10 nanometer materials enable three times the conversion of heat to electricity

In simulations, MIT researchers found that tin telluride’s electron characteristics have a significant impact on their mean free paths. They plotted tin telluride’s range of electron energies against the associated mean free paths, and found the resulting graph looked very different than those for most conventional semiconductors. Specifically, for tin telluride and possibly other topological …

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Progress to mainstream thermoelectric materials which could recover waste heat

Thermoelectric (TE) materials could play a key role in future technologies. Although the applications of these remarkable compounds have long been explored, they are mostly limited to high-temperature devices. Recently, researchers at Osaka University, in collaboration with Hitachi, Ltd., developed a new TE material with an improved power factor at room temperature. Their study, published …

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What does being on track for the predicted Technological Singularity mean and are we on track ?

Ray Kurzweil is famous for his vision and prediction of a Technological Singularity by 2049 Although whenever Ray predicts a date like 2049, based on Kurzweil’s own past reviews of his predictions, he gives his predictions ten years late or early to develop. So by Ray’s personal standard his prediction timing of being correct on …

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US Navy has Autonomous Swarmboats

Autonomous unmanned swarming boats were put through their paces in a recent demonstration in the lower Chesapeake Bay—with results that show dramatic new possibilities for autonomy in future naval missions. Using a unique combination of software, radar and other sensors, officials from the Office of Naval Research (ONR)—together with partners from industry, academia and other …

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Kuangchi plans to invest US$1.5 billion in stratospheric balloon tourism

KuangChi Science, a Shenzhen-based future science company, plans to invest 10 billion yuan ($ 1.5 billion) in a project in Hangzhou that allows ordinary people to experience life in the future and near-outer space flight simulations. Liu Ruopeng, president of KuangChi, said that people will be able to experience what it feels like to live …

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DARPA looks for innovations to counter Small Unmanned Air Systems

The rapid evolution of small unmanned air systems (sUAS) technologies is fueling the exponential growth of the commercial drone sector, creating new asymmetric threats for warfighters. sUASs’ size and low cost enable novel concepts of employment that present challenges to current defense systems. These emerging irregular systems and concepts of operations in diverse environments require …

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George Church Aging Reversal Prediction and the costs and capabilities of genetic treatments are nearing levels for effective human treatments

The specific prediction made by George Church in regards to antiaging and aging reversal is in the 5 to 10 year timeframe there would be at least one aging reversal drug in clinical trials. This may already be true. What is George Church’s opinion of potential antiaging drugs [Metformin and rapaymycin] as compared to the …

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US F22 stealth fighter vs Russian T50 fighter

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is a single-seat, twin-engine, all weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). The result of the USAF’s Advanced Tactical Fighter program, the aircraft was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but has additional capabilities including ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence roles. …

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Russia expanding arctic bases and adding antiship and drone batteries

Russia will deploy new Bastion anti-ship missile complexes in the Arctic in 2015, a senior military official announced earlier this month. The coastal defense missile system is reportedly designed to destroy various enemy ships, including landing squadrons, convoys, carrier strike groups and single vessels. In addition to the cruise missile deployments, which cannot be considered …

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Possible Polar Cap on Pluto

For the first time, images from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft are revealing bright and dark regions on the surface of faraway Pluto – the primary target of the New Horizons close flyby in mid-July. The images were captured in early to mid-April from within 70 million miles (113 million kilometers), using the telescopic Long-Range Reconnaissance …

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A Tablet app was used to direct an Air Strike with a MV22 Osprey in a live fire training exercise

On March 27, DARPA successfully tested the full Persistent Close Air Support (PCAS) prototype system for the first time as part of TALON REACH, a U.S. Marine Corps infantry/aviation training exercise conducted in the southwest region of the United States in partnership with the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One and the Marine Infantry …

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