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Daily Innovation News

May 14^th 2024

💻 Technology

🇩🇰 Danish engineers develop a drone that recharges by connecting to power lines for infinite flight

Engineers at the University of Southern Denmark have created a drone that can recharge itself by attaching to power lines, enabling potentially indefinite flight. This technology, developed for power line inspections, overcomes the challenge of short battery life in drones by using a docking mechanism with advanced sensors and AI. The system converts high-voltage electricity from power lines into a usable form for the drone through inductive coupling. After seven years of development, this autonomous system has shown success in tests, significantly extending drone operational times without human intervention.

⚡️ Energy

🇦🇺 Australian company scales up the world's most efficient hydrogen system for mass production, aiming to create the cheapest hydrogen globally

Hysata, an Australian company, claims their new capillary-feed electrolyzer creates hydrogen at a 95% efficiency rate, which is about 20% more efficient than current top models. This system utilizes a unique design that eliminates gas bubbles in the electrolyte, reducing resistance and boosting efficiency. With $111 million in recent funding, Hysata plans to scale up production at their facility in Wollongong, aiming for gigawatt-scale manufacturing. Their technology promises cheaper and more efficient green hydrogen production, potentially impacting sectors like aviation and heavy industry.

🤖 Artificial Intelligence

🇺🇸 OpenAI launches Chat GPT-4o, capable of analyzing text, audio, and visual inputs for real-time, natural human-computer interaction

OpenAI has introduced GPT-4o, a versatile new model in the ChatGPT series capable of analyzing text, audio, and visual inputs in real-time interactions. Announced by CTO Mira Murati, GPT-4o aims for more natural human-computer interaction. It offers fast responses in multiple languages and integrates into apps more economically than previous versions. During a demo, GPT-4o showcased abilities such as solving algebra problems, code analysis, language translation, and storytelling, emphasizing its quick, emotion-rich conversational capabilities. GPT-4o is now available for public use.

🌎 Environment

🇨🇳 Chinese researchers develop an eco-friendly process to make flame-retardant glass from bamboo

Researchers at Central South University of Forestry and Technology in China have developed a new transparent material from bamboo that is flame-retardant and super hydrophobic. Unlike traditional silica-based glass, this bamboo-derived glass emits significantly less CO2 and uses the rapid growth rates of bamboo to its advantage, offering an eco-friendly alternative to wood-based transparent materials. The bamboo glass demonstrated superior mechanical properties and enhanced the energy conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells by 15.29% due to its high light transmittance of 71.6%. This breakthrough, published in Research, could significantly impact various industries, including sustainable building and solar energy.

💊 Healthcare

🇨🇭 Swiss researchers develop a gel that breaks down alcohol before it enters the bloodstream, reducing its harmful effects

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a protein-based gel that, when ingested, breaks down alcohol in the gastrointestinal tract before it enters the bloodstream. This process converts alcohol directly into harmless acetic acid without producing harmful acetaldehyde, a byproduct typically formed in the liver. The innovation, published in Nature Nanotechnology, could potentially mitigate the intoxicating effects of alcohol and reduce related health risks. This gel, still pending clinical trials for human use, incorporates whey proteins, iron, and gold to catalyze the breakdown process.

🇺🇸 US researchers develop a plant virus-based treatment that prevents cancer spread in mice

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a groundbreaking treatment using nanoparticles derived from the cowpea mosaic virus, which typically infects black-eyed pea plants. This treatment has shown potential in preventing the formation of metastatic tumors across several cancer types in mice, including colon, ovarian, melanoma, and breast cancer. By harnessing the immune system's response to these virus nanoparticles, the treatment helps prevent cancer spread and recurrence even after surgical tumor removal. The findings, showing improved survival and reduced tumor regrowth, were published in Advanced Science.

🇺🇸 US researchers discover that cancer drug also helps diabetes

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh discovered that a drug developed for cancer treatment might also help treat diabetes. They observed that, in mice, the drug could convert acinar cells of the pancreas to produce insulin. This transformation could potentially decrease the need for insulin therapy in diabetics. The findings were promising in diabetic mice and a diabetic macaque, showing improved blood sugar control. This research could lead to new diabetes treatments that regenerate insulin-producing cells, reducing complications from high blood sugar levels. The study was published in Nature Communications.

🇺🇸 Harvard and Google researchers map a tiny part of the brain with unprecedented precision

Researchers at Harvard and Google have collaborated to create the most detailed map of a tiny portion of the human brain. They focused on a cubic millimeter of the human cortex, revealing intricate details such as 57,000 cells, 230 millimeters of blood vessels, and 150 million synapses. This advanced map could enhance our understanding of brain function and disorders, with the potential to improve treatments for neurological diseases. The data from this study, published in Science, are openly accessible for further exploration and research.

🔋 Electronics

🇬🇧 The UK successfully tests the world’s first ‘unhackable’ quantum navigation system for commercial aircraft

The UK has successfully tested a quantum-based navigation system for commercial aircraft that cannot be disrupted by jamming or spoofing. This system, developed by Infleqtion and tested with BAE Systems and QinetiQ, uses advanced quantum technologies to enhance the resilience and accuracy of navigation systems, complementing existing GPS. This technology utilizes ultra-cold atoms and optical clocks to provide reliable and precise positioning and timing (PNT), independent of satellite signals. These developments are part of the UK's National Quantum Strategy, aiming to integrate quantum navigation systems into aircraft by 2030.

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