Impact Lab – Page 211 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

Electric Dreams: Sweden to Build World’s First Electrified Motorway by 2025

May 5, 2023

Sweden has announced plans to build the world’s first electrified motorway, which will allow electric cars to charge themselves as they pass along its surface. The e-motorway, which is set to be completed in about two years, is part of wider efforts by Sweden to decarbonize the transport sector in response to a new European Union law that requires new cars to have zero CO2 emissions from 2035.

A major benefit of the road could be sparing electric vehicle users the annoyance of having to find and wait at charging stations, as in theory, the road can provide all the required power. The announcement was first reported by the Euronews website, which noted that Sweden has piloted similar schemes before, though this one appears to be the most ambitious so far. Sweden’s transport administration plans to convert the E20 motorway, which is in the middle of three major Swedish cities: Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö.

“We think the electrification solution is the way forward for decarbonizing the transport sector and we are working with a number of solutions,” Jan Pettersson, a director at the Swedish transport administration, told Euronews.

Environment

Hydrogen-Powered Heavyweights: Toyota Offers Conversion Kit for Diesel Semis

May 5, 2023

The state of California has recently passed a new regulation that will ban the sale of diesel-powered trucks starting in 2036, in an effort to promote cleaner air and reduce carbon emissions. The new rule is part of the state’s Advanced Clean Fleets program, which aims to make California’s entire trucking industry zero emissions by 2045. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted in favor of the rule last Friday, but it still awaits approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take effect.

While the ban on diesel trucks is a step towards a cleaner future, not all zero-emission trucks will be battery-powered. Fuel cell trucks that generate electricity through the combination of hydrogen stored in tanks with atmospheric oxygen also qualify under the rule. The only byproduct of fuel cell trucks is water vapor, making them a cleaner alternative to diesel-powered trucks.

Science & Technology News

Boosting Cell Lifespan: Scientists Develop Synthetic Genetic Clock

May 5, 2023

As we age, our cells naturally degrade and become less efficient, leading to decreased mobility and vitality. However, researchers from the University of California San Diego have discovered a way to extend cell lifespan and promote longevity using a synthetic genetic clock.

Using yeast cells, the team was able to increase their lifespan by 82% on average by “rewiring” their genetic circuits. While the research focused on yeast cells, the team believes it could eventually lead to ways to promote healthier aging in humans.

The key to the study was editing the genetic circuits responsible for regulating cellular processes and mitigating wear and tear. By understanding how these circuits function, scientists can tweak them to promote longevity.

Cancer

Revolutionary Brain Cancer Therapy Promises a Ray of Hope for Desperate Patients

May 5, 2023

A new breakthrough technique could revolutionize the treatment of glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer with a survival rate of only 6.8 percent within the first five years of diagnosis. The new technique involves the use of sound waves to permeate the blood-brain barrier, a line of defense that prevents toxins and pathogens from entering the brain, and allows chemotherapy drugs to reach the neurological tissues where the cancer can grow.

The technique was tested in a phase 1 in-human clinical trial with 17 patients who underwent surgery to remove their tumors and had an ultrasound device implanted. The device, a novel skull-implantable grid of nine ultrasound emitters made by French biotech company Carthera, repeatedly uses sound waves to permeate the barrier and reach the brain tumor. The chemotherapy drugs paclitaxel and carboplatin, which are typically unable to cross the blood-brain barrier, were then able to reach the brain.

NASA, Space

Gravity Defying: Airbus Launches Modular Space Station with Centrifuge

May 5, 2023

As the International Space Station (ISS) approaches the end of its service, several space agencies are preparing to take on its legacy with their own space stations. China plans to lead with the Tiangong, and India’s Space Research Organization (ISRO) has plans to deploy its own station by mid-decade. Meanwhile, NASA has contracted with three aerospace companies to design commercial space stations: Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef, the Axiom Space Station (AxS), and Starlab. However, a new player has entered the game: Airbus, a European multinational aerospace giant, has proposed the Multi-Purpose Orbital Module (MPOP), called the Airbus LOOP.

The Airbus LOOP is a modular space segment designed for future space stations and long-duration missions to Mars. It features three decks, a centrifuge, and enough volume for a crew of four. The LOOP builds on Airbus’s long history of human spaceflight programs, such as the ISS Columbus Module, the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), and the Orion European Service Module (ESM).

Solar Power, Space

The Future of Clean Energy? Europe’s Space-Based Solar Power Programme Explored

May 4, 2023

The European Space Agency (ESA) is investigating the feasibility of space-based solar power (SBSP) as a potential solution to Europe’s clean energy needs. With the Solaris program, the ESA is exploring the idea of massive Earth-orbiting solar farms, which could collect solar radiation 24/7, with no disruptions from nightfall or cloud cover. The energy would then be transmitted to a receiver station on Earth through microwaves or laser beams, where it would be converted into electricity and delivered to the grid. If successful, SBSP could address some of the challenges facing the transition to clean energy and could help Europe achieve its net-zero targets by 2050.

The idea of SBSP has been around since the space race, and the technology to make it a reality is already being demonstrated on Earth and in space today. The ESA believes that space-based solar power provides a continuously available, inexhaustible, sustainable, and scalable source of energy that could not only help fight climate change but also build up energy security. However, there are still many engineering and policy challenges that would need to be overcome to make this ultimate energy source a reality.

AI

The Rise of Newsbots: Will AI Replace Human Journalists?

May 4, 2023

NewsGuard, a company that tracks and reports on disinformation and misinformation online, has identified 49 websites in seven languages that are largely or completely generated by artificial intelligence (AI) language models. The sites produce high volumes of content on topics such as politics, health, entertainment, finance, and technology. NewsGuard found that many of these sites are owned or controlled by unknown entities, and that the AI-generated content is often repetitive and bland. The vast majority of these sites feature programmatic ads, indicating that they are designed to generate advertising revenue. Some of these sites publish hundreds of articles a day, and some of the content pushes false narratives.

The presence of these AI-generated articles raises concerns about the use of AI to create entire news organizations. While it is true that AI tools have become increasingly powerful and accessible in recent years, the use of these tools to produce news content is still largely untested and raises serious ethical questions.

Military, Space, SpaceX

The Final Frontier Beckons: SpaceX Secures Fifth Launch Site from Space Force

May 4, 2023

The US Space Force has granted SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, permission to lease an additional rocket launch pad at a military base in Southern California, marking the space company’s fifth launch site in the US. Under the lease agreement, SpaceX’s reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle Falcon 9 will be launched from Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, situated just north of Los Angeles, to transport cargo into orbit. In addition to this new location, SpaceX has two other launch sites in Florida and a private Starbase complex in south Texas.

Space

The Gas Station in Space: Orbit Fab’s Ambitious Plan to Extend the Life of Satellites

May 3, 2023

Orbit Fab, an American company founded in 2018, is hoping to revolutionize the satellite industry by producing in-orbit “gas stations” that can refuel satellites, making them more sustainable and profitable. Satellites currently rely on limited fuel supplies to stay in position, but with the ability to refuel in orbit, they could be used for longer periods of time, reducing the cost of manufacturing and launching them.

Orbit Fab’s plan involves sending large tanks containing several tonnes of fuel into orbit and using smaller vessels to shuttle fuel between the tanks and satellites. Although the risks associated with operating such a system are high, the company has conducted numerous tests and is confident it will be safe.

Airbus, Aviation

Clear Skies Ahead: The Solar-Powered Airship Solution to Air Travel’s Carbon Footprint

May 3, 2023

Researchers are investigating technical alternatives to conventional aircraft, such as solar-powered airships equipped with super-efficient solar cells and lightweight batteries. Professor Christoph Pflaum and Professor Agnes Jocher, along with student Tim Riffelmacher from the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM), have published a paper in the International Journal of Sustainable Energy outlining the route a solar airship would take to fly from London to New York in the most time-efficient and eco-friendly manner.

AI, Automobiles, Business

The Future of Car Design: How AI is Changing the Game

May 3, 2023

What if automakers could design their next popular vehicle in minutes for a fraction of the cost? That’s what General Motors and the MIT Sloan School of Management explored in a recent study, using a neural network to analyze data collected from GM clinics to determine what makes an attractive vehicle. By inputting images and scores given by attendees, the AI software trained itself to output an aesthetic rating for a given image. The program was able to predict with remarkable accuracy how consumers would rate vehicles, achieving a 74% agreement rate.

Next, the program used this information to design new vehicles that would score high aesthetically, based on parameters such as “make it Chevy-like.” Interestingly, some of the designs generated by the AI were strikingly similar to vehicles sold by automakers in 2020, despite the fact that they were not in the automaker’s lineup in 2014.

AI, Apple, Artificial Intelligence

Unleash Your Creativity with This AI-Powered Video Transformation App

May 2, 2023

The use of AI-generated images has become increasingly accessible, with tools like DALL-E allowing users to easily create visuals from a basic prompt. While AI video generation is still in its early stages, a new app from AI startup Runway offers a glimpse into the technology’s potential.

The recently launched Runway ML iOS app enables users to transform existing videos from their photo gallery or captured on the app into entirely new videos using prompts, images, or presets. The app’s video-to-video technology, Gen-1, has been available for desktop use since February, and the app version streamlines the process, making it more accessible to users.

Although the results from Runway’s technology can sometimes appear warped or disfigured, it is important to keep in mind that unexpected outputs are common with generative AI, especially in the early stages of AI video generation.

Runway ML iOS app is free to download from the Apple App Store and already ranks 19th in the Photo & Video category. However, in-app purchases are available to access different subscription plans, which provide users with varying credit limits and features. The Free plan includes a limit of 125 credits and grants users three video projects with 720p video exports. The Standard plan costs $143.99 annually and provides 625 credits, unlimited video projects, watermark removals, 1080p exports, and additional features. The Pro plan, which costs $334.99, provides users with 2,250 credits per month, unlimited video projects, ProRes exports, 500GB of assets, and premium perks. The app also teases Runway’s Gen-2 text-to-video technology, which is “coming soon.”

By The ImpactLab