Impact Lab – Page 349 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

Airbus Jumps Into Electric Air Taxi Race

October 2, 2021

By Madhu Unnikrishnan

The electric aircraft market has gone from zero to 60 in just a matter of months, now that one of the world’s largest airframers has entered the race. Airbus said its Helicopters division is developing an electric take off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi that could take its first flight in 2023.

This is in stark contrast to Airbus archrival Boeing, which just last week committed only to consider alternative propulsion technologies in the near- to medium-term.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s Gol is committing to order up to 250 Vertical Aerospace eVTOLs through lessor Avolon and in partnership with Grupo Comparte to create an urban air taxi platform for country’s most congested cities. Gol’s proposed equity partner American Airlines also has a commitment for Vertical Aerospace’s VA-X4 aircraft.

Tesla

Elon Musk promises to add a Full Self-Driving button to Tesla cars – ET Auto

October 2, 2021

Elon Musk has been promising the FSD package to Tesla buyers for at least six months.

Tesla is poised to introduce the Full Self-Driving package, also called FSD package, to its cars this week. The beta version of the software has already been pushed out to selected users. Tesla owners who have already paid for the controversial software can request for FSD Beta software and will be granted access based on their driving behaviour.

“Beta button will request permission to assess driving behavior using the Tesla insurance calculator. If driving behavior is good for 7 days, beta access will be granted.” Elon Musk replied to a Twitter user.

Although Tesla has characterised even the newest version of FSD Beta features as a Level 2 drivers assistance system, videos posted by testers show cars driving on streets without any human intervention.

Elon Musk has been promising the FSD package to Tesla buyers for at least six months. “Build 8.3 of FSD should be done QA testing by end of next week, so that’s roughly when download button should show up [SIC],” said Musk in March.

Aviation, Science & Technology News

Air travel’s future may include virtual cabin windows – take a look

October 1, 2021

The virtual airplane window also incorporates touchless technlogy.

by Francesca Street

Looking out the cabin window and seeing cities and oceans from above is, for many of us, one of the joys of flying.

But aviation innovators Rosen Aviation reckon this experience could be taken to the next level, rendering actual airplane windows obsolete.

The American aviation company is touting its Maverick Project airplane cabin design as the next frontier of inflight experience. A key part of the package? Virtual windows.

“The Maverick Project was born from trying to bring tomorrow’s technology into tomorrow’s plane,” says Lee Clark, Rosen’s senior VP for strategy.

Clark tells CNN Travel that while some of these features have become more common on the ground in recent years — think smart homes — airplane cabins haven’t really caught up.

“The Maverick Project originated because the industry at large is somewhat lagging behind the domestic, residential and automotive worlds,” he says.

Rosen, working in collaboration with KiPcreating and Sky-Style, wants to change this dynamic with the Maverick Project.

But while the visual renderings look flashy, Clark says the goal isn’t to go high tech simply for the sake of it.

“The critical piece is it’s about the passenger experience, it’s not about the technology,” says Clark.

Robots

Airports of the future: Your first-hand look at robot mobile food ordering and gate delivery

October 1, 2021

By Harriet Baskas

As travelers return to airports, airports are expanding their offerings of amenities that help make the terminal experience safe and stress-free.

Topping the list of welcome and much-used new services are mobile food ordering programs that offer contactless ordering, payment, pick-up, or delivery.

With the roll-out of OrderSEA, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is the latest airport to offer mobile food ordering with the option of airport-wide gate delivery. Runners from At Your Gate pick up the food and make the deliveries, sometimes with the aid of Gita, a two-wheeled cargo-carrying robot created by Piaggio Fast Forward, a Boston-area startup that is a subsidiary of Piaggio, the manufacturer of Vespa scooters.

As it is at most other airports offering this service, OrderSEA is powered by Servy’s Grab Airport Marketplace technology in partnership with AtYourGate. Travelers can place orders via the airport’s FLYSEA app, through OrderSEA.org, or through the AtYourGate or Grab apps. Right now, menus from sixteen airport restaurants are available, with more on the way. Travelers use their phones to peruse the menus, make and pay for their orders, and then choose pick-up or delivery to a gate or another post-security spot in the terminal.

Augmented Reality

SCIENTISTS CREATE HOLOGRAMS THAT YOU CAN TOUCH

October 1, 2021

THEY CREATED A BASKETBALL PROJECT THAT CAN BE “TOUCHED, ROLLED AND BOUNCED.”

Aerohaptic Holograms

Researchers have developed a hologram that allows you to reach out and “feel” it — not unlike the holodecks of “Star Trek.”

University of Glasgow scientists have created hologram system that uses jets of air known as “aerohaptics” to replicate the sensation of touch, according to Ravinder Daahiya, a researcher who worked on the project. He said that the air jets can allow you to feel “people’s fingers, hands and wrists.” The team published a paper of their findings in Advanced Intelligent Systems.

“In time, this could be developed to allow you to meet a virtual avatar of a colleague on the other side of the world and really feel their handshake,” he said in his piece for The Conversation. “It could even be the first steps towards building something like a holodeck.”

Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News

The future of personalized medicine: Technion team built blood tree from scratch

September 30, 2021

Currently, transplanted grafts need to be implanted into a healthy part of the body so that the patient can generate new blood vessels to support it.

By HADAS LABRISCH

Engineered blood vessels in Technion study. Vascular structures in the scaffold lumen (brown) communicate with vessels located in the surrounding hydrogel (green).(photo credit: Courtesy)AdvertisementSkin flaps, bone grafts, implanted tissue – recent advancements in medicine have changed the face of surgery in terms of autologous – meaning self – transplantations.While extensive damage to organs once meant a nearly sure amputation or need for an external transplant, today’s science focuses on harvesting cells and tissue from a person’s own body to complete the injured pieces of the puzzle, using grafts and flaps to repair skin, vessels, tubes and bones.Yet, ask any surgeon attempting to insert a flap and they would tell you that the most important – and restrictive – component of a graft’s success is ample blood supply.

AI

The Unlimited Potential Of AI In Genomic Diagnostics

September 30, 2021

By NAVEEN JOSHI

Genomic diagnostic is an area that can benefit hugely from the capabilities of AI. The involvement of AI in healthcare can potentially be beneficial in genetic diagnostics.

Ironically, rare diseases are fairly common in the world, with nearly half a billion people suffering from some or the other kind of lesser-known ailments. Such diseases can be notoriously tricky to diagnose as standard clinical tests may not uncover several underlying details regarding them. Additionally, almost all rare diseases are caused due to genetic issues in individuals. So, fast and accurate gene-based ailment diagnostics is the need of the hour in healthcare today. However, according to a study, such diseases can take nearly five years on average to be diagnosed accurately, meaning that almost a third of the children suffering from one or the other type of rare genetic disorder will pass away before they even turn five.

Employment

Dying Careers You May Want to Steer Clear Of

September 30, 2021

It’s tough to change, but your job could depend on it. Be flexible in your career goals – and talk with your kids about their own aspirations, because if you want to be employed for the long haul, you need to think about how industries are changing.

by: Neale Godfrey

No one has a crystal ball, but we are in a time of great change, and we want our skills to be relevant and needed moving forward. And just as important, we want our kids and grandkids to have happy and fulfilling jobs. Which brings us to an important question: What jobs are likely to disappear or become obsolete over the next decade or so?

drones

Hammerhead eV20 Cargo Drone Can Carry Spot the Robot Dog in Its Luggage Compartment

September 29, 2021

by Cristina Mircea

The Commercial UAV Expo Americas is one of the most important events in the drone industry, having first dibs on all the breakthroughs and releases in the field. This year’s edition brought some really cool UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) in the spotlight and the Hammerhead eV20 is one of them. 6 photos

The eV20 is a delivery drone developed by Airlogix, a company headquartered in Delaware, which also has a research and development center in Ukraine. Its new VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) is an electric drone propelled by four tilt electric motors with a maximum thrust of 104 lb (47 kg) each.

Electric Vehicles

The World’s First Battery-Electric Freight Train Has the Power of 100 Tesla Cars

September 29, 2021

And it’s powered by 18,000 lithium-ion battery cells.

By Chris Young

Freight train manufacturer Wabtec, in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, unveiled the world’s first battery-electric locomotive, a report in Digital Journal reveals.

The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based firm claimed its new machine is “dramatically more powerful” than a Tesla electric car and that it can help to significantly reduce carbon emissions for the already relatively green freight train transportation sector.

3D Printer

THESE MODULAR PREFAB HOMES COULD BE THE WORLD’S FIRST TO USE A STEEL 3D-PRINTED “EXOSKELETON” CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM!

September 29, 2021

BY SHAWN MCNULTY-KOWAL

Located in Orani, Sardinia, Exosteel comprises the world’s first housing development to use a steel 3D-printed “exoskeleton” construction system that supports and distributes all the functional elements of the building, inspired by the sculpture work of Costantino Nivola.

Museums are social hubs for travelers. They’re cultural and artistic landmarks first, yes. But they’re also guaranteed spots where tourists can take some respite from long hours spent wandering the city. Near the Nivola Museum in Sardinia, Italy, international design studio Mask Architects visualized a cluster of homes to function as a housing development for the surrounding community. Conceptualized as a small village of modular prefabricated steel houses, Mask Architects is the world’s first architecture and design firm to use a steel 3D-printed “exoskeleton” construction system to build the small village, calling it Exosteel.

Cancer

New nano particles suppress resistance to cancer immunotherapy

September 28, 2021

Combination therapy against anti-PD-1-resistant lung cancer. A combination of anti-PD-1 antibodies and stimulator of an interferon gene (STING)-loaded lipid nanoparticles (STING-LNP) had the maximum effect in reducing metastases (black regions) on lungs (pink tissue; far right). STING-lipid nanoparticles alone had a better effect (center right) than anti-PD-1 antibodies (center left), which were as effective as the control saline solution.

A specially designed lipid nanoparticle could deliver immune-signaling molecules into liver macrophage cells to overcome resistance to anti-tumor immunotherapy.

After intravenous injection into mice, STING-lipid nanoparticles (red) transported through blood vessels(green) accumulate in the liver (Takashi Nakamura, et al. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. July 2, 2021).

Hokkaido University scientists and colleagues in Japan have found a way that could help some patients overcome resistance to an immunotherapy treatment for cancer. The approach, proven in mice experiments, was reported in the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer.