Science & Technology News – Page 56

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have developed a special drone that can collect environmental DNA (eDNA) from trees.

February 11, 2023

THE EDNA CONTAINS GENETIC MATERIAL SHED BY ORGANISMS IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND CAN PROVIDE VALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO THE BIODIVERSITY AND HEALTH OF ECOSYSTEMS.

The drone, called the Spectral Phenotyping and Environmental Reconnaissance (SPEAR) system, is equipped with a hyperspectral camera and a custom-built eDNA sampler. The camera captures detailed images of the tree canopy, while the eDNA sampler collects genetic material from the leaves.

By analyzing the eDNA, researchers can identify the species of trees in the area, as well as the animals and insects that interact with them. This information can help scientists better understand the complex relationships between different species and the health of the ecosystem as a whole.

The SPEAR system has already been tested in a variety of environments, including tropical rainforests and oak woodlands. The drone’s ability to collect eDNA from trees offers a non-invasive and highly effective method for monitoring biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Driverless vehicles, Science & Technology News

Autonomous Ride Hailing: A Future of Transportation Driven by Machines

February 9, 2023

The transportation industry is undergoing a major transformation, and ride hailing services such as Uber and Lyft are leading the charge. With the advent of autonomous vehicles, the future of ride hailing is rapidly becoming one of machines driving us to our destinations.

As technology continues to advance, the deployment of autonomous vehicles is becoming increasingly viable. Companies like Waymo, Tesla, and Cruise are at the forefront of developing self-driving cars that have the potential to revolutionize the way we move around our cities. These vehicles will provide a more convenient, efficient, and safer alternative to traditional forms of transportation.

One of the key benefits of autonomous ride hailing services is the elimination of the need for a human driver. This not only makes the service more affordable, but also significantly reduces the risk of accidents caused by human error. Autonomous vehicles are equipped with advanced sensors and algorithms, such as those developed by Mobileye, that allow them to navigate complex road conditions and avoid potential hazards.

Science & Technology News

A miniature robot for diagnosing lung cancer

February 9, 2023

This tiny soft robot can be steered through the branches of the lungs without causing damage for safer diagnosis.

In recent years, soft robotics has garnered a spotlight in the surgical field due to their scalability, flexibility, and the potential for safer interactions with biological tissues. These aspects of soft robotics are particularly beneficial in minimally invasive surgical procedures where surgeons must be able to perform many tasks within limited spaces.

Interventional bronchoscopy procedures stand to benefit greatly from the development of soft robots because of the challenging paths that a bronchoscope must traverse. Coupled with the small diameters of the lung branches, this makes it very difficult with traditional tools to reach deeper in the lungs, where early tumors are generally found.

However, when a robot is made smaller to fit in tighter spaces, it produces smaller forces before failing. This is especially relevant when the robot is made of soft materials.

AI, Science & Technology News

Japan’s Digital Ad Company Will Use AI for Large-Scale Production of 3D Ads

February 8, 2023

A HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGE OF FISH, MAKES A 360 DEGREE ROTATION IN THE “HOLOAD,” A THREE-DIMENSIONAL HOLOGRAPHIC ADVERTISEMENT PLAYER FROM INNOVISION LABS, AT THE 2011 INTERNATIONAL CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW JANUARY 8, 2011 IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA. CES, THE WORLD’S LARGEST ANNUAL CONSUMER TECHNOLOGY TRADESHOW RUNS THROUGH JANUARY 9 AND IS EXPECTED TO FEATURE 2,700 EXHIBITORS SHOWING OFF THEIR LATEST PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TO ABOUT 126,000 ATTENDEES.

By April Fowell

The AI-generated ads will be highly customized.

CyberAgent, a Japanese digital advertising company, has announced that they will start creating large volumes of video ads with the use of artificial intelligence, as reported by Nikkei Asia.

The video ads will contain 3D avatars of celebrity figures, with their mannerisms and remarks suited to each individual viewer. CyberAgent aims to complete large-scale production within the year.

Robots, Science & Technology News

Samsung-backed scientists create robot dog that can jog on sand

February 5, 2023

Why not take Raibo robot dog for walkies?

By Saqib Shah

The droid can adjust itself while on the move to handle different types of terrain, including hard and soft ground.

Scientists with backing from Samsung have developed a new robotdog that can move at speeds of up to three metres per second on sand.

The four-legged droid is the brainchild of a research team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Its creators claim the robot has the stability to traverse rough surfaces, and can agilely tackle soft ground without losing its balance.

The bot’s systems, including an advanced neural network that allows it to make decisions on the move, could be harnessed by other robots to effectively tackle all types of terrain, according to the KAIST team.

The droid follows in the footsteps of robotics firm Boston Dynamics’ canine Spot, which caused a stir when it was briefly used by New York police to assist at crime scenes, and later, the French military during training drills. On the cuddlier side, Sony has its small companion pup named Aibo that you can teach to sit, lay down, take a picture, and even sing happy birthday.

Scientists trained the new robot, called “RaiBo“, using a technique called AI-reinforcement learning. This saw them use a variety of simulations that mirrored physical trials, consequently reducing the time needed for an AI to optimise itself for its intended goals, according to Popular Science.

The team created a new artificial neural network capable of adjusting in real-time to the type of ground it was walking on, which then fed that info back to the robot. They also created a new contact modelling based on the robot’s pressure interacting with various unstable terrain, such as sand.

drones, Science & Technology News

MightyFly unveils its Cento second-generation cargo drone

February 4, 2023

By Bruce Crumley

San Francisco Bay Area cargo UAV developer MightyFly has unveiled the second generation of its hybrid-powered vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone, Cento, which it plans to produce and operate for end-to-end freight services on flights of up to 600 miles.

Formerly known as the potentially wise-crack generating MF-100, the new Cento version of MightyFly’s cargo drone has already begun testing following the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issuing the craft a Special Airworthiness Certificate and a Certificate of Authorization (COA) for long-range operation. The company says the approval to begin demonstrations of autonomous VTOL flights of up to 600 miles with 100 pounds of freight aboard is “unprecedented in the industry.”

Founded in 2019, MightyFly is wasting no time in getting its innovative approach to air freight transport aloft.

Mightyfly says presentation of its Centro cargo drone comes less than two years since the company raised $5.1M seed funding for the second-generation VTOL, and just nine months after its initial concept stage. The 13.1 x 16.7-foot autonomous UAV is made up of a high wing carbon fiber airframe, eight electric vertical lift fans, one forward propulsion propeller, and a 6 x 1 x 1- foot internal payload bay that can hold 96 small USPS packages.

The cargo drone’s hybrid powertrain shifts between an internal combustion engine that recharges depleted batteries that will otherwise be used for flight, enabling Centro to make multiple deliveries along a route, or single long-haul run, that MightyFly will operate from start to finish as a seamless service to customers.

The relatively compact size of the craft requires limited landing and takeoff space, while an automated conveyor belt handling loading and offloading of packages obviates the need for human intervention.

Continue reading…MightyFly unveils its Cento second-generation cargo drone“

Aviation, Science & Technology News

How these new electric aircraft could disrupt the $49 billion helicopter industry

February 2, 2023

Why United Airlines-backed Archer Aviation thinks eVTOLs could replace helicopters

By Andrew Evers

Vertical lift aircraft have existed for more than a century in the form of helicopters. But the $49 billion industry faces a rapidly emerging threat.

An estimated 200 companies are working to build electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOLs), a new type of small passenger aircraft designed for transportation within congested urban environments.

“Helicopters are very expensive to operate for a number of reasons, but the biggest reason is that they have multiple points of failure, which eVTOL aircraft won’t,” said Michael Leskinen, president of United Airlines Ventures, which has invested in startups in the space called Eve and Archer Aviation. “The electrification makes the aircraft safer. Safer aircraft also becomes less costly to maintain.”

Science & Technology News

Fighting Bacteria with Bacteria: “Living Medicine” Treats Lung Infections

January 31, 2023

This shows a cross-section of a mouse lung infected with Pseudonomas aeruginosa. The mouse was treated with a version of Mycoplasma pneumoniae that is able to produce therapeutic molecules such as pyocins specifically-designed to combat P. aeruginosa. This therapeutic version of M. pneumoniae acts like a ‘living medicine’ reducing the effects of the infection and preserving air in the alveoli. [Rocco Mazzolini/CR

Some researchers are thinking outside the box to try to combat the growing antibiotic resistance crisis. One of the innovations has been the development of “living medicines” which use one living bacterium to kill another. In a new study, researchers developed a modified (non-pathogenic) version of Mycoplasma pneumoniae that attacks Pseudomonas aeruginosa—which is resistant to many types of antibiotics and is a common source of infections in hospitals. The modified M. pneumoniae was used in combination with low doses of antibiotics that would otherwise not work on their own.

The M. pneumoniae treatment significantly reduced lung infections in mice and doubled mouse survival rate compared to no treatment. Administering a single, high dose of the treatment showed no signs of toxicity in the lungs. And, once the treatment had finished its course, the immune system cleared the modified bacteria in a period of four days.

This research is published in Nature Biotechnology in the paper, “Engineered live bacteria suppress Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in mouse lung and dissolve endotracheal-tube biofilms.”

P. aeruginosa infections are difficult to treat, in part, because the bacteria forms biofilms which have an increased resistance to antibiotics.

One particularly challenging infection occurs when biofilms grow on the surface of endotracheal tubes used by critically-ill patients who require mechanical ventilators to breathe. This causes ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), a condition that affects one in four (9–27%) patients who require intubation. The incidence exceeds 50% for patients intubated because of severe COVID-19. VAP can extend the duration in the intensive care unit for up to thirteen days and kills up to one in eight patients (9–13%).

Robots, Science & Technology News

boston dynamics’ humanoid robot ‘atlas’ effortlessly helps on construction sites

January 26, 2023

BOSTON DYNAMICS ON ‘ATLAS’ INTERACTING WITH OBJECTS

Boston Dynamics’ handy helper and humanoid robot Atlas can maneuver obstacles, seamlessly join a choreographed dance party, or jog on its own in the park, and today, he can effortlessly work on construction sites. In the recently released video by the group, Atlas manipulates the world around it as the humanoid robot interacts with objects and modifies the course it is on.

Atlas tests its locomotion, sensing, and athleticism by delivering a bag of tools to a person waiting at the top of a multi-story scaffold and even pushing a cargo box from his position. Atlas grasps, carries, and tosses the tool bag, climbs stairs, jumps between levels, and tips over a large wooden block out of its way before dismounting with an inverted 540-degree flip that project engineers have dubbed the ‘Sick Trick.’

Atlas control lead Ben Stephens says that parkour and dancing were examples of what might be extreme locomotion, and now the team is trying to build upon that research to also do more robotics manipulation. ‘It’s important to us that the robot can perform these tasks with a certain amount of human speed. People are very good at these tasks, so that has required some pretty big upgrades to the control software,’ he says.

drones, Science & Technology News

A European planemaker built a pilotless aircraft to power the world’s first ‘cargo drone airline’ — meet Black Swan

December 31, 2022

Black Swan.

By Taylor Rains

Bulgarian manufacturer Dronamics will soon debut a pilotless cargo aircraft the size of a delivery van, named Black Swan.

The plane boasts 50% lower costs than competing aircraft, a 770-pound payload, and a 1550-mile range.

The company will operate the aircraft as the world’s first “cargo drone airline” starting in 2023.

A new cargo aircraft is getting ready to hit the market.

European manufacturing company Dronamics will soon debut the Black Swan — a pilotless drone certified to carry freight in the European Union starting in 2023.

The concept is the brainchild of Bulgarian brothers Konstantin and Svilen Rangelov. Speaking with Insider, the latter said the pair started looking into the market in 2013 when Amazon began dabbling in drone deliveries.

Green Friendly, Science & Technology News

Water-splitting device solves puzzle of producing hydrogen direct from seawater

December 17, 2022

BY VICTORIA ATKINSON

A combined desalination–electrolysis system that can produce green hydrogen directly from seawater has been developed by a team in China. This integrated process uses a low-energy method to purify seawater, making it one of the first viable approaches to use salt water as a source of hydrogen. The purification step uses phase transitions to remove impurities and could have additional applications in wastewater treatment and resource recovery.

Splitting water with electricity has been experimented with for over 200 years and the reactions involved are well-understood: at the cathode, H+ ions gain electrons to form hydrogen gas whilst OH- loses electrons at the anode to form oxygen. But despite the simplicity of the underlying chemistry, effective electrolysis is a particularly complicated process. Water splitting is thermodynamically unfavourable and requires both specifically designed catalytic electrodes and a significant input of energy to drive the reaction. Even trace impurities can damage the delicate structure of the cell, leading to membrane pores becoming blocked, expensive electrodes corroded and unwanted byproducts formed.

Chloride ions in seawater are a particular problem and undergo competing oxidation at the anode to produce chlorine. Not only does this side reaction reduce the electrochemical efficiency of the cell, but chlorine is an extremely corrosive gas which rapidly degrades the electrodes and inactivates the cell. ‘Approaches to suppress corrosion by coating catalysts have had modest success,’ explains Heping Xie, an energy chemist at Shenzhen University in China. ‘But the composition of seawater changes [with] location, season [and] human behaviour so electrolysers can’t be universally compatible.’ With an average salt concentration of around 3.5%, the chloride content of seawater makes direct electrolysis unfeasible.

drones, Science & Technology News

Swoop Aero to create ‘world’s largest’ drone delivery network in Queensland

December 17, 2022

By Bruce Crumley

Melbourne-based international drone delivery company Swoop Aero is ending 2022 on a high note in its domestic market, receiving an Australian government grant to extend its operation in Southern Queensland into what the firm says will be the world’s largest aerial logistics network of its kind.

The development comes as part of a wider national government effort to improve various kinds of transport in Queensland, which features both traffic-clogged cities and smaller towns separated by what are often vast spaces. Officials are providing a total $1.8 million to help finance Swoop Aero extend its existing drone logistics and delivery activity into a network covering 175,000 square kilometers, and capable of spreading to a full 400,000 square kilometers.

The project is open to all kinds of partners – including commercial businesses – though the initial focus will primarily be on using Swoop Aero’s delivery drones to speed and improve healthcare services across Southern Queensland.

Continue reading…Swoop Aero to create ‘world’s largest’ drone delivery network in Queensland“