Technology

Nanomagnets levitate thanks to quantum physics Date: October 31, 2017 Source: University of Innsbruck Summary: Quantum physicists have now shown that, despite Earnshaw's theorem, nanomagnets can be stably levitated in an external static magnetic field owing to quantum mechanical principles. The quantum angular momentum of electrons, which also causes magnetism, is accountable for this mechanism. FULL STORY Cosimo Rusconi (l.) and Oriol Romero-Isart (r.) play with a levitron to illustrate their work on nano magnets. Credit: IQOQI Innsbruck/M.R.Knabl Already in 1842, British mathematician Samuel Earnshaw proved that there is no stable configuration of levitating permanent magnets. If one magnet is levitated above another, the smallest disturbance will cause the system to crash. The magnetic top, a popular toy, circumvents the Earnshaw theorem: When it is d...

Engineers invent breakthrough millimeter-wave circulator IC Researchers are first to demonstrate a circulator on a silicon chip at mm-wave frequencies that enables nonreciprocal transmission of waves: device could enable two-way radios and transform 5g networks, self-driving cars, and virtual reality Date: October 6, 2017 Source: Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science Summary: Researchers continue to break new ground in developing magnet-free non-reciprocal components in modern semiconductor processes. They have built the first magnet-free non-reciprocal circulator on a silicon chip that operates at millimeter-wave frequencies, enabling circulators to be built in conventional semiconductor chips and operate at millimeter-wave frequencies, enabling full-duplex or two-way wireless. Share: FULL STORY This is a chip microphotograph of th...

   New underwater robotic vehicle Date: October 31, 2017 Source: American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Summary: Ben-Gurion University Introduces Israel's First Underwater Robotic Vehicle at NextTech Conference 2017 Share: FULL STORY The new BG Robotics HydroCamel II, Israel's first autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for use in the military, security and oil and gas sectors as well as in environmental applications and marine research. The AUV was developed at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). Credit: Ben-Gurion U. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has developed Israel's first autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The robotic "HydroCamel II" will be commercially available for use in the military, security, and oil and gas sectors, as well as in environmental applications and marine research. BGN Technologies...

Hybrid robot could perform search and rescue missions, research studies, environmental monitoring Date: October 31, 2017 Source: Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Summary: A new, hybrid RoboBee can fly, dive into water, swim, propel itself back out of water, and safely land. Floating devices allow this multipurpose air-water microrobot to stabilize on the water's surface before an internal combustion system ignites to propel it back into the air. This latest-generation RoboBee, which is 1,000 times lighter than any previous aerial-to-aquatic robot, could be used for numerous applications, from search-and-rescue operations to environmental monitoring and biological studies. Share: FULL STORY New, hybrid RoboBee can fly, dive into water, swim, propel itself back out of water, and safely land. The Robo...

  Toyota wants to get us truly crushing on cars Posted yesterday by simon singlad ( @simonsinglad ) Toyota is very invested in love. The automaker has a central philosophy of making vehicles that inspire ‘Aisha,’ a concept that literally means “beloved car” in Japanese. But the nature of ‘Aisha’ is changing, necessarily, just at the nature of automobiles themselves are fundamentally changing as we usher in automated and semi-autonomous driving. The key to making ‘Aisha’ work in this new era, Toyota believes, lies in using artificial intelligence to broaden its definition, and to transform cars from something that people are merely interested in and passionate about, into something that people can actually bond with – and even come to think of as a partner. To create a bond between a person and a car that’s more than just skin (or topcoat) deep, Toyota believes that learning and...

Saudi Arabia just made a non-human woman a citizen, making it the first country to grant a robot the right to citizenship, at least as far as we know. Why it did so isn’t immediately evident, but the irony of a nation infamous for denying basic rights to its female citizens imbuing a robotic Audrey Hepburn lookalike with rights is not lost on us. The robot, known as Sophia , appeared onstage without an abaya, a head covering and cloak normally required of women by the Saudi government. “I am very honored and proud for this unique distinction,” the robot said onstage . “This is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with a citizenship.” The revelation/PR stunt came out of the Future Investment Initiative summit being held in Riyadh. Hanson Robotics, the company that developed the robot, hails it as “the most beautiful and celebrated robot,” a claim to fame that surely ensures our non-human counterparts will be just as sexually objectified as thei...

While people spend more than $1,000 for the right to  eventually get an iPhone X (as well as sell that right to  eventually get an iPhone X for more than $1,500 ), we’re seeing Apple is doing a pretty good job of setting the stage as to whether it can make its case to Wall Street that it can be a $1 trillion company. We’ve noted before that quarterly financial reports from companies are, generally, the moments that consistently swing stock prices for companies . And while Apple is hoarding a ton of cash, its future depends on the success of the iPhone — and, in particular, the iPhone X. While it is rolling out an updated version of the iPhone 7 in the form of the iPhone 8, the iPhone X represents Apple’s interpretation of the true next generation of that slate of glass in your pocket that controls your connection to the rest of the internet. With that in mind, Apple in its last fiscal quarter signaled that it might have a better-than-expected third quart...

Elon Musk is digging a tunnel under Hawthorne near SpaceX headquarters in California, after receiving approval from city council to do so. Musk’s Boring Co. has already made considerable progress on the dig and tunnel build, apparently, as Musk shared an image of the tunnel from the inside showing a reinforced tube that stretches off into the distance out of sight. The tunnel features paneled walls, cables and a large upper conduit, as well as lighting and what appear to be tracks. The tunnel just outside of LA is the first the Boring Co. has undertaken, but it recently received provisional approval to start digging in Maryland, too, on a second test dig that will potentially become part of an underground Hyperloop network. Musk’s LA tunnel is a pilot project designed to test the feasibility of his plan to dig tunnels at a lower cost and more efficiently than current tunnel boring companies operate, with the eventual aim of supplying cities and regions with und...

 Calif. – Oct. 26, 2017 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), which designed NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) optics, spacecraft bus, and sunshield for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, has deployed the sunshield subsystem and fully tensioned the five sunshield layers for the first time. At Northrop Grumman highbay facilities in Redondo Beach, California, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s five sunshield layers are fully tensioned for the first time. “The first tensioning of the sun shield is a monumental and exciting moment, not only for the program but for the collaborative JWST team,” said Scott Willoughby, vice president and program manager, James Webb Space Telescope, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems “The innovative sunshield is an industry first, and will protect Webb’s optics from heat, making it possible to gather images of the formation of the first stars and galaxies more than 13.5 billion years ago.” ...

Posted Oct 6, 2017 by simon-singlad@simonsinglad5 Back at the beginning of September, Elon Musk tweeted that the company would unveil its long rumored all-electric semi truck on October 26th. He noted that it was “tentatively” scheduled, leaving the door open for a date change if need be. Turns out that was a good call. In a tweet this afternoon, Elon says the Semi unveil date is now set for November 16th — a shift of about three weeks. The reasoning for the rescheduling? Musk mentions two things they’re focusing on right now instead: Model 3 bottlenecks and Puerto Rico battery production. Yesterday morning Musk offered Tesla’s assistance in rebuilding Puerto Rico’s electric system after the devastation of Hurricane Maria left just 10 percent of the island with power; by the afternoon, the governor of Puerto Rico was tweeting back to say he wanted to talk about it . As for the Model 3 bottlenecks mentioned: Tesla aimed ...

Amazon debuts Cloud Cam and Key to take on Nest, August and others in home security Posted 30 minutes ago by simon-singlad (@simonsinglad5 Amazon wants to be the hub for your connected home, and today the company announced two new products that will help it fill out that ambition, specifically in the area of home security. It announced a new “intelligent” camera called the Cloud Cam, and a new smart-lock service called Key. You control both using Alexa, the voice-based assistant that powers its line of Echo speakers and screens and connected device controllers. Pre-order pricing for the Cloud Cam starting at $119.99 and going up to $249.99 for Prime members if paired with Key as part of a larger In-Home Kit (which also includes a smart lock from Yale or Kwikset). As it did with the Echo Dot, Amazon is also selling multipacks of the Cloud Cam that bring down the unit cost. ...

Previous Next Photo by Duane Daws Instagram Buy Photos 20th October 2017 By: Mia Breytenbach Creamer Media Writer SAVE THIS ARTICLE       EMAIL THIS ARTICLE Font size: - + Robben Island , a World Heritage Site has gone green...