Impact Lab – Page 341 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

Researcher develops artificial muscle in miniature devices

November 20, 2021

University of Wollongong (UOW) senior professor Geoff Spinks, has been awarded at the global Falling Walls Science Summit for a Science Breakthrough of the Year, for his research on artificial muscle material.

The research in question has led to the development of artificial muscles in miniature devices that could be applied in medicine and robotics, such as in miniature tweezers, prosthetic hands or dexterous robotic devices.

Spinks and an international research team have developed various types of artificial muscles that bend, rotate or contract in length, by twisting and coiling carbon nanotube or polymer yarns. The science has enabled them to make artificial muscles as thin fibres or films that are especially well suited to microscopic devices.

The most recent breakthrough happened as an unexpected outcome of their studies, thanks in part to the inspiration from nature and DNA supercoiling.

Virtual Reality

South Korean capital Seoul will become world’s first ‘metaverse’ city

November 19, 2021

‘Metaverse Seoul’ will let residents visit famous tourist attractions, attend festivals, and even file paperwork with the local council in a virtual reality city hall

By Ciaran Daly

The South Korean capital of Seoul has announced plans to build its own virtual city ‘metaverse’.

Residents will soon be able to attend gigs and famous tourist sites or complain to the council about potholes all through virtual reality.

The city’s government revealed its plans to build a Blade Runner-style ‘Metaverse Seoul’ by the end of next year.

The project will start with a virtual bell ringing event at the end of the year, and eventually build a virtual mayor’s office and even a metaverse city hall.

3D avatars will be able to handle complaints and applications at the ‘Metaverse 120 Center’, so citizens can finally queue to do paperwork in VR instead of in person.

3D Printer

New commercial vehicle powered by 3D-printed batteries

November 19, 2021

By Louis Regnier

Blackstone Resources AG have announced that their partner ORTEN Electric Trucks will soon present its first commercial vehicle, which will be powered by Blackstone’s new 3D-printed lithium batteries as early as the end of 2022.

“We are pleased about the strong partnership with ORTEN E-Trucks. This cooperation is very interesting for both sides,” says Serhat Yilmaz, Chief Marketing Officer of Blackstone Technology GmbH, a 100% subsidiary of Blackstone Resources AG. “In order to prove that our advanced batteries have reached market maturity and that there is a great demand for them. Their numerous technical advantages play a major role in practical application.”

At the Press Day (07.12.21) of Blackstone Technology in Döbeln, Saxony, Robert E. Orten the Managing Partner of ORTEN E-Trucks, will present a first, operational commercial vehicle. In the first quarter of 2022, a joint pilot project with Blackstone will start, in which the commercial vehicle will be powered by our world first: 3D-printed batteries according to the Blackstone Thick Layer Technology . “With 20% increased energy density, our load carriers also enable 20% more range,” says Ulrich Ernst, founder and CEO of Blackstone Resources AG. “At the same time, we can drastically reduce environmental impacts in production and avoid 50% of the industry’s usual waste materials.

Coronavirus

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER AN ANTIBODY THAT CAN PROTECT PEOPLE AGAINST SEVERAL CORONAVIRUSES

November 19, 2021

Researchers have discovered an antibody that is not only just effective against Covid, but against all types of coronaviruses that could have future outbreaks among humans. Pictured: A microscope image of a COVID-19 virus cell

By MANSUR SHAHEEN

Scientists have identified an antibody that can protect people from COVID-19, its variants and other types of coronaviruses.

The antibody, DH1047, works by binding to the virus’s cells and neutralizing them, preventing them from replicating.

It is effective at both preventing infection and at helping treat a person that has already contracted Covid.

The research team at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (UNC) and Duke University, in Durham, says it believes it has found a key piece that can help combat the current pandemic and future virus outbreaks.

‘This antibody has the potential to be a therapeutic for the current epidemic,’ Dr Barton Haynes, director of Duke Human Vaccine Institute and co-author of the study, said in a statement.

Science & Technology News, Tom Frey

Futurati Podcast Ep.60 with Corey Hoffstein

November 18, 2021

Watch on Youtube

Listen on the Futurati Podcast website

Corey Hoffstein is the co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Newfound Research as well as an enthusiast of cryptocurrencies and various crypto projects. Newfound is a quantitative asset management firm seeking to help investors proactively navigate the risks of investing through better diversification.

3D Printer

PRINCETON CRAFTS A 3D PRINTED BIONIC EAR WITH SUPER HEARING, CREEPY LOOKS

November 18, 2021

By J. Fingas

Scientists have toyed with printing ear implants for ages, but they’ve usually been more cosmetic than functional. Princeton has just developed a bionic ear that could transcend those mere replacements to offer a full-on upgrade.

Rather than seed hydrogel with cells and call it a day, the researchers 3D printed a blend of calf cells, hydrogel and an integrated, coiled antenna made from silver nanoparticles.

Space Flight

Channeling Elon Musk, Japan gears up for private rocket space race

November 18, 2021

The Epsilon-5 rocket lifts off from Uchinoura Space Center in the southwestern Japan on Nov. 9.

IHI Aerospace eyes satellite launches for Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Space

SPINLAUNCH COMPLETES FIRST PROTOTYPE FLIGHT USING KINETIC LAUNCH SYSTEM

November 18, 2021

By Aria Alamalhodaei

SpinLaunch, a startup working on a kinetic space launch system, has successfully completed its first prototype flight. It’s a major milestone for the seven-year-old company as it works toward a test of its full-scale system.

The concept behind that system is pretty wild: Essentially, SpinLaunch wants to get to orbit by using a large, vacuum-sealed chamber and a hypersonic tether to spin a spacecraft at a high enough velocity — up to 5,000 miles per hour — to escape the atmosphere. That means no rocket, no rocket engines. It’s a markedly different way of thinking about spaceflight, much more akin to a giant rail gun rather than a conventional launch system.

According to SpinLaunch, such a system is now possible thanks to advances in small electronics and high-strength materials like carbon fiber, which can harden both the launch vehicle and small satellites to high-G forces.

Space Flight

Virgin Galactic reveals how many $450K seats it’s sold for space tourism ride

November 17, 2021

By Trevor Mogg

Virgin Galactic has revealed that so far 100 people have each handed over $450,000 for a flight on its rocket-powered suborbital spaceplane.

That brings the total number of reservations for its upcoming space tourism service t0 700, with the other 600 having paid $250,000 before the seat price was raised to $450,000 in the summer.

Virgin Galactic revealed details of the ticket sales in its latest earnings report released on Monday, November 9.

The company is aiming to launch a space tourism service toward the end of 2022 that will send passengers around 55 miles above Earth for a few moments of weightlessness, as well as awesome views of Earth, before returning to terra firma.

Energy

Rolls-Royce’s Future Hydrogen Fuel Cell Module Could Power Ten Houses

November 17, 2021

By Otilia Drăgan

One of the most interesting products on display at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow was a hydrogen fuel cell module presented by Rolls-Royce. The brand’s Power Systems business unit has joined forces with cellcentric to create highly-efficient fuel cell solutions for emergency power generation.

With a minimalistic design and H-shaped front panel, Rolls-Royce’s mtu fuel cell element is a good example of future technology. This modern-looking module will be able to generate a net power output of 150 kW, enough to power ten homes. But its clean power is meant to be used as a backup for large data centers. Multiple modules can also be connected into fuel cell power plants for impressive megawatts outputs.

This fuel cell module is the result of a collaboration between Rolls-Royce and cellcentric, the joint venture set up by Daimler Truck and Volvo earlier this year. The mtu hydrogen fuel cell solution will be developed based on cellcentric’s fuel cell modules. Hydrogen is promoted as a viable alternative for fossil fuels, but it’s also considered a key element for climate-neutral telecommunications and internet traffic. These domains are linked to huge data centers that require large amounts of energy. So, why not make this clean energy?

Employment

‘The Great Resignation’ is creating more entrepreneurs, side hustlers, and freelancers

November 17, 2021

By Vera Gibbons

Susana Boey has always been a hard-working high-achiever so when she took a job in corporate marketing at an international media company in New York City in 2015, she rolled up her sleeves and enthusiastically got to work.

Every day, the now 31-year old Boey would make the hour-and-a-half commute from her apartment in Washington Heights to midtown Manhattan, work through lunch, and stay well past 6 p.m. “If I could fit in anything after work, that was a bonus. Work was my life and I was very fulfilled living this way,” she said, until one day she wasn’t.

“The pandemic hit, budgets got cut, workloads got bigger, workdays got longer, and I got tired,” said Boey. “I wanted a different life.”

Boey quit last spring, becoming part of a movement that’s been dubbed the “Great Resignation.”

In August alone, 4.3 million Americans quit their jobs. That’s the highest number on record since the government began collecting data 20 years ago.

Robots

Autonomous robot performs its first intramuscular injection without needles

November 17, 2021

By Shane McGlaun

One of the things that many people hate most about getting vaccinations and taking certain types of medication is needles. Any medication that has to be delivered intramuscular typically requires a needle and a skilled medical professional to administer it. However, that may change in the future with a new autonomous robot created by a company called Cobionix, founded at the University of Waterloo.

The autonomous robot utilizes the company’s Cobi platform to perform injections without using needles. Cobi is described as a versatile robotic platform that can be deployed rapidly and complete tasks completely autonomously. The robot was fitted with a needle-free injection system. It demonstrated the ability to deliver intramuscular injections to patients without needing needles and without supervision by a healthcare professional.

The robot developers believe that Cobi and solutions like it could help protect healthcare workers, reduce the cost of healthcare, and help improve patient outcomes. Researchers believe the autonomous design of the robot will dramatically reduce the requirements for vaccine clinics and could help deliver vaccines and other medications to remote populations with limited access to healthcare.