Tech Xplore reports that German car parts maker Mahle is developing a magnet-free electric motor that does not require rare earth elements. The motor will be less expensive to produce without the rare earth metals, according to Mahle officials. They also note that the design allows for tuning and changing rotor parameters, which in turn allows for improving efficiency. During testing, they found the design was 95% efficient, which they note has to date only been achieved by Formula...
Tech Xplore reports that an AI framework built by MIT researchers can give an early-alert signal for high-impact technologies. In a retrospective test of its capabilities, DELPHI (Dynamic Early-warning by Learning to Predict High Impact) identified all pioneering papers on an experts' list of seminal biotechnologies. Topics covered by the papers include DNA nanorobots used for cancer treatment, high-energy density lithium-oxygen batteries, and chemical synthesis using deep neural networks. The researchers see DELPHI as a...
Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden recently published an article outlining a new concept for rechargeable batteries made of cement, Tech Xplore reports. The concept involves a cement-based mixture with small amounts of short carbon fibres added to increase the conductivity and flexural toughness. Embedded within the mixture is a metal-coated carbon fibre mesh – iron for the anode, and nickel for the cathode. Luping Tang and Emma Zhang's research has produced...
French researchers have developed a vaccine that could induce long-term protection against allergic asthma, Medical Xpress reports. Their research on mice has been published in the journal Nature Communications. A team from Inserm, Institut Pasteur, and the company NEOVACS, have developed a conjugate vaccine, called a kinoid, by coupling the recombinant cytokines IL-4 and IL-13 with a carrier protein called CRM197 (a non-pathogenic mutated form of the diphtheria toxin, used in many conjugate vaccines). The preclinical results (in animal...
Just more than four centuries after the Mayflower travelled from England to the U.S., a namesake vessel will make the voyage, this time without passengers or crew. The fully autonomous Mayflower 400 is scheduled to travel 5,630 km across the Atlantic Ocean from Plymouth to Massachusetts this month, conducting scientific experiments during its journey, the BBC reports.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-57088748
Scientists have uncovered the mechanism that causes new solar cells to break down, and suggest a potential solution, says a report from Imperial College London. Solar cells harness energy from the sun but face challenges from costly manufacturing processes and poor efficiency. The research team showed how the selection of a crucial layer within the perovskite (material developed for next-generation solar cells) can mitigate degradation under ambient conditions and increase stability. This could lead to the design...
Recent studies have shown that all contemporary security protocols leave mobile device users vulnerable to Wi-Fi fragmentation and aggregation attacks – or frag attacks, reports Tech Xplore. Research indicates that while the design flaws may prove more challenging to abuse due to the need for user interaction or uncommon network settings, the vulnerabilities related to programming pose a more significant risk. Researchers revealed that the flaws originated with some of the first Wi-Fi protocol back in...
In the largest study of the associations between smoking and cardiovascular disease on cognitive function, researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute found that both impair the ability to learn and memorize, and that the effects of smoking are more pronounced among females, while males are more impaired by cardiovascular disease, reports Medical Xpress. By analyzing data from more than 70,000 individuals worldwide, the study produced results that indicate definitive trends. "These results suggest that smoking...
Purdue University engineers have developed a "batch reverse osmosis" process that promises better energy efficiency, longer-lasting equipment and the ability to process water of much higher salinity, Tech Xplore reports. It could end up a difference maker in water security around the world. Reverse osmosis is used in many countries; in arid places such as the Middle East, more than half of the fresh drinking water supplies come from desalination facilities. "About a third of the lifetime cost of...
Deep underground in eastern France, a four-legged bundle of energy named Scar, loaded with sensors, steps gingerly through vast caverns. It's an ideal training ground for the robotic dog being groomed by researchers at the Ecole des Mines engineering school, reports Tech Xplore. On Tuesday, a team from the university tested out Scar's abilities at the Cigeo lab 500 metres below the village of Bure, slated to become a permanent home for thousands of tonnes...
