Daily Innovation News

June 17^th 2024

💻 Technology

🇨🇳 Elon Musk's Tesla to pilot Full Self-Driving in Shanghai's Nanhui New City

Tesla has received approval to test its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software in Shanghai's Nanhui New City district, with ten vehicles starting pilot operations soon. Before testing on public roads, Tesla must register the software with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). FSD offers advanced autonomous features, including auto lane changing and traffic signal recognition, but still requires driver supervision. This pilot marks a significant step towards Tesla's potential FSD rollout in China.

🇨🇳 Chinese X2 flying car completes first flight in Beijing, nears commercialization

The X2 flying car, developed by China-based Xpeng's affiliate AeroHT, has completed its first flight in Beijing and is expected to start taking orders by late 2024. This two-seater vehicle offers both manual and autonomous driving modes and boasts zero carbon dioxide emissions during flight. Demonstrated at Beijing Daxing International Airport, the X2 is part of China's growing low-altitude economy, which is forecasted to exceed 1 trillion yuan by 2026. This marks a significant step towards urban green transportation.

🇺🇸 US scientists develop brain-zapping headset to ease heartbreak

US scientists have created a headset that uses transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to alleviate the emotional pain of breakups. This non-invasive method targets the brain's prefrontal regions responsible for emotional regulation, significantly reducing symptoms of Love Trauma Syndrome. Study participants reported improved emotional states after daily use, highlighting the potential of tDCS to offer relief from breakup-related depression and anxiety. Further research is needed to fully understand its mechanisms. The study was published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

⚡️ Energy

🇸🇪 Swedish firm Sinonus envisions wind turbine blades as giant batteries

Swedish startup Sinonus has developed a technology to transform wind turbine blades, made from carbon fiber, into large-scale energy storage units. By harnessing the electrochemical properties of carbon fiber, researched at Chalmers University of Technology, this innovative approach could store energy within the blades themselves. This solution promises a dual-purpose use for carbon fiber, enhancing the return on investment for wind energy sectors and reducing dependency on traditional lithium-ion batteries. The technology could also revolutionize energy storage in electric vehicles and buildings.

🚀 Space

🇺🇸 US spacecraft Voyager 1 resumes scientific operations after months-long glitch

Voyager 1, NASA's longest-running and furthest-traveling spacecraft, has resumed normal scientific operations after a six-month glitch. The spacecraft, which stopped communicating in November 2023, has been successfully reconnected and had its computer code updated to address the issue. Voyager 1 continues its exploration of interstellar space, detecting plasma waves and sending data back to Earth, maintaining its significance in aerospace history.

🦾 Robotics

🇯🇵 Japanese robot driver Musashi navigates Tokyo roads, challenging self-driving car technology

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have introduced Musashi, a musculoskeletal humanoid robot capable of driving cars autonomously. Designed to mimic the human body, Musashi can operate acceleration and brake pedals, and control the steering wheel with both arms. It also uses sensors to detect humans in side mirrors. This innovative approach offers a cost-effective alternative to self-driving cars, potentially advancing autonomous vehicle technology. The research details are published in arXiv.

🤖 Artificial Intelligence

🇯🇵 Japanese firm SoftBank unveils AI to transform angry customer voices into calm tones

SoftBank Corp has introduced an innovative AI-powered "emotion canceling" technology designed to alleviate stress for call center operators by converting angry customer voices into calmer tones. The AI system identifies and modifies the emotional tone of callers without altering their words, using over 10,000 voice samples for training. This initiative aims to protect workers from verbal abuse, addressing a significant issue in Japan's service industry. Initially available in Japanese, the technology may expand to other languages.

🌎 Environment

🇺🇸 US company receives the first US patent for insect-based sustainable protein production

All Things Bugs LLC, a US-based innovator in the insect industry, has received the first US patent for a unique method of producing insect-based sustainable protein. The patented spray-drying technology can convert various insects into a fine powder, offering a versatile, eco-friendly protein source. This development is significant for sustainable food production, providing an alternative to traditional meat and dairy proteins and reducing environmental impact.

🇺🇸 🇮🇱 Scientists engineer yeasts and plants with bovine genes to produce cow-free milk

Innovative scientists from the US and Israel are engineering yeasts and plants with bovine genes to produce key milk proteins like casein and whey. This approach aims to replicate the nutritional value and taste of cow’s milk without using animals, addressing environmental and health concerns associated with traditional dairy farming. Companies like Remilk and Alpine Bio are leading this biotechnological advancement, which promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and land use. The new milk production method also eliminates the risk of animal-borne diseases.

💊 Healthcare

🇺🇸 US researchers discover fasting enhances cancer-fighting abilities of immune cells

A study by US researchers has found that fasting for 24 hours twice a week significantly boosts the cancer-fighting properties of natural killer (NK) cells. The fasting reprograms NK cells to utilize fatty acids instead of glucose, allowing them to survive and function better in the lipid-rich tumor environment. This metabolic reprogramming also increases the cells' production of anti-tumor cytokines, enhancing their ability to combat cancer. The findings, published in Immunity, suggest that fasting could be an effective supplementary treatment for cancer.

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