Show Notes 20 September 2024
Story 1: World’s Biggest Battery Will Provide 85 Megawatts to New England Grid
Source: Singularityhub.com Story by Edd Gent
- So far, most grid-storage facilities rely on lithium-ion batteries—the same technology found in cellphones and electric vehicles. But these batteries are relatively expensive and not particularly long-lived. They’re also prone to setting fire, which makes them less than ideal for such projects.
- Massachusetts-based Form Energy is betting that its novel iron-air chemistry, which is specially designed for long-term energy storage, could be the answer. And it’s now set to receive $147 million to build a facility in Maine capable of storing enough energy to provide 85 megawatts of power for up to 100 hours.
- Side note, background on iron-air batteries – Iron-air batteries are an innovative type of energy storage technology that utilize iron as the anode and atmospheric oxygen as the cathode. Here’s a simplified breakdown of how they work:
1. Oxidation Process: When the battery discharges, iron reacts with oxygen from the air to form iron oxide (rust). This reaction releases energy, which can be harnessed to generate electricity.
2. Recharging: To recharge the battery, the process is reversed. The iron oxide is converted back into iron and oxygen using an electrical current, effectively “unrusting” the iron.
3. Energy Storage: This cycle of rusting and unrusting allows the battery to store and release energy efficiently. The oxygen required for the reaction is drawn from the surrounding air, so it doesn’t need to be stored within the battery itself.
Iron-air batteries are particularly promising for large-scale energy storage, such as balancing the supply and demand of renewable energy sources like solar and wind. They are cost-effective and environmentally friendly, using abundant and non-toxic materials.
Sources:
- How iron-air batteries could fill gaps in renewable energy. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/iron-air-battery-renewable-grid/
- Renaissance of the iron-air battery – ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171116105004.htm
(3) Everything you need to know about metal-air batteries – Popular Science. https://www.popsci.com/science/metal-air-batteries/
- Iron-Air Batteries: The Ultimate Guide – Nanografi Nano Technology. https://nanografi.com/blog/ironair-batteries-the-ultimate-guide/
(5) Renaissance of the iron-air battery – Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2017-11-renaissance-iron-air-battery.html
- The CEO and cofounder of Form Energy said in a press release, “Located at the site of a former paper mill in rural Maine, this iron-air battery system will have the most energy capacity of any battery system announced yet in the world”.
- The project, which is due to be completed by 2028, is part of a broader package of funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to upgrade the power grid in the Northeast of the US.
- The key ingredients of the company’s battery cells are iron and water, and they rely on the same process that causes rust to charge and discharge.
- Energy is stored in the battery by converting iron oxide into pure iron and emitting the oxygen into the atmosphere.
- To release that energy, the battery absorbs oxygen from ambient air to turn the iron back into iron oxide.
- REALITY CHECK – This approach can’t get anywhere close to the energy density of lithium-ion batteries—a crucial consideration when packing batteries into small devices or trying to boost the range of vehicles. But when building large-scale storage systems energy density is much less of a concern than cost, a metric on which iron-air batteries win hands down.
Story 2: Origami-inspired ‘transformer’ robots could help build habitats in space – These configurable bots could launch flat and then be assembled in space
Source: Space.com Story by Samantha Mathewson
Link: https://www.space.com/origami-inspired-robot-space-habitats
See also: https://news.ncsu.edu/2024/07/transformer-bot/
See also: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-50497-5
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA6fGJC8TFQ
- A newly designed “transformer” robot with the ability to change shape could one day be used to build habitats in space.
- Engineers from North Carolina State University (NC State) have created a plastic cubed structure that can transform into more than 1,000 configurations using only three active motors.
- In theory, their design — which was largely inspired by the paper-folding art of origami — offers a more efficient way to send assembly structures into space, where the robot could then “transform” to serve various purposes, including carrying a load.
- The team’s transformer bots consist of 36 3D-printed hollow, plastic cubes assembled with rotating hinges. Some of the hinges are fixed with metal pins, while others are activated wirelessly with a motor. The researchers were able to transform the robotic structures into various shapes, ranging from tunnels and bridges to multi-story architectures.
- In the process of changing shape, the transformer bots are able to move forward, backward and sideways. The bots can transform relatively quickly from flat, or fully open, to a box-like larger cube, or fully closed structure. They can also carry a load about three times their own weight and travel up an inclined surface.
- Co-first author of the study, and an NC State postdoctoral researcher, noted, “We think these can be used as deployable, configurable space robots and habitats. It’s modular, so you can send it to space flat and assemble it as a shelter or as a habitat, and then disassemble it.”
Story 3: New engineering approach could lead to widespread adoption of photonic chips in consumer electronics
Source: TechXplore.com Article by TMOS
Link: https://techxplore.com/news/2024-09-approach-widespread-photonic-chips-consumer.html
See also: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41377-024-01570-7
- WARNING – this is extremely geeky stuff!
- First, a tutorial refresh on photonic chips:
- Photonic chips, also known as photonic integrated circuits (PICs), use light (photons) instead of electricity (electrons) to process and transmit data, and offer several significant advantages over traditional electronic chips:
- High Speed: Photonic chips use light (photons) instead of electrical signals (electrons) to transmit data, allowing for much faster data transfer rates.
- High Bandwidth: They can handle a larger amount of data simultaneously, making them ideal for applications requiring high data throughput.
- Low Energy Consumption: Photonic chips are more energy-efficient, as they generate less heat compared to electronic chips.
- Miniaturization: They enable the integration of many optical components onto a single chip, reducing the size and complexity of devices.
- Low Thermal Effects: Since they use light, photonic chips produce less heat, which helps in maintaining the performance and longevity of the devices.
- Large Integration Capacity: They can integrate a large number of functions on a single chip, enhancing the functionality and performance of the devices².
- These advantages make photonic chips particularly useful in fields such as data communications, sensing, biomedical applications, and even in the development of faster and more energy-efficient artificial intelligence programs.
- Sources:
- What is a Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) and How Does It Work. https://www.synopsys.com/glossary/what-is-a-photonic-integrated-circuit.html
- Photonic chips – what are they and their applications. https://www.pcbaaa.com/photonic-chips/
- Photonic integrated circuit – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photonic_integrated_circuit
- What is Silicon Photonics? – Advantages & Applications – Synopsys. https://www.synopsys.com/blogs/chip-design/what-is-silicon-photonics.html
- Now the news outlined in the article – Photonic chips, also known as photonics integrated circuits, can now be found in telecommunication devices, autonomous vehicles, biosensors, and consumer devices such as mobile phones.
- A key shortfall of current photonic chips is the lack of an on-chip light source. Currently, these chips require an external light source, preventing the further miniaturization of the chips and the devices they enable.
- Nanowire lasers are an excellent candidate for these light sources, but high-quality nanowires with smooth sidewalls, controlled dimensions, and precise crystal composition that operate at room temperature have been difficult to fabricate at scale.
- Side note about nanowire lasers – Nanowire lasers are a type of laser that operates at the nanoscale, offering unique advantages for various applications. Here are some key points about them:
- Coherent Light Sources: Like other lasers, nanowire lasers emit coherent light, but they do so on a much smaller scale.
- Construction: They are typically built using molecular beam epitaxy, which allows for precise integration on silicon chips.
- Applications: These lasers are useful for optical interconnects and data communication at the chip scale, making them valuable for computing and information processing.
- Materials: They are often made from III-V semiconductor heterostructures, which provide low optical loss and high refractive index.
- Size and Efficiency: Nanowire lasers can be as small as a few hundred nanometers and can operate with high efficiency.
- Sources:
- Nanowire lasers – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanowire_lasers
- Nanowire Lasers – De Gruyter. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/nanoph-2015-0005/html
- Nanowire-Based Lasers – SpringerLink https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-13-2367-6_11
- Nanolaser – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanolaser
- Now here’s the news – Researchers from Australia’s TMOS, the ARC Center of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems, have developed a new [alternative to nanowire lasers] engineering approach to on-chip light sources that could lead to widespread adoption of photonic chips in consumer electronics.
- In research published Sept. 4 in Light: Science & Applications, the team from Australian National University and their collaborators at Northwestern Polytechnical University outline a method for growing high quality multi-quantum well nanowires made from semi-conductor materials indium gallium arsenide and indium phosphide.
- Side note – Multi-quantum well (MQW) nanowires are fascinating structures with significant potential in various advanced technologies. These nanowires consist of multiple quantum wells, which are thin layers of semiconductor materials with different bandgaps, stacked within a nanowire. This unique structure allows for precise control over electronic and optical properties.
- The ARC Center of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems team of researchers and their collaborators have developed an innovative multi-step facet engineering approach for nanowire growth using selective area epitaxy by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition technique.
- Co-first author, Fanlu Zhang, noted, “Through this new method of epitaxial growth, we can precisely control the diameter and length of quantum well nanowires with high crystal quality and uniform morphology. This makes it possible to design controllable nanowire optical cavities, thereby enabling the regulation of spatial modes and longitudinal modes”.
Story 4: Scientists Destroy 99% of Cancer Cells in Lab with Vibrating Molecules
Source: ScienceAlert.com Story by David Nield
Link: https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-destroy-99-of-cancer-cells-in-lab-with-vibrating-molecules
See also: https://news.rice.edu/news/2023/molecular-jackhammers-good-vibrations-eradicate-cancer-cells
- Scientists have discovered a remarkable way to destroy cancer cells. Stimulating aminocyanine molecules with near-infrared light caused them to vibrate in sync, enough to break apart the membranes of cancer cells.
- Time out, what are aninocyanine molecules? Aminocyanine molecules readily attach to the outside of cells because they are positively charged and latch onto the negative charge of the cell’s phospholipid bilayer. When activated with light, the electrons inside the aminocyanine molecules create plasmons which excite the entire molecule and cause it to vibrate.
- Aminocyanine molecules are already used in bioimaging as synthetic dyes. Commonly used in low doses to detect cancer, they stay stable in water and are very good at attaching themselves to the outside of cells.
- The research team from Rice University, Texas A&M University, and the University of Texas, said their approach is a marked improvement over another kind of cancer-killing molecular machine previously developed, called Feringa-type motors, which could also break the structures of problematic cells.
- Chemist James Tour from Rice University noted, “It is a whole new generation of molecular machines that we call molecular jackhammers. They are more than one million times faster in their mechanical motion than the former Feringa-type motors, and they can be activated with near-infrared light rather than visible light.”
- The use of near-infrared light is important because it enables scientists to get deeper into the body. Cancer in bones and organs could potentially be treated without needing surgery to get to the cancer growth.
- In tests on cultured, lab-grown cancer cells, the molecular jackhammer method scored a 99 percent hit rate at destroying the cells. The approach was also tested on mice with melanoma tumors, and half the animals became cancer-free.
- Chemist Ciceron Ayala-Orozco from Rice University noted, “This is the first time a molecular plasmon is utilized in this way to excite the whole molecule and to actually produce mechanical action used to achieve a particular goal – in this case, tearing apart cancer cells’ membrane.”
Honorable Mentions:
Story: Water drop-inspired wheel changes shape in real time to conquer any terrain
Source: InterestingEngineering.com Story by Sujita Sinha
Link: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/adjustable-wheel-inspired-by-water-droplets
- Researchers in Korea have introduced a new adjustable wheel that can change its shape to move over difficult surfaces.
- This novel wheel, inspired by the way surface tension reshapes a water droplet, offers a promising solution for vehicles and robots that struggle with uneven terrains like staircases or large rocks.
- The key to this transformative technology lies in its ability to switch between circular and flexible states by varying the tension of the wheel’s spokes. Researchers, led by Jae-Young Lee, have crafted a “smart chain” structure that mimics the behavior of molecules within a liquid droplet.
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Story: 16 Astounding Flying Cars That Could Revolutionize Travel
Source: GadgetReview.com Story by Shaun Key
Link: https://www.gadgetreview.com/16-astounding-flying-cars-that-could-revolutionize-travel
- The concept of flying cars is no longer just a dream. This article explores 16 of the most advanced flying cars that are set to redefine transportation, showcasing their innovative designs and groundbreaking features. From urban air mobility to personal travel, these vehicles are paving the way for a new era in aviation.
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Story: Hydrogen-powered skyscraper set for Egypt’s new capital
Source: CNN Story by Tom Page
Link: https://edition.cnn.com/style/cairo-forbes-international-tower-hydrogen-nac-spc/
- Cairos “New Administrative Capital,” a new city deep into construction outside Cairo, has prompted plenty of blue-sky thinking. But few ideas have been as ambitious as powering a skyscraper with hydrogen.
- The Forbes International Tower, a 240 meter (787 feet) tall office building due to be constructed close to the Iconic Tower — Africa’s tallest building — was planned from the outset to be environmentally conscious. Designed by Gordon Gill of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the firm behind Central Park Tower, New York, and the upcoming Jeddah Tower, Saudi Arabia, its developer Magnom Properties has now revealed it intends to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by powering the 43-floor office building via clean hydrogen, supplemented by solar panels on its facade.
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Story: World’s 1st jet-powered humanoid robot
Source: SuperInnovators.com Story by staff
Link: https://superinnovators.com/2024/08/worlds-1st-jet-powered-humanoid-robot/
- This humanoid robot [created by the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT)] has an approachable face and boasts four jet engines, two mounted on its arms and two on a jetpack attached to its back.
- A sneak peek video released this month shows the jets firing bright blue before the exhausts glow orange – no takeoff shots yet though.
- The robot is designed to perform tasks that require aerial mobility, such as search and rescue, and inspection and maintenance in hard-to-reach areas.
- iRonCub3 has undergone significant modifications, including the addition of a titanium spine and heat-resistant covers to handle extreme temperatures.
- The robot’s jet engines can produce a maximum thrust of over 1000N and exhaust temperatures exceeding 600°C.