Space Planes, Submarine Detection and Dissolving Robots
September 7
This week we look at the latest proposal for a space plane. Initially designed for autonomous freight delivery it may one day fly us around the world at lightning speed. We also examine a new method for detecting even the most advanced submarines whilst they are at sea. We investigate a new type of robot that will dissolve to an oily puddle once it receives a kill signal and finally we learn about the warning signs for cardiac arrest.
Space Planes
We have seen many different proposals for planes that will takeoff from an airport, reach space before descending to their destination on the other side of the planet. Lately there has been a growing number that appear more likely to reach fruition.
German aerospace company Polaris Raumflugzeuge is the latest to announce it’s design and ambitions. The company has been leveraging the past 3 decades of work by German and European aerospace researchers to develop a reusable space plane.
The design combines rocket launch capabilities with traditional air flight capability. The plane can take off from any traditional airport runway before igniting the rocket engines in flight.
The plane called Aurora, will be capable of carrying payloads of 1,000 kg into orbit and 10,000 kg in suborbital hypersonic flight. The system has 100% reusability. Aurora is designed to function as an unmanned aircraft. The company is about to launch the 5th version of the demonstrator aircraft. This one is named Nova. Temporary restricted airspace in Europe has been approved and trials should commence this month.
The Aurora has been designed to initially take payloads to low earth orbit and the ISS. SpaceX has also designed the Falcon Heavy Rocket for similar tasks. The Falcon Heavy can carry 54,000 kilos into orbit however it requires specialized launch pads and recovery.
The cost per kilo for the Falcon Heavy to take freight to low earth orbit is now US$1,200 per kilo. This is expected to continue to fall dramatically in the coming years. So much so that future versions of the Falcon Heavy (the next will be launched in November this year) will likely have a cost structure that will allow high value goods to be transported around the world via rocket in a matter of hours at less cost than current commercial aircraft. Planes such as Aurora using current airfields reduces the infrastructure required even further. The way some freight is delivered is likely to be significantly different by 2030.
Submarine Detection
A team of Chinese researchers have claimed that they can identify the minuscule surface vibrations caused by low frequency sound sources beneath the open sea. This will allow them to detect even the most advanced US submarines over long distances.
The system uses the terahertz band of radio waves. Sitting between microwave and infrared frequencies it is the band that will be used for 6G mobile phones. It allows for ultra high data rates and low latency. There are already some terahertz screening devices used at airports in China. The technology helps to identify concealed items on passengers.
A submarine traveling at high speed produces significant radiated noise that will travel to the water surface and excite tiny vibrations. These vibrations are barely noticeable and were thought to be indistinguishable from ocean waves. The terahertz sensor was able to distinguish between man made ripples as small as 10 nanometers and the natural movement of the ocean.
The technology is also able to be leveraged by submarines communicating with friendly aircraft. By detecting acoustically induced surface vibrations on the ocean surface, submarines can send encoded signals to aircraft.
It is expected that the detection equipment will be small enough to be mounted on a flying drone providing low cost and flexible deployment. I guess the next step is for other countries to develop underwater drones that emit similar noise signals to the submarines in motion. This may make it is impossible for the enemy to know if a submarine or underwater drone is actually causing the tiny disturbances on the oceans surface.
Robots that destruct with barely a trace
A team of Korean researchers have developed a robot that can self destruct and leave no trace other than an oily puddle. The robot is highly deformable, fully degradable gaiting robot that can be used in covert missions to gather information. Disintegration can be remotely triggered if desired (i.e., when captured or discovered by an enemy).
The team applied a substance to silicone resin that releases fluoride ions when exposed to UV light. A remote signal sent to the robot triggers built in UV LEDs to begin heating the substance. The robot then starts to disintegrate and will decompose in less than two hours. Only an oily liquid is left behind.
This is not the only self destructing robot. A team at the University of Houston developed circuitry that self destructs when exposed to water. This has uses in war and medicine. Cornell University researchers and Honeywell Aerospace inserted chemical packets into processors that would dissolve the chips upon the receipt of a kill signal. The Pentagon developed a glider that could fly for 100 miles and then vanish within four hours. Amazon patented a self destructing delivery drone which in the event of malfunction would fly to a remote area before breaking itself into small pieces.
Tell tale signs of Heart Attacks
Researchers from the Smite Heart Institute at Cedars- Sinai in Los Angeles have found that 50% of cardiac patients have a physical symptom a day before suffering a cardiac arrest. They surveyed patients between 18 and 85 years old.
Women tend to have shortness of breath, whereas men tend to have chest pain. Other less common warning signs for both genders were seizure like activity and abnormal sweating.
Please note that cardiac arrests are different to heart attacks. Sudden cardiac arrests can be fatal up to 90% of the time. Harnessing warning symptoms to allow early intervention and treatment may increase the rate of survival by up to 5 times (according to the study).
This is not intended to be medical advice. Always talk to your doctor if you have any doubts, questions or concerns.
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.
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Till next week.