Commonwealth Fusion Systems Raised Another $115 Million to Reach ARC Fusion Commercialization Phase Starting 2025

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), a startup commercializing fusion energy, has raised $115 million and closed its Series A round. New participants in the round include Future Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Lowercase Capital, Moore Strategic Ventures, Safar Partners, Schooner Capital, and Starlight Ventures who join Eni, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, The Engine and other investors committed to supporting …

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Live Blogging MIT EmTech Digital 2019 #emtechdigital

Brian Wang of Nextbigfuture will be live blogging the MIT Technology Review EmTech Digital 2019 event at the St. Regis in San Francisco. The focus is on the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence. It is a two-day event. Gideon Lichfield, Editor in Chief, MIT Technology Review, will be providing 15 minutes of opening remarks. AI …

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Interview of Skylar Tibbits MIT Self-Assembly Lab at C2 Montreal #C2M18

Skylar Tibbits is the founder & co-director of the the Self-Assembly research lab at MIT. They are inventing self-assembly and programmable material technologies. The Lab looks at making simpler materials only products without robotics but still creates robotic like effects. The Lab has three main areas- Self-Assembly & Self-Organization Programmable Materials & 4D Printing Phase …

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Roll-to-roll chemical vapor deposition system makes long sheets of high quality graphene

MIT has combined a roll-to-roll approach — a common industrial approach for continuous processing of thin foils — with the common graphene-fabrication technique of chemical vapor deposition, to manufacture high-quality graphene in large quantities and at a high rate. The system consists of two spools, connected by a conveyor belt that runs through a small …

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Stronger and tougher fiber created by MIT

MIT has used new gel electrospinning for thinner fibers. This has enabled them to create materials that are stronger and tougher than Kevlar and Dyneema. Journal of Material Science – Ultrafine high performance polyethylene fibers Abstract Stiff, strong and tough ultrafine polyethylene fibers that rival the best high-performance fibers, but with diameters less than one …

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MIT atomic computer modeling to find stronger concrete

MIT researchers have discovered the beginnings of a new approach to producing concrete that is inspired by the hierarchical arrangements of simple building blocks in natural materials. The findings could lead to new ways to make concrete stronger and to use more sustainable, local materials as additives, to offset concrete’s greenhouse gas emissions. In the …

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Super tiny drones will be made with computer chips that are 100 times more energy efficient

Engineers have worked made drones the size of a bumblebee and loaded them with even tinier sensors and cameras. Almost every part of a drone has been made smaller, except for the brains of the entire operation — the computer chip. Standard computer chips for quadcoptors and other similarly sized drones process an enormous amount …

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Gasoline powered Drones that can stay aloft for five days

MIT engineers has come up with a much less expensive UAV design that can hover for longer durations to provide wide-ranging communications support. The researchers designed, built, and tested a UAV resembling a thin glider with a 24-foot wingspan. The vehicle can carry 10 to 20 pounds of communications equipment while flying at an altitude …

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MIT 3D printing for faster, cheaper, more adaptable building construction

Large building structures built could be produced faster and less expensively than traditional construction methods allow using a new MIT 3d printing system. A building could also be completely customized to the needs of a particular site and the desires of its maker. Even the internal structure could be modified in new ways; different materials …

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US Army will make two technology demonstrators for next generation armor vehicles by 2022

2022 will be the year of decision for the Army’s nascent Next Generation Combat Vehicle, officials told the Association of the US Army conference here today. That’s when “at least two” NGCV demonstrators get field-tested by real troops. Those soldiers’ feedback, in turn, will inform Army leaders’ decision: whether to fund a full-up program to …

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Blood from young people have protein factors that rejuvenate the function and tissue of old organisms

Blood plasma from young people has been found to rejuvenate old mice, improving their memory, cognition, and physical activity. The method has the potential to be developed into a treatment for people, says Sakura Minami of Alkahest, the company behind the work. Previous research has found that stitching old and young mice together has an …

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