IKAROS: The First Step to Interplanetary Travel

Fuel is not only a problem for travel on Earth. In order to successfully propel a rocket into space, enormous amounts of fuel are needed. In fact, 95% of a rocket's weight at launch is from fuel. The Solar Sail concept, which has been discussed as early 400 years ago, seems to be the clear solution to such an issue now that the technology has finally been developed.

In layman's terms, solar-powered spacecrafts use the energy of the sun in order to propel through space. This eliminates the need of an engine. These spacecrafts only require three things: a continuous force exerted by the sun, an enormous, ultra thin mirror, and a separate launch vehicle. The electromagnetic radiation contained within light exerts a force on the sails. The photons given off by the sun reflect off of the giant mirror. In the vacuum of space, even a small collision will cause something to move. The bigger the mirror, the more collisions and the faster the spacecraft moves. This method causes the spacecraft to move about 5x faster than a traditional one, all while using significantly less energy.

The next step in solar sail travel is contained in the IKAROS project. The IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun), will use a Solar "Power" Sail. The difference between this and a solar sail is that the "power" sail collects electricity in the solar cells of its membrane. But, like the solar sail, it still gets accelerated by the radiation of the sun. The advantage of the "power" sail is that it creates (to a certain extent) a "hybrid" engine. Space missions with such sails will be much more flexible as the engine can rely on both photon acceleration and ion-propulsion engines driven by solar cells. Hopefully, scientists believe, the continuation of research on solar "power" sails will yield much longer space travel missions that would ultimately result in interplanetary travel.

The IKAROS will launch later in 2010 in order to test the effectiveness of the sails. The shape of the membrane is square, with a diagonal distance of 20m. It is made of polyimide a mere 0.0075mm thick. In addition to the thin film solar cells, the steering devices and dust-counter sensors are fitted to the membrane. The sail will rotate at 20rpm for several weeks in space in order to generate solar power with a minimum success level. Within a year, sail navigation and acceleration will occur at full success level.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/solar-sail1.htm
http://www.jspec.jaxa.jp/e/activity/ikaros.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_sail

New Possibilities with Optogenetics

Recently, researchers and scientist have been working with genetic light switches that have the capability of switching neurons on and off. It was only five years ago that scientists at Stanford University discovered that through the injection of a photo-sensitive gene from algae, neurons could be controlled through a simple light switch. The relatively young field of optogenetics continues to blossom as scientists observe the roles of specific neurons in the brain. They can examine brain function, depression, Parkinson’s disease, memory, addictions, and spinal cord injuries.

Karl Deisseroth has created new tools and techniques to advance the study of diseases through optogenetics. The molecular technique used is able to control whole circuits of neurons instead of only a single cell. This technique will allow scientist to study specific neural networks in the brain. Another improvement in this field is the use of a near-infrared technique which will allow noninvasive procedures to occur while still reaching the brain cells in the deep tissue. Currently, a fiber-optic cable is implanted into an animal’s brain to deliver the light activation to the cells. Lastly, the “off switch” has been improved to make “target neuron more sensitive to light [which] allows for tighter neural control”.
The new off switch is twenty times more responsive than yellow light used in previous generations. Also, the future looks prosperous since red and near-infrared light in known to be able to penetrate deeper into tissue. In one study, Jerry Silver used optogenetics to explore bladder control after spinal cord injuries. He turned off the nerves located in the lower spine that relax the bladder. However, he has noted how, in the past, the use of so much light creates too much heat. The new tools, he believes, seem to need less light which would produce less heat while being able to invade farther into the tissue. He is extremely hopeful of the future.
Another application of optogenetics is being led by Richard H. Kramer who believes that restoration of sight can be achieved through the use of labels. Kramers technique is different because he uses photosensitive compounds which will attach to cells through chemical means rather than using genetic engineering. He and his colleagues focus on potassium channels and manipulate the activation or inhibition of neurons through these channels. Next, “to attach the label, the researchers simply bathe cells in a solution containing the molecule.” A molecule called azobenzene, a photoisomer, changes its physical but not chemical composition when exposed to light. The label will actually allow the neuron to be illuminated continuously. This connects with Kramer’s goal to restore sight because he says, “The long-term hope is that something like the compounds we've developed might be able to restore sight using cells that aren't normally light sensitive." Therefore, although cones or retina’s rods may have been damaged, other nerve cells can be made to pick up photons which normally do not. However, this is still in the early stages and the side effects of such actions have yet to be observed in animals. Regardless, the new field and technology of optogenetics seems promising and capable of benefiting a broad range of problems from depression and Parkinson’s disease to the loss of sight.

Sites Used:

http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/a-light-switch-on-cells

http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24870/page2/

NASA’s Mars Rover

The software update on the Mars Rovers, called Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science(AEGIS), allows the rovers to make their own choices. This means that instead of transmitting the post-drive navigation camera images to earth first and then waiting for ground operators to check for points of interest and being able to examine them another day, the rovers can detect their own targets and examine them themselves, while sending pictures down to earth for scientists to examine. The new system gives the rovers the ability to examine images, and identify them based on shape, or color. In addition, these rovers can now figure out how to get around objects and to calculate the distance between its’ arm and a rock, so it can pick it up. Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science(AEGIS) lets scientists highlight types of places that could be of interest to the rovers’, for example dark places. This new software update will better help scientists hoping to know more about the planet Mars.

http://www.roboticstrends.com/service_robotics/article/nasas_opportunity_adds_autonomy

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/images/pia12980.html

http://marsrover.nasa.gov/spotlight/20100222a.html

http://www.tgdaily.com/space-features/49057-nasa-upgrades-mars-rover-with-advanced-autonomous-capabilities

http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/NASA_Mars_Rover_Getting_Smarter_As_It_Gets_Older_999.html

Touch Bionics

Patients who have lost one or more finger will soon have the opportunity to use artificial ones. A company called Touch Bionics founded in1988, dedicated their work on finding a solution for those who lost, arms, shoulders, wrists and hands. Touch Bionics has launched three key products, the i-LIMB Hand, ProDigits, and LIVINGSKIN. The i-LIMB Hand is the world’s first commercially available multi-articulating bionic hand. ProDigits, are the fingers that are individually powered. They are given to patients with partially severed fingers. LIVINGSKIN was created to resemble human skin by mimicking real human skin, containing three dermal layers. Each finger contains a miniaturized motor at the base of the finger, each being individually controlled using myoelectric impulses. Myoelectric impulses use the electrical signals created by the muscles in the remaining portion of the patient’s limb. Lastly, Touch Bionics offers tanning products that allow the patient to match the color of the prosthetic limb to the color of their skin making it look more natural.

http://www.touchbionics.com
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24578/?a=f

The Future of Urban Mobility

Concerns for the future continue to alter how we apply and use technology. As cities become more crowded and polluted, new methods of transportation need to be developed and implemented in order for cities to continue normal operation. In order to cope with such issues, GM, alongside its partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. Group, has developed a two-wheeled car system for city transportation.
The two-wheeled concept, known as the Electric Networked-Vehicle (EN-V) concept, involves many unprecedented vehicle technologies. In each of the two wheels, there is an electric powered motor. The motors not only provide power for acceleration, but also bring the vehicle to a stop. GM has also worked aside Segway in order to create a drivetrain platform and an efficient energy source for the car. The platform for the car is an evolution of the platform Segway developed for the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility (P.U.M.A.) prototype. The companies have worked together to develop and deliver multiple copies of the platform that can connect to multiple EN-V’s.
The EN-V cars are powered with lithium ion batteries and can be charged in standard wall outlets. The car is able to communicate with the electric grid in order to determine optimum charge times. One charge can power the car for over a 40km distance.
GM has combined GPS, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and distance sensing technology in order to develop an autonomous driving option. Vehicle based sensor and camera systems enable the EN-V to decelerate and stop before reaching an unexpected pedestrian. Also, these systems allow the car to maneuver through traffic and perform other difficult driving tasks such as merging, passing, and parking. Alan Taub, Global VP of GM Research and Development, claims, "The EN-V concept represents a major breakthrough in the research that GM has been doing to bring vehicle autonomy to life."

http://www.gizmag.com/gm-en-v-concept-vehicle/14617/

http://smart-products.tmcnet.com/topics/smart-products/articles/80110-gm-showcases-en-v-concept-urban-mobility.htm

The Water Pebble

In today's water-conscious environment, any device that helps conserve water should be applauded. The Water Pebble, created by the design company Priestmangoode, monitors how long you're taking in the shower. Not only does it monitor shower time, it will indicate when you need to get out of the shower. The most impressive part of this device is it memorizes the amount of time you took in the shower, and fractionally reduces your shower time helping you to save water without needing to think about it The Water Pebble, uses "traffic lights" to alert you and inform you of your shower times. Similar to the traffic light, green means to start the shower, yellow means your halfway, and red means time is up. This device is placed near the plughole and monitors the amount of water. This emerging technology is helping the world go green. By monitoring amount of water used, you can help reduce water usage. Not only are you helping the environment, but you are reducing the water bill. This little device will help.




http://www.gizmag.com/water-pebble-shower-timer/14490/
http://www.waterpebble.com/

n.Fluent ( Intergrated web based translation)

Language-- the only thing separating us from other cultures and way of life around the world. Now imagine if there was a way to view any webpage in your fluent language. Combining these two ideas, IMB has created a webpage interface to do such a thing(through machine based translation). The n.Fluent from IBM automatically translates the webpage of your choice to your preferred language. Although this idea is still in developmental stage, it has been idea since 2006 and is growing ever near to being released. This very idea was started because IBM realized language was a key issue for business transactions and companies with online clients around the world.

Google is also working on creating a web based tool to translate not just web pages but search engines in general – seeing how the Google search engine only recognizes English words. One downside to this is all the work that has to be put into translating words in every language available – which is where crowd sourcing comes in. crowd sourcing English words to volunteers effectively cuts down the time it takes for one company to translate all the words themselves. Using this method, in a years time 30,000 crowd sourcing volunteers translated 36 millions words (and the volunteers are still pouring in).

http://www.research.ibm.com/social/projects_nfluent.html

http://www.ctoedge.com/content/ibm-showcases-nfluent-translation-service

3-D Television

3D Television is becoming increasingly popular day by day. Thanks to new 3D films, major television manufacturers are begining to develop televisions which display channels in 3D. Some of the TV's that are going to be on sale, require glasses, while other more advanced systems, don't require glasses. Panasonic created 3D glasses, called the Panasonic Active-Shutter Glasses. These glasses work by rapidly
blocking one eye at a time so that each eye sees only the frame meant for it. Each one of our eyes have different perspectives of the same scene we are looking at. The brain takes both images, and fuses them together, helping us to have a sense of depth. Getting the 3-D effect at home involves tricking the brain into doing something similar, however with the images you get from a TV set. TV makers have to figure out a way to precisely show a set of slightly differnt images to each of your eyes. Many times, as used in movie theaters, people have to wear Glasses which enhance the picture, resulting in a 3 dimensional image. However, LG's 3D TV does not require glasses. This TV uses lenticules, a cylindrical plastic that goes on the LCD screen, which magnify and enlarge the display on the screen. When the viewers are sitting in the right angle, the brain combines the two views from each of your eyes, and creates the perception of depth, the 3D image. This technology is not essential, however, it is essential for entertainment. Films such as Avatar, shown in 3D, made more money than movies shown in regular 2D. You can expect to see projects in stores in 2010.



http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/10/3d-tv-explainer/

Silicon computer chips successfully implanted in living human cells

Scientists at the Instituto de Microelectronica de Barcelona. have found a way to institute minute silicon chips into living-cells. This step in the bionanotechnological movement can tell us alot about our cells and find an early detection of disease, and new cellular repair mechanisms. The scientists at this institute have been working with nanotechnology for a while and they finally have been able to implement the nano chips into living cells and tell us about our cells and how they work at a nano level. CMOS, a technology for making integrated circuits, have produced the chips the scientists have used in their experiement. To achieve success in the experiment the scientists first needed to gather the nanochips and implant them into the living cells.


Once the chips were implanted thet monitored the cells to make sure they were living and healthy. The scientists discovered that the implanted cells stayed alive and working for a week, 90% of the cells remained and only a very small amount died. The most important goal for the scientists was to create intracellular sensors and make sure they worked perfectly and can be used in humans to possibly cure diseases." "Today's micro- and nanoelectronic processes already would allow us to produce complex 3-dimensional microscale structures as sensors and actuators," said Plaza. The main applications of future intracellular chips will be the study of individual cells. This technology could aid in the early detection of diseases and new cellular repair mechanisms.

Wireless Controlled from the Cloud

Shipping out next-gen wireless networks can be long and tiresome as the U.S. deployment of 3G has shown. IBM researchers in China have been working on a new network system that will make upgrading existing ones easier.It could lead to wireless networks that could provide better coverage by rapidly adapting to user demand. the new architecture called the Wireless Network Cloud (WNC) marks a step away from using dedicated hardware in the radio base station the serve wireless networks like GSM nd 3G cell phone networks.

All of the signal processing, the modulation and encoding of the signals to and from the physical antennas is done using software radio technology; this allows the network to be managed in a more centralized way using raw signals being relayed to and from multiple antennas called "remote radio heads" via fiber optical from as far as 40 Km away.

The main hook of this project to network operators is cost, traditional bas stations are about 40% of a network's total cost, and when ever a network is upgraded because of it's software used almost all of its equipment has to be replaced.WNC upgrades can be implemented relatively cheaply by installing new software. This also means the centralized nature of this network allows their operators can manage it more efficiently.

Just think about it? we all do it, when we hold are wireless device up to the sky to try to get a better signal the sky will answer back with a 3G network ready to use.

http://www.technologyreview.com/web/24836/page1/

RNA – Loaded Nanoparticles

The discovery of RNA interface, which won researchers, Andrew Fire and Craig Mello the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, has been used to create more effective treatments for diseases like cancer. RNA interface technology, also known as RNAi, can target human cells and “silence the target gene”. What this means is that the proteins created in cancerous cells, which are responsible for a myriad of activities within the cell, can be targeted and caused to go through degradation and thereby lead to a loss of that protein. Instead of attacking the protein itself however, which is difficult due its 3-D dimensions, the mRNA is targeted. These mRNA’s (messenger RNA) are responsible for carrying the genetic instructions from the DNA on how to create a given protein. When RNAi technology is applied, a targeted area of the mRNA can be sliced and inhibited from creating a certain protein. Without certain proteins, the treatments for cancer patients will become more effective.

A major problem with the application of the technology is how to get the therapeutic RNA into the cell. “When injected on their own, so-called small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are quickly filtered out by the kidneys, and researchers have struggled to design particles that carry their contents to target cells with enough specificity, or that don't cause toxicity or elicit an immune reaction from the body.” Nevertheless, Mark Davis, the Warren and Katharine Schlinger Professor of Chemical Engineering at Caltech, and the research team’s leader, has already been studying ways in which deliver nucleic acids into cells. Davis and his team have created a “four-component system – featuring a unique polymer – that can self-assemble into a targeted siRNA-containing nanoparticle. Once the nanoparticle reaches its destination, the cancerous cell can then releases the siRNAs.

Using the new technique with the RNAi technology, the team was able to analyze tissue from trial participants. There have been several different studies and trails, all in experimental and early stages using RNAi. The three melanoma patients in the trail at Caltech have been given different dosages. A direct relationship between the amounts of particles in the tumor and the dosages was discovered; “That's the first time anyone has seen that for any kind of particle delivery system, whether it's a liposome, a nanoparticle, or anything," said David. Another exciting finding was that the mRNAs were cut in the exact same way the siRNAs were intended to cut. A different trail, funded by the Department of Science and Technology of Zhejiang Province and by City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute, was used in breast cancer patients. “The study demonstrated the potential of inhibiting telomerase[using siRNAs] as an effective treatment of breast cancer when used alone and, when used in conjunction to doxorubicin [most common drug used for breast cancer treatment], could potentiate the cytotoxic effect of the drug to breast cancer cells.”

The side affects of the patients have yet to be revealed, and although the scale of the trails are small, there is much hope for this new technology to allow more effective cancer treatments. ‘"At the very least, we've proven that the RNAi mechanism can be used in humans for therapy and that the targeted delivery of siRNA allows for systemic administration," Davis says. "It is a very exciting time."


Sources:

http://www.physorg.com/news188378267.html
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24841/page2/
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/9/133