11 November 2022
Story 1: Researchers discover that microscopic algae eating coffee grounds can help make green biodiesel fuel
Source: Interesting Engineering.com Story by Nergis Firtina
Link: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/low-emission-biodiesel-microalgae-leftover-coffee
Source: TechXplore.com
Link: https://techxplore.com/news/2022-11-leftover-coffee-grounds-microalgae-emission.html
- Every year massive amounts of spent coffee grounds end up in landfills.
- But on a positive note, a lot of Starbucks coffee grounds are used as compost on farms, and offered free for home garden use, and that’s great.
- But what if coffee grounds could play a role in making a sustainable biofuel?
- That’s what two scientists at England’s Aston University have discovered.
- They figured out a way to produce high-quality “green” biodiesel fuel by feeding leftover coffee grounds to microscopic algae.
- The researchers found that spent coffee grounds provide both food and an ideal environment for the microscopic algae to grow.
- Oil extracted from the algae is mixed with other ingredients to produce the elements that make up a “green” and sustainable biodiesel fuel.
- In specific, one way to make biodiesel fuel from microalgae is to take oil extracted from the algae is mixed with alcohol and an acid or a base to produce the fatty acid methyl esters that makes up the biodiesel.
- And the resulting biodiesel fuel produces minimal emissions, offers good engine performance, and meets US and European specifications.
Story 2: New Small, Wearable EEG Patch Wirelessly Measures Brain Activity
Source: Medgadget.com Story by Conn Hastings
Link: https://www.medgadget.com/2022/10/wearable-eeg-patch-measures-brain-activity.html
- Today, evaluating brain activity using electroencephalography (or EEG) requires a trip to a medical facility where the patient, often wearing specialized head gear with lots of wired sensors, is connected to large electronic monitoring systems.
- To date, EEG testing outside of a medical facility has not been a really viable option for convenient long-term monitoring.
- All that may change thanks to researchers at the Osaka University in Japan.
- They’ve developed a small, ultra-thin, near-transparent EEG monitoring patch that can be worn on the forehead with no wires attached to sensors on the user’s head, and no additional bulky gear required.
- In specific, the wearable patch consists of a stretchable organic elastomer and a conductive polymer and is largely transparent, making it difficult to spot when in place on the forehead.
- Wearable EEGs have been developed previously, and include electrodes that contact the scalp, but these bulky headsets are not convenient for long-term use and can cause pain and discomfort if worn for a long time.
- The Osaka University’s new EEG patch provides brain activity readings that are comparable in accuracy to those obtained using larger and more expensive equipment and head gear.
- And by using the camera-based data capture technology on the patient’s smartphone, [called photoplethysmography // Photo-ples-iss-mog-ra-phy // (PPG) technology data gathered by the EEG patch can be scanned wirelessly and then shared with the user’s medical team!
- Time out, what is photoplethysmography?
- Photoplethysmography (PPG) is an uncomplicated and inexpensive optical measurement method that is often used for heart rate monitoring purposes. PPG is a non-invasive technology that uses a light source and a photodetector at the surface of skin to measure the volumetric variations of blood circulation.
Story 3: Scientists are working to create a humanoid robot that can appropriately laugh with you
Source: SciTechDaily.com
Source: DailyMail.com
See video here: https://tinyurl.com/4f44k6ut
- This is another interesting development from Japan.
- Researchers at Kyoto University in Japan are working on one of the greatest challenges in artificial intelligence-based humanoid robotics — trying to teach a robot when it’s communicating with a human if it’s appropriate to laugh – and decide whether to let out a polite little chuckle or a hearty laugh.
- It’s all about giving their artificial intelligence advanced robot, named Erica, the ability to “share” laughter with a human, and to react naturally at an appropriate level in a conversational exchange.
- In their shared-laughter experiments, a human says something and laughs.
- Erica’s response is then guided by three artificial intelligence subsystems:
- one to detect laughter,
- a second to decide whether to laugh or not based on why the human laughed.
- and a third to choose the type and level of appropriate laughter response.
- The next challenge the team intends to pursue is teaching Erica different laugh behaviors based on cultural differences.
- This research effort is part of the team’s goal to give humanoid robots a distinct character through conversational behaviors, such as laughing, eye gaze, gestures, and speaking style.
- And they predict it may take 10 to 20 years before we can finally have a conversational exchange with a robot that feels completely natural.
Story 4: Prototype team of farm robots can identify weeds, zap them, and then plant crop seeds
Source: CNN Story by Stephanie Bailey
Link: https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/09/tech/robot-zaps-weeds-spc-intl/index.html
Video: Small Robot Co: Per Plant Intelligence & Action – YouTube
- An outfit called Small Robot in the UK has created a team of three prototype mobile robots [each with four wheels and about the size of a go-cart] that can precisely identify and electrocute weeds in a farm field and then plant seeds in the cleared soil.
- The goal for the three autonomous, artificial intelligence-based robots – with the funny names of Tom, Dick, and Harry — is to rid farm fields of weeds with minimal use of chemicals and heavy machinery.
- Robot Tom can scan 49 acres a day to identify weeds, collecting data to create a complete digital “map” of a field.
- Robot Dick [who moves along on spider-like legs] then uses that data to precisely locate and totally destroy weeds by delivering an electrical current that penetrates through the roots of the plant through the soil and then back up, which completely destroys the weed.
- Then it’s robot Harry’s turn to plant seeds in the now weed-free soil.
- Using the 3-robot team, the researchers at Small Robot [who have been working on autonomous robotic weed killing and seed planting robots since 2017 – which are still in the prototype stage and undergoing testing] predict farmers could reduce operational costs by 40% and herbicide chemical usage by up to 95%.