Science & Technology News – Page 116

3 TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGIES THAT WILL REVOLUTIONIZE THE PLANET

March 5, 2021

The next agricultural revolution is coming.

AGRICULTURE’S IMPACT ON THE PLANET is massive and relentless. Roughly 40 percent of the Earth’s suitable land surface is used for cropland and grazing. The number of domestic animals far outweighs the remaining wild populations. Every day, more primary forest falls against a tide of crops and pasture, and each year an area as large as the United Kingdom is lost. If humanity is to have a hope of addressing climate change, we must reimagine farming.

Covid-19 has also exposed weaknesses with current food systems. Agricultural scientists have known for decades that farm labor can be exploitative and hard, so it should surprise no one that farm owners had trouble importing labor to keep farms running as they struggled to ensure food workers stay free from the virus.

Similarly, “just enough, just in time” food supply chains are efficient but offer little redundancy. And pushing farmland into the wilds connects humans with reservoirs of viruses that — when they enter the human population — prove devastating.

To address these challenges, new technologies promise a greener approach to food production and focus on more plant-based, year-round, local and intensive production. Done right, three technologies — vertical, cellular, and precision agriculture — can remake the relationship between land and food.

Science & Technology News, Weapons

THREE WORDS: SUPERSONIC. COMBAT. DRONES.

March 5, 2021

SKYNET IN THE SKY, BASICALLY.

Fly Like an Arrow

A Singapore-based aerospace company has developed a combat drone capable of reaching supersonic speeds.

Kelley Aerospace unveiled their concept for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called the Arrow last week, according to Auto Evolution. The drone’s capable of flying more than 2,600 nautical miles at mach 2.1, or 1,611 miles per hour. That means the drone can fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo in a little over three hours — all while breaking the sound barrier.

Oh, and: It looks, straight up, like a UFO.

Electric Vehicles, Science & Technology News

Hyundai proposes electric vehicle battery leasing plan to lower cost of EVs

March 5, 2021

THE PROPHECY CONCEPT. SOURCE: HYUNDAI

By JOSHUA S. HILL

South Korean automotive giant Hyundai is to create an electric vehicle (EV) battery leasing business with the aim of reducing the initial cost of buying an EV as well as providing services that enable eco-friendly re-use of the batteries beyond their useful EV lifespan.

Hyundai said this week it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the South Korean Government, as well as LG Energy Solution and KST Mobility to demonstrate an EV battery leasing business, including for the rental of electric taxi batteries.

Under the plan KST Mobility will sell ownership of batteries in newly purchased EVs to Hyundai Glovis, the battery lessor. KST Mobility will then pay a monthly fee for battery usage, which will in turn ensure KST Mobility is able to reduce its initial investment on EV purchases.

Electric Automobile, Science & Technology News

US-based ‘Tesla lite’ 3-wheeled electric vehicle startup passes $1B market cap

March 4, 2021

By Micah Toll

Arcimoto’s market capitalization recently crossed the $1 billion threshold, making the three-wheeled electric vehicle company the newest member of the unicorn club.

Late last year, it looked like the sky was the limit for Arcimoto, which trades on the NASDAQ as FUV.

Now it seems like the company has blown right through the sky and is headed for the moon.

Less than a year ago Arcimoto’s share price had dipped below $1. Yesterday it closed at $31.12.

While the entire market has shown impressive growth since bottoming out early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Arcimoto’s share price has grown 1,658% in the last 12 months.

With a current market cap of $1.23 billion as of market close yesterday, Arcimoto is gaining the attention of several well-known investors and EV bulls.

As the Portland Business Journal reported, new support from investor Ross Gerber has likely helped fuel the most recent growth in the company’s valuation.

Automobiles, Science & Technology News

Hyundai is working on a driverless car that can also turn into a ‘walking machine’

March 4, 2021

By Anmar Frangoul

As tech develops and consumer habits change, the sight of unmanned vehicles could become commonplace in both urban and rural locations.
Drones have already been used to deliver medication to remote spots, for example.

The Hyundai Motor Group has released details of a concept vehicle designed to function as both a four-wheel-drive car and a “four-legged walking machine,” in the latest example of how ideas on mobility and logistics are changing.

According to a statement from the South Korean automotive giant Wednesday, the vehicle — known as TIGER, or transforming intelligent ground excursion robot — has been designed to operate without a crew and in “extreme, remote locations.”

A team from Hyundai’s California-based New Horizons Studio has been working alongside U.S. firms Autodesk and Sundberg-Ferar on the project’s development.

Driverless vehicles, Science & Technology News

Waymo begins testing autonomous vehicles with riders in San Francisco

March 4, 2021

By Kyle Bradshaw

After successfully opening Waymo One as a public driverless ride-hailing service in Phoenix, Waymo is beginning to test autonomous vehicles with riders in San Francisco.

Over on the official Waymo blog, the company shared that one of its major goals has been for its driverless vehicles to be robust enough to handle the complexities of San Francisco’s roads. In part, this goal is rooted in Waymo being based in the San Francisco Bay Area — having spun out of Google to become an Alphabet company in 2016.

However, a recent survey of San Francisco residents, taken by Waymo, reveals a more noble cause. A massive 63% of the respondents said “dangerous drivers” made it difficult to get around the city, while as many as 23% said they “don’t feel safe” on the roads.

Electric Vehicles, Science & Technology News

Planning 500,000 charging points for EVs by 2025, Shell becomes the latest company swept up in EV charging boom

March 3, 2021

By Jonathan Shieber

Shell’s plan to roll out 500,000 electric charging stations in just four years is the latest sign of an EV charging infrastructure boom that has prompted investors to pour cash into the industry and inspired a few companies to become public companies in search of the capital needed to meet demand.

Since the beginning of the year, three companies have been acquired by special purpose acquisition vehicles and are on a path to go public, while a third has raised tens of millions from some of the biggest names in private equity investing for its own path to commercial viability.

Electric Automobile, Science & Technology News

Aptera solar electric car with ‘1,000 miles’ of range gets $4M in backing, more than 7,000 preorders

March 3, 2021

By Fred Lambert

Aptera, a startup aiming to bring to market a solar- and battery-powered electric car with “up to 1,000 miles” of range, received $4 million in backing and more than 7,000 preorders.

This is Aptera’s second go. The company was created in 2006 with the aim of bringing to market a super-efficient three-wheeled vehicle.

Unfortunately, the project didn’t work out, but the original founders recently decided to revisit the project after having launched a different successful company in the electrification space.

Last year, Aptera relaunched with the unveiling of a new updated battery- and solar-powered version of its super-efficient three-wheeler design.

It claims a range of up to 1,000 miles and achieves that by making the vehicle extremely lightweight, with three wheels and a drag coefficient (Cd) of only 0.13.

With that kind of efficiency, it can achieve 250 miles of range on a fairly small battery pack, resulting in a vehicle starting at just $25,900.

Buyers can also configure the Aptera with a battery pack that extends the range to 400 miles for $29,800, 600 miles for $34,600, and 1,000 miles for $44,900.

DNA, Science & Technology News

CRISPR Offers the Potential to Live Forever, But to What End?

March 3, 2021

By Matthew Bacher

Due to the unique consequences of the pandemic, we are able to catch a glimpse of a potential future. One where we sit, plugged into our computers, devoid of physical human connection. What will society look like after the pandemic? Will we continue to stay isolated? Surely advancements in technology have played key roles in prolonging our lives, allowing us to continue to “work” and “socialise,” but to what end? With these newly emerging technologies are we destined to live forever, in a suspended state, in front of the glow of our 4k computer screens? Will gene editing technologies be used to keep us alive forever so that we can binge watch infinite Netflix shows, send meaningless emails and scroll through social media feeds?

Employment, Science & Technology News

Skill set workers need for the future job market

March 2, 2021

By Abdullah Shibli

As we fight to overcome the damages done by the Covid-19 pandemic and restart and recalibrate our economies, this is a golden opportunity to ask what we can do to prepare ourselves better for the next decade. One thing is certain. New technologies will emerge more rapidly now that we know how to adapt to a major catastrophic event such as the all-devouring Covid-19 virus and how to fight back. Innovative approaches to working and living will make the world in 2030 a different one than the one we had envisaged before the pandemic. And we all need to adapt to this new world. Bangladesh’s challenge is to transform our education programmes and skills development infrastructure to deliver the talents needed for an innovative, digitised, and post-agricultural economy in the forthcoming Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Bangladesh’s progress in manufacturing exports is comparable only to that of China and Vietnam. The apparent contradiction, however, lies in the fact that Bangladesh made such progress without any rapid structural transformation of the economy. Despite a very high share of manufacturing exports in total merchandise exports, the export basket of Bangladesh remained highly concentrated around low value-added and low-complexity products.

In the next decade, the largest challenge will be faced by women both in industrialised and emerging economies. Women hold jobs in areas that are predicted to grow, such as registered nurses and personal care aides—possibly accounting for 58 percent of new job growth. At the same time, women hold a large portion of shrinking jobs, like office clerks and administrative assistants, customer service, food service, and community services.

Automobiles, Science & Technology News

There aren’t enough computer chips to power modern cars

March 2, 2021

A lack of computer chips means that car companies have not been able to meet production demand.Image: REUTERS/Andreas Gebert

Sean Fleming Senior Writer, Formative Content

Global car sales fell in 2020.
A shortage of computer chips is compounding poor sales by holding up production.
That could cost the industry $60 billion.

Besides reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the motor sector now faces another major challenge – it can’t get all the computer chips it needs.

Modern cars are reliant on technology. There’s software that monitors engine performance and emissions, cruise-control that automatically adjusts to keep pace with the speed of the vehicle in front, alarms that are triggered by straying out of lane – not to mention bluetooth connectivity, parking sensors, keyless entry and a host of safety features.

And that’s just in a conventional car. Self-driving and semi-autonomous cars are even more tech-laden.

Military, Science & Technology News

THOR – The Microwave Weapon Designed To Countervail Drone Swarms

March 2, 2021

By Kris Osborn – Warrior Maven

(Washington D.C.) The Army and Air Force are collaborating on prototype directed energy weapons designed to jam, dismantle, take-out or simply stop attacking drones, bringing emerging technologies to the increasingly high-risk base defense mission.

The weapon, which uses high-powered microwave technology to disable the “electronics” in drones and counter “multiple targets” at once, is believed to be capable of stopping the much discussed and very serious threat posed by drone swarms.

The prototype Tactical High Power Operational Responder (THOR), a new weapon developed by the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), is a large microwave dish housed in a 20ft-long shipping container transportable on a cargo plane, an Air Force report explains.

The Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office is now working to build upon progress made by the AFRL to develop the weapon as a directed energy solution able to complement the direct-target technology afforded by precision laser weapons.