This week we investigate a new way of tunneling that is vastly cheaper and faster than current methods. We also examine a pair of glasses that gives the hard of hearing subtitles of the conversations that they are having. We discover a Oneway Superconductor that may speed up computing by 300 to 400 times and finally we look at a new electric runabout boat that is hitting the waterways in time for summer.
Plasma Tunneling
Earthgrid, a San Francisco based startup has developed a plasma based tunneling system that is 100 times faster than conventional methods whilst costing up to 90% less.
The Rapid Burrowing Robot (RBR) blasts rocks at ultra high temperatures to break or even vaporize them using a process called spallation. Conventional tunnel boring machines use large cutting wheels to slowly cut rock away. The RBR does not touch the rock it uses 48,600F (27,000C) plasma torches mounted on large discs. Small pushcarts are used to collect debris. No chemicals or drilling mud is required. Spoil can be reused in roads and concrete manufacture.
The BRB will tunnel up to a kilometer per day and operate independently. Elon Musk’s boring company currently can only tunnel 250 meters per day. The BRB usually operates between 3 and 30 meters below the surface which allows it to avoid the spaghetti of cables and utilities currently underground.
Different sizes of tunnel can be bored ranging from small tunnels for utilities or fibre optic cables and eventually to traffic tunnels. Earthgrid is competing with companies such as Petra to develop the next generation of tunneling equipment that will allow us to take full advantage of the ground below us.
Glasses with Subtitles
British startup, XRAI Glass has developed Augmented Reality technology that will provide live transcription of a conversation. The user wear a pair of glasses that contain a microphone. The glasses are tethered to a phone where software converts audio into a subtitled version of the conversation that will then appear on the user’s glasses screen.
People who are hard of hearing or deaf usually have to rely on lip reading to have conversations with people near them. This requires them to be able to look directly at the person being listened to. During the pandemic this was made even harder with the widespread use of facemarks.
Currently only Android phone compatibility is available however iPhone compatibility is coming. The software on the phone will use voice recognition capabilities to identify who’s speaking and then translate languages, voice tone, accents as well as pitch. The user does not have to look directly at the speaker.
The software also picks up phone audio and provide subtitles for phone calls. The technology is not perfect and it can struggle in large group settings however it is improving rapidly. The team have also developed the first prototypes for a set of smart contact lenses that will replace the more bulky glasses. The glasses become available for purchase in September 2022 (see their website) and the team hopes to have the contact lenses ready for market in 2 to 3 years.
Electric Jetboat
Zerojet, a New Zealand based startup has developed a lightweight electric jet system to power small watercraft. Equivalent to a 20hp motor and weighing 40kg the fully electric system is designed to be built into small runabouts. Top speed is 70km/hr.
The system is safer than outboard motors as there is no exposed propellor. Tenders are easier to lift onto larger yachts and with minimal draft they can be used in shallow water or driven directly onto the beach. The engine is extremely quiet allowing for use in fishing, wildlife observation and potentially the military.
A number of manufacturers are now integrating the Zerojet engine into their new boat designs. As battery technology improves it is expected that larger and larger boats will be able to be fitted with these silent, zero emission electric jet engines.
Oneway Superconductor
A team at TU Delft in the Netherlands has discovered one-way superconductivity without using magnetic fields. The discovery makes use of 2D quantum materials and is an important step toward superconducting computing.
In a superconductor the current goes through a wire without incurring any resistance. This means there is no heat generated however inhibiting or blocking the current is very difficult. To be used in computing we need to be able to manage the flow of the current. The team has been able to make the current flow only one way. The current experiences zero friction one way but insurmountable friction the other way.
The advantage is that electronics can become 300 to 400 hundred times faster and use much less power. One estimate says that up to 10% of the Western world’s energy usage could be saved.
The next challenge is to be able to scale production. To date the technology has only been proven in nano devices . The team needs to be able to produce chips with millions of these diodes. The technology is much more likely to be used in server farms and supercomputers rather than your home PC.
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.