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Nov 11, 2021

“Titanium avocado” could provide GPS-grade navigation sans satellites

Posted by in categories: military, quantum physics, satellites

Sandia National Laboratories is developing an avocado-sized vacuum chamber made out of titanium and sapphire that could one day use quantum mechanical sensors to provide GPS-grade navigation without the need for satellites.

In only a few short decades, GPS has gone from a military technology to finding so many everyday applications that modern society is now dependent on it. However, GPS is not always available in places like high polar latitudes or in deep mountain valleys, and it can be jammed or spoofed.

The vulnerability of GPS and similar systems lies in their dependence on constellations of satellites that orbit the Earth. These satellites emit time-stamped signals that are synced to atomic clocks. Using these signals, a GPS receiver in something as small as a wristwatch can use the Doppler effect on the satellite signals as they pass overhead to make an extremely precise fix on the receiver’s position and velocity. If these signals are interrupted or corrupted, the system fails.

Nov 11, 2021

Carbon Map

Posted by in categories: climatology, information science, robotics/AI, satellites, sustainability

https://www.youtube.com/user/WWFClimate/featured.

*To date, most studies have focused on understanding how much carbon is stored above ground (in trees and other plants, for example). This research, however, revealed that when you look below ground and get into deeper levels of soil, there are massive deposits of carbon.*

Canada’s first-ever national carbon map reveals the location of billions — yes, billions — of tonnes of carbon stored in ecosystems across the country. This data, and how we use it, could alter the pace of climate change.

Continue reading “Carbon Map” »

Nov 11, 2021

Samsung’s H-Cube solution to allow efficient integration of 6 HBMs, and lower cost benefit

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEMCO) and Amkor Technology have partnered to develop a 2.5D Integration ‘H-Cube’ solution specialized for semiconductors for HPC, AI, data center, and network products.

Nov 11, 2021

HalfDive VR Headset Takes Design Cues from ‘Sword Art Online’ NerveGear, Coming to Kickstarter in December

Posted by in categories: computing, neuroscience

Japanese startup Diver-X is looking to launch a SteamVR-compatible headset that seems to be taking a few ideas from popular anime Sword Art Online, which prominently features a fully immersive metaverse. While it’s not a brain-computer interface like the “full dive” NerveGear featured in the show, the heavy-weight hardware presents a pretty interesting approach to VR headset design.

Called HalfDive, the Tokyo-based company says its taking advantage of the sleeping position to “enabl[e] human activity in its lowest energetic state.”

Since it’s worn laying down, the creators say they’re freed from many of the design constraints that conventional VR headset makers are used to pursuing with the introduction of things like pancake optics and microdisplays. Since the weight isn’t on your neck, it doesn’t have to be light or slim.

Nov 11, 2021

Seed-Inspired Monocopter Drone Folds Up Tiny for Transit Then Flies Autonomously with a Single Rotor

Posted by in categories: drones, military, robotics/AI

Driven by a SparkFun ESP32 MicroMod Processor, this laser-cut drone wraps up tight for ease of storage and transportation.

Nov 11, 2021

Robots Creating Passive Income — Elon Musk & Universal Basic Income

Posted by in categories: economics, Elon Musk, employment, robotics/AI

Universal Basic Income is soon going to become a necessity due to Robots becoming exponentially more capable of doing jobs which previously could only be performed by humans. This has become especially apparent with Elon Musk’s new venture in the form of Tesla Robot Optimus which is aimed to be shown off in 2022. Whether or not Elon Musk’s predictions will turn out to be true is yet to be seen, but it’s clear that we will need some kind of Passive income in the form of UBI.

In this video I will show you how you can use that knowledge to prepare yourself for a world with Universal Basic Income, how to make more money than anyone else and even double your income in the end.

Continue reading “Robots Creating Passive Income — Elon Musk & Universal Basic Income” »

Nov 11, 2021

Anti-aging research uncovers new role for telomeres

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, life extension

Aging affects everybody, so it’s easy to understand why so much scientific attention is focused on studying it. Scientists in Canada now claim to have found that telomeres play a different role in cellular aging than previously thought.

One of the main points of interest in anti-aging biology are what’s known as telomeres. These are sections of “junk” DNA that form caps on the ends of chromosomes, protecting important genetic information from damage when a cell divides. But a piece of the telomere is eroded away with each cell division, and when it gets too short the cell stops dividing entirely, entering a dormant state known as senescence. The build-up of these senescent cells contributes to a range of symptoms we associate with aging, such as frailty and age-related diseases.

The implication of this model is that telomeres take on a pre-emptive protection role – they signal to cells to stop dividing as soon as one telomere wears out. But there is evidence to suggest that cell division can continue with as many as five dysfunctional telomeres.

Nov 11, 2021

Crew-3 Mission | Coast and Rendezvous

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, space travel

On Wednesday, November 10 at 9:03 p.m. EST, 2:03 UTC on November 11 SpaceX and NASA launched Dragon’s third long-duration operational crew mission (Crew-3) to the International Space Station from historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage landed on the “A Shortfall of Gravitas” droneship.

On Thursday, November 11 at approximately 7:10 p.m. EST, 00:10 UTC on November 12 Dragon will autonomously dock with the space station. Follow Dragon and the Crew-3 astronauts during their flight to the International Space Station at spacex.com/launches.

Continue reading “Crew-3 Mission | Coast and Rendezvous” »

Nov 11, 2021

Phone charging times will fall to 20 minutes with tiny GaN chargers

Posted by in category: mobile phones

The CEO of third-party charger and accessory company Anker has said that phone charging times will fall to as little as 20 minutes thanks to new-generation Gallium nitride (GaN) chargers, which are already being adopted by Apple. The time cited is for a full charge from empty to full.

Steven Yang said that Apple’s decision to exclude chargers from iPhone boxes has been extremely good news for companies like his …

Yang is interviewed by The Verge’s Nilay Patel. The interview focuses mostly on the company itself, but there are some Apple-related elements.

Nov 11, 2021

Electrochemical pulse method resolves materials joining in solid-state batteries

Posted by in categories: chemistry, mobile phones, sustainability, transportation

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a scalable, low-cost electrochemical pulse method to improve the contact between layers of materials in solid-state batteries, resolving one of the big challenges in the commercial development of safe, long-lived energy storage systems. The new technology could pave the way for electric vehicles and smartphones that work much longer with each charge.

One of the challenges in manufacturing solid-state batteries is the difficulty of getting materials to properly join and remain stable during repeated cycles of charging and discharging. This leads to instability in the joints and causes the formation of voids, something known as contact impedance. Applying high pressures is one way to solve this problem, but that process can lead to shorting and would need to be re-applied periodically to extend the battery’s life using an expensive aftermarket application.

ORNL scientists have found that they could eliminate these voids by applying a short, high-voltage electrochemical pulse when joining layers of lithium metal anode material with a solid electrolyte material. These pulses see a current surrounding the lithium metal-encased voids and cause them to dissipate, leading to increased contact at the interface of the materials while resulting in no detrimental effects.