Lifeboat Foundation

Glad to see The Martian get some Academy Award action; as much as I liked the novel, I found the film to be as good or better, which is rare. And I also found it to be personally inspiring in a way that few science fiction films are. But the point I’m trying to make here is that; we aren’t that far from Hermes-type spacecraft for interplanetary transfer. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities. I wonder if any of you feel the same way.

With six Academy Award nominations, the celebrated film adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel “The Martian” has been the perfect tonic for rousing interest in human missions to Mars.

But as good as the book truly is, the film transcends its source material about a stranded Mars astronaut with some practical takeaways that are as inspiring as any out there. They include:

Continue reading “5 Down-To-Earth Takeaways From ‘The Martian’” »

String theory is the leading candidate for a “theory of everything” — and Subir Sachdev is taking the “everything” part literally. In a conversation with Quanta Magazine, Sachdev explains how he’s taking inspiration from the mathematics of string theory to learn more about the behavior of high-temperature superconductors.

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A new type of glass to reducing electric bills.

A revolutionary new type of smart window developed by the University College London (UCL) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) could cut window-cleaning costs in tall buildings while reducing heating bills and boosting worker productivity. Partially inspired by the reflective properties of moth eyes, this smart window is said to be self-cleaning, energy saving, and anti-glare.

When rain hits the outside of the smart window it forms spherical droplets that roll over the surface and pick up dirt, dust and other contaminants, then carries them away. This can either eliminate or reduce the need for manual cleaning.

Continue reading “Self-cleaning, anti-glare windows inspired by moth eyes” »

China’s improved glass for space.

Chinese scientists developed a method to create a transparent, glass-based material with the power and lifespan to absorb ultraviolet rays. The metal oxide-based special glass is expected to not break down under prolonged UV radiation exposure. (Photo : John T. Clarke (University of Michigan), ESA, NASA | Wikimedia Commons)

Chinese scientists have discovered a special glass that can absorb and block dangerous ultraviolet rays.

Continue reading “New Metal Glass Oxide Can Protect Living Cells From Ultraviolet Rays” »

Ultrasonic waves form microscopic glass fibers into a pattern of lines, collectively creating a reinforcing microstructure that gives the printed component increased strength. (credit: Tom Llewellyn-Jones, Bruce Drinkwater and Richard Trask)

University of Bristol engineers have developed a new type of 3-D printing that can print strong composite materials.

Continue reading “How to modify a 3D printer to print high-performance products” »

More VR Theme Parks and attractions opening this year. We have the Void opening this summer in Pleasant Grove, UT; a new VR roller coaster in UK’s Alton Towers that opens in April; there is real opportunity for entrepreneurs in the VR space to launch their own portable VR amusement/ entertainment centers for corporate events, parties, etc.

Virtual reality and theme parks may not seem like an obvious match, but these planned attractions may change your mind. Starting this spring we’ll start to see rides that take advantage of VR to offer new and exciting experiences.

Continue reading “VR-powered theme park rides will blow you mind later this year” »

Change NextGen Product Landscape

The electromagnetic properties of graphene and boron nitride hybrids has been defined by new research. The results provide a roadmap for new nano-engineered applications.” id=” metasummary.

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Retaining information even when loss of power.

Small voltage can flip thin film between two crystal states — one metallic, one semiconducting — new research indicates. The research involves a thin-film material called a strontium cobaltite, or SrCoOx.”

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Graphene’s properties make it a tantalizing target for semiconductor research. Now a team from Princeton has showed that flakes of graphene can work as fast, accurate optical capacitors for laser transistors in neuromorphic circuits.

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