Daily Innovation News

November 26^th 2024

🚀 Space

🇺🇸 SpaceX to launch NASA's nuclear-powered helicopter to Titan in groundbreaking life search mission

NASA's Dragonfly mission, set to launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy in 2028, will send a nuclear-powered rotorcraft to Saturn’s moon Titan to explore its potential for life. The $3.35 billion mission will investigate Titan’s unique environment, including its carbon-rich dunes and subsurface water, to analyze prebiotic chemistry and search for life’s building blocks. Once it reaches Titan after a six-year journey, Dragonfly will fly to various sites, collecting samples and data across diverse terrains. This marks the first rotorcraft flight on another celestial body, advancing our understanding of habitability beyond Earth.

🇺🇸 NASA tests swarm of tiny underwater robots for life detection in icy moon oceans

NASA has developed the SWIM (Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers) project, featuring cellphone-sized robots designed to explore subsurface oceans on icy moons like Europa and Enceladus. Deployed by a cryobot that melts through ice, these autonomous robots would scatter in oceans, searching for chemical and temperature cues signaling potential life. Recent tests showcased impressive maneuverability and autonomous exploration patterns, with future space-ready models expected to be smaller. This innovative swarm approach enhances the potential for extraterrestrial life discovery and advances planetary exploration technology.

🦾 Robotics

🇺🇸 US company unveil Proxie, an AI-driven cobot simplifying workplace automation

Cobot has introduced Proxie, a versatile and affordable mobile robot designed to handle material transport in industries such as healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing. Equipped with robotic arms, advanced AI, and sensors for situational awareness, Proxie collaborates safely with humans, automating repetitive tasks like cart handling and box moving. Unlike costly humanoid robots, Proxie prioritizes efficiency, adaptability, and trustworthiness, with features like fast battery swaps and planned voice-command integration. Proxie is already in trials, logging thousands of operational hours, reflecting a shift toward practical robotics solutions.

🌎 Environment

🇧🇧 Barbadian engineers convert rotting seaweed into car fuel, targeting major CO2 reduction

A startup in Barbados, Rum and Sargassum, has developed a process to turn invasive seaweed and rum distillery waste into bio-compressed natural gas, offering an affordable alternative to electric vehicles. By retrofitting internal combustion vehicles, the solution could cut 14 million tons of CO2 emissions while addressing the environmental and economic challenges posed by seaweed on Caribbean beaches. The project aims to scale production to fuel 75% of Barbados' vehicles, promoting sustainable tourism and reducing fuel costs.

🇺🇸 US scientists use sunlight and pigments to recycle hard-to-process black plastic

Researchers have developed a method to recycle black polystyrene, a plastic notoriously difficult to process due to its carbon black pigment. Using sunlight and the pigment already present in the plastic, they achieved up to 80% breakdown of black polystyrene into reusable components. This process, published in ACS Central Science, bypasses energy-intensive heating methods and can even recycle mixed-color polystyrene. The innovation offers a sustainable way to tackle the environmental challenge posed by non-recyclable plastics.

💊 Healthcare

🇺🇸 US researchers develop wearable nerve stimulation device to ease long COVID pain and fatigue

A study published in Nature Scientific Reports reveals that a wearable Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device offers significant relief from long COVID symptoms, including chronic pain, fatigue, and mobility challenges. Participants using the high-dose TENS device reported 26% greater pain relief and improved walking ability compared to a placebo group. The device's portability allows for easy integration into daily life, providing immediate, on-demand relief. Researchers suggest the technology may also benefit individuals with other chronic conditions, though further studies are needed.

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