Philadelphia PA (SPX) Apr 01, 2021
When it comes to powering mobile robots, batteries present a problematic paradox: the more energy they contain, the more they weigh, and thus the more energy the robot needs to move. Energy harvesters, like solar panels, might work for some applications, but they don't deliver power quickly or consistently enough for sustained travel. James Pikul, assistant professor in Penn Engineering's

Singapore (AFP) April 6, 2021
Remote-controlled Venus flytrap "robo-plants" and crops that tell farmers when they are hit by disease could become reality after scientists developed a high-tech system for communicating with vegetation. Researchers in Singapore linked up plants to electrodes capable of monitoring the weak electrical pulses naturally emitted by the greenery. The scientists used the technology to trigger

Washington DC (SPX) Apr 01, 2021
As environmental and energy crises become increasingly more common occurrences around the world, a thermal energy harvester capable of converting abundant thermal energy - such as solar radiation, waste heat, combustion of biomass, or geothermal energy - into mechanical energy appears to be a promising energy strategy to mitigate many crises. The majority of thermal power generation techno

New York NY (SPX) Apr 06, 2021
Nine of the hottest years in human history have occurred in the last decade. Without a major shift in this climate trajectory, the future of life on Earth is in question. Should humans, whose fossil-fueled society is driving climate change, use technology to put the brakes on global warming? Every month since September 2019 the Climate Intervention Biology Working Group, a team of internat

Canberra, Australia (SPX) Apr 02, 2021
As the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) celebrated 100 years with a spectacular and well-attended flyover in Canberra yesterday, many eyes were lifted to the skies. But RAAF's ambitions go even higher, as its motto "through adversity, to the stars" hints. The Chief of Air Force, Air Marshall Mel Hupfeld, announced the intention to create a new "space command". Having a dedicated space com

Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Apr 02, 2021
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket built to carry a sophisticated U.S. national security satellite into space arrived at Cape Canaveral, FL today after sailing from the factory aboard the R/S RocketShip. The Atlas V booster stage and Centaur upper stage left the ULA manufacturing facility in Decatur, AL, on March 23 aboard our unique custom-built rocket transportation vessel. Th

Beijing, China (SPX) Apr 06, 2021
A research team led by Professor PAN Jianwei and Professor XU Feihu from University of Science and Technology of China achieved single-photon 3D imaging over 200 km using high-efficiency optical devices and a new noise-suppression technique, which is commented by the reviewer as an almost "heroic" attempt at single photon lidar imaging at very long distances. Lidar imaging technology has e

Lemont IL (SPX) Apr 06, 2021
Scientists create stable nanosheets containing boron and hydrogen atoms with potential applications in nanoelectronics and quantum information technology. What's thinner than thin? One answer is two-dimensional materials - exotic materials of science with length and width but only one or two atoms in thickness. They offer the possibility of unprecedented boosts in device performance for el

Ariane 6 early combined tests at Latesys in Fos-sur-Mer, in France, have simulated the moment of liftoff when the umbilicals separate from the launch vehicle.

Today is 406 Day – the annual campaigning day to spread awareness of the importance of emergency beacons, and the satellites that pick up their signals, including Europe’s Galileo constellation. As well as letting people across the world find their way, Galileo also serves to detect SOS messages and relay them to authorities, contributing to saving many lives.