Show Notes 7 July 2023
Story 1: Microsoft’s light-based computer marks ‘the unravelling of Moore’s Law’
Source: Yahoo News Story by Katie Wickens
Link: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/microsofts-light-based-computer-marks-124945574.html
- Microsoft is edging ever closer to photon computing technology with the Analog Iterative Machine (AIM). Right now, the light-based machine is being licensed for use in financial institutions, to help navigate the endlessly complex data flowing through them.
- Time out, what is photon computing? An optical computer (also called a photonic computer) is a device that uses the photons in visible light or infrared ( IR ) beams, rather than electric current, to perform digital computations. Source: https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/optical-computer-photonic-computer
- According to the Microsoft Research Blog, “Microsoft researchers have been developing a new kind of analog optical computer that uses photons and electrons to process continuous value data, unlike today’s digital computers that use transistors to crunch through binary data.”
- Time out, what is continuous value data – Continuous [value] data is data that can take any value. Height, weight, temperature, and length are all examples of continuous data. Some continuous data will change over time, e.g. the weight of a baby in its first year or the temperature in a room throughout the day. Source: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=85587§ion=1
- In other words, Microsoft’s Analog Iterative Machine is not limited to the binary ones and zeros that your standard computer is relegated to. Instead, it’s been afforded the freedom of the entire light spectrum to work through continuous value data and solve difficult optimization problems.
- Microsoft explains that normal computers struggle with the sheer volume of data some companies need to process daily, because “the number of possible combinations explodes exponentially as the problem size grows.”
- Even with the impressive processing power of high-end CPUs under their belt, the hardware limitations make it virtually impossible to complete such complex work efficiently enough, and without it costing the world.
- That’s where the Analog Iterative Machine comes in. This “analog optical computer” can do more, much faster… at the speed of light, in fact.
- For a little context, photons don’t interact with one another, but they do leave imprints on the matter through which they pass. Analog Iterative Machine researchers have been able to use this fact to their advantage.
- The Analog Iterative Machine throws light, which passes through several layers, making impressions on each part of what’s known as a “modular array”. It’s this process of projecting light through the array that replaces the function of a standard transistor.
- Since light-based technologies can perform powerful linear operations, and electronic components can work on non-linear operations, the researchers have been able to combine both optical and electronic analog technologies, to form a computer that “sidesteps the diminishing growth of computing capacity per dollar in digital chips.” My comment – Wow a hybrid computer!!!
- Quick refresh:
- A linear relationship (or linear association) is a statistical term used to describe a straight-line relationship between two variables.
- Nonlinear Function – A function whose graph is not a line or part of a line. Example: – As you inflate a balloon, its volume increases.
- Essentially, the Analog Iterative Machine is making Moore’s so-called law look more like guidelines. Reminder – Moore’s law is the observation that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit doubles about every two years.
Story 2: The first flying car, ‘Model A,’ approved by the FAA and it’s 100% electric
Source: USA Today Story by Natalie Neysa Alund
Source: Mechical.com Story by Kamal Dwived
Link: https://www.mechical.com/2023/06/world-first-electric-flying-cars-alef.html
See video here: https://www.msn.com/es-mx/noticias/mundo/300-000-flying-car-gets-special-certification-from-faa-alef-model-a/vi-AA1diaiu
- This week, Alef Aeronautics revealed its flying car “Model A” was granted legal permission [under experimental status] from the Federal Aviation Administration to test run the vehicle on the road and in the sky − a move needed before it can be released to the public.
- This is the first time a vehicle, in the traditional sense (parks and drives like a car, functions like a car, looks like a car), has received Special Airworthiness Certification permission to fly.
- The certification limits the locations and purpose for which the vehicle is allowed to fly.
- The “Model A” is 100% electric, drivable on public roads and has vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, the company wrote in its release.
- In terms of design, this car has been equipped with 8 propellers, which have been installed inside its body. However, this car can currently carry only one or two passengers. While the aim of the company is to prepare for more passengers in its next stage.
- Under the Code of Federal Regulations, Alef is required to report any issues including malfunctions or defects to the U.S. government agency during “Model A” development and testing.
- The flying car is now available for preorder, the Santa Clara, California-based company posted on its website. The vehicle will sell for about $300,000.
- Reality Check: The car will be a Low-Speed Vehicle, meaning it won’t go faster than about 25 miles per hour on a paved surface. If a driver needs a faster route, they will be able to use the vehicle’s flight capabilities, according to Alef.
- As of Friday, presales were open, with interested customers able to pay a $150 deposit to get on the waiting list, or $1,500 for a priority spot on the list’s queue.
- The company, founded in 2015 in Palo Alto, California, has been test driving and flying the car’s prototype since 2019.
- The version customers could receive has a driving range of 200 miles and a flight range of 110 miles.
- The company said it plans to start delivering the vehicles to customers by late 2025.
- For more information about the “Model A” visit https://alef.aero
Story 3: Room-temperature superconductors could revolutionize electronics
Source: The Conversation Story by Massoud Pedram
- First, a definition: A superconductor is a material that conducts direct current without encountering any electrical resistance. Traditional superconductors must be cooled to extremely low temperatures, close to absolute zero.
- Superconductors make highly efficient electronics, but the ultralow temperatures and ultrahigh pressures required to make them work are costly and difficult to implement. Room-temperature superconductors promise to change that.
- The recent announcement by researchers at the University of Rochester of a new material that is a superconductor at room temperature, albeit at high pressure, is an exciting development – if proved. If the material or one like it works reliably and can be economically mass-produced, it could revolutionize electronics.
- Room-temperature superconducting materials would lead to many new possibilities for practical applications, including ultraefficient electricity grids, ultrafast and energy-efficient computer chips, and ultrapowerful magnets that can be used to levitate trains and control fusion reactors.
- “High Temperature” vs. “Room Temperature” superconductors:
- In recent decades, researchers have developed so-called high-temperature superconductors, which only have to be chilled to minus-10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-23 Celsius). Though easier to work with than traditional superconductors, high-temperature superconductors still require special thermal equipment. In addition to cold temperatures, these materials require very high pressure, 1.67 million times more than the atmospheric pressure of 14.6 pounds per square inch (1 bar).
- As the name suggests, room-temperature superconductors don’t need special equipment to cool them. They do need to be pressurized, but only to a level that’s about 10,000 times more than atmospheric pressure. This pressure can be achieved by using strong metallic casings.
- Room-temperature superconductors would remove many of the challenges associated with the high cost of operating superconductor-based circuits and systems and make it easier to use them in the field.
- Room-temperature superconductors would enable ultra-high-speed digital interconnects for next-generation computers and low-latency broadband wireless communications. They would also enable high-resolution imaging techniques and emerging sensors for biomedical and security applications, materials and structure analyses, and deep-space radio astrophysics.
- Other possibilities would include:
- Maglev [that’s magnetic levitation] trains could operate over longer distances at lower costs.
- Computers would run faster with orders of magnitude lower power consumption.
- And quantum computers could be built with many more qubits, enabling them to solve problems that are far beyond the reach of today’s most powerful supercomputers.
- Reality Check: Whether and how soon this promising future of electronics can be realized depends in part on whether the new room-temperature superconductor material can be verified – and whether it can be economically mass-produced.
Story 4: Nanorobots Release Reactive Oxygen Species to Kill Fungal Biofilms
Source: Medgadget.com Story by Conn Hastings
- Fungal infections can be a major challenge, particularly if the infective fungus forms a thick biofilm which conventional anti-fungal drugs struggle to penetrate. Current antifungal therapies lack the potency and specificity required to quickly and effectively eliminate these pathogens.
- Time out, what are fungal biofilms? Fungal biofilms are communities of adherent cells surrounded by an extracellular matrix. These biofilms are commonly found during infection caused by a variety of fungal pathogens. Clinically, biofilm infections can be extremely difficult to eradicate due to their resistance to antifungals and host defenses. Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2017.01968/full
- Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed nanorobots that can travel to the site of a fungal infection under the influence of an external magnetic field, bind to the fungal cells, and then release reactive oxygen species to completely destroy the fungus.
- Time out, what are reactive oxygen species? In chemistry, reactive oxygen species are highly reactive chemicals formed from diatomic oxygen. Examples of reactive oxygen species include peroxides, superoxide, hydroxyl radical, singlet oxygen, and alpha-oxygen. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_oxygen_species
- What is diatomic oxygen? Diatomic oxygen is generated by oxygenic photosynthesis, the biological process in which water molecules are split using the energy of sunlight. Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/diatomic-oxygen
- The tiny nanorobot structures consist of iron oxide nanoparticles that can be tightly controlled using external magnetic fields.
- The tiny particles are an example of catalytic nanoparticles, which the researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have dubbed ‘nanozymes’. Made using iron oxide, they are maneuverable under the influence of magnet fields, allowing the researchers to localize them in a specific part of the body.
- In tests so far, the nanorobots have been shown to destroy fungal biofilms, which are particularly difficult to treat using conventional anti-fungal drugs.
- The nanorobots also possess another unexpected property which greatly assists them in their quest to destroy these biofilms. They appear to be highly attracted to fungal cells and will bind tightly within such biofilms, and show less affinity for human cells, greatly enhancing their specificity and safety profile.