Night Vision, Curing Diabetes and another Concrete Breakthrough
June 13
This week we look at a breakthrough in night vision technology. One day we may all have a pair of night glasses to allow us to see at night. We examine a stem cell treatment that has cured a long term diabetic of their disease and discover that cows prefer women over men. Finally one reader asked for more stories about concrete. We deliver with another concrete breakthrough that will allow the recycling and reuse of concrete and steel via a single process that is already in use.
Night Vision
A team from Australian National University in Canberra have developed a new approach to night vision technology. They have developed an infrared filter, thinner than a piece of cling wrap which could one day become part of our eye wear and allow us to use see the infrared and visible light spectrum at the same time.
Current night vision systems are bulky and heavy. Not suitable for casual use and only for the dedicated. Night vision systems require infrared photons to pass through a lens, then a photocathode that transforms the photons into electrons and then a micro channel plate to increase the number of electrons produced. Then the electrons travel through a phosphor screen to be reconverted into photons that can be seen by the naked eye. On top of this the system needs cryogenic cooling to prevent thermal noise from also being intensified. These systems also often block visible light.
The team has recently demonstrated their “enhanced infrared vision non-linear up conversion technology”. Using a meta surface based, up conversion technology, photons pass through a single resonant meta surface where they are mixed with a pump beam. The meta surface enhances the energy of the photons drawing them into the visible light spectrum. This works at room temperature eliminating the need for cooling. An added advantage is the system is able to capture visible and non visible photons in one image. The first demonstration showed conversion of imaging from 1550nm (infrared) to 550 nm (visible light).
The meta surface is made from lithium niobite which is fully transparent in the visible range. Future work is concentrating on expanding the range of wavelengths the device is sensitive to, aiming at broadband infrared imaging, image processing and edge detection. One day we might be wear a pair of night glasses to see more clearly at night. This would help driving, working in low light and stop us stumbling around the house in the dark at night.
Curing Diabetes
A Chinese team have used an innovative cell transplant to free a 59 year old with type two diabetes from his multiple injections every day. He had been living with type two diabetes for 25 years and is now nearly 3 years free from needing insulin injections.
The team developed artificial versions of the cells located in the pancreas which are responsible for producing insulin and keeping blood sugar levels in line. People with diabetes do not produce enough insulin in their pancreas to regulate blood sugar. A chemical cocktail was used to turn stem cells into various types of tissue including pancreatic tissue.
After receiving the new lab grown cells the man was able to start producing his own insulin again. He was freed from the need for insulin injections after 11 weeks and an oral medication used to control blood sugar levels was gradually reduced and then completely stopped over a year.
There are over 140 million people in China alone with diabetes, 40 million require insulin injections to keep living. This cure is very time consuming and expensive to create. A lot more research is needed to turn it into a therapy available to all that need it. It is however an important step along that path.
Another Breakthrough in Concrete Production
A team from the University of Cambridge have developed a process that not only purifies recycled steel but also produces reactivated cement as a byproduct. The team found that used cement is an effective substitute for lime flux that is used in steel recycling. The lime flux removes impurities which ends up as the waste product slag. By replacing the lime with used cement the end product is recycled cement.
Electric arc furnaces are used to recycle steel. A high temperature arc between graphite electrodes is generated using electricity as the energy source. This arc then melts metal inside a chamber. It allows 100% of steel to be recycled. Traditional blast furnaces only use a maximum of 30% scrap.
The technique has been trialed in furnaces that produce a few dozen kilograms of cement. Larger industrial trials are now underway where 66 tons of cement would be produced in two hours. The team aims to scale up the process to produce one billion tons of electric cement by 2050. For those that are interested in finding out more about the process you can watch the Cambridge team video here.
Cows Prefer Women
Sorry guys but the research is clear. Cows have a strong preference to be around women. A team from New York University and the US military have conducted research into the use of cows as a therapy animal. Cows who were cuddled showed a strong preference for interactions with women over men.
Animal assisted therapy (AAT) is used in conjunction with other methods of therapy. Mostly a companion dog or cat is integrated into a therapeutic plan. Other species of animal are also used including llamas, miniature horses and rabbits. AAT has been used over a variety of populations and conditions for treating anything from substance abuse to autism.
Cows have special behavioral traits that allow them to bond with people in a way unique to their size and temperament. Cows that are uncomfortable with a human presence will show an increase in stress signals such as vocalizations. Cows that enjoy human company will have reduced stress signals.
Their study showed that the cows had a strong preference for interactions with women compared to men. The women also reported stronger attachment behavior towards the cows. The elusive search for an animal that likes men continues.
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 comment below.
I would also appreciate it if you could forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might be interested.
Till next week.
And does this electric arc furnace, compare, with C02 from a coking coal blast funace, vs say a Coal fired power station (assuming 90% efficiency to convert to electricity). I expect it would be more efficient.
Of course alternatively if houses/tower buildings were say restored rather than knock down rebuild in concrete less concrete and steel.