A HUMAN SKIN ‘BAND-AID’ PRINTER IS LAUNCHING INTO SPACE

January 12, 2022

In December of 2021 SpaceX sent its 24th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). On board the mission were various experiments—including ones involving plants and potential cures for cancer. A bioprinter that uses “viable cells” to print tissue structures was also aboard. And it makes human skin “band-aids.”

Design Taxi reported on the delivery of the bioprinter, or Bioprint FirstAid, which is a handheld device. The device, in the images above and below, uses a patient’s own skin cells to create tissue-forming patches to cover wounds. And, simultaneously, accelerate the healing process.

NASA notes the device—which kind of looks like a tape dispenser with a bendy syringe instead of tape—uses prepared bio-inks consisting of a patient’s own cells. The collection of human skin cells, coupled with a “crosslinking” material, form a “band-aid patch” in the case of an injury. (Unfortunately, it’s unclear what the cell band-aid looks like as it heals. Or after it has healed. Although it seems to spread as a clear, viscous liquid.)

Robots

THIS AUTOMATED WALL-CLIMBING ROBOT WAS DESIGNED BY HAUSBOTS TO STREAMLINE HOME-CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

January 11, 2022

BY SHAWN MCNULTY-KOWAL

HB1 is an automated wall-climbing robot that was designed to streamline home construction projects.

No matter the size, location, style, or chosen building material–when it comes to constructing houses, it can be a dangerous job. Even with bulky construction vehicles, building homes requires a lot of finesse and attention. As our technological worlds evolve, so do our tools and that includes those used for home construction. Home-building robotics company Hausbots developed an automated, climbing construction robot called HB1 to help get home projects done.

Batteries

No Mo’ ’Splosions? Nanotech Energy Unveils Fireproof Graphene Battery

January 11, 2022

Nonflammable OrganoLyte electrolyte promises to last longer and charge faster.

By Frank Markus

Wow, the claims Nanotech Energy makes for its new graphene battery, just presented at CES Unveiled, are impressive: It retains more than 80 percent of its rated capacity through 1,400 cycles, can charge “18 times faster than anything that is currently available on the market,” maintains performance at extreme temperatures (-40 to 140 degrees F), holds charge at temperatures as high as 350 degrees and won’t catch fire when penetrated with a nail or heated to more than 1,300 degrees, don’t require exotic materials, can be manufactured on existing equipment in various form factors (cylindrical, pouch, etc. ), and is going to be produced in a new plant in Nevada slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Given all that, we wouldn’t be surprised to learn that driving an EV powered by such batteries also promoted weight loss and prevented tax audits. Here’s what we know about the Nanotech Energy graphene battery.

Driverless vehicles

Self-Driving Cab-Less Delivery Van Can Carry Up 2,000 Lbs of Cargo, Make 80 Stops Per Run

January 11, 2022

by Florina Spînu

California-based startup Udelv unveiled the first cab-less electric delivery van virtually at CES 2022. Called the Transporter, the vehicle will use Mobileye’s vision-sensing technology that will allow it to achieve Level 4 autonomous operation for last- and middle-mile delivery of goods.

The Transporter features a modular pod that is capable of carrying up to 2,000 lbs (907 kg) of cargo that includes anything from convenience goods, e-commerce packages, and auto parts to electronics and medical supplies.

“The Transporter is transformative for two of the world’s largest industries: automotive and logistics. It was created to solve two great challenges of commercial fleets: the shortage of drivers and the electrification of fleets,”said Udelv CEO Daniel Laury.

The vehicle can make up to 80 stops per run at speeds that reach 70 mph (113 kph). It has a battery capacity between 90 and 160 kWh. The cab-less van can cover between 160 and 300 miles (257-483 km) depending on the chosen battery pack. The company says that it will take less than an hour to add up to 220 miles (322 km) of range when recharged at a DC Fast Charging station.

Futurati Podcast, Science & Technology News

Futurati Podcast with Gary Bolles

January 11, 2022

Watch on Youtube

Listen on the Futurati Podcast

Gary Bolles is Chair for the Future of Work at Singularity University, the author of “The Next Rules of Work”, and an expert in how jobs, teams, and organizations will evolve in the years ahead.

Stem cells

Stem cells instead of drugs? Northwestern trial testing a way to help strengthen transplant patients’ immune systems

January 10, 2022

By MADELINE BUCKLEY

Before her mother’s kidney transplant, Arianna Barrett watched a medical professional carefully extract stem cells from her own neck with a feeling that she was observing scientific developments in real time.

Since her mother was diagnosed with kidney disease, Barrett, a 36-year-old Chicago teacher, always knew she wanted to donate a kidney to her mother, even though her mother, Margaret Rainey, had reservations about her daughter having a major surgery.ADVERTISEMENT

But the mother-daughter pair did more than share an organ. Doctors transplanted stem cells from Barrett into her mother to teach Rainey’s immune system to recognize her new kidney.

“It was a little daunting, but so cool to see how far the medicine has come,” Barrett said.

AI

EYE IN THE SKY

January 10, 2022

Chinese AI-driven satellite takes ultra-high res images of US city from orbit at speeds ‘never before seen’

China’s Beijing-3 satellite was able to take hi-res images of the San Francisco Bay area

By Jon Rogers

CHINA has developed a powerful AI satellite capable of taking hi-res images of cities in a matter of seconds.

Beijing-3, a small one-tonne commercial satellite, can take images clear enough to be able to identify a military vehicle on the street and tell what type of weapon it might be carrying, according to researchers.

The satellite was launched by China in June and performed an in-depth scan of the central San Francisco Bay area, covering 1,470 square miles, the journal Spacecraft Engineering reports.

Most satellites observing the Earth must be stable when taking image because altitude control mechanisms can produce vibrations that blur the images.

But in the Chinese experiment on June 16, the satellite was able to change the angle of its camera’s line of sight to the ground when passing over the US.

The movement meant it could capture a larger area than satellites have been previously able to.

The pictures were taken at an altitude of 310 miles and had a resolution of 50 centimetres per pixel with the test showing the satellite could take images while its body was twisting at up to 10 degrees per second, a speed not seen on a satellite before.

Driverless vehicles

World’s first fully driverless truck trip: TuSimple’s autonomous semi traveled 80 miles on public roads from Tucson to Phoenix with no one at the wheel

January 10, 2022

By STACY LIBERATORE

The truck, developed by TuSimple, cruised along I-10 from Tucson, Arizona to Phoenix for one-hour and 20 minutes
This is the world’s first fully driverless trip taken by a semitruck
No human was at the wheel or inside truck during its 80-mile journey
The truck also operated on public roads, highways and through congested areas

TuSimple’s autonomous semitruck recently completed the world’s first driverless trip, which saw the vehicle travel 80 miles in Arizona without a safety person at the wheel or any human intervention.

The nighttime drive on December 22 started at a railyard in Tucson, traveled along 1-10 for one hour and 20 minutes, and ended at a distribution center in Phoenix.

Along the journey, TuSimple’s Autonomous Driving System (ADS) successfully navigated surface streets, traffic signals, on-ramps, off-ramps, emergency lane vehicles, and highway lane changes in open traffic while naturally interacting with other motorists, according to the company.

This trip is also the first time a class 8 autonomous truck has operated on open public roads and TuSimple says this is only the beginning of its technology’s abilities.

drones

How Meituan is redefining food delivery in China with drones

January 9, 2022

Descending from the cloudy heavens, drones are helping the company get to places harder to reach by bike or car

By Rita Liao

On a congested sidewalk next to a busy mall in Shenzhen, a 20-something woman uses a smartphone app to order a milk tea on Meituan, a major food delivery company. In less than 10 minutes, the pearl-white drink arrives, not on the back of one of the city’s ubiquitous delivery bikes, but descending from the cloudy heavens, in a cardboard box on the back of a drone, into a small roadside kiosk. The only thing the scene is missing is a choir of angels.

Over the past two years, Meituan, one of China’s largest internet companies, has flown 19,000 meals to 8,000 customers across Shenzhen, a city with close to 20 million people. The pilot program is available to just seven neighborhoods, each with a three-kilometer stretch, and only from a select number of merchants. The drones deliver to designated streetside kiosks rather than hover outside people’s windows as envisioned by sci-fi writers. But the trials are proof of concept for Meituan’s ambitions, and the company is now ready to ramp up its aerial delivery ambitions.

Tencent-backed Meituan isn’t the only Chinese tech giant that hopes to fill urban skies with tiny fliers. Alibaba, which runs Meituan’s rival Ele.me and e-commerce powerhouse JD.com, have also invested in similar drone delivery services in recent years.

On the back of the pilot program, Meituan has applied to operate a commercial drone delivery service across all of Shenzhen, Mao Yinian, head of the company’s drone delivery unit, said at a press event this month. The application, submitted in September, is currently under review by Shenzhen’s aviation authority and is expected to receive approval in 2022, though the actual timeline is subject to government decisions.

“We went from experimenting in the suburbs to a central area. That means our operational capability has reached a new level,” said Chen Tianjian, technical expert at Meituan’s drone business, at the same event.

Blockchain

Altaeros partners with World Mobile to raise blockchain network to the sky

January 9, 2022

By Lindsey Schutters

World Mobile, the first mobile network built on blockchain and run by the people, partners with Altaeros, developers of the world’s first autonomous aerostats, to connect the unconnected.

Altaeros is focused on developing and deploying innovative infrastructure solutions

Through this partnership, Altaeros and World Mobile will provide low-altitude aerostats (tethered balloon platforms) with a coverage area of approximately 8 000 square kilometres each, forming part of World Mobile’s Dynamic Network.

Several aerostats will launch in Zanzibar anchoring the network and delivering connectivity near to 100 percent of the island. Each aerostat will connect hundreds of thousands of subscribers and each subscriber on the network will create a blockchain wallet. World Mobile will be deploying thousands of aerostats across the continent.

The aerostat system consists of a helium-filled envelope and stabilising fins. The unique three-tethered architecture limits the aerostat’s movement in the air (pitch, roll and yaw), which is essential in stabilizing telco coverage so connectivity doesn’t drop in and out.

The aerostat is attached to a movable mooring platform with built-in software that adjusts the balloon’s position depending on wind conditions. The onboard communication system, using beamforming technology (a technique that focuses a wireless signal towards a specific receiving device) will allow 3G, 4G and 5G handsets to connect directly and will also connect WM AirNodes in the vicinity via traditional and alternative spectrums.

AI

Hi-tech AI-powered robots are replacing recycling centre workers in Finland

January 9, 2022

Image shows an AI-powered zenrobotics recycling robot at work. – Copyright zenroboticsBy Euronews and AP • Updated: 31/12/2021

On the outskirts of Finnish capital Helsinki, new technology is making recycling easier.

A recently-opened, 35-million-euro plant, owned by Finnish firm Remeo, can process up to 120,000 tonnes of construction waste, including wood, plastics, and metals.

It is said to be the most advanced recycling plant in Europe.ADVERTISING

“We have thousands of thousands of customers, all industries,” said Johan Mild, CEO of Remeo, which operates eight plants across Finland.

“From shopping malls, from production sites, from all over our customers, with our lorry it comes here.”

According to the European Union, the average European produces about five tonnes of waste a year, but only 38 per cent of that gets recycled. Over 36 per cent of all EU waste comes from construction.

Recycling waste is complicated due to the limited information on materials’ content and quality.

“Unpure” items often cannot be recycled and reused as raw materials.

In several European countries, including Finland, some waste that can’t be recycled is sent to incineration plants, which produce power and heat, but also add to greenhouse gas emissions.

Medicine

A ‘game-changer’ weight-loss drug was approved in 2021. Demand was so high that there were shortages within months.

January 9, 2022

By Gabby Landsverk

Semaglutide, a weight-loss drug, showed promise for treating obesity in recent research.
Demand quickly exceeded supply after the FDA in June approved once-weekly semaglutide injections.
However, some experts worry that we don’t yet understand the drug’s long-term effects.

2021 was a historic year for obesity treatment. In June, the Food and Drug Administration approved the weight-loss drug semaglutide, which some experts described as a “game-changer.”

The medication, initially developed to treat Type 2 diabetes, was the first drug treatment to be approved by the FDA for weight management since 2014. Wegovy, the brand of semaglutide sold by Novo Nordisk, is a once-weekly injection designed to balance out hunger hormones. It’s prescribed for people with a body mass index of 30 or more, or a BMI of 27 with related conditions such as diabetes.

Semaglutide was widely praised, prompting such high demand that there were shortages within months of Wegovy’s entrance into the market.

While questions remain about its long-term effects, the drug made a splash in healthcare this year, changing how experts and the public think about weight loss.