Batteries that last 5 times longer

                Scientists have discovered a new catalyst material which may lead to cell-phone and car batteries lasting five times longer. Kyeongjae Cho from University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) in the US has found the catalyst materials for lithium-air batteries that jump-start efforts at expanding battery capacity. “There is huge promise in lithium-air batteries. However, despite the aggressive research being done, those promises are not being delivered,” said Cho.

                “So this is very exciting progress. Hopefully, this discovery will revitalize research in this area and create momentum for further development,” he said. Lithium-air (or lithium oxygen) batteries “breathe” oxygen from the air to power the chemical reactions that release electricity, rather than storing and oxidizer internally lithium-ion batteries do.

                Due to this, lithium-air batteries boast and energy density comparable to gasoline – with theoretical energy densities as much as 10 times that of current lithium-ion batteries. For example, at one-fifth the cost of those presently in the market, a lithium-air battery would allow an electric car to drive 640km on a single charge and a mobile phone last a week without recharging.

India's first reusable space shuttle, RLV-TD launched

On 23 May 2016, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched its maiden indigenous winged Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) from Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh. It was carried up on a solid rocket motor (SRM). The nine-ton SRM was designed to burn slowly to accommodate the vertical lifting of winged body. After launch from the Sriharikota spaceport, it glided back onto a virtual runway in the Bay of Bengal. The vehicle re-entered the atmosphere after reaching a height of over 70 km. the mission, known as the hypersonic flight experiment, lasted about 10 minutes.

About RLV-TD:

• ·         The Re-Usable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) is considered as a first step towards realizing a Two Stage To Orbit (TSTO) fully reusable vehicle. That is, it can put satellites into orbit around earth and then reo-enter atmosphere.
• ·         The 6.5 meter long RLV-TD has aeroplane like structure which weighs about 1.75 tons.
• ·         The cost of this project is 95 crore rupees.
• ·         It is very similar to the US space shuttle.
• ·         The double delta-winged RLV-TD being experimented as a scale model which is almost 6 times smaller than the final version.
• ·         Before moving on to the final version of the RLV will take off around 2030, ISRO has planned to test two more such protypes.

A potential new antibiotic found inside our noses

                Scientists in Germany have discovered a bacteria hiding out in peoples’ noses that produces an antibiotic compound that can kill several dangerous pathogens, including the superbug MRSA. The early-stage finding could one day lead to a whole new class of antibiotic medicines being developed to fight drug-resistant bacterial infections.

                As well as being a focal point for many viral infections, the nasal cavity is also a rich ecosystem of 50 or so different species of bacteria, lead researcher Andres Peschel of the University of Tuebingen said. “That’s the reason why we looked at this particular body site. And it led us to some very unexpected and exciting findings.” Most antibiotics developed until now have been isolated from soil-living or other environmental bacteria, but researchers said this discovery highlights the value of the human micro-biome as a potential new source

Vibrating boots to prevent astronauts from tripping

                Scientists are developing a new space boot that can prevent astronauts or visually impaired people from tripping by using vibration to guide the wearer around and over obstacles. Most falls happen because spacesuits limit astronauts’ ability to both see and feel the terrains around them. The space boot being developed by researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Charles Stark Draper Laboratory in the US has built-in sensors and tiny “haptic” motors, whose vibrations can guide the wearer around obstacles.

                In a preliminary study, researchers determined what types of stimuli, administered to what parts of the foot, could provide the best navigation cues. On the basis of that study, they are planning trials using a prototype of the boot. It could also have applications in the design of navigation systems for the visually impaired. The development of such systems has been hampered by lack of efficient and reliable means of communicating spatial information to users.

                Researchers developed a device that spaced six haptic motors around each of a subject’s feet – one motor each at the heel, big toe, and instep, and three motors along the outer edge of the foot. The intensity of the motors’ vibrations could be varied continuously between minimum and maximum settings. This could be useful not only for astronauts but for firemen, who have well-documented issues interacting with their environment, and for people with compromised sensory systems.