Impact Lab – Page 272 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

From Boeing Starliner to Goodyear Tesla tire, 3-D printing is becoming manufacturing reality

August 21, 2022

A picture shows a non-pneumatic tire (NPT), an airless tires, during the presentation of the NPT tire of Goodyear in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, on May 17, 2022, where the tire manufacturer has a new plant where it is experimenting with 3-D printing.

By Rebecca Fannin

Goodyear opened a $77 million plant in Europe that uses 3-D printing in its tire manufacturing and recently tested new 3-D printed airless tires on a Tesla.
The use of 3-D printers by industrials, also known as additive manufacturing, has been rising and includes Boeing, GE, Caterpillar and Cummins.
But it’s still a relatively small part of manufacturing, just 2-3% of the $12 trillion production market, according to a McKinsey estimate, though it is expected to grow rapidly over the next decade.

Additive manufacturing is on the cusp of being adopted more widely by industry, as large corporates Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and Boeing as well as small innovative start-ups prove it can work well at scale in manufacturing.

In May, Goodyear opened a $77 million plant in Luxembourg that centers on 3-D printing and can make tires four times faster in small batches than with conventional production. Goodyear also is testing its new 3-D printed airless tire technology on Tesla electric vehicles and Starship Technologies’ autonomous delivery robots. It has been working for the past several years on improved manufacturing techniques at an R&D center near Columbus, Ohio.

Energy

Ex-SpaceX Engineer Builds Martian Nuclear Reactor To Tackle Earth’s Power Crisis

August 19, 2022

by Razvan Calin

Elon Musk has already shaped our world in several different ways, and the debate of whether they’re all beneficial to humanity is ongoing. But apart from putting electric vehicles on top of the automotive world’s agenda and making us dream about outer space travel, there is one somewhat unintentional side effect of his frantic quest for broader horizons.

A former employee of SpaceX has set a very ambitious goal of building a working solution for humanity’s ever-growing need for electricity. No bigger than a regular container, his invention is a nuclear fission reactor generator. Portable, affordable, and economically feasible, the power plant can be deployed everywhere. In an interview for Interesting Engineering, the head of Radiant Nuclear (the company that builds the reactor) shed light on his work.

Doug Bernauer, CEO of Radiant Nuclear and ex-SpaceX engineer, got the idea from a project he worked on while at SpaceX: supplying power to a human colony on Mars. The challenge was that it had to sustain the facilities on the ground and refuel spaceships that could travel back and forth between Earth and the Red Planet. Since the Sun was not a good enough solution, nuclear energy came up. But, until humankind reaches that stage, we can successfully use that invention on our Blue Planet. With $10 in million funding from Union Square Ventures, Radiant Nuclear is on its way to building the world’s first portable, zero-emissions power source. The prototype could begin the testing stage in five years.

NASA

‘Helical Engine’ could reach 99% the speed of light, NASA scientists says

August 19, 2022

THE ‘HELICAL ENGINE’ WORKS BY EXPLOITING THE WAY MASS CAN CHANGE AT RELATIVISTIC SPEEDS. (CREDIT: NASA)

By Michelle Starr

When it comes to space, there’s a problem with our human drive to go all the places and see all the things. A big problem. It’s, well, space. It’s way too big. Even travelling at the maximum speed the Universe allows, it would take us years to reach our nearest neighbouring star.

But another human drive is finding solutions to big problems. And that’s what NASA engineer David Burns has been doing in his spare time. He’s produced an engine concept that, he says, could theoretically accelerate to 99 percent of the speed of light – all without using propellant.
He’s posted it to the NASA Technical Reports Server under the heading “Helical Engine“, and, on paper, it works by exploiting the way mass can change at relativistic speeds – those close to the speed of light in a vacuum. It has not yet been reviewed by an expert.

Understandably this paper has caused buzz approaching levels seen in the early days of the EM Drive. And yes, even some headlines claiming the engine could ‘violate the laws of physics’.

But while this concept is fascinating, it’s definitely not going to break physics anytime soon.

NASA

NASA Will Inspire World When It Returns Mars Samples to Earth in 2033

August 19, 2022

NASA has finished the system requirements review for its Mars Sample Return Program, which is nearing completion of the conceptual design phase. During this phase, the program team evaluated and refined the architecture to return the scientifically selected samples, which are currently in the collection process by NASA’s Perseverance rover in the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater.

The architecture for the campaign, which includes contributions from the European Space Agency (ESA), is expected to reduce the complexity of future missions and increase probability of success.

“The conceptual design phase is when every facet of a mission plan gets put under a microscope,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “There are some significant and advantageous changes to the plan, which can be directly attributed to Perseverance’s recent successes at Jezero and the amazing performance of our Mars helicopter.”

This advanced mission architecture takes into consideration a recently updated analysis of Perseverance’s expected longevity. Perseverance will be the primary means of transporting samples to NASA’s Sample Retrieval Lander carrying the Mars Ascent Vehicle and ESA’s Sample Transfer Arm.

As such, the Mars Sample Return campaign will no longer include the Sample Fetch Rover or its associated second lander. The Sample Retrieval Lander will include two sample recovery helicopters, based on the design of the Ingenuity helicopter, which has performed 29 flights at Mars and survived over a year beyond its original planned lifetime. The helicopters will provide a secondary capability to retrieve samples cached on the surface of Mars.

Space Flight

Space Perspective Unveils Patented ‘Spaceship Neptune’ Capsule Produced at Kennedy Space Center

August 18, 2022

Space travel is about to get safer, more comfortable, and even more thrilling. Space Perspective, Planet Earth’s leading luxury space travel company, unveils the patent-pending Spaceship Neptune capsule design now in production at the company’s state-of-the-art campus, near its Operations Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. (Space Perspective image)

COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS TARGETED TO BEGIN IN 2024

BREVARD COUNTY • KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA – Space travel is about to get safer, more comfortable, and even more thrilling. Space Perspective is currently taking reservations for 2025 and beyond. Tickets are priced at $125,000 per person.

Space Perspective, Planet Earth’s leading luxury space travel company, unveils the patent-pending Spaceship Neptune capsule design now in production at the company’s state-of-the-art campus, near its Operations Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

As the only carbon-neutral way to space, Space Perspective continues its pursuit of proprietary space travel innovation.

Thousands of virtual flight tests, simulations, and analyses run with cutting-edge technology from Siemens Digital Industries and AWS resulted in the pioneering capsule and splash cone designs.

An elegant spherical exterior maximizes the 360-degree panoramic views via the largest-ever, patented windows to be taken to the edge of space and a roomier Space Lounge interior, offering plenty of headroom as Explorers move around the capsule.

The proprietary splash cone ensures Spaceship Neptune’s ocean landing is gentle and safe.

Space Perspective is revolutionizing space travel – and is a world away from rocket-fueled space endeavors.

Explorers onboard Spaceship Neptune, taking flight commercially from the end of 2024, will safely ascend to the edge of space in the climate-controlled, pressurized capsule, propelled by a patented SpaceBalloonTM, absorbing the phenomenal beauty of Earth from space.

The six-hour round trip enables anybody who can board an airplane to soak in the beautiful views of the thin blue line circling earth below and the dark vastness of space above.

DNA

Ultra-precise gene therapy technologies could edit or silence faulty genes causing fatal heart diseases

August 18, 2022

By Emily Henderson, B.Sc.

An injectable cure for inherited heart muscle conditions that can kill young people in the prime of their lives could be available within a few years, after an international team of researchers were announced as the winners of the British Heart Foundation’s Big Beat Challenge.

The global award, at £30m, is one of the largest non-commercial grants ever given and presents a “once in a generation opportunity” to provide hope for families struck by these killer diseases.

The winning team, CureHeart, will seek to develop the first cures for inherited heart muscle diseases by pioneering revolutionary and ultra-precise gene therapy technologies that could edit or silence the faulty genes that cause these deadly conditions.

The team, made up of world-leading scientists from the UK, US and Singapore, was selected by an International Advisory Panel chaired by Professor Sir Patrick Vallance, Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Government.

Inherited heart muscle diseases can cause the heart to stop suddenly or cause progressive heart failure in young people. Every week in the UK, 12 people under the age of 35 die of an undiagnosed heart condition1, very often caused by one of these inherited heart muscle diseases, also known as genetic cardiomyopathies. Around half of all heart transplants are needed because of cardiomyopathy and current treatments do not prevent the condition from progressing.

Medicine

Researchers develop ultrasound stickers that can see inside the body

August 18, 2022

An ultrasound sticker

Researchers have created a stamp-sized ultrasound sticker that can provide images of internal organs continuously for 48 hours.

Currently, ultrasounds require bulky and specialised equipment only available in hospitals and doctors’ offices.

But a new design by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers might make the technology as wearable and accessible as buying plasters at the pharmacy.

The patch was tested in people doing activities such as jogging and drinking fluids.

Ultrasounds allow doctors to see live images of a patient’s internal organs, and wands and probes are used to direct sound waves into the body.

These waves reflect back out to produce high-resolution images of a patient’s heart, lungs and other deep organs.

MIT graduate student Chonghe Wang said: “Wearable ultrasound imaging tools would have huge potential in the future of clinical diagnosis.

AI

Tempur backs $20M investment for an AI-powered robot bed disrupting the future of sleep

August 17, 2022

BY AKANSHA DIMRI

The promise of evolutionary learning has long excited AI researchers, but few applications are as meaningful as solving the complex problem of sleep. Now here comes a startup from Silicon Valley dubbed as Bryte, which claims to be creating the world’s most advanced AI-connected and robotics-powered bed. The US-based tech company has now secured a $20 million strategic investment round.

The funding was led by Tempur Sealy International, the company synonymous with the mattress industry. The two companies intend to collaborate on future products, services, and technology with the latest investment. Further, ARCHina Capital and other existing Bryte investors also participated in the funding round.

“Our mission is to empower lives through restorative sleep, which starts by reaching as many people as possible, with the most technically advanced products and first-rate services at a complete range of price points. There is simply no company in the world with a more complete and desirable portfolio of brands than Tempur Sealy, and we couldn’t be more excited about their investment,” said Luke Kelly, CEO, Bryte.

“It has long been clear to us that meaningful innovation improves sleep outcomes for millions of people. With Bryte, we have invested in a company that is committed to innovation with an elegant, seamless integrated product that we believe fits our long-term brand strategy. We are excited to form a relationship with their talented team,” said Scott Thompson, Tempur Sealy Chairman and CEO.

brain hacking

‘Artificial synapse’ could make neural networks work more like brains

August 17, 2022

Networks of nanoscale resistors that work in a similar way to nerve cells in the body could offer advantages over digital machine learning

By Alex Wilkins

A resistor that works in a similar way to nerve cells in the body could be used to build neural networks for machine learning.

Many large machine learning models rely on increasing amounts of processing power to achieve their results, but this has vast energy costs and produces large amounts of heat.

One proposed solution is analogue machine learning, which works like a brain by using electronic devices similar to neurons to act as the parts of the model. However, these devices have so far not been fast, small or efficient enough to provide advantages over digital machine learning.

Murat Onen at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his colleagues have created a nanoscale resistor that transmits protons from one terminal to another. This functions a bit like a synapse, a connection between two neurons, where ions flow in one direction to transmit information. But these “artificial synapses” are 1000 times smaller and 10,000 times faster than their biological counterparts.

Just as a human brain learns by remodelling the connections between millions of interconnected neurons, so too could machine learning models run on networks of these nanoresistors.

“We are doing somewhat similar things [to biology], like ion transport, but we are now doing it so fast, whereas biology couldn’t,” says Onen, whose device is a million times faster than previous proton-transporting devices.

Robots, Science & Technology News

Robots from DNA? Researchers Developed a New Machine for Membrane Proteins

August 17, 2022

By Isaiah Richard

Researchers achieved a new development in their studies in this new publication focusing on nano-sized robots that came from a DNA’s design, now concentrate on doing wonders for biological advancements. The innovation will help bodily functions to improve and give the world more information regarding the diseases that occur in the body.

According to SciTechDaily, researchers from Inserm, CNRS, and the University of Montpellier focused on developing new nanobots that came from a DNA for studying bodily functions and processes. The research took place at the Structural Biology Center in Montpellier, and its paper is now published in Nature Communication.

The research entitled “A Modular Spring-Loaded Actuator for Mechanical Activation of Membrane Proteins” focus on conducting biological processes with these mechanical objects inside the body.

It may sound like it came from a science fiction show or content, but it is already a reality from the researchers that devised a way patterned from DNA.

AI, Science & Technology News

Google’s DeepMind AI Predicts 3D Structure of Nearly Every Protein Known to Science

August 16, 2022

This ribbon diagram shows the 3D protein structure of an antibody. Complex? It’s pretty simple for an AI.

By Monisha Ravisetti

At last, the decades-old protein folding problem may finally be put to rest.

It wasn’t until 1957 when scientists earned special access to the molecular third dimension.

After 22 years of grueling experimentation, John Kendrew of Cambridge University finally uncovered the 3D structure of a protein. It was a twisted blueprint of myoglobin, the stringy chain of 154 amino acids that helps infuse our muscles with oxygen. As revolutionary as this discovery was, Kendrew didn’t quite open up the protein architecture floodgates. During the next decade, fewer than a dozen more would be identified.

Fast-forward to today, 65 years since that Nobel Prize-winning breakthrough.

On Thursday, Google’s sister company, DeepMind, announced it has successfully used artificial intelligence to predict the 3D structures of nearly every catalogued protein known to science. That’s over 200 million proteins found in plants, bacteria, animals, humans — almost anything you can imagine.

“Essentially, you can think of it as covering the entire protein universe,” Demis Hassabis, founder and CEO of DeepMind, told reporters this week.

It’s thanks to AlphaFold, DeepMind’s groundbreaking AI system, which has an open-source database so scientists worldwide can involve it in their research at will, and for free. Since AlphaFold’s official launch in July of last year — when it had only pinpointed some 350,000 3D proteins — the program has made a noticeable dent in the landscape of research.

Crime

Ransom payments fall as fewer victims choose to pay hackers

August 16, 2022

By Bill Toulas

Ransomware statistics from the second quarter of the year show that the ransoms paid to extortionists have dropped in value, a trend that continues since the last quarter of 2021.

Ransomware remediation firm Coveware has published a report today with ransomware data from the second quarter of 2022 showing that although the average payment increased, the median value recorded a significant drop.