This week we investigate a whale tail inspired design for underwater wings that may reduce fuel usage for cargo ships by up to 15%. We discover a new wireless light switch that will allow us to move light switches around and reduce the cost of wiring a new house. Finally we look at some of the most recent use of AI to enable research in a wide range of areas including drug discovery and materials science.
Underwater Wings
A team from Cranfield University in the UK has developed an underwater wing that can be attached to cargo ships. This wing is different to Ben Lexon’s winged keel. The wind was inspired by a whale tail.
Called “wave devouring technology” the wing is a flapping foil that is installed at the bottom of the hull. The system harnesses the kinetic energy of the waves to achieve propulsion without fuel. As the wing glides through the water it automatically flaps up and down, generating thrust. It is similar to a bird gliding through the air or a fish cruising the oceans.
The system won’t work without an engine to provide the initial power. Once the ship is cruising, the foil reduces the overall effort needed to push the boat forward. Large scale models show a reduction in fuel use of up to 15%. A not insignificant amount given the huge number of cargo ships on the ocean (10,000 at any one time) and the distances traveled.
The concept of flapping wings as a means of propulsion under water was discovered and initially demonstrated by German researchers over a century ago however the process was not understood. They could not scale the technology on a practical level and fuel was cheap at the time thus the urge to save fuel was lower.
The giant fiberglass foils are designed to fold up into the ships hull when not in use. They can be retracted in heavy storms and when docking. They are easy to retrofit to current ships. There are several startups that are working in this field. These include Wavefoil in Norway and Liquid Robotics from the US.
Wireless Light Switch
A researcher from the University of Alberta has developed a wireless light switch that could reduce the cost of wiring a house by up to 50%. Wireless switches that consist of a transmitter on the switch and a receiver near the light fitting and have been around for some years however they are battery operated. If you have 30 to 50 light switches in a house, that is a lot of batteries to change.
This new system runs without batteries. It harvests energy from ambient sources in the house such as radio frequency signals. Each floor of the house would have one or two radio frequency (RF) power transmitters to power up all switches inside the house.
The prototype switch costs less than $1 and can be placed anywhere on a wall. The system is easy to scale and replicate. You can have as many switches as you wish. Future versions of the switch could accommodate sensors for temperature, humidity and occupancy allowing innovative ways to reduce energy consumption. Wirelessly controlled vents combined with the switch could allow you to heat only one room at a time in a large house. All the other vents would be automatically closed by the system.
The AI enabled Research Explosion
We have previously spoken about AlphaFold the Google company that has identified the folding pattern for every protein used by a human. The folding pattern is important for how the body uses the protein and thus very useful for drug research.
In the coming years we will see a massive explosion of AI enabled research. A few examples of potential areas where AI is already providing a treasure trove of research materials.
Human Genome
The UK Biobank has just released their collection of 500,000 full human genomes. That is the genome for 500,000 different individuals. This will allow researchers to search for genetic links to disease. This is the Google Maps for genetic researchers.
Each individual genome contains 3 billion genes. This will allow researchers to find rare variants that may give greater insight into human biology and disease. A team from the University of Exeter who had access to an initial 200,000 genomes have already identified 29 rare DNA variants that were implicated in height differences in humans. Ultimately many more than 500,000 genomes will be needed to comprehensively map the association between genetics and rare disease. This however is a great first step which will allow the development of the analytic tools that will be required.
As an aside, the first CRISPR genetic drug for treatment of sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia has been approved for release in the UK. No doubt this is the first of many.
Gene Editing Enzymes
A team at MIT has used an algorithm to sort through millions of genomes (bacterial and other) to discover rare types of CRISPR systems that could eventually be adapted into genome editing tools. Microorganisms use CRISPR-Cas9 naturally to fight off viruses.
The team found around 130,000 genes associated in some way with CRISPR. This is a treasure trove for biochemists. The next step is to work out the mechanisms through which the enzymes work and how they could be adapted for bioengineering.
Crystal Structures
Google’s DeepMind has identified 2.2 million crystal structures that may open the way to large advances in material science. The team is releasing the most promising 381,000 structures to scientists to use in developing new products in a range of fields.
The discovery of new inorganic crystals has been a bottleneck for many years. Trial and error methods of discovery are time consuming and expensive. Teams at UC Berkley have already used the findings to create new materials. They used computation, historical data and machine learning to guide an autonomous laboratory called A-lab to create 41 novel compounds from a list of 58 target compounds. The ultra high success rate is due to the combination of current knowledge of synthesis reactions (and other databases) and AI.
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.
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Till next week.