Lifeboat Foundation

A transparent material that can be attached to a smartphone’s touch screen could help the device generate electricity whenever anyone taps it, researchers in China say.

Touch screens are now found on most cell phones and tablet computers. Using a touch screen typically involves finger taps, and scientists at Lanzhou University in China reasoned that the mechanical energy from these motions could be converted into electricity to charge the phone’s batteries, which could significantly extend the working time of these portable devices.

The researchers developed a new material based on a transparent silicone rubber known as PDMS. Scientists embedded wires in this rubber that were made of lead zirconate titanate that were only 700 nanometers, or billionths of a meter, wide. For perspective, this is about 140 times thinner than the average width of a human hair. [Top 10 Inventions That Changed the World].

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I still get a kick out of these types of articles because it is the classic “Fear of the Unknown” getting folks worked up. A) we don’t have enough information to confirm or not confirm whether humans will totally disappear and morph into a half Human and half machine species. B) it doesn’t scare me at all because I will make the choice if I decide that I want or need an implant. And, if I do, then more than likely it was to help me beat a disease like cancer or to enrich my life somehow just like I would opt for a surgery or procedure today. Nothing more.

However, there is one thing that is certain and that is Quantum Technology itself is going to truly transform everything in our lives. And, I mean EVERYTHING (medical/ healthcare, manufacturing, AI, devices, communications, services, raw materials enrichment, etc.).

Continue reading “Futurologist Dr Ian Pearson says technology is causing humans to ‘evolve’” »

Every time we have a step forward with Quantum for industries like technology, wireless & telecom, manufacturing, energy, etc.; we also gain a steps for healthcare in so many ways such as Q-DOTs eradicating super Bug Viruses, Brain Mind Interface capabilities, implants, etc. Why I luv Quantum so much.

Emergent phenomena are common in condensed matter. Their study now extends beyond strongly correlated electron systems, giving rise to the broader concept of quantum materials.

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Did you know that Quantum Theory does not know how probabilities are implemented in Nature? And for that matter neither does any other physical theory. Why? Or why not? The closest Quantum Theory comes to explaining probabilities, is to guess that a particle’s wave function is related to its probabilities. That’s it!

Why do we need to ask this question? Commercial opportunities. Imagine if you could control where a photon localizes (captured by an atom). Particle detectors become significantly more sensitive. Boring? No, in fact, DARPA aims to precisely spot single photons and explore the Fundamental Limits of Photon Detection. Anti-stealth is one application. Imagine if you didn’t need 1,000,000 radio wave photons to determine an aircraft’s radar signature, but only a 1,000?

Using probabilities to control photon switching “circuits”, probability switches. Imagine an empty box with optical cables entering and exiting. These probability switches cause photons to exit through different optical cables by controlling where they localize within the box. What if we could build computers with materials lighter than a feather to switch photon paths, instead of heavy silicon or gallium arsenide to switch electron paths? Imagine how fast these switches could operate, as no matter is involved.

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REMINDER: DARPA’s Neural Engineering System Design (NESD) Program Proposers Days is tomorrow and Wed. (February 2–3, 2016) at The Westin Gateway Hotel, 801 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22203. This is part of the Brain Mind Interface development work. Good thing that the research on Graphene came out recently showing that it is a viable substance for BMIs.

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The lifting body vehicle will be launched on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and will have the ability to return—along with cargo—by landing at any available airport. SNC’s Dream Chaser is made of non-toxic materials meaning it can touch down on commercial runways and be accessed immediately.

The chance to showcase a reusable spacecraft on government funded missions bodes well for a potential pivot to commercial use. SNC is at the leading edge of private space companies that one day might cater to a more diverse base of consumers like universities, medical companies and individuals.

To learn more about Dream Chaser’s history and development, we spoke to John Roth, Vice President of Business Development for SNC’s Space Systems.

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Transport Quantum bits via superconducting nanowires. Definite step forward in information transmittal capabilities.

Although 74 picoseconds may not sound like much — a picosecond is a trillionth of a second — it is a big deal in the quantum world, where light particles, or photons, can carry valuable information. In this case it means that much less “jitter,” or uncertainty in the arrival time of a photon. Less jitter means that photons can be spaced more closely together but still be correctly detected. This enables communications at a higher bit rate, with more information transmitted in the same period.

Every little bit helps when trying to receive faint signals reliably. It helped, for example, in NIST’s recent quantum teleportation record and difficult tests of physics theories. In such experiments, researchers want to decode as much information as possible from the quantum properties of billions of photons, or determine if “entangled” photons have properties that are linked before — or only after — being measured.

Continue reading “Less jitter, more bits: new material for detecting photons captures more quantum information” »

A new form of matter, in which electrical charge swirls in “polar vortices,” has been observed in a ferroelectric material.

Notably, ferroelectric materials display unique electrical or magnetic properties, as such, the discovery holds intriguing possibilities for advanced kinds of memory and processors that take up far less space, and could also “rewrite our basic understanding of ferroelectrics,” according to the researchers who observed them.

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Researchers have successfully demonstrated how it is possible to interface graphene — a two-dimensional form of carbon — with neurons, or nerve cells, while maintaining the integrity of these vital cells. The work may be used to build graphene-based electrodes that can safely be implanted in the brain, offering promise for the restoration of sensory functions for amputee or paralysed patients, or for individuals with motor disorders such as epilepsy or Parkinson’s disease.

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