remain at large. From jarring radio broadcasts to harmonious dunes, here are some of the world’s great sonic mysteries.

Continue reading… “Seven mysterious sounds science has yet to solve”

Big Problems, Economy, government, Science & Technology News

Look to cities, not nation-states, to solve our biggest challenges

February 4, 2020

Los Angeles’ economy is bigger than that of many nation states.

This article is part of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

The world in 2020 is looking more turbulent and uncertain than ever. Powerful economic, demographic and technological forces are rewiring international politics. According to the World Economic Forum’s new Global Risks Report, structural shifts are encouraging nation-states to adopt more transactional and unilateral postures. Some nations are abandoning old alliances, questioning the value of multilateralism and retreating to narrowly defined national interests. Amid continued downward pressure on the global economy, citizens are growing restless and frustrated with their national politicians.

Maybe they’re onto something. Perhaps nation-states are part of the problem.

Continue reading… “Look to cities, not nation-states, to solve our biggest challenges”

Automation, Driverless vehicles, Electric Vehicles, Science & Technology News, Transportation

Cruise Origin people mover has no controls, completely autonomous

February 4, 2020

Cruise Origin offers a self driving mini bus for cities

It seems these days that there is no shortage of startups promising new vehicles with electric motors and self-driving systems, and now the joint operation between GM and Honda, Cruise, has unveiled its driverless people mover sans any human controls.

The Cruise Origin, billed as a bus, was unveiled at the San Francisco event “Move Beyond the Car.” The underpinnings and drive system will be built by GM.

Continue reading… “Cruise Origin people mover has no controls, completely autonomous”

Aviation, Military, military drones, Science & Technology News, Weapons

Drones are making America’s F-22 and F-35 more deadly than ever

February 3, 2020

US Air Force F-22s and F-35s will soon launch and control recoverable attack drones from the cockpit of the plane.

Key point: This technology, which hinges upon higher levels of autonomous navigation, brings a wide swath of improved mission possibilities.

US Air Force F-22s and F-35s will soon launch and control recoverable attack drones from the cockpit of the plane to expand air-combat operations, test enemy air defenses, conduct long-range ISR and even deliver weapons.

This fast-approaching technology, which calls upon advanced levels of autonomous navigation, is closer to reality due of DARPA’s Gremlins program which plans to break new ground by launching – and recovering – four drones from an in-flight C-130 next year.

Continue reading… “Drones are making America’s F-22 and F-35 more deadly than ever”

Food, Green Friendly, Inventions, Science & Technology News

Finland makes protein out of thin air; the future is weird

February 3, 2020

Okay, so this is just cotton candy. But you get it.

Were you blown away by the invention of a burger patty made of soy protein? Please. As usual, the Scandinavians are here to make us look like absolute dummies. A Finnish company has out-impossible’d the Impossible Burger with the invention of a protein made from thin air. Yeah. Sit with that one for a second.

Solar Foods, a company based outside Helsinki, has successfully created a protein called Solein. Solein is made by a series of processes I learned about at age 15 then promptly discarded: water molecules are split in a process called electrolysis. Then, the hydrogen atom and carbon dioxide from the air feed soil bacteria, which produces Solein. So, the biggest power supply they need to make it is electricity. But if they can get it from solar and wind power, researchers say Solein can be grown with almost zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Continue reading… “Finland makes protein out of thin air; the future is weird”

Energy, government, Hot Issues, Science & Technology News

Is America’s fossil fuel empire collapsing?

February 3, 2020

Since the close of World War II, the United States has overseen an expanding global order built on fossil fuels. That era has come to an end. Where coal powered the British Empire, and oil powered the American Century, renewable energy technologies are now set to drive the post-American world. Europe’s “Green Deal” represents the beginning of this new era.

The most ambitious clean energy project in history, Europe’s Green Deal marks the beginning of a new era in clean energy policy. Notwithstanding its challenges, Europe’s plan represents a “broad roadmap” for remaking its entire economy with the aim of creating the first climate-neutral region in the world by 2050. Underwritten by one trillion Euros in investment, the Green Deal calls for establishing the first-ever climate law anchored to the 2050 climate neutrality target.

Continue reading… “Is America’s fossil fuel empire collapsing?”

communication, Elon Musk, Internet, Science & Technology News, SpaceX

SpaceX launches 60 new Starlink satellites, sticks rocket landing at sea

February 3, 2020

Watch: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 60 satellites into orbit

Following the successful launch, the rocket’s first stage gently touched down on a SpaceX drone ship landing platform.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX successfully launched its fourth batch of Starlink satellites into orbit and landed a rocket landing Wednesday following days of weather delays for the mission.

A sooty Falcon 9 rocket — which made its third flight with this launch — roared to life at 9:06 a.m. ET, lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station here in Florida. The rocket carried 60 Starlink satellites for SpaceX’s growing constellation, the second such launch by the company this month.

Last week, strong upper level winds forced the private spaceflight company to postpone the Starlink-3 mission’s launch. SpaceX then aimed for the backup launch date of Jan. 28, but rough seas where the drone ship was waiting may have thwarted any attempt at a landing.

Continue reading… “SpaceX launches 60 new Starlink satellites, sticks rocket landing at sea”