01. We Finally Have Found a Way to Convert Donor Blood Into a Universal Type 02. Autonomous boats can target and latch onto each other 03. Light-powered nano-organisms consume carbon dioxide, create eco-friendly plastics and fuels 04. Metal foam stops .50 caliber rounds as well as steel – at less than half the weight 05. New computer attack mimics user’s keystroke characteristics and evades detection 06. Researchers ‘stretch’ the ability of 2-D materials to change technology 07. A deorbit kit for satellites based on low work-function tethers 08. Multicolored light twists in new knotted ways 09. Meet the robot submarine […]
After 40 Years of Searching, Scientists Identify The Key Flaw in Solar Panel Efficiency
Science Alert June 8, 2019 Silicon solar cells containing boron and oxygen are one of the most rapidly growing forms of electricity generation. However, they suffer from significant degradation during the initial stages of use. Using ab initio modeling, an international team of researchers (UK, Portugal, Belarus, Australia) proposes structures of the BsO2 defect which match the experimental findings. They argue that the dominant recombination process associated with degradation is trap-assisted Auger recombination. This assignment is supported by the observation of above bandgap luminescence due to hot carriers resulting from the Auger process…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
All Militaries Are Developing Combat Lasers So They Will Give Short Military Advantages
Next Big Future June 3, 2019 Fourth generation fighters (F-16, F-18) and fifth-generation fighters (F-35, F-22) can be seen by shorter range radar. They only have a 20-30 percent chance of evading new short-range missiles. New 50 kilowatt and 150-kilowatt combat lasers that will be added to fighters in the next few years will provide extra defenses to hinder missiles. Combat Lasers could increase the survivability of both stealth and non-stealth fighters and force more missiles to be used to overcome defenses. The US Air Force LANCE laser program will use fiber-optic cables to merge beams to reach tens of […]
Antennas of flexible nanotube films an alternative for electronics
Science Daily June 10, 2019 Early work on carbon nanotube (CNT) antennas indicated that their performance could not match that of metals such as copper. However, recent improvements in fluid phase CNT processing have yielded macroscopic CNT materials with better alignment and conductivity. A team of researchers in the US (Rice University, NIST) conducted radiation efficiency measurements of microstrip patch antennas made of shear-aligned CNT films measuring radiation efficiency of 94% at 10 GHz and 14 GHz, matching equivalent copper antennas. The minimum CNT film thickness required to match the performance of copper drops with increasing frequency due to reduced losses […]
Autonomous boats can target and latch onto each other
MIT News June 5, 2019 An international team of researchers (USA – MIT, the Netherlands) is working on Roboat to build a fleet of autonomous robotic boats devised to transport people and goods similar to self-driving cars. The design dynamically links and joins multiple boats into one unit in order to form floating infrastructure such as bridges, markets or concert stages, as well as autonomously self-detach to perform individual tasks. They developed a novel latching system that enables robotic boats to create dynamic united floating infrastructure while overcoming water disturbances. The roboats run on custom computer vision and control techniques […]
China to set up system to safeguard technology security
Phys.org June 8, 2019 According to the Chinese state media the National Development and Reform Commission has been tasked with establishing a list system to more effectively forestall and defuse national security risks. Detailed measures will be unveiled in the near future…read more.
A deorbit kit for satellites based on low work-function tethers
Phys.org June 12, 2019 A European research project, called E.T.PACK, is developing a new system for deorbiting space satellites without using on board power and fuel using low work-function tether. It consists of 50 microns thick, 2 cm wide aluminum that is several kilometers in length. It would be rolled up in a reel during the launch of the satellite. Aluminum must have the ability to emit electrons when it is heated. The tether transforms orbital energy into electrical energy while it deorbits the satellite without using any type of fuel. It uses natural resources in the space environment, such […]
Key obstacles to scaling up DNA data storage
Science Daily June 3, 2019 To reach practical capacities, new systems for organizing and accessing information are needed. Researchers at North Carolina State University used chemical handles to selectively extract unique files from a complex database of DNA mimicking 5 TB of data and designed and implemented a nested file address system that increases the theoretical maximum capacity of DNA storage systems by five orders of magnitude. The advancements enable the development and future scaling of DNA-based data storage systems with modern capacities and file access capabilities…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLES
Light-powered nano-organisms consume carbon dioxide, create eco-friendly plastics and fuels
Science Daily June 11, 2019 Researchers at the University of Colorado (Boulder) found that, by diffusing the specially tailored quantum dots into the cells of common microbial species found in soil, they were able to trigger photosynthesis enzymes within microbial cells to convert airborne CO2 and nitrogen. These “living factories” eat harmful CO2 and convert it into useful products such as biodegradable plastic, gasoline, ammonia and biodiesel. They have shown that the cells could exceed their natural yield by close to 200 percent. Different combinations of dots and light produce different products: Green wavelengths cause the bacteria to consume nitrogen […]
Meet the robot submarine that acts as a lionfish predator
MIT Technology Review June 4, 2019 A non-profit organization has developed a robot submarine called the Guardian LF1 which features eight thrusters, an onboard computer, a camera, and a power source, along with a set of low voltage “stunning panels” and a chamber for storing captured fish. It is controlled from the surface using a tether but includes an autopilot and a computer vision system capable of distinguishing lionfish from other species. The prey, Lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean, were introduced to the waters off the US several decades ago and have since spread through the Caribbean and Gulf […]