Tesla has told suppliers it planned to begin test-building its Model 3 sedans on Feb. 20, according to people familiar with the matter, a move that could allay concerns about the company meeting its target to start production in July. The sources did not know how many of the highly anticipated vehicles Tesla aimed to …
-Hiroshima University, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, and Panasonic Corporation announced the development of a terahertz (THz) transmitter capable of transmitting digital data at a rate exceeding 100 gigabits (= 0.1 terabit) per second over a single channel using the 300-GHz band. This technology enables data rates 10 times or more faster than …
A new commercial manufacturing process for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) produces tubes in the range of 1–10 mm in length (5–12-nm dia.), two orders of magnitude longer than currently available CNTs, which typically have lengths from 5–20µm. “Despite attractive mechanical and electrical properties, CNTs have largely been a disappointment for ‘real-world’ applications, because it has not …
The Army‘s Top modernization programs in 2016 range from a new hand grenade designed to be easier for lefthanders to throw to hydrogen-powered vehicles Improvements soldiers can look forward to include: * Enhanced Tactical Multi-Purpose (ET-MP) grenade. Engineers at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey are developing an “ambidextrous” Enhanced Tactical Multi-Purpose (ET-MP) grenade that can …
Intel has a team of quantum hardware engineers in Portland, Oregon, who collaborate with researchers in the Netherlands, at TU Delft’sQuTech quantum research institute, under a $50 million grant established last year. Earlier this month Intel’s group reported that they can now layer the ultra-pure silicon needed for a quantum computer onto the standard wafers …
DARPA seeks mathematical methods to enable a general-purpose design tool for optimizing human-machine teams in a diverse range of national security contexts. Modern military operations are dynamic and complex—requiring, for example, that infantry squads carry out their missions simultaneously in the 3-dimensional physical world, the cyber domain, and across the electromagnetic spectrum. As artificial intelligence …
The Turkish munitions developer TÜBİTAK-SAGE showcased its progress in developing a prototype electromagnetic railgun to the Turkish government at the end of October. Designated ‘Sapan’, TÜBİTAK-SAGE’s research and development program aims to provide the Turkish arms industry with the groundwork to develop one day develop applications using this technology. Electromagnetic (EM) rail guns are long-range …
Times have changed since the supersonic Concorde was made. Eli Dourado is the director of the Mercatus Center’s Technology Policy Program discusses the changes in technology that will make a new commercial supersonic passenger jet. Modern materials such as carbon fiber are lighter and stronger than aluminum, and modern engines are much more efficient than …
In 2009, Carbon nanotube tethers with a strength of 9 N/Tex [9 million newton meters/kg] is over twice as strong as any fibers ever produced before. In 2016, Jian Nong Wang and his colleagues made nanotubes with a process akin to glass blowing: Using a stream of nitrogen gas, they injected ethanol, with a small …
Ten percent of children have a “monkey-like” immune system that stops them developing Aids, a study suggests. An untreated HIV infection will kill 60% of children within two and a half years, but the equivalent infection in monkeys is not fatal. The findings could lead to new immune-based therapies for HIV infection. The virus eventually …
An artificial intelligence agent developed by two Carnegie Mellon University computer science students has proven to be the game’s ultimate survivor —, outplaying both the game’s built-in AI agents and human players. The students, Devendra Chaplot and Guillaume Lample, used deep-learning techniques to train the AI agent to negotiate the game’s 3-D environment, still challenging …