Scientists demonstrate a innovative e-skin with touch and proximity-sensing capabilities without using dedicated touch sensors.
Renewables keep on gaining steam. đ
Improving the efficiency of solar cells can make a huge difference to the amount of energy produced from the same surface area and the same amount of sunshine, and another world record has been beaten in the push for better yields.
Researchers have now hit an efficiency of 29.15 percent in the perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell category, which is just one of several different types of cells. There are currently a variety of different technologies in use to convert solar energy into electricity.
For this type of panel, the long-term target of more than 30 percent is now tantalisingly within reach. The latest lab tests edge ahead of the maximum 28 percent efficiency that perovskite/silicon cells have managed up to this point.
A team of researchers has developed a flexible, rechargeable silver oxide-zinc battery with a five to 10 times greater areal energy density than state of the art. The battery also is easier to manufacture; while most flexible batteries need to be manufactured in sterile conditions, under vacuum, this one can be screen printed in normal lab conditions. The device can be used in flexible, stretchable electronics for wearables as well as soft robotics.
The team, made up of researchers at the University of California San Diego and California-based company ZPower, details their findings in the Dec. 7 issue of the journal Joule.
âOur batteries can be designed around electronics, instead of electronics needed to be designed around batteries,â said Lu Yin, one of the paperâs co-first authors and a Ph.D. student in the research group of UC San Diegoâs nanoengineering Professor Joseph Wang.
As much of the aviation industry fights to survive the coronavirus pandemic, some economists and engineers see the crisis as an opportunity to use stimulus funds to propel air travel to a carbon-neutral future. Photo illustration: George Downs.
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Bullets bounce off nanotubes
Posted in computing, nanotechnology
Circa 2007
Robocops could soon leave the realm of science fiction thanks to a new bullet-proof material proposed by engineers in Australia. According to computer simulations done by the team, bullets would be no match for vests made of the material, and would simply bounce off owing to the high elasticity of the nanotubes. The researchers claim that the material, which has not been made yet, would be a great improvement on existing anti-ballistic clothing that stop bullets from penetrating by spreading the bulletâs force â something that can still cause serious injury (Nanotechnology 18 475701).
California-based Aptera recently opened pre-orders for its solar electric vehicle that ânever needs chargingâ and within less than 24 hours, according to the firm, the $26,000 car sold out.
The futuristic-styled structure is designed with lightweight materials, providing low-dray aerodynamics and cooling.
Apteraâs Never Charge technology is comprised of an integrate solar package that provides more than 40 miles of âfreeâ driving per day âmaking it the first vehicle that wonât need to fuel up for most daily driving.â
Google Cloud expands its edge computing services by partnering with 200 developers to put their applications closer to enterprise customers.
Being able to see, move, and exercise independently is something most of us take for granted. [Thomas Panek] was an avid runner before losing his sight due to a genetic condition, and had to rely on other humans and guide dogs to run again. After challenging attendants at a Google hackathon, Project Guideline was established to give blind runners (or walkers) independence from a cane, dog or another human, while exercising outdoors. Using a smartphone with line following AI software, and bone conduction headphones, users can be guided along a path with a line painted on it. You need to watch the video below to get a taste of just how incredible it is for the users.
Getting a wheeled robot to follow a line is relatively simple, but a running human is by no means a stable sensor platform. At the previously mentioned hackathon, developers put together a rough proof of concept with a smartphone, using its camera to recognize a painted line on the ground and provide left/right audio cues. As the project developed, the smartphone was attached to a waist belt and bone conduction headphones were used, which donât affect audio situational awareness as much as normal headphones.
The shaking and side to side movement of running, and varying light conditions and visual obstructions in the outdoors made the problem more difficult to solve, but within a year the developers had completed successful running tests with [Thomas] on a well-lit indoor track and an outdoor pedestrian path with a temporary line. For the first time in 25 years, [Thomas] was able to run independently.
But can brain scans really answer these questions? Many scientists are now rethinking the value of brain scan research and whether its findings are true.
Brain scan studies have been criticized for several things. Criticisms include using too few subjects and incorrectly reading results.
Researchers have also come to understand that a personâs brain scan results can be different from day to day, even when all the conditions stay the same. Now they admit that brain scan findings are limited. Some are studying these limitations. Others are using different methods to study the brain.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates believes a return to ânormalâ life is further down the road for the US than people expect, despite a Covid-19 vaccine being approved and distributed this week.
Conceding that by the summer of 2021, the US should be âway closer to normal than we are now,â Gates, who has donated millions to vaccination efforts through his foundation, believes a full return to normal will likely not be possible until after 2022.
The billionaire told CNN on Sunday that âunless we help other countries get rid of this diseaseâ and see âhigh vaccination ratesâ within the US, the ârisk of reintroductionâ will be possible.