This week we will have a look at two different uses of Nanotechnology. We will also revisit a couple of stories we looked at earlier this year where products under development are now in the market. Finally we will see the updated Dubai Police Force Hoverbike and the latest flying Urban Taxis. As Doc Brown said in Back to the Future, “there are no roads where we are going”.
Nanotechnology is changing the way we design computers
Nanotechnology is the application of extremely small things in technology. A nanometer is 1 Billionth of a meter (i.e. really really small). The idea is not new, it was first proposed by physicist Richard Feynman in 1959. He was the person that coined the term Nanotechnology.
It wasn’t until the 80’s that scanning microscopes were first used to observe individual atoms. We now have the technology to manipulate individual atoms. This technology allows us to build carbon nanotubes which can be used to aid the development of smaller and faster transistor designs for computers. Smaller means more transistors can be packed into the same amount of space. More transistors means more computing power.
Moore’s Law (Gordon Moore was one of the founders of Intel) says that the number of transistors that can be packed into a circuit of a given size will double every two years. It is speculated that we will hit the physical limit of making current transistors smaller this year (2020). Carbon nanotube based transistors could be a replacement that allows Moore’s Law to continue and for us to continue to develop faster and more powerful computers.
Researchers theorize that carbon nanotube transistors should be able to operate at 5 times the speed and use 5 time less energy than silicon transistors (that is still an ideal that is being aimed for). There are still challenges that need to be overcome, such as, it is quite difficult (difficult = expensive) to isolate pure carbon nanotubes for transistors. It is clear though that nanotechnology will play a big part in the future of computing.
The Nano Mona Lisa
Whilst we are not the subject of nanotechnology, researchers at Caltech have made a nano version of the Mona Lisa. They achieved this by using a technique called DNA origami which programs strands of DNA to be able to assemble themselves into desired shapes.
The researchers created the structure by producing double stranded DNA (i.e. smaller units of single stranded DNA or nucleotides, binding together). There are 4 types of nucleotides known as A, T, G and C. Each nucleotide can only bond with specific others e.g. A with T. This allows shapes to be created and designs to be generated. A full description is in their paper “Fractal assembly of micrometer-scale DNA origami arrays with arbitrary patterns”. The designs can only be seen under a very powerful microscope.
The team behind this research has also developed software that converts the user’s desired DNA nanostructure or design to DNA strands and wet-lab protocols. These protocols can be directly read by a liquid handling robot to automatically mix the DNA strands together. This allows new designs to be assembled effortlessly giving future researchers the ability to quickly experiment with desired structures.
Electronic Noses
Airbus is about to deploy a jellyfish like device that uses biological cells to sniff out dangerous chemicals and bombs at airports. US Startup Koniku, developed the device by combining living cells with microprocessors to “sniff out” explosives. You may recall that we looked at Koniku and their “Wetware” in March.
The system uses either Hek cells (embryonic kidney cells) or astrocytes (star shaped cells found in the brain or spinal cord) and then genetically modifies them to add olfactory receptors. These receptors are then trained to smell (detect) explosives or other residues from explosives. Multiple odor-detection sensors will be placed in select airport screening tunnels and on airplanes providing a much quicker way of screening for explosives.
Koniku has military (explosive detection via drones and other unmanned devices) and agricultural products (freshness detection) being developed.
Loyal Wingman
In January we looked at the Robotic Fighter Jets that were being developed by Boeing for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Boeing has just delivered the first product developed from this project. It is the “Loyal Wingman” combat AI drone. It is the first Australian developed military aircraft in half a century.
The drone will accompany a manned aircraft using AI to pilot the drone (rather than being controlled remotely as drones currently are controlled). There is still some manual control however this is via a minimal interface rather than a conventional controller. The RAAF will now carry out test flights to determine how to best integrate these drones into their force. The goal is to keep pilots safe by placing unmanned lower cost assets on the front lines during risky fights.
HoverBike
Russian drone technology company, Hoversurf, has recently updated the HoverBike developed for the Dubai Police Force. The first version of the bike was put into service in late 2018.
The new monocoque frame (a structural skin where the load is supported by the objects external skin e.g. an egg shell) built from carbon fibre is a single element giving greater stiffness whilst reducing weight. The bike is able to be rolled through a standard doorway whilst being able to take off and land from a single parking space.
The weight of the bike is 114kg and the safe flight altitude is 5 meters above ground. The maximum speed is 96km/h (limited by Dubai Law). The bike has an all weather LiDAR, multiple security systems for emergency landing and anti interference. The flight time (depending upon the weight of the pilot) is between 10 and 25 minutes and the batteries will recharge in 2.5 hours.
The team has also created a flying taxi that can travel up to 300km at a maximum speed of 250kph. The energy cost for the taxi is US$0.29/km. The machine combines the systems used in helicopters and planes allowing it to operate in airplane and helicopter mode. This gives the ability for the helicopter to land if the plane fails. The prototype can take off and land in a single parking space and will transport 2-4 people.
The company also manufactures a Cargo drone capable of 110 kilograms for up to 20 kilometers. The development of Urban Utility Vehicles is just beginning. We will see more of this in the future.
Pint of Science
Pint of Science is an annual Science Communication event held in pubs around the world. The idea is that leading researchers talk about their work whilst the audience drinks beer. We each do the thing we are best at. Due to Covid-19, this year’s events will be virtual. Here is the link to their website which outlines the events that are on Monday and Wednesday nights next week (10 and 12 May). All events are free but you do need to register. Once you register you will be sent a link for the online presentations.
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.