March 2021 show notes
Story 1: Federal lease allows Oregon State’s offshore wave energy testing facility to move ahead in 2021
Source: Oregon State University Press Release 16 Feb. 2021
Link: https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/pacwave
- Oregon State University is planning to build a large-scale ocean wave energy testing facility.
- And last month the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management awarded the University a lease to operate in federal waters about seven miles offshore –southwest of Newport, Oregon.
- The PacWave [that’s P A C Wave] ocean test site will be located on an area of the Pacific Ocean away from popular commercial and recreational fishing reefs.
- The offshore installation will include up to 20 electricity generating wave energy converters that work by harnessing the up-and-down motion of ocean waves.
- Five power and data cables buried below the seafloor [ranging from 50,000 to 66,000 ft in length] will connect the wave energy converters to a shoreside facility southeast of Seal Rock.
- The offshore test site will also include tidal and current energy converters as well as ocean thermal energy conversion technologies.
- A tidal [or current] energy converter is a machine that extracts energy from moving masses of water.
- And an ocean thermal energy converter uses the temperature difference between cooler deep and warmer surface seawaters to run a heat engine to produce electricity.
- Why this is so important: The World Energy Council estimates that 10% of the world’s electricity needs could be met by harvesting ocean energy.
Story 2: Woman in Kenya is making bricks out of plastic waste
Source: EcoWatch Story by Savannah Hasty
Link: https://www.ecowatch.com/plastic-bricks-in-kenya-2650645441.html
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=QbZKP4UAtL8&feature=emb_logo
See also: https://gjenge.co.ke/
- Nzambi Matee is an entrepreneur in Nairobi, Kenya who has developed a way to turn plastic waste into sustainable, strong paving bricks.
- Leveraging her background in materials engineering, her company, Gjenge Makers, developed a brick made of recycled plastic chips and sand.
- The bricks are made by compressing and heating the mixture at a very high temperature.
- The result is a super strong, moldable, and sustainable alternative to concrete.
- The fibrous structure of the plastic makes the bricks seven times stronger than concrete – and much more lightweight.
- The company’s current product line includes pavers for residential and commercial uses.
- For example, the heavy-duty 2.5 inch thick paver is strong enough to be used for parking lots and roads
- While the 1.25 inch thick light-duty paver [available in a variety of colors] can be used for home patios and walkways.
Story 3: Some Neandertal genes in people may help prevent severe COVID-19
Source: ScienceNews.org Story by Tina Hesman Saey
Link: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-some-neandertal-genes-protection-severe-covid-19
- Some genetic variants inherited from Neandertals may protect against developing severe COVID-19, according to a new report from the National Academy of Sciences.
- The recent study looked at a section of DNA on chromosome 12 where a haplotype that affects susceptibility to the coronavirus is located.
Here’s a couple of science reminders….
- Chromosome 12 is one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in humans.
- And a haplotype is a cluster of genetic variants that are inherited together.
- For each copy of the Neandertal haplotype a person inherits, the risk of needing intensive care fell approximately 22 percent.
- It’s estimated that about 25 to 30 percent of people of Asian and European ancestry carry the protective variants.
Story 4: Amazon’s electric Rivian vans will start making deliveries as early as 2022
Source: Motortrend.com Story by Frank Markus
Link: https://www.motortrend.com/news/2022-rivian-prime-delivery-van-first-look-review/
Source 2: The Verge Story by Andrew J. Hawkins
Link 2: https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/8/21507495/amazon-electric-delivery-van-rivian-date-spec
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=rJJNTVy62PU&feature=emb_logo
- Amazon recently commissioned Rivian [that’s R I V I A N] to produce 100,000 electric delivery vans by 2030, with the first 10,000 hitting the road by the end of 2022.
- Rivian is developing three vans capable of carrying 500, 700, or 900 cubic feet of packages.
- All of the vans will come with state-of-the-art technology, including exterior cameras linked to a digital display inside the cabin, giving the driver a 360-degree view outside the vehicle.
- The vans will also come integrated with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant for hands-free navigation help and weather updates.
- Rivian is a relatively new name in the electric vehicle industry, having only debuted its pickup truck and SUV at the end of November 2018.
- However, last year, Rivian was able to secure enormous investments from a host of major players, including Amazon.
Story 5: Forget fingerprints — AI may soon use your veins to identify you
Source: CNN Story by Amy Woodyatt
Link: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/16/world/vein-hands-identify-intl-scli-scn/index.html
- As we all know, today, facial recognition, eye scanning, fingerprint and voice recognition technology is used for a wide range of security purposes.
- But researchers from Australia’s University of New South Wales say that some of these biometric ID methods have “well known weaknesses.” For example:
- Fingerprints can be collected from a surface someone has touched and duplicated to create a dummy print.
- Facial recognition technology could be bypassed using images captured from social media posts.
- And contact lenses could be used to confound eye scanning-based mechanisms.
- But, according to the researchers, vein patterns on the back of your hands offer advantages. For example, they do not leave any imprint, unlike fingerprints.
- The hand vein scanning system the New South Wales University team developed uses a low-cost Intel RealSense D415 Depth Camera. Which is widely available, even on Amazon, for about $150.
- Using artificial intelligence and the camera, researchers extracted “discriminating features” from the vein patterns on the back of 35 test participant’s hands.
- They claim they could identify an individual with more than 99% accuracy.
- Now…The idea of using hand veins to identify people is not new, but to date has required highly specialized AND expensive technology.
- The key innovation here is the use of off-the-shelf, low-cost Intel 3D cameras with advanced artificial intelligence software.
Story 6: This hydrogen paste has a similar range to that of gasoline and could revolutionize the transport industry
Source 1: Business Insider Story by Marta Godoy and Jeevan Ravindran
Link: https://www.businessinsider.com/car-bike-tesla-amazon-gates-bezos-climate-change-fuel-drone-2021-2
Source 2: Fraunhofer Institute Press Release [Germany]
- For years, the worldwide car industry has been exploring and producing some Hydrogen Fuel Cell powered cars and trucks.
- AND Like all-electric cars, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles use electricity to power an electric motor.
- But, instead of relying on batteries as the source for electricity, hydrogen fuel cell cars use a fuel cell powered by hydrogen to create electricity.
- And one of the key benefits is exhaust from a hydrogen engine consists of water vapor.
- But, there are real challenges in making hydrogen fuel cell vehicles practical.
- Such as:
- Today’s hydrogen fuel is more than twice as expensive as gasoline.
- And it costs more to transport hydrogen than it does most other fuels.
- And hydrogen refueling stations are very scarce.
- But now, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute in Dresden, Germany have developed a radical new way to harness the potential of hydrogen fuel.
- They created a hydrogen paste they call POWERPASTE.
- The goopy new paste – made by heating hydrogen with magnesium and stabilizers – could be the breakthrough that finally unlocks clean hydrogen’s potential.
- The developers claim that the new POWERPASTE is 10 times more energy-dense than lithium-ion batteries.
- And this new hydrogen paste can be stored in cartridges even at room temperature, making it easy to transport and replenish without the need for an expensive network of hydrogen filling stations.
- Drivers would only have to swap out a used POWERPASTE hydrogen cartridge for a new one and fill a water tank to refuel their car or truck.
Story 7: A solar panel in space is collecting energy that could one day be beamed to anywhere on earth
Source: CNN Story by Nick Paton Walsh
Link: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/23/americas/space-solar-energy-pentagon-science-scn-intl/index.html
- Scientists working for the Pentagon recently tested a solar panel the size of a pizza box in space
- The test panel is a prototype for a future system designed to send electricity from space back to any point on Earth.
- The small solar panel was launched into space last year, attached to an Air Force X-37B unmanned drone.
- The panel is designed to take full advantage of the unfiltered sunlight in space.
- The 12×12-inch solar panel produces about 10 watts of energy, which can then be beamed to the earth in the form of microwaves.
- Once the microwave beams reach a target location on the surface of the earth they can be converted into electricity.
- Reality check: 10 watts of energy is about enough to power a tablet computer.
- But someday, perhaps, the Pentagon research team believes that a huge, orbiting, miles-wide solar panel array in space may become a reality.
Story 8: New Rapid 3D-Printing Method Could Be the Secret to Developing 3D-Printed Organs
Source: Gizmodo.com Story by Alyse Stanley
Link: https://gizmodo.com/this-rapid-3d-printing-method-could-be-the-secret-to-de-1846424035
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqveljTzypM
- The ability to 3D-print human organs got one step closer to reality thanks to a rapid 3D-printing method developed by University of Buffalo engineers.
- For example, the new process enables a 3D printer to fully construct an artificial hand in just 19 minutes, a task that would take six hours using conventional 3D printing methods.
- You must see the video of this in action!
- The new process is based on stereolithography, a well-established 3D-printing method.
- The stereolithography process the team developed uses lasers to harden liquid resin, and jelly-like substances called hydrogels.
- These hydrogels can absorb large quantities of water without dissolving and are used in commercial products like disposable diapers.
- Now printing an artificial hand is great, but the University of Buffalo team is also exploring how to use their innovative 3D printing process for other biomedical purposes.
- For example, the team’s stereolithography 3D printing method is particularly well suited for accurately printing all the tiny details in cells with embedded blood vessel networks.
- This breakthrough capability may lead, someday, to the production of 3D-printed human tissue and organs.
Story 9: Waymo begins robo-taxi tests in San Francisco
Source: VentureBeat Story by Kyle Wiggers
Link: https://venturebeat.com/2021/02/17/waymo-begins-robo-taxi-tests-in-san-francisco/
- Mid last month Waymo [Google’s self-driving car project] began limited testing of driverless autonomous taxis with employee volunteers in San Francisco.
- Waymo says its self-driving electric SUV taxis have driven 20 million autonomous miles on public roads in 25 cities.
- Waymo says it has optimized its autonomous planning, perception, and navigation system [called Waymo Driver] to handle the complexities of the Golden Gate City.
- For example, aided by cameras and artificial intelligence, the Waymo Driver system can respond to sudden surprise events, such as a jaywalker.
Story 10: Flying cars over Los Angeles by 2024
Source: ZDNet Story by Greg Nichols
Link: https://www.zdnet.com/index.php/article/flying-cars-over-los-angeles-by-2024/
- Archer, a maker of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, recently announced a partnership with the City of Los Angeles to create an “Urban Air Mobility Network” by 2024.
- This will be a first-of-its-kind initiative in the U.S.
- The electric flying taxis will carry up to four passengers with a range of 60 miles, and at speeds of up to 150 mph.
- To help make these flying electric “cars” a reality, Archer and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles recently entered into a supply chain agreement.
- The agreement will enable Archer to access Fiat Chrysler’s advanced composite material know-how and engineering experience.
- As a sidenote of interest: Morgan Stanley estimates sustainable air mobility will be a $1.5 trillion business worldwide by 2040.
Story 11: Apple mixed-reality headset likely coming sometime in 2022, analyst predicts
Source 1: The Verge Story by Kim Lyons
Link: https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/7/22318239/apple-mixed-reality-headset-2022-analyst-ku
Source 2: MacRumors
Link: https://www.macrumors.com/2021/03/07/kuo-apple-mixed-reality-headset-2022/
- Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple will release a “helmet-type” mixed reality headset next year, priced around $1,000.
- Mixed reality means offering augmented and virtual reality experiences.
- Reminder: augmented reality is a technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the real world.
- Kuo says the immersive experience of the Apple helmet will be “significantly better” than mixed reality headgear products available now.
- He also predics the headset will most likely run as a standalone product that does not require an iPhone.
- On a related note – he also predicts Apple will have augmented reality glasses in mid-2025, and an augmented reality contact lens product by 2030 or 2040.
Story 12: Tiny, sunlight-powered aircraft could soar beyond airplanes’ reach
Light is all that’s needed to levitate these microfliers
Source: ScienceNews Story by Emily Conover
Link: https://bit.ly/38j7po7
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnNK9ZS8y-Q
- First, let’s set the stage for this news:
- Above the stratosphere is a layer of the atmosphere which spans 30 to 50 miles above the Earth’s surface which is called the mesosphere.
- The mesosphere is where most meteors burn up upon entry.
- To date, the mesosphere has been relatively unexplored.
- That’s because the atmosphere of the mesosphere is far too thin to fly aircraft or even balloons with scientific instruments.
- But now a team of scientists at the University of Pennsylvania has developed tiny “microfliers” that can reach the mesosphere fueled only by sunlight.
- Here’s how they created the tiny “aircraft”
- First, they cut disks of transparent Mylar 6 millimeters in diameter and coated the bottom sides with carbon nanotubes – which are tubes of carbon atoms less than one billionth of a meter in diameter.
- Then they put the disks into a vacuum chamber with a pressure that mimics that of the mesosphere.
- Then they applied simulated sunlight to generate heat.
- The carbon nanotubes on the underside of the disks absorbed the light, warming the disks.
- This caused air molecules in the chamber to start rapidly striking the carbon nanotubes on the bottom of the disks, and then rapidly bouncing off – which resulted in generating lift.
- Thanks to the University of Pennsylvania team, future sun-powered microfliers may someday soon carry instruments into the mesosphere to help expand our knowledge of this layer of the earth’s atmosphere.