Daily Innovation News

August 23^rd 2024

💻 Technology

🇺🇸 US patient controls video game with Neuralink brain chip in major breakthrough for paralyzed individuals

Neuralink's second human recipient, a 67-year-old paralyzed man named Alex, successfully played Counter-Strike 2 using only his thoughts, thanks to a brain implant developed by the company. This technology enables Alex to control a computer mouse and design 3D models, marking a significant step towards restoring autonomy for individuals with severe disabilities. Neuralink continues to refine its implant, aiming for broader applications in everyday tasks and further enhancing user experience.

🇬🇧 UK scientists teach non-living hydrogel to play Pong through electrical stimulation

Researchers in the UK have achieved a remarkable feat by enabling a non-living hydrogel to play the classic video game Pong through electrical stimulation. The hydrogel, composed of ionized polyacrylamide, improved its gameplay accuracy by 10% over time, demonstrating a form of "memory" based on ion movement within its structure. This experiment highlights how non-living materials can adapt and learn from their environment, offering new insights into memory and learning in non-biological systems. The study was published in Cell Reports Physical Science.

🚀 Space

🇨🇳 Chinese scientists develop a large-scale method to extract water from lunar soil

Chinese researchers have pioneered a method to extract water from lunar soil, capable of producing 50 liters of water per ton of regolith. By heating lunar minerals, especially hydrogen-rich ilmenite, to extreme temperatures, the process releases water, along with by-products like iron, useful for building lunar infrastructure. This breakthrough could significantly aid in sustaining human activities on the moon. The research was published in The Innovation.

🦾 Robotics

🇩🇪 German researchers enable robots to feel human touch using internal sensors and AI

German scientists have developed a breakthrough method that allows robots to sense and interpret human touch using only internal force-torque sensors combined with machine learning, eliminating the need for external tactile skins. This innovation enables robots to recognize written digits and execute tasks based on touch, significantly advancing intuitive human-robot interactions. The research, conducted at the Deutschen Zentrums für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), was published in Science Robotics.

🌎 Environment

🇺🇸 US engineers create wildfire-shielding gel to protect homes

Stanford researchers have developed an innovative gel that can be sprayed onto structures to shield them from wildfires. This gel transforms into a highly insulative silica-based aerogel when exposed to heat, offering superior protection compared to current commercial solutions. The gel remains effective even after drying, making it a promising tool for safeguarding homes and critical infrastructure from increasing wildfire threats. The findings were published in Advanced Materials.

🇭🇰 Hong Kong researchers create highly efficient, eco-friendly air conditioning technology

Researchers in Hong Kong have developed an elastocaloric cooling device that boosts efficiency by 48% compared to previous designs, eliminating the need for harmful refrigerants. Using nickel-titanium shape memory alloys, the device achieves significant cooling by leveraging phase transitions without greenhouse gas emissions. This innovation could revolutionize air conditioning, which is a major contributor to global energy consumption. The study was published in Nature Energy.

💊 Healthcare

🇬🇧🇩🇪 UK and German scientists administer first lung cancer vaccine in groundbreaking human trials

A 67-year-old lung cancer patient in the UK has become the first person to receive an mRNA-based lung cancer vaccine, developed by BioNTech, as part of an international clinical trial. This vaccine, BNT116, is designed to activate the immune system to specifically target and destroy non-small cell lung cancer cells. The trial, involving 130 participants across seven countries, aims to establish the vaccine's safety and effectiveness.

🇺🇸 US researchers develop universal flu vaccine candidate showing strong protection in mice

Scientists in the US have developed a universal flu vaccine candidate that incorporates proteins from eight influenza strains, offering broad protection in mice. This vaccine, designed using Computationally Optimized Broadly Reactive Antigens (COBRA), elicited a strong immune response and protected against severe infection. The candidate aims to cover multiple flu seasons and strains, addressing the limitations of current seasonal vaccines. Human trials are expected within 1-3 years. The findings were published in the Journal of Virology.

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