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Showing posts from September, 2018

Heart Monitor Taped on Skin

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Organic Sensor & Organic Solar Cell Combine to Monitor Heartbeats Source:  RIKEN Center Very Flexible, Taped Heart Monitor on Your Finger Scientists have developed an organic sensor powered by sunlight that performs as a self-powered heart monitor.  The scientists put a sensor device, an organic, electrochemical transitor, into a flexible organic solar cell.  The device successfully measures the heartbeats of humans under bright light conditions. New Generation of Self-Medical Monitoring This monitor, developed by scientists at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo, is human friendly, ultra flexible with a solar powered sensor.  It can also be used to monitor brain function.  The development was reported in the journal Nature.  It's being hailed as the next generation of self-medical monitoring.  Such self-powered devices placed on the skin have great potential for medical applications.

Ending Malaria thru Gene Mutation

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Genetically Putting Mosquitos on Self-Destruct Africa's Malaria-Endemic Countries DNA Editing Malaria is among the world's worst scourges.  In Africa in 2016, 194 million people were infected by malaria and nearly half a million died from it.  The deadly disease is caused by a parasite and transmitted by mosquito bites. Imperial College London Biologists A team of biologists at Imperial College London may have the weapon to end the scourge.  They've successfully gene-edited mosquitos to self-destruct.  They've targeted a patch of DNA that never varies.  By gene editing the female mosquitos into infertility, the population becomes extinct within 5 to 11 generations. Potential:  Malaria Eliminated within 2 Decades If this gene editing is as successful as lab tests have been, the scientists believe malaria could be eliminated within 2 decades.  Computer models indicate that in the wild mosquito populations could be made extinct by the techn...

Jordan Turning The Desert Green

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Desert Agriculture Enabled by Seawater and Solar Power Jordan's Sustainable Solar & Seawater Farm Project Ambitious, Innovative Project Jordon has embarked on a very ambitious and innovative project to turn the desert green for farming. They have a pilot project underway in a location that's .62 miles from the Israeli border and 9.3 miles from the Red Sea. Feeding the World One of the most pressing needs facing humanity is feeding the world's growing population.  By 2050, food production needs to go up by 50% to feed the projected global population.  The problem is further complicated by the lack of good water, which is a big issue in Jordan.  Furthermore, food production totals 70% of global freshwater consumption and emits 25% of greenhouse gases.  Changes are clearly needed.  Jordan, which is the 2nd poorest water supply nation and three-quarters desert, is taking an innovative, problem solving lead. Jordan Playing to Its Strengths Jordan ...

New, Smart Materials

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Innovation to Increase Jet Fuel Efficiency Photo:  Courtesy of Texas A&M Potential to Reduce the Cost of Flying Texas A&M scientists have developed a group of new, smart materials that could significantly improve the efficiency of fuel burn in jet engines.  That has the potential of cutting the cost of flying. Brand New Materials with Great Potential The materials could also reduce airplane noise over residential areas.  Scientists say there are additional applications in a variety of other industries.  They believe they are just scratching the surface of something new that could enable brand new technologies and brand new scientific research.  The lead researcher is Dr. Ibrahim Karaman, Chevron Professor and head of the university's Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering. Smart Metals Changing Shape The Texas A&M team brought together 2 new areas of materials science involving metal alloys which are metals composed of 2 or mor...

Life Signs on Ancient Mars

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N ew Research Says It's a Real Possibility Mars, the Red Planet Evidence of Support for Underground Martian Life New research by Brown University scientists has discovered that ancient Mars had a plentiful supply of key ingredients for microbes to live under the surface of Mars for millions of years. Just Published Research Based on basic physics and chemical calculations, the Brown researchers found that the subsurface of Mars had more than enough dissolved hydrogen to support microbial life.  Their study was just published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Core Findings The scientists found that radiolysis, which is a process by which radiation breaks down water into its basic particles of hydrogen and oxygen, would have created plenty of hydrogen 4 billion years ago on Mars.  They believe the Martian subsurface had the capability to support life for hundreds of millions of years. Intriguing One Step Closer Let's face it.  We are intrigued b...

Facebook & Virtual Reality

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Facebook Believes VR is Next Big Thing Quest Headset Quest Facebook unveiled a wireless VR headset this week called Oculus Quest.  The company is pushing to popularize the emerging technology by taking it to a mainstream audience.  Facebook acquired Oculus in 2014.  The headset Quest will be available in the spring of 2019. Facebook Goals Facebook leadership believes that VR is the next big thing in human communications after the mobile phone.  The company's goal is to get 1 billion people involved in VR.  Quest offers 6 degrees of freedom and Touch controllers.  It allow you to jump into action with no PC wires or external sensors. VR Future There are expert forecasts that VR headsets and devices will grow in sales by 31% for 2018 over 2017.  A number of heavyweights are investing in the field including Google, Sony and Apple.

Japan's Robot TV News Anchor

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Erica Makes Robotic News Erica - The Robot TV News Anchor First Robot TV News Anchor The world has its first robot news anchor.  Nippon Television, the Japanese TV network, has hired Erica to deliver the nightly news.  Erica is a highly advanced robot.  It was developed by the Director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory at Osaka University, Hiroshi Ishiguro.  He says Erica has one of the most advanced artificial speech systems in the world. Likes to Chat The news robot is loaded with the latest tech.  It's capable of holding conversations with humans thanks to speech generation algorithms, facial recognition technology and infrared sensors that track faces across a room. Even Tells Jokes - Robot News Network This robot is no joke.  Erica actually likes to tell jokes.  For now, she'll serve as a news reader. No on-the-road reporting assignments yet but that can't be too far behind on a potential channel called Robot News Network (...

Thailand's Beachcomber Robot

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Beachbot Cleans Thailand's Beaches Courtesy PTTEP:  Thailand's Beachbot Beach Cleaning Robot Beach Cleaning Robot Thailand, with its beautiful beaches, is one of the world's top tourist destinations.  But as the crowds grow so does the debris left behind on the beach.  Thailand has dispatched a new cleanup crew -  the beach cleaning robot. Bot Partnership Thai oil and gas exploration company PTTEP and Prince of Songkla University have partnered to create the beach cleaning robot.  They're calling it the PTTEP Love Sea Love Beach project and it's proving effective. WiFi Controlled Beachbot can be controlled remotely by WiFi.  It travels along the beach using a vibrating sleeve to separate the trash from the sand.  It works on dry and wet sand and has a rechargeable battery that lasts for 2 hours. More Beach Patrols The team behind Beachbot are expanding its capabilities and plan to deploy more on Thai beaches.  It's robotic ...

HiTech Straw Cleans Dirty Water

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LifeStraw - Personal Water Filter Technology Source:  LifeStraw Don't Drink the Water Dirty water kills millions of people every year.  2.1 billion people globally don't have safe water to drink.  In fact, more people die from contaminated water than from anything else, including war and violence.  A Danish entrepreneur has developed a high tech straw that makes dirty water clean and drinkable. Innovative Technology The straw kills millions of microbes as the water passes through it.  It works like a normal drinking straw.  But it traps contaminants in a number of long, hollow fibers inside the plastic tube.  The company says it traps 99.9% of parasites and 99.9999% of bacteria, including those that cause cholera and typhoid fever. 3rd World Use This technology is of particular importance to developing countries where clean, drinkable water is a scarce commodity.  By 2025, half of the world's population will live in regions where th...

Toyota's Flying Car Patent

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Design with Rotors that Pop Out of the Wheels Toyota's Flying Car Design Concept Toyota's Quadcopter Toyota has applied for a patent on its flying car design.  The wheels have spring-loaded, pop out helicopter rotors.  It has the appearance of a quadcopter.  If you decide you want to fly and get out of a traffic jam, you switch on the flying mode.  The wheels start to fold upwards.  Then, the wheels sprout rotor blades and spin up, providing lift. Drives Like a Tank According to the patent filing, the wheels and rotors would be electric powered.  It's not clear what type of engine would generate the electricity.  The source could be hydrogen fuel cells, EV batteries or some type of combustion engine.  In driving mode, the flying car would steer in a manner similar to tracked vehicles such as a tank. Crowded Skies There are quite a few flying cars getting close to entering the airspace.  Volvo announced it will start selling si...

Membrane Controls Blood Pressure - Medical Innovation

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Promise of New & Better Blood Pressure Treatments Source:  OSHU Breakthrough Research by Oregon Health and Science University New research by scientists at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland reveals the 3-dimensional structure of a membrane that controls blood pressure.  The membrane is called the human epithelial sodium channel.  It has never been so precisely isolated and detailed as that done by the OHSU researchers. Membrane Is Critical to Human Health Using a cyro-electron microscope, the researchers generated a 3D model of the channel.  Besides being critical to controlling blood pressure, it's also impactful on other functions in the body. The channel enables sodium ions to be absorbed into tissue throughout the body including the kidney.  As such it's critical to human health by regulating sodium balance, blood volume and blood pressure. Great Potential for New Therapies This discovery is expected to lead to new and bet...

Google: Speech Recognition Next Big Tech

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Google Forecast - Speech Will Be the Next Big Leap for the Internet MIT Image of Speech Recognition Google Turns Twenty Google turned 20 on 9/24/2018.  And, the company, with a storied history of innovation, is forecasting that speech recognition and the understanding of language are the keys to the future of information and search.  They believe that is literally the future of the internet. Better Understanding of Common Language Advanced voice services will be the next big leap.  That's according to Google's head of search Ben Gomes.  He and Google believe what's crucial to the future of the internet is a better understanding of common language.  This is very complex territory as there are millions of problems that arise and need to be solved in the many languages used to search for information on the internet. Google's Leadership in Speech Recognition Tech Google has been at the forefront of voice recognition.  Voice recognition is bui...

Arctic Melt Spews Sulfuric Acid

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New Research:  Sulfuric Acid Speeding Erosion in the Artic Courtesy:  NOAA Runoff from Melting Permafrost in Alaska Flows Toward the Sea The Arctic's ice melt from global warming seems to get worse with every new scientific study.  Melting permafrost is making the ground unstable and waterlogged.  But scientists now say it's also dissolving rocks and minerals embedded in it. Acid Mix Sulfite minerals in the ice are forming sulfuric acid as the ice melts.  That's creating an acid mix that's speeding erosion. Dramatic Changes & CO² Releases The Arctic is undergoing dramatic changes as temperatures rise and sea ice melts.  The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the earth.  The sulfuric acid and escalating erosion are just one more consequence of an ice melt process that threatens to release billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from the permafrost alone.

Can Organ Transplants Transmit Cancer?

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Very Rare but Yes - New Research Organ Transplant Surgery European Case It's well known that organ transplants can pass on infectious diseases from the donor to the recipient in rare cases.  New scientific research shows that passing cancer from a donor to a transplant recipient is extraordinarily rare but can happen.  In fact, a donor's undetectable cancer cells caused 4 transplant recipients, including a man, to develop breast cancer.  3 of them died.  This case emerged in Europe and was published in the scientific journal Transplant. Donor History of No Detectable Cancer The 53 yr old donor died of a stroke and had no detectable signs of cancer.  But doctors traced back the DNA in the cancer cells found in the 4 recipients.  The DNA matched that of the donor.  Scientists say the chance of something like this happening is 1 to 5 in 10,000 cases.  But, it's important research findings and something to be aware of.  The incidenc...

Rockabye Baby in Robo-Cradle

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SNOO Smart Sleeper SNOO Smart Cradle Sensors, Robotics and Microphones Concealed It's called the SNOO and was designed by a Swiss innovator.  Its sensors immediately pick up your baby's cry and automatically rocks the baby back to sleep.  It customizes the best white noise and rocking motions for the child.  The manufacturers claim it's able to add an hour or more to your baby's sleep every night.  For parents of newborns that means an hour or more for them too. Sleep Sack Another important feature.  It has a special sleep sack that attaches to the bed to swaddle the baby and importantly has the baby sleeping on their back, which is the safest position.  Swiss designer Yves Behar calls his innovation "technology with a deep sense of humanity" as it performs an important function for parents and babies. Minimalist Design The minimalist design conceals the sensors, robotics and microphones.  All the white, the SNOO encloses the baby...

Greenland Glacier Collapse & CC

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Quest to Forecast Ice Melt, Rising Waters and Climate Change Helheim Glacier Collapse Helheim Glacier Collapse Several scientists and a Reuters news team in 2018 witnessed the collapse of the huge Helheim glacier in Greenland.  Billions of tons of ice collapsed into the sea.  A 4 mile wide chunk of the glacier broke apart leaving a huge breach and demonstrating the impact of climate change. NASA & NYU Research NASA and NYU scientists are in Greenland and Iceland to discover how warming oceans are melting the ice from below.  It's part of their Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) research mission.  They're measuring loss to the country's ice with highly sophisticated technology both on the ground and from planes.  This is very important research because scientists lack clarity on how fast warming oceans are melting polar ice sheets.  As a result projections on rising sea levels vary widely and some question if Climate Change is happenin...

Spray-on Antennas Impower Communications

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Turning Objects into Connected Technology by Spray Drexel University's Spray on Antenna Being Applied New Research Development from Drexel Labs This is extraordinary scientific research  and results.   Spray on antennas for a wide variety of objects and surfaces without adding weight, circuitry or requiring rigid surfaces.  Scientists at Drexel University in Philadelphia have done it.  They've developed a method to spray on invisibly thin antennas onto flexible materials.  The exceptional conductivity of the material allows it to transmit and direct radio waves. Exciting Possible Uses The potential exists that this new technology could unlock new opportunities in the future of communications.  Antennas are crucial for communications between devices.  The spray on antennas offer new ways to set up networks and collect data.  Drexel researchers believe they will make wearable monitors, smart clothes, industrial and medical sensors much...

Ancient Shipwreck Found off Portugal

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16th Century Ship Called Biggest Marine Archeological Find of the Century Marine Archeologist at the Shipwreck Ancient Buried Treasure Found by Divers with 21st Tech Maritime archeologists found the shipwreck off the Portuguese city of Cascais near Lisbon.  They believe it sunk between 1525 and 1625. Treasures Aboard They found Chinese ceramics from the Ming Dynasty, spices including pepper and cowpies which are a type of shell that was used as currency in the slave trade.  They also found the ship's bronze cannons engraved with the Portuguese coat of arms.  The scientists believe the ship was returning to Lisbon from India. Dives and Discovery Continue The ship was discovered as part of an underwater investigative project by the Portuguese government and Navy, the city of Cascais and Nova University of Lisbon.  The ship was under 40 feet of water.  Divers continue to explore and document the shipwreck and researchers are trying to identify th...

Yale University's Robotic Skin

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Turns Everyday Objects into Robots Courtesy of Yale University:  Robotic Skin Robotic Skin Yale University researchers just turned tech around.  Robots are usually rigid, solid and built for specific purposes.  According to the Yale roboticists, their robotic skin is breakthrough innovation and can change everyday objects into robots and animate the inanimate. NASA Partnered on the Research NASA partnered on this research with the lab of Asst. Professor Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio and her team of mechanical engineers and materials scientists. The soft robotic system is a collection of sensors and actuators.  It's mounted on a flexible substrate that's placed on a flexible object that serves as the structure. Make Your Own Robot The scientists say this tech will allow you to create multi-functional robots. For instance, when placed on a toy horse, it can make the horse's legs move.  The researchers say it can be used for everything from search and re...

Japanese Rovers Land on Asteroid

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Japan Makes Space  Innovation History Rover Photo of the Asteroid.   Source: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Rovers Already Taking Photos Japan just made history.  It's landed 2 hopping rovers on the asteroid Ryugu.  The rovers are in good condition and have already started transmitting data and photos, as you can see in the above photo. Historic The rovers' mobility on the asteroid is historic.  NASA landed a spacecraft on an asteroid in 2001 but it was stationary.  The rovers are equipped with 7 cameras.  They hop around the asteroid which has a low gravity environment.  The rovers are the world's 1st, man-made objects to explore movement on the surface of an asteroid. Rich Resource Asteroids greatly interest scientists researching the history and origins of the universe.  Some experts believe they also have tremendous commercial potential for mining valuable metals like platinum.  The hopping rovers are part of J...

Elon Musk Unveils Base on Mars

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Space X CEO Elon Musk Unveils His Base on Mars Source:  Space X Rendering of Mars Base Alpha Space X CEO Elon Musk provided this artist's rendering of his planned Mars Base Alpha.  He plans to settle people on Mars in 2024.  In 2023 he'll send a manned mission to explore Mars.  In 2022, he plans on cargo missions to Mars.  And in order to keep on schedule, he started test launches of his Big  Falcon Rocket (BFR) space ship in 2019. Powerful Space Launch Vehicle Space X Artist Rendering of BFR Interplanetary Travel Musk provided an updated version of the BFR.  When it's finished he claims it's going to be the largest, most capable and most powerful launch vehicle ever built.  Musk says it's an interplanetary transport system capable of going from Earth to anywhere in the solar system. Lunar Mission with Tourists on Board Musk is planning Space X trips to the moon.  BFR will take off, have booster separation, go into orbit,...

Germany's Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trains

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World First & No Emissions Germany's Hydrogen Train Emission Free Rail Travel The train is officially called the Coradia iLint.  It's clean energy rolling through northern Germany. It provides regular passenger service in the Lower Saxony Region.  This is the first time that commercial trains powered by hydrogen-based cells have gone into use for passengers. French Manufacturer Two trains are in service. 14 more are on order for 2021. They're being manufactured by French based Alstom, which is one of Europe's biggest railway manufacturers.  The hydrogen trains are being touted as important innovation delivered by Germany and France. Train Green Tech The trains are low noise, have zero emissions and can reach speeds of 140 kmh. Germany specifically invested in them to reduce diesel fuel train emissions.  The fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity to power the trains. Many Advantages Over Diesel The trains are refueled at a mobil...

AI Powered Gliders Flying Like Birds

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Soaring Like a Bird AI Glider Nature Inspired Breakthrough Innovation Scientists at the University of California, San Diego have built an artificial intelligence powered glider - an autonomous, fixed wing drone - that learns to fly with the dexterity and maneuverability of birds.  This is another fascinating example of highly advanced technology imitating nature.  It also has ramifications for future drones. By riding air currents, they'd be able to fly longer and more efficiently. Advanced Algorithm They've equipped the drone with an advanced algorithm and control system.  That enables it to navigate wind currents like birds do.  The glider is totally dependent on the wind. It has learned to seek updrafts which enable it to stay aloft indefinitely. Very Smart Glider Bottom-line:  this is a very smart glider.  It can tell when it's approaching an updraft and then use the wind to maximize its time in the air.  The scientists' research ...

Japan About to Land Rovers on Asteroid

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Space First for Japan and the World Japan's  Hayabusa-2 Spacecraft Japan Making Space & Innovation History with the Asteroid Ryugu If touchdown goes as planned, Japan will be the first to land rovers, two of them, on an asteroid.  Japan's Hayabusa-2 spacecraft started on the mission in 2014 and has recently arrived on the 3000 foot wide Ryugu asteroid. Mission Possible for Japan 2 of the 4 onboard rovers will be deployed on Friday 9/21/2018.  They're 7 inch wide devices that will hop around the space rock to take photos and temperature readings.  They hop rather than roll because of the asteroid's low gravity readings. Next Stops - Incredible Research Opportunities About the Earth 2 larger landers will be released to collect data and rock samples over the next year. The spacecraft will depart in 12/2019 and bring back the samples and data to researchers.  The Japanese research mission is looking for evidence of water and organic materials s...

DARPA's Mind Command and Control Research

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Controlling Drones and Aircraft by Brain Waves Image from DARPA Mind over Matter The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA is working on highly innovative technology that enables humans to control drones and full-sized aircraft by their minds' brain waves.  It's command and control by thoughts. Microchip Implant that Sends and Receives Data For the DARPA research, a micro-chip was implanted into a volunteer's brain. In simulations with drones on computer screens, the person was able to command and control the drones. DARPA also disclosed at a recent symposium the system works with swarms of drones and multiple aircraft.  The user is able to steer multiple jets at once. The user of the microchip can send and receive signals from the aircraft and understand the dynamics of its environment. Innovative & To Some Controversial Thinking To some this is controversial research.  DARPA's mission is to provide the US military wi...

Dolphins Smarter Than You Think

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New  Scientific Research:  Dolphins Cooperate, Coordinate & Synchronize to Problem Solve Common Dolphins Coordinated Success Scientists at the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys have taught teams of dolphins to accomplish complex tasks through teamwork.  The Dolphins coordinated and timed their actions with precision to receive rewards. Cooperation and Precision The task for the dolphins was to swim to the end of a lagoon and press a button simultaneously as a team of 2 dolphins.  Once the dolphins realized the task required cooperation with each other, they were able to coordinate their actions with precision.  They even waited for their teammate to catch up to them so that they could press the button at the same time.  They did so with precision - on average within 1/3 second of each other. Language to Solve Problems The scientists just published their findings in the journal Proceeds of Royal Society B.  The scientists...

Astronomers Discover Spock's Planet Vulcan

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Exoplanet Discovered that Orbits a Star Identified with the Science Officer from Star Trek Image of Vulcan Provided by University of Florida Spock's Home Planet Vulcan Discovered No aliens spotted so far but University of Florida astronomers have discovered an exoplanet orbiting a star - 40 Eridani A, a star known to "Star Trek" movie fans as the host star of Science Officer Spock's home planet Vulcan. Vulcan the Exoplanet The exoplanet is 16 light years away from the Earth and located in constellation Eridanus.  What's most intriguing is that the planet orbits the sun-like star, just inside the zone where water and life could exist. Innovative Space Discovery The University of Florida team wasn't looking for the exoplanet. They found it through their planetary research explorations.  The exoplanet is two times the size of the Earth and it's the closest super Earth orbiting a sun-like star. The lead researcher, Dr. Jian Ge hopes the Intern...

India to Satellite Bandwidth Speed to Rural Areas

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India's Fascinating Ramp Up of its Space Program Photo Courtesy of India's Space Research Organization Satellites Delivering Bandwidth Speed to Rural India India just announced its going to launch 3 more satellites.  Together the satellites will provide international level bandwidth speed to rural areas of India that currently don't have any or inadequate internet access.  This is yet another of India's innovative programs building for itself a growing leadership role in space.  India's space agency also announced its next mission is to launch 30 small satellites for third parties. Space Missions Every Two Weeks Just days after successfully launching two satellites for the UK, India announced it's going to launch space missions every two weeks.  The satellites will be launched from India's PSLV or Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles that rocketed the UK satellites to space on Sunday.  The UK pair are commercial satellites that...

Russia's Google: IT Giant Yandex

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Russian Tech Giant Innovating & Growing Yandex Headquarters in Russia Global Search Engine Heavyweight Google is the world's biggest search engine, followed by Bing, China's Baidu and Yahoo.  You can add another heavyweight to the list - Yandex of Russia. Russia's Google That's Now Rolling Out Self-Driving Cars Like Google, Yandex is focused on developing innovation across industries.  It's one of the world's biggest IT companies.  It's also working in fields like self-driving cars.  It just rolled out an autonomous taxi service in Russia that some experts believe will eventually be deployed throughout Europe.  And, it's very active in AI, online marketplaces, personal assistants, online translating and smart speakers. Russia's Uber, Spotify and Google People like to call Yandex the Google of Russia.  But founder and CEO Arkadiy Volozh says it's much more than that.  He says it's also the Uber of Russia, the Spotify of...

Elon Musk's Next Space Adventure

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Japanese Billionaire & Artists To Explore Space Aboard Space X Photo Courtesy of Space X:  Elon Musk and Yusaku Maezawa Big Trip for Space X , Bringing Tourists to Space This is a big step toward the realization of one of innovator Elon Musk's dreams:  to commercialize space and make space travel accessible to everyone.  Musk has booked his first private passenger for a trip around the Moon on Space X's Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) spaceship.  The passenger is a Japanese billionaire and innovator like Musk.  The pioneer is Yusaku Maezawa, who founded the very popular online fashion retailer Zozo. Yusaka and Friends to Orbit the Moon Yusaka says he will invite a group of 6 artists, sculptors, painters and architects to join him on the historic tourist trip to orbit the moon.  The week long space voyage is scheduled at the earliest to take off in the BFR rocket in 2023.  The adventure is designed to inspire the dreamers in all of us. BFR ...

High Tech Heated Clothing

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Battery Powered Jackets To Stay Warm on the Slopes Courtesy:  GOBI Heat Wearable Innovation Here's a case of practical, wearable innovation.  A Utah company GOBI Heat has innovated battery powered, heated clothing for outdoor winter activities.  The apparel includes jackets, hoodies, vests, pants, gloves, socks.  They come with a small battery that the company says will warm the clothing in 30 seconds against winter's chill. 7.4 Volt Small Battery The 7.4 volt battery gives you up to 12 hour use on low heat and 7 hours on high heat.  It has a one touch LED controller that can be set on low, medium or high depending on weather conditions.  The company says their clothing is waterproof, surge-proof and have an emergency shut-off functionality. The jackets have 3 zone heating with 2, carbon fiber heating elements on the chest and a large one on the back. It gives new meaning to bringing the indoors, outdoors in freezing weather conditions.

Flying Robot with Insect Agility & Speed

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Novel, Tiny Robot Has Big Applications for Drones DelFly Robot - Image Courtesy of Delft University New Robot Mimics Insect Flight Researchers at Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands have developed a novel flying robot that mimics the flight control and dynamics of insects.  Its flying wings beat 17 times per second.  And it generates enough force to stay airborne and controls the flight by slight changes in wing motion. DelFly Nimble The engineers have named it DelFly Nimble. The tiny robot is autonomous.  It can hover on the spot,  do 360० flips and fly any direction with agility like an insect.  Right now it has top speeds of 15.5 mph and excellent power efficiency with a flight range of 1 km on a fully charged battery. Important Applications DelFly Nimble has exceptional flight qualities which open up new drone applications.  Scientists say it's also exceptionally well suited to advance biological and engineering research i...

5G Big Debut 2019

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5G Smartphones Coming Real 5G Experts say 2019 will usher in real 5G smartphones on real 5G networks that you can sign up for.  They're not talking just tablets but real phones. Hyped for Years, Now Due to Arrive What 5G truly promises has been hyped for years.  But in 2019 the real deal arrives.  5G is designed to deliver faster speeds, higher capacity and more consistent performance. Carrier Locked Devices To start, there are some unintended consequences in the short term.  The arrival of 5G smartphones, because of their unique demands and network specifics, won't be transferable between networks.  So your device will be locked to your carrier's network.  But some experts forecast it will be resolved in the near term through standardization of what is now the fragmented state of 5G

Elon Musk's Not Boring Boring Co.

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Musk Gets OK to Test His Loop Lift from Hyperloop Tunnel to Home Garage Boring Co.'s Tunnel and Lift Boring Company's Loop Lift Hawthorne City, CA City Council just gave Elon Musk and his Boring Company the okay to build a proof of concept prototype of his Loop Lift.  The concept involves an elevator lift to connect, for the test, a ground level garage to an underground Hyperloop tunnel. Specifics The plan is to connect a one mile long Hyperloop tunnel that's on the campus of Musk's Space X to a private house that's owned by a Musk company.  The vision is to cut future traffic from the roads by parking vehicles in underground tunnels and then, for this test, connecting them to the Hyperloop transportation system by the elevator lift. Musk's Vision of the Loop Lift, Hyperloop and Flying Cars Musk envisions a network of underground tunnels and elevator lifts built in the basements of homes, office buildings, malls, you name it.  He believes that ...

Countdown Underway for India's Space Shot

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India Launching 2, UK Satellites India's PSLV rocket is about to launch into space 2 British commercial satellites. Blastoff is scheduled for today at Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India.  It underscores the growing importance of India in space for both exploration and commercialization. Earth Observation Satellites The UK vehicles are earth observation satellites.  They'll map ice melt, forests and land use. They'll also monitor disasters.  The satellites belong to Surrey Satellite Technologies of the UK.  Surrey made a commercial satellite launch arrangement with Antrix, the commercial unit of ISRO, India Space Research Organization. Satellites Focused on Global Ice Melt On Saturday, September 15, NASA launched ICESat-2, equipped with its most powerful laser.  The satellite's 3 year mission is also to measure and monitor the Earth's polar ice melt, ice sheets, glaciers and sea ice.

Longest Nonstop Commercial Flight in US History

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Hawaiian Airlines Unstoppable Boston to Honolulu Photo: Courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines Boston Gets Its First Aloha This historic, upcoming flight service is a first in US aviation history.  Hawaiian Airlines just announced it's introducing the longest non-stop flight service  in the US.  Non-stop Boston to Honolulu.  The 5,095 mile trip starts daily service in April 2019, 5 days a week. Time and Distance Boston has been the only major US city without direct, nonstop service to Hawaii.  To initiate it, Hawaiian Airlines will use an Airbus A 330 aircraft.  Boston to Honolulu will take 12 hours nonstop.  Honolulu to Boston 10 hours non-stop.  For the airline, the market potential right now is 500 passengers who go between eastern New England and Hawaii everyday.  That's a market that could grow. Interesting and historic innovation in the airline industry.

Smart Phone Ultrasound

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New Tech Could Lower Scan Cost to $100 Photo:  University of BC Lead Researcher Carlos Gerardo with new the transducer Potential Use for 24/7 Self-Monitoring by Smart Phone Engineers at the University of British Columbia have developed a new ultrasound transducer or probe.  It could lower the cost of an ultrasound scan to $100.  This is patent-pending breakthrough tech.  It's portable, wearable and can be powered by your smart phone.  It's no bigger than a band-aid.  The researchers say the potential is endless and could provide 24/7 monitoring of your arteries and veins to warn of the danger of heart attack or stroke. How Did They Do It? To simplify, they replaced piezoelectric crystals used to create images and deliver sonograms in conventional scanners with tiny vibrating drums of polymer resin.  The cost saving is dramatic and the image quality is as good or better than conventional systems according to published reports. The UBC trans...

NASA's ICESat-2 Lifts-Off& In-Orbit

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NASA Satellite Will Track Global Ice Melt Photo:  Courtesy of NASA ICESat-2 Global Ice Melt Tracker NASA launched its ICESat-2 satellite into space. The satellite contains NASA's most high powered laser.  It will provide unprecedented, highly valuable observations on how glaciers, ice sheets and sea ice are changing.  It will precisely measure the thickness of Earth's polar ice sheets, snow cover and permafrost. Bonus on Board A surprise bonus is also on board.  2 ELFIN CubeSats.  They're a pair of tiny satellites that will study how energetic electrons make their way from space to the earth's atmosphere. Measuring Ice and Melt ICESat-2's laser splits into 6 beams to precisely measure the Earth's polar ice formations.  The calculations are done by the amount of time it takes the laser beam to leave the satellite, hit and bounce off the ice and arrive back at the satellite. Massive Data & Important Climate Change Insights from this Missi...

India Ramps Up Global Space Program

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International Commercial Launches India's PSLV India in Space India's PSLV - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle - is going to put into orbit 2, foreign satellites on September 16.  The satellites are both from the United Kingdom.  They are the NovaSAR and the S14.  The launch underscores India's growing importance in the exploration and commercialization of space. Innovation Hub India is a global force in breakthrough innovation and it's becoming a growing leader in the race to space.  It just finalized an agreement with France to partner on technology and space medicine for the manned space flights that India is planning. UK Launch and Mission The launch of the 2 satellites is for commercial purposes.  The satellites belong to Surry Satellite Technologies of the UK.  They are earth observation satellites.  Their mission in space is to map forests, land use and ice cover.  They will also monitor flooding and any other disasters.

Hyperloop Latest - Revolutionary Travel Tech

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Virgin Hyperloop One Proof of Concept and Tested Virgin Hyperloop One is among a number of businesses developing hyperloop systems.  The hyperloop is a revolutionary technology that will dramatically cut travel times between cities. Virgin Hyperloop One has a lot of money behind it - $295 million from Sir Richard Branson's Virgin, GE Ventures and SNCF. The company has already built a proof of concept vehicle.  It's been successfully tested.  The "pod" levitated, accelerated, glides, breaked and came to a stop. The company continues to move the technology forward. Levitation and Gliding Virgin Hyperloop One uses magnetic levitation to lift the train or pod above the tracks.  Electric propulsion accelerates it through a low pressure tube.  The vehicle is capable of gliding at airline speeds.  The promise of this technology is to go 700 to 800 mph. Elon Musk Elon Musk originally introduced the concept of hyperloops.  Virgin Hyperloop One sa...

Moon Orbit - Space X 1st Passenger

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Elon Musk & Space X Take Big Step into Space Courtesy of Space X  - The BFR Flying to the Moon It's the dream of innovator Elon Musk to make space travel accessible to everyone.  His company just took a big step toward that goal.  They've just announced that they've signed the 1st private person to fly around the Moon.  The trip will be aboard Space X's BFR, the Big Falcon Rocket, which is a giant new rocket ship. Rocket Man This is a first and a very big step forward to commercializing space travel.  However, the BFR is still being prototyped and is a yet unproven spacecraft.  Eventually, Space X wants to use the rocket to launch the 1st manned mission to Mars.  Space X says it will identify the person and their purpose next week.

Google's Big Plans for Pixel 3 Phone

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Pixel 3 to be Unveiled With Fanfare Google's Pixel Dual Global Press Conferences Google will unveil its next Pixel series in October.  But the announcement is much bigger than in previous years.  It's holding dual news conferences for the international news media.  One is scheduled for New York and a simultaneous one in Paris. The press invitations went out a day before Apples 2018 iPhone presser. Big Expectations The high profile for the unveiling underscores Google's big expectations for this new Pixel series.  Analysts also expect Google to unveil other new hardware, including new Home products, new Pixelbooks and new Chromecast;  We'll get all the details in just a few weeks.

Sipping Champagne Zero Gravity in Space - Cheers!

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High Tech Bottle Gets Flight Test Photo:  Courtesy of Mumm Orbiting Champagne for Space Tourists at Zero Gravity Future space tourists on the journey of their lifetime may have the added adventure of sipping champagne in orbit.  In terms of technology, that's not an easy thing to provide at zero gravity.  A French designer/innovator Octave de Gaulle has designed a bottle that may dispense champagne at zero gravity. Airbus Testing It It's being tested by an Airbus Zero-G plane that makes deep climbs and dives to create 20 second intervals of weightlessness.  That puts the bottle to the test to see if it works and dispenses champagne at zero gravity in space. This Tech Not for Astronauts US astronauts are not allowed to consume alcohol in space.  This is being designed for future adventurous tourists who travel to space.  Concerning the tech:  the wine, in the upper portion of the bottle is released by a finger controlled valve that uses...

Data from Satellites to the Cloud

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Geospatial Cloud Analytics Photo:  Courtesy of Descartes Labs - Fishing Boats off Singapore A New Mexico startup company Descartes Labs is receiving up to $7.2 million from the US government to bring geospatial data from satellites to the Cloud.   The volume of data is huge, in the terabytes, unwieldy and of the highest value. Descartes has been tasked by the government to use machine learning to process massive amounts of visual data from satellites. Images of Earth and Space Images of the Earth including heat imagery are available in massive volume from many satellites.  They contain rich and compelling information on such dynamic issues as changing global oil supplies, potential food shortages and climate change.  This is very big data from many sources that can't be fully capitalized on because it's not organized and centralized. Cloud Infrastructure Descartes Labs will build out cloud infrastructure to import, store, process and curate the data....