A 60 slide presentation Chinese HTR Program: HTR-10 results & Work Progress on HTR-PM by Zuoyi ZHANG, Institute of Nuclear and new Energy Technology (INET), Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China The Chinese High Temperature Reactors is one of the top 16 programs for the Chinese Government from 2006-2020. They figure that as they make their …
The Times UK reported claims that Alan Windle’s team at Cambridge University had created the world’s strongest ribbon. I finally tracked down specifics of this work. UPDATE: Details on hypersonic skyhooks/rotovators [orbital ropes] that would be enabled with these materials as well as lunar and Mars space elevators. Background on strength of materials, units of …
MTPV, a startup based in Boston that has raised $10 million, says that it has developed prototype micron-gap thermal photovoltaics that are large enough for practical applications. Thermal photovoltaics use solar cells to convert the light that radiates from a hot surface into electricity. The first applications will be generating electricity from waste heat, eventually …
-American Superconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: AMSC), a leading energy technologies company, and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced today at the Surface Navy Association’s 21st National Symposium the successful completion of full-power testing of the world’s first 36.5 megawatt (49,000 horsepower) high temperature superconductor (HTS) ship propulsion motor at the U.S. Navy’s Integrated Power System Land-Based …
This a follow up to prior article about re-inventing civil defense using and one on improving blast resistance of buildings. The U.S. Army has developed a new blast-protection adhesive tape called X-Flex. This X-FLEX tape would be used to coat the interior sides of exterior walls in order to absorb the shock of a blast, …
Hyperion Power Generation is venture capital funded company that is trying to factory mass produce a uranium hydride nuclear reactor. $25-30 million per unit which would be 15-20 tons and generate 27 MW of electricity and 70 MW thermal. It would burn up to 50% of the uranium nuclear fuel for 5-10 years. It would …
The EmDrive is highly controversial research in propulsion, which is being performed by a british inventor. It is now being funded by China, who have performed computer simulations which verify the experimental and theoretical work of the british inventor. Experiments and demonstration systems will be built over the next year which may provide more solid …
This weekend is when the Singularity Summit is being held in San Jose. Let us revisit the idea of technological singularity and the mundane singularity. Later this today there will be coverage of the Singularity Summit talks. Ray Kurzweil, defines the singularity as a period of extremely rapid technological progress. Robin Hanson, economist, proposes that …
Richard Jones (who regularly criticizes molecular nanotechnology, Ray Kurzweil and the Singularity] writes about the Singularity in terms of “Faith in Technology” and Scott Aaronson writes about how the “Singularity is Far’ Points in the Richard Jones article that I wanted to respond to:1. Jones: Peak oil could cause a societal collapse and thus prevent/cripple …
Caterpillar, the world’s largest manufacturer of construction equipment, is starting to support research on the “Contour Crafting” automated construction system that its creator believes will one day be able to build full-scale houses in hours. This is concrete-jet instead of inkjet printing technology. Printing buildings to speed up the economy is one of the key …
Professor Peter Weyand, Southern Methodist University (Texas), known for his expertise in terrestrial locomotion and human and animal performance says that humans would soon have the ability to modify and greatly enhance muscle fibre strength. This would enable speeds of 45 miles per hour and 5 seconds times for 100 meters. The fast four-legged runners …