Technology Updates

tahanson43206 · 2020-04-03 20:04:10

For SpaceNut re this quote from your conversation with Void in another topic...

Inco operates the world's first totally robotic mine is now in Sudbury, Canada. This was the work of the Mining Automation Program, a 5 year R&D effort to create tele-operated and autonomous mining machines.
http://www.telemining.net/
http://www.telemining.net/whatistelemining/
Leif Bloomquist, who worked in the project, has a great website also:
http://www.accesslevelblack.com/
“We had to bring together space+robotics technology, wireless LANs, and even virtual reality and video game interfaces. ... The whole point is to enhance safety by having no humans underground, and to boost productivity by saving the time to travel underground and have one driver controlling a whole fleet."

This is ** exactly ** what I was talking about a few days ago, as the impact of stay-at-home began to sink in here locally. I can't remember now if the discussion was here or elsewhere, but the essential point is that with a bit of thought, and with modern electronics and communications capabilities, almost every activity that currently requires humans to be onsite can be converted to remote teleoperation.

The fact that investment is required to move humans out of factories is beside the point. The quote you provided gives what should be the motivation.

***
Earlier today, I caught part of a discussion about a book on the impact of certain technologies over the past century or so. The author concentrated on inventions that simplified things and reduced cost, but a point he made over and over again was that it wasn't the technology that made the difference ... it was how human beings reorganized themselves to take advantage of the benefits of the technology.

As one example of many, the author showed images of factories in the 1870's featuring large numbers of workers operating machines drawing power by leather belt from large rotating beams over head. The beams were rotated by a steam engine in an adjacent building. Electricity was invented, and huge electric motors were installed to replace the steam engine, but nothing else changed. Profits did not increase.

It was only after it was discovered that small electric motors could be assigned to the workers that profits began to improve. The main reason THAT happened was that the factory designers were about to see how to reorganize the flow of work to make it more efficient.

I expect that something very similar is going to happen if/when work is moved out of the centralized factory and distributed to homes from which workers carry out their duties using remote teleoperation equipment.

At ** that ** point, workers can instantly change from duty in one country to another, or from one industry to another.

Thanks again for tossing that quote into your conversation with Void!

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2020-04-04 09:25:27)

SpaceNut · 2020-04-05 19:49:37

Make what is old, new again once more for a different purpose.
9 ingenious ways to give your old Android phone new life

SpaceNut · 2020-04-05 19:55:35

I thought of this much later after the posts that follow this next sentence.

Tele medicine and even medical care is only a kiosh away standing insilence until the operator steps up to it to communicate with a doctor remotely.

We need to employ many tools in this fight that removes humans from the path of contact or infection with this virus. To do that we need to think out of the box..
Reporting for Coronavirus Duty: Robots That Go Where Humans Fear to Tread

We think nothing of the contact use of an atm for possible contaimanant picked up from the last one which might have been infected unless you practice cleaning the touch screen and keypad which is something I am doing to lower my risk when in need of cash or at a stores cashier payout location..

There are many scenes of other nations spraying down the streets, disinfecting people in walk through tunnels ect...
So where are any of these tactics to slow and change that curve.

What about taking ones temperature robotically at stand along touchless readers.

Telemedicine Arrives in the U.K.: ‘10 Years of Change in One Week’

A housebound 92-year-old man had red, throbbing legs. A younger patient was complaining of a lump in his armpit. And the self-isolating residents of a nursing home needed checkups.
Those maladies and needs, once a waiting room’s worth of problems, are now being handled online and over the phone as the coronavirus fans out in Britain and across the world, rendering medical offices no-go zones for all but the sickest patients.
In a matter of days, a revolution in telemedicine has arrived at the doorsteps of primary care doctors in Europe and the United States. The virtual visits, at first a matter of safety, are now a centerpiece of family doctors’ plans to treat the everyday illnesses and undetected problems that they warn could end up costing additional lives if people do not receive prompt care.

SpaceNut · 2020-04-07 09:07:25

Artificial intelligence may be pandemic lifesaver... one day

Epidemiologist Kamran Khan is the founder and chief executive of Toronto-based BlueDot, which detected some of the earliest indications of the COVID-19 outbreak On December 30, researchers using artificial intelligence systems to comb through media and social platforms detected the spread of an unusual flu-like illness in Wuhan, China.

That was 60 days into the disease spread before its getting enough data...

According to Khan, AI is helping in the containment phase with systems that used "anonymized" smartphone location data to track the progression of the disease and find hotspots, and to determine if people are following "social distancing" guidelines.

Now tracing gps movement data mining to track once known positive virus identifications for communal movement.

AI systems are also being put to work to scour the thousands of research studies for clues on what treatments might be effective.
Last week, researchers joined the White House in an effort to make available some 29,000 coronavirus research articles that can be scanned for data mining.

More data mining but if you are not comparing Apples to Apples the data can and is often not going to gain the same results as wanted.

tahanson43206 · 2020-04-07 10:53:21

For SpaceNut ... nice to see these additions to the topic. Thanks! (th)

tahanson43206 · 2020-04-10 04:35:20

Today's item came from an article about a new wind farm in development for Norway. The application there is interesting (to me at least). The entire load of the new floating farm is the oil production platforms in the vicinity. Currently those platforms are supplied with fossil fuel to power the drilling and support operations.

However, the reason for this post is a paragraph that makes an observation about new technology leading to new jobs. SpaceNut has a topic about why there are "no jobs", and I don't dispute that jobs go away as capitalism grinds away at inefficiency. In the past, I've tried to argue that "job creators" are the most important members of society, by far, and we have far too few of them, precisely (in my opinion) because we do not provide an education that leads young people to expect to be job creators, and not just job holders.

Arrival of a new technology, with its potential to create new jobs, depends upon support by job creators.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/equi … 03651.html

Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation
Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, it’s expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity.

The blurb above is directed at investors, who are in the subset of people who create jobs, but they must be able to find people with the skills and knowledge and education and ambition to forge a work force of job holders to fulfill whatever the potential of that new technology may be.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2020-04-10 15:20:06

A member of a local tech group posted a short message indicating he is working on a set of ideas to try to maintain a rudimentary digital economy if that were to become necessary. While I don't anticipate that becoming necessary on Earth, the goal set sounds perfect for a settlement on Mars, where the need would be to be able to create and sustain a digital infrastructure without input from Earth.

The report is stuck in some sort of security blanket right now, but I'm sure that will be cleared up shortly.

(th)

Terraformer · 2020-04-10 15:29:55

Well, the internet dates back to the 80s, so we don't *need* nanometre scale transistors to maintain a basic text based communications system.

tahanson43206 · 2020-04-10 16:01:15

For Terraformer re #108

Thank you for picking up on (what I hope is) the idea that was advertised.

The gent is (among other things) a computer security consultant, and his web sites are (probably) impenetrable. The problem arises (I suspect) from his desire to publish a paper from one of his secure servers. A better way to to this would be to use github (but that's just my opinion << grin >> ). (th)

tahanson43206 · 2020-04-12 07:10:32

For kbd512 re #115

This slot is reserved for reply to your thoughtful post.

To Terraformer ... thank you for your recollection!

SearchTerm:Continue

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2020-04-13 12:04:31

Here is new technology that looks as though it might work on Mars (in partially pressurized greenhouses, for example) but it most DEFINITELY would appear to have an immediate application for billions of people around the world.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliewalms … 143d7a77a1

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2020-04-14 06:21:11

This post is about technology that does not exist (as far as I know) as a complete system, but all the components do exist.

I'd appreciate feedback on whether this might become the focus of a new topic.

Inspired by Void, with his re-invention of a "bubble" way of delivering gas (of various kinds) to the surface of Mars, and ...

Inspired by GW Johnson, with his solution of the docking problem at Phobos, and with other influences from numerous sources in and outside the forum:

Putting it All Together for Void's Bubble concept:

1) Use Phobos as a momentum platform
2) Fill a balloon with the gas to be delivered to the surface, in a shell made of material useful on Mars (fabric for domes, for example)
3) Attach a payload whose mass is determined by the contents and size of the balloon
4) Use the "Dead Drop" method (GW Johnson examined that very topic in an earlier post in this forum)
5) Use an automated tug to pull the balloon away from Phobos until the correct velocity is achieved with respect to Mars
6) Recover the tug, which will have enough propellant left after dropping the balloon to return to base
7) Secure an ample supply of water for Phobos (to use for this delivery system and other purposes) from a passing comet

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2020-04-19 14:04:33

This is a technology update which was posted in the 3D Printer topic.

This capability ** surely ** would be of significant value on Mars, or anywhere off-Earth.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/scientists-l … 00632.html

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2020-04-20 06:44:39

Here is a technology that may be of interest to GW Johnson:

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/cactus-juice- … ories.html

Plastic made from cactus juice appears to have some benefits compared to petroleum sourced plastic.

Cactus may have some potential value in the Mars environment. I have not run a search to see if the plant was mentioned previously in the forum, except in the context of GW Johnson's patented cactus removal equipment. However, if SpaceNut were here at full strength, he would doubtless find every occurrence of the word cactus in the archive in short order.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2020-04-22 09:28:11

This is "new technology" only in a very generous sense.

It is the scope of the ** application ** of the idea that is new (on Earth at least).

https://www.yahoo.com/news/cloud-bright … 06887.html

The core of the idea is to atomize sea water, deliver the mist into the air over the coral reefs in Australia, and encourage formation of clouds around the salt molecules that are left after the water evaporates.

This ideas is ** so ** much better than another idea I read about recently, which involved spraying a noxious chemical at high altitude to block sunlight.

I don't see a direct connection to application on Mars at this point, but there might be something to keep in mind for later.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2020-04-24 04:42:26

This item could go into the Virus topic, because it is being developed for the battle against it.

However, the product in development won't be ready for a year or so, so it'll be ready for the NEXT battle.

https://www.engadget.com/university-of- … 10558.html

This is similar in aspect to the use of Ultraviolet Light, which is already being done to some extent.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2020-04-24 19:58:54

The article at the link below reports on use of a robot "dog" for assisting medical staff meeting patients in the current emergency.

It could certainly go into other topics, such as Terraformer's virus topic.

I am interested in the potential it shows for teleoperation, which I hope will develop rapidly in the years immediately ahead.

As nearly as I can tell, the unit described is a telepresence unit, but teleoperation capability would seem a reasonable extension.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/very-good-ro … 00662.html

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2020-05-04 09:44:32

This post is about a discovery of an ancient technology (biological warfare inside mosquitoes), but (hopefully) it will lead to an effective treatment to protect mosquitoes from the Malaria parasite, which in turn, would protect humans from the parasite.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52530828

Taking a larger view, I am encouraged to think that there may be a natural agent already in existence which considers Corona Virus (of all kinds) to be tasty food, much to be relished upon discovery in the blood of animals where it is on watch.

Taking a bit more venturesome tack, it may be possible to genetically engineer an agent from those already present in the human body to look for Corona Virus as a food source.

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2020-05-04 09:45:01)

tahanson43206 · 2020-05-07 10:34:35

The link below could go into a topic for Fusion, if we have one.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/radio-wave-b … 00654.html

The use of radio waves to try to stabilize plasma in fusion reactor research equipment has been in development for decades. The article at the link above reports on what appears to be incremental improvement to the technology.

As I understand the report, "islands" of magnetic instability form as flows of plasma are created inside magnetic containment fields. The new research appears to be reconciled to the presence of these unwanted anomalies, and to seek to stabilize them so they don't grow further.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2020-05-08 04:17:58

The link below could fit well in Terraformer's virus topic:

www.yahoo.com/news/lasers-could-speed-coronavirus-diagnostics-122333240.html

This is an example of precisely the kind of use of electromagnetic radiation I was hoping would be investigated. The method proposed is indirect, in that a physical sorting of the virus is proposed using nanotechnology, but it is hoped the method will be fast and about 70% accurate.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2020-05-10 17:55:40

The quote below is from the Yahoo News feed .... it relates to discussions carried out here in the forum in the past year.

What is ** new ** is a proposal for some serious investment. I'm pretty sure it was kbd512 who made the point on several occasions that ammonia is an energy carrier well worth considering for growth, since the global ammonia industry is already well established.

World
Reuters Science News Summary
ReutersMay 9, 2020, 4:56 PM EDT
Following is a summary of current science news briefs.
Australia backs BP's study to produce hydrogen from wind, solar
BP Plc has won Australian government backing for a feasibility study into producing hydrogen using wind and solar power to split water and converting the hydrogen to ammonia in Western Australia. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency said on Friday it would provide A$1.7 million ($1.1 million) toward the A$4.4 million feasibility study, part of a push by the government to make the country a major producer of hydrogen by 2030.
Green hydrogen's time has come, say advocates eying post-pandemic world

Edit#1: Thanks to kbd512 for a nice follow up in post #129!

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2020-05-11 17:15:59)

kbd512 · 2020-05-11 16:05:32

tahanson43206,

In the near term, LNH3 is the only viable liquid hydrocarbon fuel replacement for practical electric vehicle designs. I define "practical" as not weighing (because road maintenance costs are directly tied to vehicle weights) or costing (so that the average driver can actually afford to purchase one) significantly more than a gasoline or diesel powered vehicle with the same range and useful load. We spent billions and lost at least two decades of time trying to develop all manner of Hydrogen storage materials that ultimately failed to achieve a practical reversible chemical process at an affordable cost. Meanwhile, LNH3 is 17.6% Hydrogen by weight and contains 1.5 times as much Hydrogen as pure LH2, by volume, which happens to be good enough for equivalent power to weight and superior power density to a practical piston-driven combustion engine (a non-racing engine that can reliably live for at least 100,000 miles or 10 years). You can store LNH3 at room temperature at 114psi or so, thus existing DOT-approved tankers can carry the product to service stations. Stripping Hydrogen from LNH3 using a plasma cracker is now a practical commercialized technology. Admittedly, the plasma cracker was something that didn't exist decades ago. The carbon fiber composite 10,000psi H2 gas storage tanks are also commercial technology these days. Greater Hydrogen storage density is highly desirable, but the fact that we already have a readily storable liquid fuel with gasoline-equivalent energy density is more important.

If we mass manufacture fuel cells in a plant like Tonawanda, then cost will be comparable to a combustion engine. The mass of the complete propulsion solution is also very comparable to combustion engines such as turbocharged inline four cylinder gas powered engines with automatic transmissions. A battery powered vehicle is sacrificing range or useful load or probably a bit of both, and is therefore not a direct replacement for a gas powered vehicle. That may not matter as much in urban areas, but for vehicles that are frequently used on highway that remains an actual engineering problem with battery powered vehicles. Battery powered vehicles make more sense in New York City than in Houston, for example. For heavy or high duty cycle vehicles like semi trucks / buses / construction equipment, fuel cells are more practical, given current gross vehicle weight restrictions on US highways.

In nearly all actual use cases, battery powered electric aircraft are not practical or completely infeasible using current battery technology. Very short flights of a half hour or less are the only exceptions. That said, private and commercial light aircraft (the overwhelming majority of the fleet, by numbers) represent another application / market wherein fuel cells make both economic and practical sense as a replacement for small gas turbine and piston engines. In general, the aerospace industry is the major "early-adopter" of new power and propulsion technologies, so it's a logical fit for fuel cells.

SpaceNut · 2020-05-11 17:27:52

This 100-Foot Catamaran Just Crossed the Atlantic Using Only Hydrogen Fuel and Solar Power

tahanson43206 · 2020-05-11 18:14:42

For SpaceNut re #130

Thanks for this interesting contribution to the topic!

The reporter made a statement that may reflect a misunderstanding of whatever the folks responsible for the vessel were trying to say.

I am hoping someone in the forum will pursue this a bit further, to clarify if the reporter is right, or if there was indeed a misunderstanding.

Michael Verdon
May 11, 2020, 8:00 AM EDT

This transatlantic voyage, however, was a special one since it is the first time it was using a new hydrogen fuel cell developed by Toyota for the project. The fuel cell converts seawater to hydrogen to power the boat.

My understanding of the term "fuel cell" is that it is a device that accepts hydrogen as an input, along with oxygen from the atmosphere, and makes pure water as an output, while generating electricity from the chemical energy release by the chemical bonding.

I gather that ** something ** is using electricity to convert seawater to hydrogen (and presumably oxygen with salt as a waste product).

That ** something ** would ordinarily (or at least traditionally) be an electrolysis device.

Edit#1: I couldn't let go of that reporter's error ... Here is an explanation that seems a lot more coherent:

https://www.engadget.com/2019-10-08-ene … -boat.html

To do this locally, the EO is equipped with a desalinator, electrolyzer and a compressor. The water needs to be purified before having its hydrogen and oxygen separated, with the former being stored in a 62kg tank under 300 bar pressure. According to Vivies, 62kg worth of hydrogen is capable of running the ship for "three days, including creature comforts."
Except, for the first three years of the Energy Observer's journey, this extraordinary ability to synthesize its own fuel has had a fatal flaw. It doesn't work while the vessel is at sea, only when it's docked, when it could theoretically secure new fuel anyway. That's because the electrolyzer uses 25kW of energy, almost all of the boat's total output of 28kW. Do this at sea and there wouldn't be any power left over to propel the boat and keep the crew alive and warm.
This is going to hopefully change for the EO's 2020 tour (it docks every winter) when it sails across the Atlantic. The boat is expected to get new solar cells, increasing its peak output from 28kW to 32kW -- hopefully enough to run the electrolyzer while in motion. This upgrade has the potential to change how the boat operates, allowing it to stay at sea for much longer at a time.

The article above was published before the Atlantic crossing reported in the article SpaceNut posted. It would appear that the solar cell upgrade was successful.

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2020-05-11 18:25:31)

SpaceNut · 2020-05-11 19:22:14

There is a different type of fuel cell that uses water https://www.hydralightfuelcell.com/
to create power for what is called a Hydralight...

New Mars Forums

Announcement

#101 2020-04-03 20:04:10

Re: Technology Updates

#102 2020-04-05 19:49:37

Re: Technology Updates

#103 2020-04-05 19:55:35

Re: Technology Updates

#104 2020-04-07 09:07:25

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#105 2020-04-07 10:53:21

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#106 2020-04-10 04:35:20

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#107 2020-04-10 15:20:06

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#108 2020-04-10 15:29:55

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#109 2020-04-10 16:01:15

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#110 2020-04-12 07:10:32

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#111 2020-04-13 12:04:31

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#112 2020-04-14 06:21:11

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#113 2020-04-19 14:04:33

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#114 2020-04-20 06:44:39

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#115 2020-04-22 09:28:11

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#116 2020-04-24 04:42:26

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#117 2020-04-24 19:58:54

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#118 2020-05-04 09:44:32

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#119 2020-05-07 10:34:35

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#120 2020-05-08 04:17:58

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#121 2020-05-10 17:55:40

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#122 2020-05-11 16:05:32

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#123 2020-05-11 17:27:52

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#124 2020-05-11 18:14:42

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#125 2020-05-11 19:22:14

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