Leapfrog / Disruptive Technologies

Alok_N · Post by **Alok_N** » 26 Dec 2006 22:07

I knew you would ...

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 27 Dec 2006 11:35

Jatropha for biodiesel:

http://www.techreview.com/Energy/17940/

Raju · Post by **Raju** » 29 Dec 2006 09:24

British scientists are on the verge of producing a revolutionary flu vaccine that works against all major types of the disease.

Described as the 'holy grail' of flu vaccines, it would protect against all strains of influenza A - the virus behind both bird flu and the nastiest outbreaks of winter flu.

Just a couple of injections could give long-lasting immunity - unlike the current vaccine which has to be given every year.

The brainchild of scientists at Cambridge biotech firm Acambis, working with Belgian researchers, the vaccine will be tested on humans for the first time in the next few months.

A similar universal flu vaccine, being developed by Swiss vaccine firm Cytos Biotechnology, could also be tested on people in 2007 - and the vaccines on the market in around five years.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1774

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 29 Dec 2006 11:56

Solar success in India

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business ... 2006122707

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 29 Dec 2006 12:30

Long-lived super-heavy nuclei created:

http://focus.aps.org/story/v18/st19

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/84/i52/8452hassium.html

Could this lead to an extremely high energy density nuclear fuel, for space propulsion purposes? The Hassium-270 only survived for 30 seconds, but the center of the stable island of super-heavies is supposed to be 114 protons + 182 neutrons. Who knows how long that super-heavy could last? If it was a million times more long-lived, it could perhaps be used as a high-energy rocket fuel, like the nuclear isomer idea which didn't pan out.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 30 Dec 2006 00:53

I just read that the ultimate super-heavy element to attempt synthesis of would be Unbihexium:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unbihexium

It's a supposed "double-magic" heavy element, with fully closed proton and neutron shells, giving it extra stability and a speculated half-life of potentially millions of years. Wow, wouldn't that be amazing to synthesize?

I would wonder if such a super-heavy wouldn't be useful for quantum computing, or even possibly superconductivity? Because after all, having so many electronic orbitals might make its spin harder to flip. At least, it should be a superior radiation shield, with its larger nuclear cross-sectional area.

Just as a bit of trivia, Unbihexium would have atomic number 126 -- the same atomic number as the fictional "Kryptonite" from the Superman comicbooks.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 30 Dec 2006 13:41

Oh wait, I found a mention of an even heavier possible element, Bibiquadium, with atomic number 224:

http://www.apsidium.com/elements/224.htm

And an atomic mass of ~650

Now that's what I'd call a super-duper-heavy element.

If such an element could be produced in sufficient quantities, what would be some good uses for it?

Alok_N · Post by **Alok_N** » 30 Dec 2006 14:18

Sanjay M wrote:If such an element could be produced in sufficient quantities, what would be some good uses for it?

poisoning some russian spy? ... quantities in milligrams would be sufficient ...

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 31 Dec 2006 07:09

A company called Liposonic has been testing their ultrasonic liposuction technology for the past few years, and is poised to bring it to market in 2007:

http://www.gizmag.com/go/6658/

Not trying to be a nitpick, but where does this thing really do any suctioning? I guess we're just continuing with the legacy terminology, but this ultrasonic method simply looks like it bursts/kills the fat cells, leaving the body to actually get rid of the residue.

But will it actually make anyone any healthier, or will it simply make them feel better about themselves? I suppose not carrying around lots of extra weight could mean less strain on your heart and body.

What's next -- ultrasonic artery cleaning? Ultrasonic muscle-toning?

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 31 Dec 2006 08:25

The airless tire for Humvees:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061231/ap_ ... less_tires

Will it be more or less vulnerable?

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 31 Dec 2006 08:59

A way to bypass quantum encryption? Measurement without destruction:

Nov 16, 2006
Spin measured without destruction

US researchers have exploited polarized laser light to make the first non-destructive measurements of the spin state of a single electron in a quantum dot.

David Awschalom and colleagues at University of California, Santa Barbara, determined the electron's spin state by reflecting polarized laser light from a quantum dot. Making such non-destructive measurements of the electron spin is an important step towards the development of quantum computers that exploit the quantum properties of single electrons (Sciencexpress 9 November 2006).

The idea behind quantum computers is that a quantum particle can be in two states at the same time - spin up or spin down in the case of an electron. The state of these quantum particles can therefore can represent a one or a zero, and so the particles have become known as quantum bits (qubits).

According to the rules of quantum mechanics, these qubits can be combined or "entangled" to achieve parallel processsing of information on a massive scale. However, the realization of a quantum computer involves fundamental challenges such as how to read the logical state of a qubit without destroying the state, and how to entangle the qubits.

Quantum dots containing a single electron could be used as qubits, but existing optical and electronic schemes for reading the spin state destroy the state as part of the process.

The Santa Barbara group have solved this problem by shining plane-polarized laser light on a quantum dot made from galiium arsenide. The spin state of the electron was determined from the direction of rotation of the polarization of the reflected light -- the so-called Kerr rotation.

According to Awschalom, a Kerr rotation measurement is inherently non-destructive because it involves photons that have reflected from the sample without absorption. "If a photon was absorbed by the dot (thereby disturbing the system), then Kerr rotation would not be observed," he explained. The researchers minimized the chances of absorption occurring by using photons with energy sufficiently far from any optical transitions in the quantum dot.

Awschalom explained that the Santa Barbara work represents an important step towards the optical entanglement of single-electron quantum dots. The reason for this is that the reflected photon and the dot are entangled in the same quantum state. If the photon is then reflected from a second dot, all three become entangled. When the polarization of the photon is measured non-destructively, the two quantum dots remain entangled.
About the author

Hamish Johnston is editor of physicsweb.org

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 02 Jan 2007 09:52

Although full-blown genomic sequencing is not yet economically feasible for the masses, gene-chips which can look for single-nucleotide variations are now starting to spread:

http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/003988.html

What could this mean for the future of humanity?

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 05 Jan 2007 08:38

I don't know if people are aware of the invisibility cloaking that has been postulated under the use of left-handed meta-materials. So far, those meta-materials have only been found for the lower regions of the spectrum, such as radio, microwave, and more recently the lower infrared. Now, someone claims to have found a meta-material that works within the visible light portion of the spectrum:

http://www.physorg.com/news87144852.html

Could we one day see the emergence of invisibility cloaking?

Alok_N · Post by **Alok_N** » 05 Jan 2007 08:42

Sanjay M wrote:Could we one day see the emergence of invisibility cloaking?

this one's a winner ...

I foresee the entire planet disappearing under an invisibility cloak ... this will deter future Alien invasions considerably ...

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 06 Jan 2007 07:19

Alok_N wrote:
Sanjay M wrote:Could we one day see the emergence of invisibility cloaking?
this one's a winner ...

I foresee the entire planet disappearing under an invisibility cloak ... this will deter future Alien invasions considerably ...

Don't snicker so quickly:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6064620.stm

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... cloak.html

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articl ... 414B7F0000

http://tinyurl.com/f6kuf

http://tinyurl.com/y4bqmk

Imagine first achieving invisibility to radar or microwaves, for stealth aircraft.

Then later achieving invisibility to infrared, for aircraft to avoid heat-seeking missiles, and for troops and vehicles to avoid thermal imaging sensors on the ground.

Then ultimately achieving invisibility to visible light. I don't think we'll have to worry about cloaking against higher frequencies, since they attenuate in air anyway.

Since left-handedness can be achieved with respect to soundwaves as well, it could mean invisibility to sonar.

You don't think any of these things are militarily valuable????

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 06 Jan 2007 10:21

More tricks with light:

http://www.gizmag.com/go/6685/

A cellphone with laser projection display.

Microvision is a leader in wearable optical display technology, due to their unique patented MEMS scanning mirror chip.

They already make video glasses with monochrome video overlay, and plan to release a full-colour version.

Alok_N · Post by **Alok_N** » 06 Jan 2007 18:31

Sanjay M wrote:Don't snicker so quickly:

ok, I'll "snicker" slowly ...

You don't think any of these things are militarily valuable????

yes, they are not ... for every $100 you spend on this invisibility BS, I can spend $1 and beat it ...

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 07 Jan 2007 04:45

Alok_N wrote:yes, they are not ... for every $100 you spend on this invisibility BS, I can spend $1 and beat it ...

That's what they said about boxcutter knives vs airplanes, IEDs vs tanks, or tumbling warheads vs ABM.

Hell, the whole point of a missile is that it's a cheap way to destroy a multi-million dollar aircraft. But guess what, people still spend on both. If you could make your multi-million dollar helicopter or jet invisible, it might help preserve your investment.

Invisibility is a very unique offering, and I think technologists will seek to master it and offer it at whatever the market is willing to pay.

Alok_N · Post by **Alok_N** » 07 Jan 2007 04:50

I'm surprised that sci-fi types have not heard of this before ... I believe this invisibility cloak was in a Phil Dick novel decades ago ...

if you read more, you will know the issues ...

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 07 Jan 2007 04:57

I think there's going to be a lot of surface reflection, obviously. Anyhow, perhaps the pursuit of invisibility will have beneficial spinoffs for photonics applications.

The future is likely going to be photonic -- including even our information storage systems:

http://www.techworld.com/storage/news/i ... agtype=all

Alok_N · Post by **Alok_N** » 07 Jan 2007 05:01

Sanjay M,

no one can force you to think about an issue ...

even attempting it is too disruptive and makes folks jump like frogs ...

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 07 Jan 2007 15:07

GM Unveils Chevrolet Volt:

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID ... 52D14CAD32

This is their proposed hybrid electric concept car, but they admit they don't have a battery for it yet.

vsudhir · Post by **vsudhir** » 11 Jan 2007 04:45

Safe, efficient fusion energy now practical

In summary, Dr. Bussard's Inertial Electrostatic Fusion offers

Small, efficient power reactors, 1-3% the size of current magnetic confinement reactors.
Clean, radiation-free energy utilizing p B-11.
Relatively simple engineering with commercial viability in 6-10 years.
Low cost ($150-200 million from program inception to demonstration of clean power.)

Unfortunately, not much guidance on how much power is generated. Nevertheless, as long as it generates more than it conumes, we're good to go. This is HUGE, folks, IMO of course....

Here's a video demo of the machine...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 6673788606

Alok_N · Post by **Alok_N** » 11 Jan 2007 06:39

as far as I can tell the website is bogus and the invention is BS ...

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 12 Jan 2007 10:51

Here's an interesting article which purports to finally give an explanation of the phenomenon that is ball lightning:

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/fun ... e-lab.html

Researchers claim that ball lightning is actually just a hot round vortex of transiently metallic nanoparticles re-oxidizing, generating heat and light in the process.

So are there any possible practical applications for this?

I dunno, could it be used as a projectile weapon? Maybe in place of a flame-thrower?

Could it be used as a decoy flare, for counter-measures against heat-seeking missiles? Perhaps the intense heat could distract the heat-seeker, and the light emission could be tailored for infrared spectrum. Since it's just nanoparticles, that would mean less storage weight/volume onboard an aircraft, which would be able to spit out far more of them than would be possible with regular flares.

Could it somehow be turned into a taser type of effect, if the nanoparticles were to re-oxidize in an electrochemical fashion, rather than releasing energy as heat? Then that wouldn't be like a ball of plasma (which would be too short-lived), but would instead be a more long-lived effect.

You could fire it like an airzooka ball, and then it would quickly travel to its target and zap them with electric discharge to stun them. (Uhh, just don't fire into the wind)

Or, if all else fails...
Could it be used for some amazing new pyrotechnical display purpose, to dazzle people at celebratory events?

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 12 Jan 2007 11:34

Batteries for tomorrow's electric car may be ready today:

http://www.techreview.com/Energy/18054/

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 12 Jan 2007 11:52

Controlling light at sub-wavelength scales:

http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/11/1/6/1

Now that's amazing. I wonder if it could boost the storage density of DVDs?

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 18 Jan 2007 11:05

I really liked this:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.0 ... topic_set=

The idea of an Open Systems Architecture standard for housing, just like there is for the PC computer industry. This is an idea which could have a radical effect on a high-value market.

If this could be combined with the Contour Crafting technology I posted about, then it could really be ideal.

Comments?

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 18 Jan 2007 12:19

Here's another example of this, called Open-Built(tm) technology:

http://www.bensonwood.com/prodserv/openbuilt/index.htm

If Indian home-builders could consider something like this, then it would revolutionize the housing market.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 18 Jan 2007 12:32

More proposals on this from MIT:

http://architecture.mit.edu/~kll/OSBA_proposal.htm

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 20 Jan 2007 09:43

Resveratrol Boosts Health, Extends Lifespan:

http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/18/magazin ... 2007011906

It may even spawn production of fresh mitochondria, which are the powerplant engines of the cell that tend to wear out with age/use.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 20 Jan 2007 11:29

Here once again is another good article on Contour-Crafting:

http://inhabitat.com/2007/01/17/robo-bu ... -building/

In India, where low-cost labour is abundant, perhaps this technology isn't as imperative. It'll be more successful in the developed world, where labour costs are signficant.

However the previous articles, about the Plug-N-Play insertable components of significant complexity, are the ones which could really help the Indian market.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 22 Jan 2007 10:47

Somebody's proclaiming a major breakthrough in supercapacitors:

http://www.techreview.com/Biztech/18086/

It's yet to be proven, but if true, could have far-reaching implications for portable power, including for electric vehicle transportation.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 23 Jan 2007 11:16

Silicon boosts photonics:

http://www.techreview.com/Infotech/18087/

Optical processing chips may be possible.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 25 Jan 2007 10:35

The 'Open Source' Home:

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/flat/hotf/ ... blocks.htm

Look under 'Building the Future'

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 30 Jan 2007 04:44

A breakthrough has been achieved in the fabrication of the blue-violet laser diode:

http://www.physorg.com/news89314759.html

This will of course enable higher-density optical storage (hah, Sony is barely getting its blue-ray DVDs off the ground). It is able to achieve a wavelength of 405nm.

One application I'd felt was interesting was the idea of creating a laser beam-based taser weapon by ionizing the air and sending electric current down the ionized channel just like it was a wire. A company named HSV Technologies was working on that concept. It has been found that an ultraviolet wavelength of 193nm is best absorbed by the cornea, to minimize any accidental exposure/damage to the retina. That particular UV wavelength is deemed politically safest for a laser-based taser system.

So once this latest laser diode frequency can be doubled and put well into the ultraviolet spectrum, it could make the laser-based tasing possible.

Heh, just as a trivia question -- does anyone know where the word TASER comes from?

bala · Post by **bala** » 30 Jan 2007 08:22

Check out this start up concept in Berkeley, CA - trying to convert Sugar directly to Diesel/Gasoline instead of Ethanol.

Amyris Biotechnologies, Inc.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 30 Jan 2007 10:50

Ultra-tough Nano-materials

http://www.techreview.com/Nanotech/18121/

Nandu · Post by **Nandu** » 31 Jan 2007 04:14

Water from Wind? (via slashdot)

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 72,00.html

(Could disrupt our advantage of having the highest arable land %-age in the world, among larger nations).

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 01 Feb 2007 06:18

Here's a link to a video on YouTube, which demonstrates the automated Contour-Crafting technology in action:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fhryxVAsa4

It certainly looks amazing, especially when you note the speed. I have no doubt this technology could build moonbases one day. I hope that it would it will see a widespread workout here on Earth, first.

Note the impressive smoothness of the exterior where the successive layers join. This is because of the robotic extruder's built-in trowel.

But I think this technology might be best paired up with complementary technologies like the CoreWall, where you can insert certain complex pre-made components into your design, and then use the contour-crafting to mold other walls around them.

www.corewall.com/about.htm

That way, you wouldn't have to worry about putting piping, ventilation, wiring, etc into every single contour-crafted wall. You wouldn't need a separate robot for that, which would only slow things down. First lay down certain complex factory-made core components like CoreWall, and then just mold the other walls to join everything together into a stylish and ergonomic design.

Also, being able to selectively insert in structural members in key places could keep the house strong in a earthquake, rather than living in one big brittle plaster building. (Unless you're planning to use some of the fancier flexible concrete, containing polymers or fibers that improve stiffness, etc).

Anyway, this contour-crafting technology looks like it could build everything from homes to skyscrapers in a short space of time and at very low cost, if implemented in the right way.

What do you think?

Bharat Rakshak

Leapfrog / Disruptive Technologies

The vaccine to cure every strain of flu

super-heavy

Kryptonite

Ultrasonic Liposuction - No Blades Required

meta-material for visible light

Re: meta-material for visible light

Re: meta-material for visible light

Re: meta-material for visible light

Re: meta-material for visible light

Ball Lightning Mystery Unravelled

Open-Built

Resveratrol

Supercaps

'Open Source' Home

tough nano