Daily Innovation News

November 28^th 2024

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⚡️ Energy

🇺🇸 US engineers develop 3,272°F thermal battery bricks for decarbonizing heavy industry

MIT spinout Electrified Thermal Solutions has created electrically conductive "e-Bricks" capable of storing and releasing heat at 3,272°F, offering a renewable energy solution for industrial processes like steel and cement production. These scalable, cost-effective thermal batteries can replace fossil fuels with zero-carbon electricity, addressing heavy industries responsible for nearly 40% of global CO₂ emissions. The breakthrough enables affordable decarbonization and is set to play a key role in global energy transition.

🚘 Transport

🇨🇳 China unveils 500-mile EV batteries for heavy trucks with 15-year lifespan

CATL has introduced its Tectrans battery series for heavy-duty electric vehicles, featuring a 500-mile range and a 15-year lifespan, or up to 1.86 million miles. These batteries are designed to reduce costs and improve efficiency with options like rapid charging (70% in 15 minutes) and long-range models for logistics and long-distance transport. Supporting battery-swapping and tailored for construction, mining, and transport, they aim to accelerate the adoption of electric heavy trucks. Already in mass production, these innovations signal a shift away from diesel to sustainable, cost-effective alternatives.

🚀 Space

🇩🇪 German researchers study bat blood to unlock human hibernation for space travel

Scientists in Germany have discovered unique properties in hibernating bats’ blood that could help enable human hibernation for long-duration space missions. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study found that bat erythrocytes adapt to extreme cold, maintaining functionality at temperatures where human blood falters. This insight could be applied to interstellar travel, where hibernation might allow astronauts to “sleep” through decades-long journeys, and has potential medical uses in surgeries requiring controlled hypothermia.

🦾 Robotics

🇨🇳 Chinese researchers develop AI-powered robot dog for asteroid exploration with mid-air stability

Chinese scientists have created a cat-like robot dog capable of stabilizing itself mid-air to navigate asteroids' low-gravity environments. Using reinforcement learning, the robot adjusts its posture by swinging its legs to correct tilt and reorient its trajectory during 10-second airborne intervals, a major challenge for traditional rovers. Tested on a microgravity simulation platform, this lightweight, energy-efficient design offers potential for long-term asteroid exploration, advancing resource extraction and scientific research on celestial bodies.

🇺🇸 US researchers create framework for autonomous robot skill sharing with 30% higher efficiency

UC Berkeley engineers have developed RoVi-Aug, a groundbreaking framework enabling robots to independently share and adapt skills across models without human input. By generating synthetic visual demonstrations with varied robots and camera angles, RoVi-Aug trains robots to transfer skills more effectively, improving success rates by up to 30%. This innovation reduces reliance on extensive real-world data and eliminates the need for test-time adjustments, advancing multi-robot task learning and adaptability. The research, pre-published on ArXiv, marks a step forward in creating versatile robotic systems.

🤖 Artificial Intelligence

🇺🇸 US gaming company leverages Pokémon Go data to train groundbreaking geospatial AI model

Niantic is using millions of real-world images from Pokémon Go and its Scaniverse app to develop a "large geospatial model," designed to understand and predict physical spaces. This approach aims to create an AI as adept at navigating the real world as ChatGPT is at handling language. By training on unique pedestrian-view data contributed by users, the model promises to improve augmented reality (AR) experiences and could have applications in robotics and autonomous systems. The innovation reflects how massive user-generated datasets are shaping the next generation of AI.

💊 Healthcare

🇦🇺 🇮🇳 Australian and Indian researchers develop gold-based drug slowing cancer growth by 82%

A new gold-based drug, developed by researchers in Australia and India, has shown remarkable efficacy in reducing cervical cancer tumor growth by 82% in animal studies, outperforming chemotherapy. Published in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, the compound selectively targets cancer cells and inhibits tumor growth mechanisms like angiogenesis, minimizing side effects seen with traditional treatments. This innovative approach, leveraging gold’s stability and engineered reactivity, could pave the way for safer, more effective cancer therapies against resistant cancers.

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