2022 – Page 27 – Impact Lab

Air Taxis Are About To Change The Future Of Travel

September 14, 2022

BY DAVE MCQUILLING
Have you ever been stuck in bad traffic and daydreaming about how easy life would be if your car could just fly over the half-mile of honking metal in front of you? Well, those dreams could soon come true, sort of. The solution could be air taxis, which are basically exactly what they sound like: flying vehicles that are capable of taking a small number of passengers on short-range trips. Although it may seem like one of those futuristic ideas that are perpetually five years away, air taxis are already here, and some major companies have bought into the idea.

One of the most recent air taxi acquisitions was by United Airlines. The airline has already put down a $10 million deposit as part of a staggering $1 billion partnership with air taxi manufacturer Archer Aviation. The down payment will go toward the initial 100 air taxis United has ordered. Production on those aircraft is expected to begin in 2023, and the $1 billion deal could see United acquire 200 air taxis in total. In a statement, Archer Aviation CEO celebrated what he called the industry’s “first real cash commitment,” according to Popular Science.

United isn’t the only airline interested in air taxis and the possibilities they might bring. American Airlines and Boeing are also investing heavily in the concept. According to The Wall Street Journal, Boeing is throwing $450 million into a joint venture with Google co-founder Larry Page. If the Boeing/Page effort bears fruit, you could be whizzing around a city in a self-flying air taxi within the next few years. American Airlines has chosen to back Vertical Aerospace, a similar company to Archer Aviation, to the tune of $25 million.

Blockchain

Decentralized Insurance Built on the Blockchain is a Game Changer

September 14, 2022

Decentralized insurance built on a transparent, blazingly fast, and efficient blockchain with the community in mind is something to think about, says Adam Hofmann, the CEO of Nimble.

Let’s face it – crypto, Web3, blockchain, whatever you want to call it – is growing fast. As a result, there are concerns and skepticism around the volatility and safety of digital assets, including investor funds. Would you put your hard-earned money into anything without some sense of safety and security?

If we are going to be honest with each other, and we certainly should be, it is absolutely logical that companies are skeptical to put big money into a decentralized system.

In both the fast-evolving DeFi space and the “Normalverse,” there is always the risk of hacks or exploits. Enter: decentralized insurance.

“There have been innumerable cases of smart-contracts hacking, cyber-attacks on exchange platforms etc. that have caused huge loss of investor funds,” Blockchain Simplified states on Medium. “Even the magnanimous DAO could not prevent a malware attack on its platform that resulted in loss of billions. Decentralized Insurance has plenty of use-cases that can help prevent such consequences from occurring.”

3D Printer

Montana becomes first state to OK 3D-printed house walls as replacements for concrete masonry units

September 13, 2022

An Apis Cor 3D printer for building houses and other structures. Apis Cor

Montana has become the first state to approve 3D-printed walls as an equivalent replacement for walls made from concrete masonry units (CMUs) or standard cored concrete blocks.

The approval was granted to Tim Stark, a contractor based in Billings, Mont., after filing documents, specifications, and testing reports developed by Apis Cor, a Melbourne, Fla., construction company that 3D-prints houses and buildings.

“In so many states, regulations are getting in the way of building more homes,” said Stark. “I’m proud of my home state of Montana for being so forward-thinking and leading the way with this approval of 3D printing as a modern construction method on par to CMU block construction, which opens the door instead of closing it.”

A finished home printed with an Apis Cor printer can cost up to 30% less than a traditionally built concrete block or wood-framed house.

The company has completed multiple pilot homes in the United States and in the United Arab Emirates.

Children

Where Will the World’s Next 1,000 Babies Be Born?

September 13, 2022

By Pratap Vardhan

Every four minutes, approximately 1,000 babies are born across the globe. But in which countries are these babies the most statistically likely to come from?

Using data from the CIA World Factbook, this graphic by Pratap Vardhan (Stats of India) paints a picture of the world’s demographics, showing which countries are most likely to welcome the next 1,000 babies based on population and birth rates as of 2022 estimates.

Electric Automobile

Portable hydrogen generators to charge electric cars in remote areas

September 13, 2022

General Motors is working on a radical plan to use portable hydrogen-powered generators to charge electric vehicles in remote areas.

By Trent Nikolic

US car giant General Motors is considering a radical plan to develop portable hydrogen generators to charge electric cars in remote areas.

It’s another technology option being considered as the world’s auto makers grapple with how low-emissions and zero-emissions cars could be used in remote areas.

Most electric cars on sale today have a driving range of between 200km and 400km, which is less than most petrol or diesel vehicles.

While hydrogen-powered vehicles are also in development – experimental fleets of Toyota Mirai (pictured below) and Hyundai Nexo hydrogen cars are already on Australian roads – they are reliant on limited refuelling points.

Space

Israeli space tech startup Helios partners with Eta Space to make oxygen on Moon

September 12, 2022

An illustration of an oxygen depot on the moon by Israeli startup Helios. (Helios)

By RICKY BEN-DAVID

COMPANIES WILL LEVERAGE EACH OTHER’S EXPERTISE TO DEVELOP LUNAR OXYGEN PRODUCTION AND LIQUEFACTION PLANT

Israeli space tech startup Helios announced a partnership this month with Florida’s Eta Space to create and store oxygen on the Moon in a bid to make space missions more cost-effective and offer a better solution for refueling while in orbit.

Helios was set up in 2018 in an innovation workshop held by the Israeli Space Agency during Israel’s Space Week that year. The company developed an electrochemical reactor that can extract oxygen from lunar regolith (a mixture of soil, powdery dust and broken rock on the surface of the moon), which it says will make multiple and long-term missions to the moon economically viable, as it will allow moon colonies to “live off the land” instead of having to carry all of their fuel and other resources from Earth.

Augmented Reality

3D Hologram Company Creates Life Size Fully Interactive Augmented Reality Holographic Displays With Real Time Motion Tracking

September 12, 2022

Life-sized interactive 3d holograms that you fully control using holographic technology, motion tracking, and augmented reality are changing the face of live events and corporate meetings.

Interactive, life-sized holograms are changing the face of augmented reality–and, just maybe, your next corporate event or convention. Chicagoland-based hologram company 3D Hologram Rentals is thrilled to unveil an entirely new and innovative hologram-based technology. These life size, augmented reality holograms provide users with the power to step into the shoes of and avatar, superhero, celebrity, iconic personality, corporate mascot, robot, cartoon character, custom designed holographic character, corporate CEO, and more! Imagine a corporate event, keynote speaker, live event, virtual event, brand launch, marketing activation where the user can take turns controlling a real life-size hologram, or a corporate event where CEOs can give in-person holographic presentations from anywhere in the world!

Here’s how this new holographic technology works. A hologram installation projects a life-size, three-dimensional image of your choice. Maybe it’s an image of your favorite superhero. Or maybe it’s the new product branding avatar for your company’s convention exhibit launch party. Anyone who stands in the designated control area can then turn this image into their own personal avatar. When you lift your right hand, the cartoon character or superhero raises their right hand. The technology is fully set up and installed by the experts at 3D Hologram Rentals. Some companies will want a short term installation for a show or weekend event, while others may have a long term project in mind. The full size holograms are built using real time augmented reality and a full body control system. And they bring the wow factor to any event.

Robots

China’s New Electric Quadruped Robot Could Be the Largest in the World

September 12, 2022

A screenshot of the robot, from China’s Central Television.

By Can Emir

And it looks like a big yak.

China’s state media, the Global Times, claims the country has developed the world’s largest electric-powered quadruped bionic robot. And to be honest, that thing looks just like a yak.

Bizarre appearances aside, this comes as the latest in China’s push to become a global leader in robotics by 2025. And also, of course, in military tech.

But, is it working?

Despite being very large and bulky, the robot can move forward and backward, and it can turn and even walk diagonally. It even sprints and dashes, and jumps high without losing its footing, thanks to an unconscionable 12 sets of joint modules. The mechanical yak is equipped with sensors to keep it in touch with the surrounding terrain and environment. It can also adapt to various types of terrains, including steps, trenches and cliffs, and even muddy roads, grasslands, deserts, and snowfields. And there’s more. Beyond its adaptive abilities, the robot could also be equipped with weapons.

Robots, Science & Technology News

Elon Musk says Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot will eventually cost ‘less than a car’ and people will buy them as birthday presents for their parents within a decade

September 12, 2022

By CHRISTOPHER CARBONE

Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots are intended to replace humans in ‘repetitive, boring and dangerous tasks,’ according to CEO Elon Musk
They will eventually serve millions – handling tasks like cooking, mowing lawns and caring for the elderly
Their price will come down in the future – as Tesla figures out how to scale production – eventually costing less than a car
Tesla’s Optimus robot is set to debut at AI Day on September 30

Elon Musk shared new details about Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot – including information about the cost and likely uses for it – in an essay published online.

The robot, which is intended for industrial and domestic uses, will debut at AI Day September 30 after first being announced at AI Day in August 2021.

‘Tesla Bots are initially positioned to replace people in repetitive, boring, and dangerous tasks. But the vision is for them to serve millions of households, such as cooking, mowing lawns, and caring for the elderly,’ Musk wrote in the essay published in China Cyberspace magazine.

Driverless vehicles

Autonomous trucking future ‘is almost upon us,’ Uber Freight head says

September 12, 2022

By Pras Subramanian

Uber Freight (UBER) thinks it has a solution to the ongoing truck driver shortage here in the U.S.

The unit, which is Uber’s trucking logistics and supply chain management offering, said in a report released earlier this month that autonomous trucking is the key to solving the driver shortage crisis — but not because the industry won’t need drivers. They’ll just be doing a different type of driving.

“We’re getting ready for that future with drivers that will be available on both sides of the autonomous freight, available to pick up and drop off the freight that is being hauled by the autonomous truck by providing a network of drop trails on both ends that will allow for that move to happen,” said Lior Ron, the head of Uber Freight in an interview with Yahoo Finance Live.

What Uber is envisioning is a hub-to-hub system — a hybrid of human drivers working with autonomous trucks.

“Hub-to-hub essentially means that you only do the autonomous freight between a hub off the highway, close to the origin of the load, and a hub close to the destination of the load,” Ron said. “In between, the autonomous freight can run on the highway in a very predictable, very repeatable way.”

At each hub, human drivers will transport goods from essentially the first mile to the hub and the last mile from the destination hub to the final destination.

“We believe that model is much more scalable. We believe that model can actually have the density of freight you need,” Ron said. “This is going to be like the airline — you need to have as much freight going on that truck back and forth.”

Medical Breakthrough

Cornea implant made from pig skin restores vision in landmark pilot trial

September 11, 2022

A pilot study saw bioengineered implants restore the vision of 14 volunteers who were completely blind before the experimental procedure

By Rich Haridy

A cornea implant made out of collagen gathered from pig skin has restored the vision of 20 volunteers in a landmark pilot study. Pending further testing, the novel bioengineered implant is hoped to improve the vision of millions around the world awaiting difficult and costly cornea transplant surgeries.

More than one million people worldwide are diagnosed blind every year due to damaged or diseased corneas. A person’s vision can be easily disrupted when this thin outer layer of tissue surrounding the eye degenerates.

A person suffering corneal blindness can have their vision restored by receiving a corneal transplant from a human donor. However, a lack of cornea donors means barely one in 70 people with corneal blindness will ever be able to access a transplant. Plus, the surgical procedure can be complex, amplifying the lack of access to this vision-restoring procedure for people in low- and middle-income countries.

This new research first looked to develop cornea implants that didn’t rely on human donor tissue. Over a decade ago the researchers first demonstrated biosynthetic corneas were effective replacements for donor corneas. But those earlier studies still relied on complex lab-grown human collagen, molded into the shape of corneas.

This new study demonstrates the same biosynthetic cornea can be effectively produced using medical-grade collagen sourced from pig skin. Not only is this a cheap and sustainable source of collagen, but improved engineering techniques mean these bioengineered corneas can be safely stored for almost two years, unlike donated human corneas which must be used within two weeks of harvesting.

Alternative Transportation

Zapata launches 250-km/h, flip-capable, jet-powered flying deck chair

September 10, 2022

Franky Zapata is back with another epic jet-powered flying machine

By Loz Blain

When we last saw Franky Zapata back in May, he was spinning uncontrollably down into the water from a serious height in a terrifying jetboard crash. But the flying Frenchman is back to launch a new, high-speed personal aircraft called the JetRacer.

Zapata has already built a resume most would be proud of. A former jet ski world champion, he went on to invent the Flyboard, a jet ski attachment that re-routes its water jets to let users rise out of the water like the love-child of Aquaman and Iron Man. Before long, he’d ditched the jet ski altogether, and moved to jet turbines to create the Flyboard Air, which allowed him to zoom around like the Green Goblin and set all sorts of records, on nothing more than a backpack full of kerosene fuel. He also built an “Ezfly” version with handles, a Segway of the skies for the rest of us, for whom no quantity of brown undies would ever suffice.

The latest vehicle in the Zapata stable builds on this small-turbine technology base but takes things in a new direction. The JetRacer is effectively a carbon-fiber bucket seat that flies on the thrust from 10 of the same small jets that power the Flyboards.