This week we will discover a new use for Skyhooks. They have been used throughout history and may be used well into our future. We examine a new self navigating cane for the visually impaired and a new method for separating water into Hydrogen and Oxygen. We look at the longest ever trip on a single tank of hydrogen and finally a quick preview of Australia’s Synthetic Biology Roadmap.
Skyhooks may replace Rockets
We are not talking about the Australian Glam rock band of the 1970’s but the old fashioned hook on a long line that was used throughout history and most recently found on the docks. We are talking about a cheaper way of launching rockets into space.
A geostationary satellite stationed 1,000kms above the earth with a 900km long tether would be used to launch space craft into space. The craft would attach to the tether between 100km and 150km from earth where the atmosphere is thin to non-existent. As the Earth rotated the space craft would speed up. Using the angular momentum of the Earth’s orbit the craft would at maximum speed within 25 minutes and then would be released and flung into space.
It may also be possible for the skyhook to catch a reentering spaceship and slow it down using the opposite motion. This would effectively recharge the skyhook. Alternatively thrusters of some kind may be used to reset the skyhook.
Currently, a vast amount of fuel is used to escape Earth’s gravity. Most of a rocket’s mass and design is given over to storage of the fuel. A velocity of 40,000 kph is needed to escape the Earth. A very small portion of a space rocket is the payload. Building a space based skyhook would remove much of the cost of launching a rocket.
We would still need the rocket to reach low-Earth orbit (i.e. 100km to150km) however we may be able to reduce the size of rockets by 80% or more. If we were to position another skyhook over the Moon or Mars we could use the systems in tandem, delivering and receiving spaceships between the Earth and our closest neighbors, routinely and efficiently.
How much cheaper would space launches become? Currently SpaceX’s Heavy Falcon costs US$115,000,000 for each launch. That allows 64 tons of stuff to be delivered into low-earth orbit. If we were able to build a rocket to reach the end of the tether, the launch cost will be reduced to roughly $12,000,000.
Self Navigating Cane
Many visually impaired people use a simple cane to navigate around the physical world. This low tech device has now been improved by researchers at Stanford University who have developed a robotic cane that guides people through the physical environment.
The team used many innovations from autonomous vehicles. The cane helps people identify and detect obstacles and move easily around objects. Routes can be followed both indoor and outdoor. The cane weighs about 1.5 kilos and uses many off the shelf parts and open source software. Total cost is about $400.
This is not the first smart cane. Current models weight up to 22 kilos and cost around $6,000. This new device will be affordable for many more of the 250 million people globally with impaired vision.
Hydrogen from Aluminum and Water
It has long been known that Aluminum will react with water at room temperature forming Aluminum Hydroxide while releasing hydrogen gas. However the Aluminum more readily reacts with the oxygen in air than the oxygen in water. A thin layer of Aluminum oxide forms on the surface and this prevents the Aluminum from reacting with the water.
A team from MIT painted scrap aluminum with a eutectic mixture of gallium and indium which will remain liquid at room temperature while being able to penetrate the aluminum oxide and allow the release of the hydrogen from water. The mixture does not react with the aluminum and is able to be recovered at the end of the process and reused.
Using this process the hydrogen is able to be stored at a density 10 times greater than if it was stored as a compressed gas. The aluminum oxide can be recycled.
The longest Hydrogen Fueled Car ride
Range anxiety is a very real impediment to the take up of alternative fuels and electric cars. Toyota has just broken the record for the longest distance driven by a hydrogen fueled electric vehicle. A Toyota Mirai drove 1360 kilometers on a single 5 minute complete fill of hydrogen.
The team used hypermiling techniques to reduce the fuel consumption during the trip. Hypermiling is adapting your driving to reduce fuel consumption using techniques such as constant steady speeds, drafting behind larger vehicles and maintaining slower speeds. Hypermiling is considered dangerous and in some instances illegal (so don’t try this at home).
Australia’s Synthetic Biology Roadmap
Synthetic biology is likely to be one area where we make transformative advances over the next decade and beyond. Applications can be found in sectors such as Health, Agriculture, Biosecurity and the Environment.
The CSIRO has developed “A National Synthetic Biology Roadmap” to identify commercial and economic opportunities that will arise from Synthetic Biology. The roadmap will provide a foundation for the development of a synthetic biology ecosystem. It provides a framework for Government, Industry and other stakeholders to develop policy and practice that will allow the economy to thrive in the future. The following tables from the report give an idea of what is to come.
The full report can be read here.
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.