Category: Technology

World’s First Home Hydrogen Battery

While most of Texas drowned in darkness and cold with the biggest power outage of recent times hitting the region, an Australian energy company might have found the perfect solution in the form of a renewable hydrogen-powered battery, which can store 3 times more power than Tesla’s famed Powerwall.

Lavo’s hydrogen battery can store enough energy to run an entire home for about 3 days becoming the world’s first home hydrogen battery.

Lavo’s Green Energy Vs Tesla’s Powerwall:

The Tesla Powerwall typically works on Lithium Battery Systems and until now served as the perfect alternative to generating and storing energy for when the sun went out.

The Lavo Green Energy Storage System weighing over 320 KGs offers a rather improved solution with a storing capacity of over 40Kilowatt-hours, roughly 3 times greater than Tesla’s Powerwall. The battery also has Wi-Fi Connectivity and a phone application allowing home owners to monitor and control the power storage capacity. You can even connect several Energy Storage Systems and create a mini power supply plant at your home.

How Does the Lavo Battery Function?

The Lavo Green Energy Storage System can be connected to a hybrid solar inverter and a water outlet through a purification unit. The battery uses excess energy to electrolyze the water running through it and releases oxygen simultaneously storing hydrogen in a metal hybrid sponge. When the energy is needed, the battery uses a fuel cell to deliver this energy directly to your home and power your appliances.

The hydrogen battery doesn’t use Earth’s rare metals and poses a lower risk for accidents. While the claims made by LAVO may seem too good to be true, there’s a price to pay, and trust us, that price is quite high. The battery costs approximately 3 times higher than the Tesla Powerwall and is currently available for $26,900. However, the manufacturers of the hydrogen battery believe that the price will go down making it the most viable energy solution for modern homes.

The unit also has a limited efficiency of 50 percent which is far below the average efficiency of Lithium-Ion battery systems. However, there’s a lot of margin for improvement in the product and if the Australian company continues to implement the latest tech advancements to the hydrogen-powered battery systems, it might give Tesla a run for their money.

Integrating Human Brain Cells into Microchips

For a long time, science has attempted to imitate the human brain’s intellectual and adaptive capabilities to create artificial solutions. Artificial Intelligence was the first big step towards imitating the functions of the brain. However, today AI has developed far beyond a simple problem-solving data model and machine learning system, to artificial neural networks, a more complex imitation of the human nervous system.

While machine learning systems chiefly operated according to programmed algorithm and data, like the Facebook Facial Recognition feature that scanned through millions of uploaded photographs, scientists are now taking AI a step further by making the machines think, really think.

Project Neu-Chip

In an effort to harness the intelligent processing capabilities of the human brain, a team of international scientists from Aston University, England have embarked on project Neu-Chip, a detailed study and experiment to try to physically integrate human brain cells into Artificial Intelligence Microchips.

The research has received a grant of €3.5 Million from the European Commission. Scientists will try and layer complex networks of brain cells onto microchips in order to enable the chips to dynamically solve problems from the data. The brain cells integrated on the chips will be stimulated by firing varying patterns of light beams. Scientists will then use 3D computer modeling to study any changes to track the adaptability of the cells.

The project includes research associates, professors and scientists from institutions throughout Europe and beyond.

The Endless Possibilities

According to a press release issued by Aston University, mathematician David Saad, one of the scientists participating in the research program said that the aim of the study is to harness the unrivaled computing power of the human brain in order to dramatically increase the ability of computers to solve problems.

The scientists on the research team collectively believe that this integration of human brain cells into a microchip has all the potential to surpass the limitation in machine learning technology. It’s believed to have the potential to bring about a dramatic shift in AI technology by improving the processing power as well as the energy consumption of AI machines for solving complex problems.

Dr. Jordi Soriano, an associate professor of Physics at the University of Barcelona said that the ability to engineer neuronal circuits in a dish and train them to conduct data analysis will provide new insights into how the brain computes information and finds solutions. The developed technology may even help to design unique and exciting human-machine interfaces.

Project Neu-Chip is not just focused on making AI algorithms more efficient and faster, but also more powerful and independent. Until now, all AI powered programs and machines typically relied on artificial circuitry inspired by the human brain. However, with Project Neu-Chip, scientists are actually experimenting on implementing the biological cell itself for the very first time.

Popcorn Powered Robots

Robots have always been a futuristic phenomenon, and their production is conventionally viewed as technological and scientific advancements. There are many popular applications where Robots have proven their efficiency and productivity, like in healthcare, manufacturing, military and more. However, traditionally the importance has been placed on what tasks robots can do for us; like drive our cars, clean our floors or even give us extra limbs. But what can power their abilities.

Remember when we were engrossed in devouring popcorns while enjoying the theatrical experience at the movies? Steve Ceron came up with a genius idea of using the same popcorns we eat for a much bigger purpose at Cornell’s Collective Embodied Intelligence Lab.

With his team of researchers, Ceron drafted a paper explaining how simple robots can be powered by Popcorn without electricity or hydraulics, at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Yes, it’s true! In this ultra-modern era, it has become commonplace that we come across strange yet astounding developments in the sci-fi field and a popcorn robot is exactly that. The engineers from Cornell University demonstrated their hypothesis. Inside a silicon beam that was fastened with toasted wire, they put 36 kernels. An electrical current was dispersed through the metal chord, warming up the kernels which eventually started popping due to the heat, moving the silicon.

Popcorn has distinct features that include being readily available, cheap, and having the ability to expand in terms of the shape and size when heated. This invention could potentially be a stepping stone towards overall soft robots, but could also be utilized for a wider use. Ceron suggests that this invention’s long-term benefits are manifold; ranging from its ability to complete basic transportation, to serving as an inexpensive building block through which biodegradable structures can be made. He asserts that it can even function as a viable alternative to spray foam.

To claim popcorn robots will take over the world is not a coherent argument to make at this point. While they can hold objects and lift relatively lighter weights by expanding, there are certain limitations to achieving tasks beyond their ability. The engineers accomplished this by creating a claw where its “fingers” or insides were lined with raw kernels and a heating wire. As soon as the kernels burst open, they wield tension on the sleeve, holding them in a process that is similar to tense muscles. Given that the production is exceptionally cheap, deploying many of these robots will pave the way for a wide range of applications across various fields.

One can claim that the future looks bright, fluffy and delightful as researchers are now integrating food into Science and increasing the scope for similar innovations.

A WORKING HOVERBOARD? NOW, A REALITY!

Hacksmith Industries comprises a group of renowned and capable engineers on YouTube who have previously proven themselves by creating some amazing sci-fi tech. However, maintaining the reputation of competency, they have once again raised the bar in the field of scientific technology. Hacksmith Industries have made a hoverboard that, through magnets, can function even off the ground. Yes, read it again! And this isn’t some publicity ploy or ruse, unlike hoverboard projects created in the previous years.

Genius Behind the Work

Hacksmith Industries had already made their mark in the industry through the video-sharing medium when they manufactured a wonderful little Cybertruck. This mini truck has the ability to drive like regular vehicles as well as cut through metal with a plasma-powered lightsaber.

The genius who conceived the hoverboard project was Jimmy Zhou, an intern at Hacksmith Industries who is also an engineering student in Canada. Zhou devoted a number of hours to work on the complex technicalities that entailed the creation of the hoverboard. The founder of Hacksmith Industries, James Hobsen, gave a befitting analogy in his attempt to describe how hard Zhou worked: “He drank more Red Bulls than a frat house on spring break.” The statement reflects the unbridled dedication and consistency that Zhou displayed, both of which serve as key components in creating something of scientific value.

There were a few steps the team took to get the board to hover. The very initial act was the installation of around eight magnets that were spinning to generate a powerful magnetic field. This was done to set off the steel floor to create an opposing magnetic field, forcefully pushing back on the board.

The Flaw

Needless to say, it is a remarkable accomplishment that deserves all the praise coming its way. It is exceptionally noteworthy that it is not required for the board to be cryogenically chilled with liquid nitrogen. Nerdist aptly underscored that this was a setback in the year 2015 in the case of carmaker Lexus’ hoverboard. It is appreciable that it has not been an issue in the new functional hoverboard.

Despite the multiple features of the hoverboard that distinguishes it from other hoverboards created in the past, one drawback of this invention cannot be neglected. There have been many such instances whereby the electric currents have produced an immense amount of heat, eventually causing an accident. The board suddenly caught fire a couple of times in the experiment process, and this suggests that it could be hazardous to use it.

So, you better ensure you have a fire distinguisher at your disposal every time you come across someone on this working hoverboard!

New Alexa Device Uses Radar to Track Your Breathing

Amazon is devising an instrument which scans your body while you sleep via radar. The company has assembled a team who are reportedly working on manufacturing a new Alexa-abled device that measures your breathing for sleep apnea symptoms with radar.

Credible sources associated with the project recently reported that this is a palm-sized device with the core objective of monitoring your breathing and sensing if there are any interruptions. In case there are, it detects that you have a sleep apnea disorder. There have been no details released by those working on the project regarding the final product’s look.

This is currently an undercover plan with the internal codename “Brahms”. It is interesting to note where the codename is derived. Johannes Brahms was a German composer who wrote a famous lullaby and was suspected of having sleep apnea in his lifetime.

Amazon’s Contributions to the Health Sector

Business Insider has further been informed that the shape of the device is apparently like a “standing hexagonal pad connected to a metal wire base”.

The goal of installing the tracker may not be limited to detecting signs of sleep apnea; Amazon could employ its AI prowess to examine various other sleeping disorders like sleepwalking or insomnia. Through its cloud technology, the tracker could have the potential to develop a wide-ranging sleep analysis system that keeps these disorders in check.

It will not be the first time Amazon integrates its machine-learning technology into the health sector. Only last year, the company introduced an affordable Halo fitness tracker that assesses your health by scanning your body and voice. Amazon Pharmacy, a well-developed prescription drug delivery service, was also introduced recently. All of this is reflective of how the company is continually making valuable contributions to the healthcare and wellness domain, improving the quality of life for people worldwide.

Company’s Future Plans

Amazon has maintained silence on ‘Brahms’ to uphold a mysterious impression surrounding its upcoming release. This was corroborated when a spokesperson of the company refused to talk about the project. Recently, a firm that Amazon launched, partnered with JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway called Haven Healthcare, was shut down. According to CNBC, it was a corporation that was anticipated to reduce the costs of employee healthcare.

However, there are a variety of projects which Amazon is involved in when it comes to healthcare space and is working on its execution. Despite Haven turning out to be an unsuccessful venture, Amazon will not be shying away from the healthcare area any time soon.

How does a Graphene battery compare to Lithium-ion battery

Tech-savvies believe that we’d genuinely be futuristic when we have easy access to Graphene batteries. A battery may sound like a simple thing to many, but Graphene batteries could change the game forever.

Scientists say that Graphene batteries will genuinely create a futuristic society where your devices can run up to days and weeks without charging.

A Graphene Battery in a nutshell

Packed together in a honeycomb structure, graphene is a carbon atom composition that has a thick two-dimensional atomic layer. The 2D structure of this composition allows graphene to be highly flexible, stalwart, and light in weight, as well as offer exceptional electrical and thermal conductivity that is even better than that of copper – an element that is known to be most conducive.

Graphene battery vs your regular battery 

The battery that we use in our portable devices is made with lithium-ion, also known as Li-ion. A lithium-ion battery has a similar structure to a graphene battery. Both the batteries have two conductive plates coated in an electrolyte solution, but the characteristics of both batteries differ on a considerable margin.

As mentioned earlier, graphene’s electrical and heat conductivity is higher than the most conducive element copper. Thus, it’s conductivity surpasses that of Lithium-ion as well. As a result, a device can be charged a lot faster as current travels more quickly. This high conductivity also extends the life span of a battery as they cool down faster.

A regular battery’s charging rate doesn’t remain consistent throughout its lifetime. A lithium-ion battery starts faster, tires out, and then delivers slower current, reducing the rate of charging. On the other hand, a Graphene battery offers linear charging rates, which means that this type of battery doesn’t tire out.

“Graphene batteries can make batteries charge faster and dissipate heat more effectively. This has big implications. It means power tools don’t overheat as quickly. It means home appliances serve families better, and for longer. And it eventually means [electric cars] can charge faster.” Chip Breitenkamp, VP of business development at the graphene battery company said.

Most importantly, Graphene batteries are safe. The incidents of smartphones burning up, overheating, and damage due to overcharging are overly familiar. Users can avoid these unfortunate events by opting for Graphene Batteries instead. There’s virtually no chance of overheating Graphene batteries as they are more robust than lithium-ion ones.