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Apr 29, 2020

Las Vegas’ Venetian Resort will utilize thermal cameras, medics when it reopens

Posted by in categories: electronics, security

Thermal cameras sound like a great idea for folks who are looking for a false sense of security and/or lack a basic understanding of what being an asymptomatic carrier means…


When the Venetian Resort reopens following the lifting of Las Vegas’ stay-at-home order, it will empoy thermal screening and full-time medics.

Apr 29, 2020

Vigil for Kashmir in New York City

Posted by in category: futurism

“” India says we have not killed anyone in Kashmir, and we say you killed over 70,000 people over the past 30 years!!” — Tanveer Mir.

Kashmiris from New York and neighboring states organized a vigil in Times Sqaure on October 27th to mark 72 years of brutal Indian occupation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. #standwithkashmir “

#standwithKashmir

Apr 29, 2020

Despite Covid-19, World’s Largest Cosmic Ray Observatory Is Still Taking Data

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Cosmic ray observatory prepares for its next decade of operations.

Apr 29, 2020

Think of coronavirus as a test run: Australian military leaders warn we must prepare for worse

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, military

An interesting article from Australia.

Australia is in an unusual situation, being at once potentially extremely self-reliant and in practice extremely vulnerable to disruptions in international trade.

Whereas disruptions could come from any one of many types of natural disasters or due to politics, I am glad to see that the Australians are seriously considering what it would require to maintain their civilization in the face of disruptions.

Continue reading “Think of coronavirus as a test run: Australian military leaders warn we must prepare for worse” »

Apr 29, 2020

Next-generation batteries take major step toward commercial viability

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

Lithium-sulfur batteries have been hailed as the next big step in battery technology, promising significantly longer use for everything from cellphones to electric vehicles on a single charge, while being more environmentally sustainable to produce than current lithium-ion batteries. However, these batteries don’t last as long as their lithium-ion counterparts, degrading over time.

A group of researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has found a way to stabilize one of the most challenging parts of -sulfur batteries, bringing the technology closer to becoming commercially viable. The team’s findings, published today in Joule, show that creating an artificial layer containing tellurium, inside the battery in-situ, on top of lithium metal, can make it last four times longer.

“Sulfur is abundant and environmentally benign with no supply chain issues in the U.S.,” said Arumugam Manthiram, a professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Texas Materials Institute. “But there are engineering challenges. We’ve reduced a problem to extend the cycle life of these batteries.”

Apr 29, 2020

Conduct-A-Bot system uses muscle signals to enable more natural human-robot communication

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, wearables

Albert Einstein famously postulated that “the only real valuable thing is intuition,” arguably one of the most important keys to understanding intention and communication.

But intuitiveness is hard to teach—especially to a machine. Looking to improve this, a team from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) came up with a method that dials us closer to more seamless human– collaboration. The system, called “Conduct-A-Bot,” uses human signals from wearable sensors to pilot a robot’s movement.

Continue reading “Conduct-A-Bot system uses muscle signals to enable more natural human-robot communication” »

Apr 29, 2020

New device simulates feel of walls, solid objects in virtual reality

Posted by in categories: computing, engineering, virtual reality

Today’s virtual reality systems can create immersive visual experiences, but seldom do they enable users to feel anything—particularly walls, appliances and furniture. A new device developed at Carnegie Mellon University, however, uses multiple strings attached to the hand and fingers to simulate the feel of obstacles and heavy objects.

By locking the strings when the user’s hand is near a virtual wall, for instance, the device simulates the sense of touching the wall. Similarly, the string mechanism enables people to feel the contours of a virtual sculpture, sense resistance when they push on a piece of furniture or even give a high five to a virtual character.

Continue reading “New device simulates feel of walls, solid objects in virtual reality” »

Apr 29, 2020

Dr Stanley Plotkin: The Godfather of Vaccines

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, economics

Ira Pastor, ideaXme life sciences ambassador, interviews Dr. Stanley Plotkin, Professor Emeritus at both Wistar Institute and the University of Pennsylvania and consultant to the vaccine industry.

Ira Pastor Comments:

Continue reading “Dr Stanley Plotkin: The Godfather of Vaccines” »

Apr 28, 2020

NASA answers about Borisov in this post

Posted by in category: space

LIVE NOW: Ask us anything about asteroid 1998 OR2, interstellar comet Borisov and comet ATLAS. Asteroid 1998 OR2 will safely fly by Earth on April 29.

Join our Planetary Defense experts on Reddit to ask questions about comets and asteroids: https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/g9o4yp/askscien…_alma_and/

Apr 28, 2020

How animals ‘dial up’ the pain they experience from certain stimuli

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Scientists have — for the first time — shown how chemical triggers in the nervous system can amplify the pain experienced by mammals in response to certain stimuli.

The pain system probably evolved to alert them to life-threatening dangers. As they approach objects that are extremely hot or cold or are biting them, they experience intense pain — allowing them to get out of harm’s way.

But in certain diseases, that defence mechanism malfunctions and rather than providing a short, sharp shock — it produces long-term, chronic pain, seen with some conditions affecting humans such as neuropathies, arthritic pains or migraines.