Artificial Kidneys, Self Healing Concrete and Refueling Satellites in Orbit

October 7

This week we will look at a new artificial kidney and concrete that is not only more durable, it has self healing qualities. We examine a new tanker that orbits the earth refueling satellites and we watch a deep fake video of Richard Nixon giving the speech that was planned if the Apollo 11 moon mission went wrong. Finally we discover a planet that has 3 suns. Does it also have 3 sunrises, 3 sunsets and how would you know when it is midday?

Artificial Kidney

The Kidney Project, a collaboration between the schools of Pharmacy and Medicine at University of California San Francisco, has just won the KidneyX prize for their implantable bio artificial kidney.

Roughly 15% of the adult US population suffers from some sort of kidney disease. Kidney transplants and dialysis are the two primary options for treating kidney failure. Transplants are complex, run the risk of rejection and there are nowhere near enough available kidneys. Dialysis is also complex and burdensome for the patient.

The artificial kidney has been designed to sustainably support a culture of human kidney cells without provoking an immune response. This will allow patients to forgo the painful and uncomfortable dialysis treatment or the lifetime on immunosuppressant drugs that are required when receiving a transplanted kidney.

The artificial kidney is able to be powered by human blood pressure alone without the need for blood thinners. The team demonstrated the feasibility of combining a hemofilter and bioreactor into a functioning system. The next step is to further develop the technology for preclinical testing and ultimately clinical trials.

Self Healing Concrete

Researchers at the Institute of Concrete Science and Technology in Valencia have developed a new concrete that has 30% more durability than the best concrete currency available. This means fewer cracks forming and when they do happen, the concrete can repair itself.

The new properties are possible due to the design of the mixture which includes components such as crystalline additives, alumina nano-fibres and cellulose nanocrystal. The new concrete reduces the amount of ordinary and extraordinary maintenance work and is able to exceed the current 50 year minimum limit in design codes. The product is especially useful for extremely aggressive environments such as construction located in or near the sea.

The validation phase built 6 large scale structures (see above) that are being analyzed under real structural operating conditions. A self contained sensor system monitors the performance of the concrete over time. This system pinpoints the risks of corrosion and the presence of aggressive agents that can affect concrete structures.

Fueling satellites in orbit

Orbit Fab, a San Francisco based space industry startup, has developed technology for refueling satellites whilst they are in orbit. Allowing satellites to be refueled will extend their useful life and reduce the upfront capital costs.

Carrying Hydrazine fuel, the tanker will be launched on a SpaceX rocket and will travel around the moon prior to returning to Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO).

Most satellites are able to operate beyond their 15 year design life. The limiting factor is the remaining fuel on board to maintain altitude control and orbital position. Refueling allows for satellite life extension.

Deepfake Nixon

When Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins travelled to and landed on the moon there was a fear that the mission would not succeed. President Nixon had two speeches prepared. One for a successful mission and one that was only to be used in the event of disaster. The mission succeeded therefore we only saw the first speech. Now thanks to deep fake technology we can see Nixon make the second speech. The website MoonDisaster.org has a fake video of the moon mission and Nixon’s speech that was to have been used in the event of the death of the astronauts.

A Planet with 3 Suns

In the Constellation Orion, there is a star system with 3 stars rather than one. Approximately 1,300 light years from earth it is surrounded by a massive disk of dust and gas. This disk is divided into two and looks something like Saturn’s rings. There is a vast gap between the two rings and one ring is inclined at 38 degrees.

Astronomers are now speculating that the reason for the gap is the formation of one or more planets. If correct this would be the first case that we have found where a planet has 3 suns. The planet would have to be the size of Jupiter to cause such a gap in the disk of dust and gas. The ALMA telescope and the Very Large Telescope in Chile will be focusing on this unique structure in the next few months. Stay tuned.

Paying it Forward

If you have a start-up or know of a start-up that has a product ready for market please let me know. I would be happy to have a look and feature the startup in this newsletter. Also if any startups need introductions please get in touch and I will help where I can.

If you have any questions or comments please email me via my website craigcarlyon.com or comment below.

I would also appreciate it if you could forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might be interested.

Till next week.