Soon, Fossilised Algae May Power Electric Vehicles

Scientists are developing inexpensive, energy efficient lithium ions batteries for electric vehicles by using silicon based anodes made from the fossilized remains of single celled algae called diatoms. The research at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) could lead to the development of ultra-high capacity lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles and portable electronics. The anode of lithium ion batteries is mostly made of graphite but the mineral’s performance is a limiting factor in making batter batteries and expanding their applications. Silicon, which can store about 10 times more energy, can be an alternative anode material, but its production is expensive. To change that, the team turned to a cheap source of silicon – diatomaceous earth (DE) – and more efficient chemical process. Using a process called magnesiothermic reduction, the group of scientists converted this low-cost source of silicon dioxide to pure silicon nano=particles. A significant finding in our research was the preservation of the diatom cell walls – structures known as frustules – creating a highly porous anode that allows easy access for the electrolyte.

A Toothpaste That Is Almost As Good As Statins

Specially-formulated toothpaste that identified where plaque is on the teeth could help prevent heart attacks. The toothpaste was found to remove twice as much plaque as normal toothpaste. It also helped to reduce inflammation levels by 29%, which is almost the same kind of reduction achieved by statins (37%) that are used to lower cholesterol. Reducing inflammation is important as people who have gum disease have higher rates of coronary heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack. It isn’t clear whether this is because of a direct biological link between the two – for example, that the process of inflammation of the gums directly affects the build-up of plaque in the coronary arteries – or because people who have gum disease are more likely to have unhealthy lifestyle habits, which would directly contribute towards coronary heart disease. Using the toothpaste is a fairly simple thing to do, yet it seems to have a big impact. And there are no side effects that researchers know of. We get the benefit of better oral health and potentially big heart benefits too.

Your Footstep Can Generate Electricity

Move over solar energy! Researchers have developed a novel, inexpensive and simple method that can convert footsteps into usable electricity. The method developed by researchers at University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US puts to good use a common waste material: wood pulp. The pulp, which is already a common component of flooring, is partly made of cellulose nanofibres – tiny fibers that, when chemically treated, produce an electrical charge when they come into contact with untreated nanofibers. When the nanofibres are embedded within flooring, they are able to produce electricity that can be harnessed to power lights or charge batteries. Because weed pulp is a cheap, abundant and renewable waste product of several industries, flooring that incorporated the new technology could be as affordable as conventional materials. Existing materials for harnessing footstep energy are costly, non recyclable and impractical.

This New Bike Lock Makes Thieves Vomit Uncontrollably

A new bike lock brings on immediate vomiting and trouble breathing for anyone who tries to break open it. Two inventors from San Francisco, irritated by seeing bikes stole, have created a new lock that makes anyone who tries to break through it be sick. The lock is triggered whenever it senses someone who tries to break into it – and when it is, it shoots out a burst of noxious spray, like a skunk, that has effects similar to pepper spray. The lock was created after the inventors kept seeing their friends have their bike stolen. The new lock doesn’t cause any lasting damage – but does induce horrible effects in anyone that tries to break into it.

Now, Building That Alerts Of Damage In Real Time

MIT scientists are developing smart buildings that can sense ambient vibrations and monitor itself for internal signs of damage or mechanical stress in real time. The broader implication is, after an event like an earthquake, we would see immediately the changes of these features, and if and where there is damage in the system. This provides continuous monitoring and a database that would be like a health book for the building, as a function of time, much like a person’s changing blood pressure with age. The team tested its computational model on a 21 story building made in the 1960s using reinforced concrete. In 2010, researchers outfitted the building with 36 accelerometers that record vibrations and movements on selected floors, from the building’s foundation to its roof. But the model uses a lot of assumptions about the building’s material, its geometry, the thickness of its elements, etcetera, which may not correspond exactly to the structure.

Europe's Mars Craft Lost Before Landing

Europe’s second attempt at reaching the Mars surface appeared in peril on 17 October as initial analysis suggested a lander dubbled “Schiaparelli”, a test run for a future rover, may have plummeted to its demise. While holding out faint hope, ground controllers said it seemed the paddling pool-sized lander’s parachute may have been discarded too early, and its fall-breaking thrusters switched off too soon. Schiaparelli fell silent seconds before its scheduled touchdown, while its mothership Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) entered Mars’ orbit as planned – part of a joint European-Russian quest for evidence of life on the red planet, past or present. Further analysis must be done of some 600 megabytes of data Schiaparelli sent home before its signal died, to “know whether it survived structurally or not.” If not, this would be European second failed Mars landing in a row, joining a string of unsuccessful at tempts by global powers to explore our planetary neighbour’s hostile surface. The British built Beagle 2 robot lab disappeared without trace after separating from its mothership, Mars Express, in 2003. Its remains were finally spotted in a NASA photograph last year. Schiaparelli had travelled for seven years and 496 million kilometres onboard the TGO to within a million kilometres of Mars on Sunday, when it set off on its own mission to reach the surface. The pair comprise phase one of the ExoMars mission through which Europe and Russia seek to join the United States in probing the alien Martian surface. The TGO is meant to sniff atmospheric gases potentially excreted by living organisms, while Schiaparelli’s landing was designed to inform technology for a bigger and more expensive rover scheduled for launch in 2020. The six-wheel rover will be equipped with a drill to look for remains of past life, or evidence of current activity, up to a depth of two metres. While life is unlikely to exist on the barren, radiation-blasted surface, scientists say traces of methane in Mars’ atmosphere may indicate something is stirring underground – possible single celled microbes.

Tesla Will Make Cars 100% Auto-Pilot Ready

What this means:

Every new Tesla car, including Model S, Model X, and the forthcoming Model 3, will be loaded with $8,000 worth of gadgets which will allow the vehicles to eventually drive themselves once Tesla perfects the software to make that possible.

What it does not mean:

The car will right now NOT be able to drive themselves. What it does mean is that the cars can be updated easily to go auto-pilot once Tesla has the software ready.

The Tesla self driving package:

1. 8 surrounded cameras for 360 degree visibility around the car at up to 250m range.
2. 12 updated ultrasonic sensors for detection of both hard and soft objects.
3. Forward facing radar with enhanced processing ‘capable of seeing through heavy rain, fog, dust and even the car ahead.’
4. A new onboard computer with more than 40 times the computing power of the previous generation.

Brand Sense:

Tesla is effectively positioning itself as the self-driving car company before it actually rolls out self driving cars. Customers who would prefer an autonomous car when the technology is ready can go for a Tesla right away, and then wait for the technology to arrive.

Auto future:

1. The hardware won’t do much at the moment but, over the next year, Tesla plans to test a more advanced version of its earlier auto-pilot programme.
2. More advanced self driving capabilities in the pipeline for Tesla, although Musk has said ‘it’ll take us some time’ to perfect those.
3. Tesla hopes to demonstrate a car travelling all by itself from Los Angeles to New York, without any driver guidance, by the end of 2017.

Where the tech is at present:

The partially self driving cars being sold now have software, like Tesla’s Autopilot, that hand the controls back to humans when the computer is unsure of what to do.