Researchers from Imperial College London and Switzerland's Empa institute have developed a system to deployed automated flying 3D printer drones which can be used to print structures in awkward to reach or inhospitable places. Inspired by bees, the Aerial Additive Manufacturing system (humourously) consists of two drones working together, one worker drone that does the printing and one gaffer drone that monitors the work and directs the worker drone to stick to the blueprint if it veers off script.
Rondo Energy are developing a 98% efficient brick toaster battery for industrial use, made from clay and sand, that can store heat up to 1,500 degrees Celsius. If the company's planned roll out over the next 15 years materialises, it would reduce global emissions by 15%!
The Waveline Magnet is an energy generator made by SWEL in Cyprus, that passively generates electricity from the movement of waves it rides on. Check out the mesmerising concept video here.
Scientists at McGill University in Canada have developed a hydrogel bandage that can be bonded to the skin using ultrasound. The application of ultrasound to the bandage stimulates micro-bubbles that bond the hydrogel molecules to the skin.
Scientists from Michigan State University have discovered that locusts can not only smell cancer cells, but changes in their brain activity that can be measured also change depending on the type of cancer cell that they smell. Harnessing this diagnostic capability could allow large scale early stage cancer detection.
Scientists at the University of Texas stored an encrypted version of The Wizard of Oz in 256 bits of data encoded within polymers of ink. The ink was used to write a letter, which can later be decoded using depolymerization and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry equipment.
The Nuclear Regulator Commission is set to approve NuScale modular nuclear reactor for use. The NuScale reactor is small enough to be manufactured and shipped to its site of use, uses external water supplies for cooling and features an operator free shut down procedure using gravity if a problem occurs.
