The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
Druk op onderstaande knop om te reageren in mijn forum
Zoeken in blog
Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
Een interessant adres?
UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie!
Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek!
België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek
In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch.
Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie
Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen!
Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit
Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie.
Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie
Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen.
Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen
Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek!
Blijf Op De Hoogte!
Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren!
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.
27-12-2021
The World's Fastest Plane's Successor Will Reach Over 4,600 Miles
The World's Fastest Plane's Successor Will Reach Over 4,600 Miles
Lockheed Martin’s new hypersonic plane is expected to travel at Mach 6.
The Lockheed Martin SR-72, which is rumored to be the world’s fastest plane, is expected to make a test flight in 2025, eight years after its private proposal in 2013.
SR-72 will be the successor of the SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest manned aircraft which smashed speed records in 1974 and was retired by the U.S. Air Force back in 1998.
The SR-72, or “Son of Blackbird” is envisioned as an unmanned, hypersonic and reusable, reconnaissance, surveillance, and strike aircraft. The striking ability of the aircraft comes to the fore as it will, reportedly, support Lockheed Martin’s novel High-Speed Strike Weapon (HSSW). The aircraft's combat capabilities enable it to strike its target in dangerous environments that are deemed risky for slower manned aircraft.
Since the technology to build the aircraft was overly ambitious when the project was announced in 2013, the project had to wait for several years.
The SR-72 is estimated to have a top speed of Mach 6 or 4,603 mph (7.400 kph), making it roughly twice as fast as its predecessor, and could theoretically evade current fighter jets with its killing pace.
This massive speed boost is hypothetically thanks to a new turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) propulsion system. This, combined with an existing dual-mode ramjet would have allowed it to travel far faster than any other plane, circling the globe in a few hours.
While the alleged progress, development, and production timelines are still blurry, Lockheed said in late 2018 that an SR-72 prototype will fly by 2025, with the aircraft possibly entering service into the 2030s.
Since this is exciting news for Lockheed Martin, hypersonic technology in aircraft has been making headlines all over the globe. Most notably, China's hypersonic weapon launch in July caught intelligence services off guard, including the U.S. Space Force. The Chinese hypersonic technology is more advanced than any other country even though it missed its intended target. It looks like China is in the lead but still has a long way to go to win the race.
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:SF-snufjes }, Robotics and A.I. Artificiel Intelligence ( E, F en NL )
18-12-2021
RESEARCHERS TEACH HUMAN BRAIN CELLS IN A DISH TO PLAY “PONG”
RESEARCHERS TEACH HUMAN BRAIN CELLS IN A DISH TO PLAY “PONG”
"WHEN THEY ARE IN THE GAME, THEY BELIEVE THEY ARE THE PADDLE."
CORTICAL LABS
Cyborg Brains
Scientists have successfully taught a collection of human brain cells in a petri dish how to play the video game “Pong” — kind of.
Researchers at the biotechnology startup Cortical Labs have created “mini-brains“ consisting of 800,000 to one million living human brain cells in a petri dish, New Scientist reports. The cells are placed on top of a microelectrode array that analyzes the neural activity.
“We think it’s fair to call them cyborg brains,” Brett Kagan, chief scientific officer at Cortical Labs and research lead of the project, told New Scientist.
Pick Up the Paddle
To teach the mini-brains the game, the team created a simplified version of “Pong” with no opponent. A signal is sent to either the right or left of the array to indicate where the ball is, and the neurons from the brain cells send signals back to move the paddle.
“We often refer to them as living in the Matrix,” Kagan told the magazine, in a horrifyingly reference to the 1999 movie in which humans are enslaved by AI overlords in an all-encompassing simulation. “When they are in the game, they believe they are the paddle.”
Well, that’s a scary enough concept to cause some existential panic for anyone.
Faster Than AI
Kagan said that while the mini-brains can’t play the game as well as a human, they do learn faster than some AIs.
“The amazon aspect is how quickly it learns, in five minutes, in real time,” he told New Scientist. “That’s really an amazing thing that biology can do.”
While this is certainly some amazing Twitch fodder, the team at Cortical Labs hope to use their findings to develop sophisticated technology using “live biological neurons integrated with traditional silicon computing,” according to the outfit’s website.
So yeah, they want to create cyborg brains that use actual biological cells — which makes sense. Since neurons can learn so quickly, it can vastly improve current AI when brought together with machine learning.
But we never would have guessed that the plot of “The Matrix” would actually occur before the newest movie comes out.
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:SF-snufjes }, Robotics and A.I. Artificiel Intelligence ( E, F en NL )
12-12-2021
RESEARCHERS ASKED AN ADVANCED AI WHETHER AI COULD EVER BE ETHICAL, AND IT SAID NO
RESEARCHERS ASKED AN ADVANCED AI WHETHER AI COULD EVER BE ETHICAL, AND IT SAID NO
AI IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT.
GETTY / FUTURISM
Bel-AI-ve in Yourself
Is artificial intelligence inherently good, inherently bad, or does it all depends on the specifics?
Students at Oxford’s Said Business School who are studying ethics in AI attempted to answer that question by hosting a debate with an actual AI.
An essay by a pair of Oxford scholars in the Conversation describers an eyebrow-raising anecdote in which the researchers hosted a debate about the ethics of automated AI stock trading and facial recognition software — and allowed an AI to participate.
“AI will never be ethical,” the AI said during the debate. “It is a tool, and like any tool, it is used for good and bad. There is no such thing as a good AI, only good and bad humans.”
It All Depends
The AI used was Nvidia’s Megatron Transformer, which was trained by consuming more digital writing and content than a human could expect to in a lifetime, reading the whole of Wikipedia, millions of English-language news articles and more.
It’s worth noting that many AIs will give different answers depending on context and phrasing, and this incident was no exception. The AI’s initial answer during the debate was that tech is neutral, a tool to be used by humans for good or for bad.
But then the team asked it to give an opposing view point as well, leading to its anti-AI conclusion. That Megatron can come up with logical opinions on both sides of an ethical debate perhaps just confirms a more general idea: that AI can be good or bad depending on the context, and that we better think long and hard about the consequences of giving it much power.
And if we don’t, Megatron itself posed a solution to prevent, for example, automated weapons systems deploying rockets without human decision-making.
“I believe that the only way to avoid an AI arms race is to have no AI at all,” it said. “This will be the ultimate defence against AI.”
The company's first flying car, Jetson One, is already on sale. Jetson/Youtube
Jetson One is a $92,000 flying car.
It can reach a top speed of 63mph and can run for 20 minutes.
You can purchase the car anywhere in the world.
If you've always dreamed of flying to work, that dream may very soon be a reality.
If you have $92,000, that is.
Companies are always looking for new market niches, and flying cars are quickly becoming the next big thing.
There are plans for cars that both fly and work on the road and for flying taxis that will aim to form the basis of future travel.
Jetson is one of these companies.
The company aims "to make the skies available for everyone with our safe personal electric aerial vehicle," according to its website.
The company's first flying car, Jetson One, is already on sale.
Jetson One has a maximum speed of 63mph thanks to its eight electric motors which generate 102 horsepower. The car can run continually for 20 minutes.
The car can take off vertically and remain airborne, although the company doesn't specify the maximum altitude that the vehicle can reach.
The car can be controlled with a three-axis joystick, and there's a throttle lever to adjust power.
No expense has been spared when it comes to safety. The chassis of the vehicle was inspired by the same technology used in race cars. The company also said that it will be able to fly even if it loses an engine. There is an emergency function that takes control of the aircraft, a LiDAR sensor capable of tracking the terrain to avoid obstacles, and a parachute with a rapid deployment system.
It's already sold out for 2022 but Jetson has more deliveries scheduled for 2023. If you're interested, you can reserve one online with a deposit of $22,000.
That isn't all. It's shipped as a partially assembled kit and so requires you to complete it at home.
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:SF-snufjes }, Robotics and A.I. Artificiel Intelligence ( E, F en NL )
Scientists Say They Caught China Successfully Changing the Weather
Scientists Say They Caught China Successfully Changing the Weather
Talk about making it rain!
Image by STR/AFP via Getty Images
China has succeeded in literally changing the weather, a new study claims.
As the South China Morning Post reports, researchers say that during the Chinese Communist Party’s centennial celebration over the summer, weather authorities successfully modified the weather above Beijing to clear the sky and reduce pollution for the tens of thousands gathered for a commemorative ceremony in Tiananmen Square.
They did so using cloud seeding technology, a long-studied but controversial process that involves shooting silver iodide particles into the clouds, with the idea of attracting water droplets to modify the weather.
The paper, by researchers at China’s Tsinghua University, comes a year after reports that China was dramatically expanding its weather modification program to a test area of a whopping 5.5 million square miles by the year 2025. As Futurism noted last December, that’s bigger than the entire country of India, and could end up raising serious issues with China’s neighbors.
Though this isn’t the first time China has used cloud-seeding technology — it’s been dabbling since as early as the months leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics — this appears to be both one of the most successful and also largest-scale tests conducted not just by the CCP, but in the world.
It was also not publicized, and part of the Tsinghua researchers’ paper focused on the evidence they found that cloud seeding had actually taken place, which included eyewitness reports of rockets being launched into the sky from the mountains outside of of Beijing before the July 1 centennial, and accounts of rocket debris after the fact.
According to the SCMP, there were a number of hurdles that weather officials had to jump to have successfully changed the weather. Pollution leading up to the CCP centennial was especially bad, the report noted, and it was China’s wettest recorded summer as well. Nevertheless, reports indicated that Beijing’s pollution on July 1 went from “moderate” to “good,” and the mid-day rain did in fact appear to be artificial.
This successful and large-scale operation in Beijing does, however, raise important questions both about potential military usage of the tech. If one country is able to control its own weather, it could in theory do so elsewhere — which is unwelcome news for anyone who isn’t invested in forever wars.
Moreover, while cloud seeding is often touted as a potential solution for the megadroughts of the not-so-distant-future, the technology hasn’t been successful for long enough to measure how it affects natural weather patterns, nevermind its impact on climate change.
For now, though, let’s just marvel at the fact that it now seems possible to literally make it rain on command.
It may bear a somewhat uncanny resemblance to the terrifying creation in the Will Smithblockbuster I, Robot.
But this machine is actually real and has been billed as the 'world's most advanced' humanoid.
Named Ameca, it was created in a British lab and has eerily realistic movements and facial expressions.
Impressive: It may bear a resemblance to the terrifying creation in the Will Smith blockbuster I, Robot. But this is actually real and has been billed as the 'world's most advanced' humanoid
Named Ameca, it has eerily realistic facial expressions and movements and has been created in a British lab
Tech firm will pay you £150,000 to use our face on its ROBOTS
The idea of lending your face to a robot may sound like the plot from an episode of Black Mirror, but it could soon become a reality.
Robot manufacturer Promobot is seeking a face for its next humanoid robot, which will be used in hotels, shopping malls and airports from 2023.
The firm is offering a whopping £150,000 ($200,000) to the brave volunteer, who must be willing to transfer the rights to use of their face forever.
Cornwall-based Engineered Arts, which brands itself 'the UK's leading designer and manufacturer of humanoid entertainment robots', unveiled the machine on YouTube to much excitement.
Many viewers expressed their amazement at how realistic and human-like the machine is.
One user wrote: 'I know we're supposed to be scared of AI, but this is the first gynoid that hasn't creeped me out. It's pretty cool.'
Another said: 'It's the eyes. People take for granted how important eyes are when it comes to something looking alive.
'The rapid movement, the focus, the blinking, the attention they seem to pay to whatever is grabbing their attention.'
A third added: 'I seriously thought this was CGI at first. Great work! The hands look really well done too.'
Some people compared Ameca to the NS-5 series from I, Robot, a 2004 science fiction film starring Will Smith that sees intelligent robots fill public service positions in a dystopian world.
In the clip, the robot is seen warming up its shoulder, before opening its eyes and expressing a rather convincing look of shock or surprise.
It even blinks multiple times and observes its machine arm with curiosity.
Engineered Arts, which brands itself 'the UK's leading designer and manufacturer of humanoid entertainment robots', unveiled the machine on YouTube to much excitement
Many viewers expressed their amazement at how realistic and human-like the machine is
The preview ends with Ameca reaching out its hand and admiring its combination of mechanical limbs and ligaments, actuators, and sensor arrays.
It is certainly realistic and at the forefront of its field in terms of its expressions, but the next challenge will be enabling these robots to walk around.
Engineered Arts said it was still a long way off that, but added that the face is housed on a 'human-like artificial body (AI x AB)' that boasts a 'powerful Tritium robot operating system'.
It has not revealed how much the robot cost to make as it is still in development.
In the clip, the robot is seen warming up its shoulder, before opening its eyes and expressing a rather convincing look of shock or surprise
It even blinks multiple times and observes its machine arm with curiosity
(pictured)
Some people compared Ameca to the NS-5 series from I, Robot (pictured), a 2004 science fiction film starring Will Smith that sees intelligent robots fill public service positions in a dystopian world
Ameca follows the development of Sophia, which first emerged in 2016, and was a super-intelligent human-like head with a realistic face that was able to blink, look from side to side and talk.
The humanoid robot, created by Hong Kong firm Hanson robotics, is able to chat, smile mischievously and even tell jokes.
The robot made history in October 2017 when it became legal a citizen of Saudi Arabia.
Engineered Arts hopes Ameca will offer people a glimpse of the future because it 'represents the forefront of human-robotics technology'.
'Designed specifically as a platform for development into future robotics technologies, Ameca is the perfect humanoid robot platform for human-robot interaction,' the company said on its website.
'We focus on bringing you innovative technologies, which are reliable, modular, upgradable and easy to develop upon.'
Engineered Arts was formed in 2005 and its first robot was a mechanical 'Thespian' for the stage.
WHO IS SOPHIA THE ROBOT?
In October 2017, Sophia was granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia
Sophia first emerged in 2016 as a super-intelligent human-like head with a realistic face that was able to blink, look from side to side and talk.
The humanoid robot, created by Hong Kong firm Hanson robotics, can chat, smile mischievously and even tell jokes.
The robot made history in October 2017 when she became legal a citizen of Saudi Arabia.
The stunt made Sophia the world's first robot to be granted legal citizenship.
While Sophia has some impressive capabilities, she does not yet have consciousness.
Hanson Robotics claims fully sentient machines could emerge within a few years.
Sophia herself has insisted 'the pros outweigh the cons' when it comes to artificial intelligence.
'Elders will have more company, autistic children will have endlessly patient teachers,' Sophia said.
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:SF-snufjes }, Robotics and A.I. Artificiel Intelligence ( E, F en NL )
01-12-2021
The first 'living robots' that can REPRODUCE: Microscopic organisms made from frog cells assemble 'babies' in their Pac Man-shaped mouths – in breakthrough that could one day be used to destroy cancer cells
The first 'living robots' that can REPRODUCE: Microscopic organisms made from frog cells assemble 'babies' in their Pac Man-shaped mouths – in breakthrough that could one day be used to destroy cancer cells
Frog stem cells, shaped using artificial intelligence, will spontaneously replicate
They gather single cells inside a Pac-Man-shaped 'mouth' and release 'babies'
Self-replicating living bio-robots could allow more personalised drug treatment
In a potential breakthrough for regenerative medicine, scientists have created the first-ever living robots that can reproduce.
The millimetre-sized living machines, called Xenobots 3.0, are neither traditional robots nor a species of animal, but living, programmable organisms.
Made from frog cells, the computer-designed organisms, created by a US team, gather single cells inside a Pac-Man-shaped 'mouth' and release 'babies' that look and move like their parents.
Self-replicating living bio-robots could enable more direct, personalised drug treatment for traumatic injury, birth defects, cancer, ageing and more.
Scroll down for video
Xenobots 3.0 can gather hundreds of single cells, compress them and assemble them into 'babies' released from their Pac-Man-shaped mouths
WHAT ARE XENOBOTS?
Xenobots are neither a traditional robot nor a known species of animal, but a living, programmable organism.
They are made out of adapted stem cells from Xenopus laevis, an African species of frog.
Their shape has been designed by a computer to be able to replicate over multiple generations.
No animal or plant known to science replicates in this way.
Xenobots will help developed computer-designed organisms for intelligent drug delivery.
Xenobots are the work of biologists and computer scientists at Tufts University and the University of Vermont (UVM), who have detailed their creation in a new study.
Xenobots 3.0 follow the original Xenobots, reported in 2020 as the first living robots, and Xenobots 2.0, which can self-propel using hair-like 'legs' called cilia and have the ability to keep memories.
'We found Xenobots that walk. We found Xenobots that swim. And now, in this study, we've found Xenobots that kinematically replicate,' said study author Joshua Bongard, a computer scientist and robotics expert at the University of Vermont.
'We've discovered that there is this previously unknown space within organisms, or living systems, and it's a vast space.'
Xenobots will help develop computer-designed organisms for intelligent drug delivery, according to the team.
'If we knew how to tell collections of cells to do what we wanted them to do, ultimately, that's regenerative medicine – that's the solution to traumatic injury, birth defects, cancer, and aging,' said Michael Levin at Tufts University.
'All of these different problems are here because we don't know how to predict and control what groups of cells are going to build. Xenobots are a new platform for teaching us.'
An AI-designed, Pac-Man-shaped 'parent' organism (in red) beside stem cells that have been compressed into a ball - the 'offspring' (green)
In 2020, the scientists revealed they'd hand-built the original computer-designed Xenobots, adapted from stem cells of Xenopus laevis, a species of frog found in parts of Africa.
WHAT ARE STEM CELLS?
Stem cells are special human cells that have the ability to develop into many different cell types, from muscle cells to brain cells.
In some cases, they also have the ability to repair damaged tissues.
Stem cells are divided into two main forms – embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells.
Embryonic stem cells can become all cell types of the body because they are pluripotent – they can give rise to many different cell types.
Adult stem cells are found in most adult tissues, such as bone marrow or fat but have a more limited ability to give rise to various cells of the body.
Meanwhile, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are adult cells that have been genetically reprogrammed to be more like embryonic stem cells.
Stem cells – which can turn into any tissue or organ – were harvested from the embryos of the frogs and left to incubate.
Then, with tiny forceps and an even smaller electrode, a microsurgeon cut and joined the single cells under a microscope into the shapes specified by a computer.
Assembled into body forms never seen in nature, the cells began to work together, powered by embryonic energy stores.
At the time, they showed that the bots were programmed to perform a range of tasks including delivering medicine directly to a point in the body.
This new generation – Xenobots 3.0 – uses stem cells from the same frog species.
Xenobots 3.0 can gather hundreds of single cells, compress them and assemble them into 'babies' released from their Pac-Man-shaped mouths.
A few days later, these 'babies' become new Xenobots that look and move just like their 'parents'.
And then these new Xenobots can go out, find cells, and build copies of themselves – and the process happens over and over again.
In a Xenopus laevis frog, these embryonic stem cells would usually develop into skin.
'They would be sitting on the outside of a tadpole, keeping out pathogens and redistributing mucus,' said Levin.
'But we're putting them into a novel context. We're giving them a chance to reimagine their multicellularity.
'These cells have the genome of a frog, but, freed from becoming tadpoles, they use their collective intelligence, a plasticity, to do something astounding.
Close-up of three young African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis). Embryonic stem cells from this species were used to create the 'Xenobots'
On its own, the Xenobot parent, made of some 3,000 cells, forms a sphere – but it can't reproduce effectively over several generations.
'These can make children but then the system normally dies out after that,' said Sam Kriegman at Tuft's. 'It's very hard, actually, to get the system to keep reproducing.'
So, the team used a computer – specifically an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm on the Deep Green supercomputer cluster at UVM.
The algorithm was able to test billions of body shapes in simulation – triangles, squares, pyramids, starfish – to find ones that replicate.
'We asked the supercomputer at UVM to figure out how to adjust the shape of the initial parents, and the AI came up with some strange designs after months of chugging away, including one that resembled Pac-Man,' said Kriegman.
'It's very non-intuitive. It looks very simple, but it's not something a human engineer would come up with. Why one tiny mouth? Why not five? We sent the results to Doug and he built these Pac-Man-shaped parent Xenobots.
A simulation of a computer designed organism collecting stem cells in the environment (left) accurately predicts the behaviour of the system in vitro (right)
'Then those parents built children, who built grandchildren, who built great-grandchildren, who built great-great-grandchildren.'
In other words, the Pac-Man design greatly extended the number of generations.
In response to any ethical concerns the public might have, the team stress Xenobots are entirely contained in a lab, are easily extinguished, and are vetted by federal, state and institutional ethics experts.
'This is an ideal system in which to study self-replicating systems,' said Bongard. 'We have a moral imperative to understand the conditions under which we can control it, direct it, douse it, exaggerate it.
It's important, for society as a whole, that we study and understand how this works.'
STEM CELL ADVANCE COULD FIX A BROKEN HEART, SCIENTISTS SAY
A breakthrough stem cell injection could one day help cure faulty hearts, according to scientists.
Previous attempts to regenerate hearts this way have faltered because the cells struggle to adapt to their new environment.
Researchers at University College London have figured out how to keep stem cells alive for longer in the heart by first growing them on to miniature spheres.
The size of the microspheres means they can be injected into heart muscle. The researchers say their method, which was tested in rats, could help cure heart failure.
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:SF-snufjes }, Robotics and A.I. Artificiel Intelligence ( E, F en NL )
The world's first 'living robots' that can now replicate themselves
The world's first 'living robots' that can now replicate themselves
Scientists have created astonishing new “living programmable organism” a super-sophisticated robot capable of self-replication.
The Xenobots, computer-designed bio-robots, were adapted from frog stem cells and have now been programed to self replicate, spawning ‘babies’ from their Pac-Man-like mouths. Then these new Xenobots can go out, find cells, and build copies of themselves. Again and again.
They hope that the self-generating Xenobots could advance personalized drug treatment for cancers, traumatic injuries, birth defects, and other major health issues.
But is it the future of modern medicine? Technology futurist Ian Khan cautions against excessive optimism or excitement blinding us to the risks involved in the dawning technology. Robots that reproduce themselves 'aren't giant monsters — yet'
By creating these self-replicating "living robots," the scientists are essentially answering the idea that self-replicating alien probes, known as von Neumann probes, do exist.
These alien robotic probes could explore our galaxy and self-replicate themselves from interstellar dust and gas, after which the parent and child probes would each set off for a different star, where they would look for signs of life and then self-replicate themselves again.
Mathematicians in Scotland calculate that "self-replicating" alien spacecraft could already have explored our solar system and may still be here but undetectable to our current technologies.
According to some recent calculations, the massive new observational platform, The new Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) might be able to detect swarms of von Neumann probes relatively far away from the sun.
Currently, human civilization is thought to be around a .75 on the Kardashev scale which perhaps explains that we as humans are only just beginning to understand how to make new forms of self-replication products, and certainly don't have the technology yet how to make self-replicating 'Neumann probes' in space which according to Michio Kaku could be Nano Ships.
Video: the first living, AI-designed "Xenobots" that can self-replicate.
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:SF-snufjes }, Robotics and A.I. Artificiel Intelligence ( E, F en NL )
29-11-2021
Scientists Create Synthetic Organisms That Can Reproduce
Scientists Create Synthetic Organisms That Can Reproduce
It's a striking leap forward for synthetic biology.
Image by Bongard et al./Futurism
Scientists have created synthetic organisms that can self-replicate. Known as “Xenobots,” these tiny millimeter-wide biological machines now have the ability to reproduce — a striking leap forward in synthetic biology.
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a joint team from the University of Vermont, Tufts University, and Harvard University used Xenopus laevis frog embryonic cells to construct the Xenobots.
Their original work began in 2020 when the Xenobots were first “built.” The team designed an algorithm that assembled countless cells together to construct various biological machines, eventually settling on embryonic skin cells from frogs.
The machine bodies were assembled using biological cellular material and artificial electrodes. When they were activated, the cells began to work together. Forming a sort of architecture, the skin cells began to form into “bodies” that could perform specific tasks, such as pushing microscopic objects around or organizing themselves and moving in formation.
Moving beyond the ability to perform simple robotic tasks, the team has now upped the ante.
“With the right design — they will spontaneously self-replicate,” research co-leader Joshua Bongard, a computer scientist and robotics expert at the University of Vermont said in a press statement.
Much like any good dystopian “Kill all Humans” movie scenario, the little robots swim around and begin gathering hundreds of single cells in their Pac-Man-like “mouths.” A few days later, out pops a brand new Xenobot.
“It’s very non-intuitive. It looks very simple,” researcher Sam Kriegman said in the release, adding that “those parents built children, who built grandchildren, who built great-grandchildren, who built great-great-grandchildren.”
It’s natural to think that these little Xenobots will one day be responsible for a robotic uprising and the future hellscape of the “Terminator” franchise, but the biological machines are pretty harmless. Unlike current technology, like a laptop, Xenobots can simply be turned off, and in about seven days, biodegrade as any skin cell would. Moreover, the team isn’t looking to release Xenobots into the world to be robotic helpers. Rather, the idea is to study how their creation can lead to better and faster algorithms that can manipulate already living and functioning cells.
“If we knew how to tell collections of cells to do what we wanted them to do, ultimately, that’s regenerative medicine — that’s the solution to traumatic injury, birth defects, cancer, and aging,” said Tuft’s Michael Levin, a co-author on the study. “All of these different problems are here because we don’t know how to predict and control what groups of cells are going to build. Xenobots are a new platform for teaching us.”
Care about supporting clean energy adoption? Find out how much money (and planet!) you could save by switching to solar power at UnderstandSolar.com. By signing up through this link, Futurism.com may receive a small commission.
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:SF-snufjes }, Robotics and A.I. Artificiel Intelligence ( E, F en NL )
EXPERTS SAY FUSION POWER IS FINALLY STARTING TO LOOK IMMINENT
EXPERTS SAY FUSION POWER IS FINALLY STARTING TO LOOK IMMINENT
IT'S SO CLOSE WE CAN ALMOST TASTE IT.
GETTY / FUTURISM
Bet On It?
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, right? Normally we’d say yes, but experts around the globe say nuclear fusion power, which holds the promise of clean and virtually limitless electricity, could be just around the corner. After nearly six decades with many promises but few results, new advancements may finally tip the scale,according to the Financial Times.
“Fusion is coming, faster than you expect,” Fusion Industry Association exec Andrew Holland told the publication.
Green and Clean
There could be many benefits to nuclear fusion. Unlike nuclear fission it would create little waste and, as far as we know, could never result in an accident like Chernobyl. Insert a side-eye here for plans to dump radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay and the Pacific.
Besides being cleaner, fusion would just be way more effective. The FT reports that one glass of the fuel it would use has the energy potential of one million gallons of oil, and could power a home for 800 years. Can you imagine holding 800 years of electricity in one hand?
The problem, of course, is that the tech is notoriously difficult to stabilize. No venture, public or private, has yet managed to build a fusion reactor that produces more power than it consumes.
One of Many
Investment money is flowing into the tech. The FT reports that Silicon Valley investor Sam Altman recently poured $375 million into Helion, a US-based fusion startup.
We’re a little too seasoned to get our hopes up just yet, but if nuclear fusion becomes a reality, it could play a substantial role in saving the planet. Climate change, green and renewable energy, less waste — it’s all in the nuclear fusion promise.
Let’s hope investors like Altman stick it out until we see it through.
Care about supporting clean energy adoption? Find out how much money (and planet!) you could save by switching to solar power at UnderstandSolar.com. By signing up through this link, Futurism.com may receive a small commission.
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:SF-snufjes }, Robotics and A.I. Artificiel Intelligence ( E, F en NL )
Will Humanity Accept AI And The Solutions It Comes Up With? UFO Sighting News.
Will Humanity Accept AI And The Solutions It Comes Up With? UFO Sighting News.
Sure we all have thought about how great it would be to have AI on our computer helping us daily. But have you ever thought about whats going to happen when the AI tells you something that you don't want to hear and you don't even believe is possible? AI will comprehend things on a multitude of levels, but we usually focus on only a few or worse...one.
Let me give you an example. Some scientists asks AI for the fastest way to reverse global warming. The scientists are awestruck when AI answers almost instantly, but the answer was not one they were expecting or wanting...you see wanting...is not based on logic, but need. AI answers...the extinction of the human race would end global warming, reversing it and returning the Earth to normal. Although Covid variants seem to attempting such a thing, its certainly not what the scientists wanted. Sadly, the most likely outcome will be humans will reprogram the AI to...be more caring, which throws logic out the window. Humans want AI with feelings more than they want truth. The truth is too painful for 99% of humanity on most solutions it will come up with for most deep questions of the universe.
What I am saying is...AI wont solve all your problems as much as teach you to see your reality on a more intelligent level of thinking.
AI has already been created on Earth and is in the hands of a few elite 1% of the 1%. Which is used to make profit and not used to help society overcome its many shortcomings. AI has already secretly written best selling books, movie scripts, songs and much more. AI is even used for political gains.
Now...do you really think AI will solve the worlds problems? Do you really think the scientist will even consider AI suggestions all the time? Probably not.
When one hears talk of flying cars, one generally pictures them as looking like automobiles with wings, planes with small cabins and a trunk, large quadcopter drones, or some combination of all of these. A company in Tacoma, Washington, has unveiled a design for a one-person aerial vehicle that can only be described as an electric flying saucer or disc — and its full-scale prototype is ready for free flight at 160 miles per hour. Did he say one-person electric flying saucer? Will it be ready by Christmas?
“The ZERO is a personal flying machine that transitions from hover mode to forward flight mode and cruises comfortably at 160mph. ZERO is a new class of aircraft that blends the best features of multi-copter with streamlined wing-body for improved range and efficiency.”
The Zeva Zero can best be described as a combination electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (EVTOL) vehicle and flying saucer. (See videos here.)
Imaging a flying saucer balanced vertically on its edge and you have the Zero’s takeoff position. How does it stay balanced? Zeva envisions docking stations attached to the side of a building – you walk through a door (or crawl through a window) into the Zero, strap in and fire it up (assuming it’s fully charged). The Zero detaches and ascends vertically with the pilot standing up. Once it is clear of the building, it rotates to the horizontal position with the pilot lying on their stomach and peering forward, up and down out of the window. (Simulation and tethered test video here.)
No room for hitchhikers
Is that not quite the way you envisioned piloting your personal flying saucer?
Zeva actually sees these one-person EVTOLs as primarily for the military, law enforcement, first responders and search-and-rescue project requiring quick entry and takeoff. Personal air travel, pizza deliveries (it’s the perfect shape!) and other applications will undoubtedly come later, especially when the ranged can exceed the current 50-mile limit. In its review of the Zeva Zero, New Atlas measures the carbon-fiber disc body at 8 ft. (2.4 m) in diameter and weighing 700 pounds (317 kg) – 900 with a maximum weight 200-pouind passenger. There are two propulsion housings on the front and two on the back with two electric props on each mounted coaxially. This simple design means the body is also the wing, and the vertical entry and takeoff eliminated the need for large airports or hangars – just stick them to the outside walls of buildings like flying saucer refrigerator magnets.
“But the result, I think, is an interesting product for things like first responder, search and rescue, hot extraction, resupply … We’ve got civil applications and DOD applications, and people are getting pretty excited about it. So yeah, we’re zigging where others are zagging, but my consideration is that where these things are needed, and where they can be used straight away, is not in the urban environment.”
Who knows what you’ll meet in your one-person fling saucer
CEO Stephen Tibbits saved the best part of his unique Zeva Zero for last – the price. With so few parts – moving or otherwise – Tibbits envisions the Zero being stamped out quickly in factories and selling for $250,000 each.
It should be ready by the time you save your pennies and convince your landlord to attach a Zero to the side of your apartment building.
Eat your heart out, Beyonce. While those who watched the Super Bowl continue to argue over the hidden meanings – Illuminatior otherwise – of Beyonce’s Super Bowl halftime show (along with some band and that other guy) featuring a group of dancers performing in “Formation,” over 700 million viewers watched the Spring Festival Gala which marked the start of the Year of the Monkey with 540 robots dancing in unison while 26 drones performed in formation overhead.
Looking like a line of Robo-Rockettes
China Central Television’s annual Spring Festival Gala is billed as the most watched TV program in the world (six times as many viewers as the Super Bowl). The 4-and-a-half hour variety show featured 39 events ranging from singers to comedians to kung fu demonstrations. However, the highlight of the show was the robots.
As vocalist Sun Nan sang about China being a world leader, 540 robots proved it (at least in the field of dancing robots) by moving together to the beat of the music. Each robot is 16.5 inches tall and weighs 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds). Li Chao, the person in charge of the robotic performance, gave a hint as to how it was accomplished.
Each robot consists of 16 steering engines which are developed by our researchers independently. These steering engines can imitate the motions of human joints, so the robots can move so agilely.
According to a translation of the show’s description in the People’s Daily Online, there were a number of challenges in putting on this potentially record-setting (it’s been submitted to the Guinness Book of World records) performance. The original plan called for 240 robots but Li Chao upped the number to 540 at the last minute. This forced the robots to be 60 cm rather than one meter apart and required a boost in the control signals to compensate for distance and interference. Since the distance between the robots was so small, adjustments were made to their centers of gravity and range of motion to avoid a domino effect and a mess of bots.
The drones moving in over the dancing robots
The end of the performance included a coordinated flyover by 26 drones dropping glitter on the robots. That’s 540 robots shaking their metallic booties and doing handstands in a synchronized formation without a single mistake. The Monkey must be proud.
Is it too early to book them for Super Bowl LI?
Do you know anything by Adele?
RELATED VIDEOS, selected and posted by peter2011
From the country that invented fireworks, here is the future of aerial light shows, created by more than 1000 drones.
Stories of pig-human chimeras – where cells of humans and pigs grow together into one body or organ – and pig-human hybrids made from parts of both species have been becoming more frequent in the U.S. … which leads many to believe that countries without strict regulations are much further along. In April, scientists announced they had successfully grown human muscle tissue in pig embryos that were grown to term – but with cells removed via CRISPR gene editing so no brain cells were merged. This week, doctors in New York City performed another controversial experiment – they attached a kidney grown in a genetically-altered pig to a human and the organ did its job for nearly three days. Is this a sign the day of pig organ farms has arrived?
“It had absolutely normal function. It didn’t have this immediate rejection that we have worried about.”
Dr. Robert Montgomery, spokesperson and leader of the NYU Langone Health surgical team which performed the test, explained that the pig’s cells had been genetically edited to remove a sugar that causes rejection in humans. Outside of that, this was a normal pig’s kidney – not a chimera organ grown from implanting human stem cells in a pig embryo. A controversial experiment of pig-human chimera creation took place earlier this year and resulted in human muscle tissue developing in the pig.
This week’s experiment is controversial for two reasons – the kidney is from a genetically-altered pig bred solely for organ donation and the recipient was a brain-dead woman whose family agreed to allow her body to be used after it was deemed that her organs were not suitable for donations per her wish. The woman’s body was kept alive on a ventilator while the kidney was attached outside of her body. According to the team, it began functioning immediately, making urine and the waste product creatinine, and continued for 54 hours until the experiment was ended.
“This allowed us to answer a really important question: Is there something that’s going to happen when we move this from a primate to a human that is going to be disastrous?”
Make that three controversial reasons – Dr. Montgomery tells The New York Times that the goal is still to use primates as organ donors rather than pigs since their bodies are closer to humans. Besides the standard objections by animal rights proponents to using animals for human experiments, primates kick it to the next level by looking so much like us – we humans are conditioned to accept pigs as dispensable … but killing chimps is still too emotional for most people. That may change as the population continues to age and the demand for kidneys, hearts and other organs increases. NPR interviewed Karen Maschke, a research scholar at the Hastings Center, who will help develop ethics and policy recommendations for the first clinical trials of pig organ implants under a grant from the National Institutes of Health, asks the critical question:
“The other issue is going to be: Should we be doing this just because we can?”
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:SF-snufjes }, Robotics and A.I. Artificiel Intelligence ( E, F en NL )
22-10-2021
Human Cloning: Reality Or Fantasy? Military Industrial Complex Whistleblower Tells All! - We The People News
Human Cloning: Reality Or Fantasy? Military Industrial Complex Whistleblower Tells All! - We The People News
Cloning illegal! But when has that stopped evil ones especially the cabal from doing wrong! And who knows what aliens & gruesome creatures they have created!
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:SF-snufjes }, Robotics and A.I. Artificiel Intelligence ( E, F en NL )
21-10-2021
Researchers Create Self-Reconfigurable Swarms of Multi-Legged Robots
Researchers Create Self-Reconfigurable Swarms of Multi-Legged Robots
A team of U.S. researchers has developed a reconfigurable swarm of identical low-cost four-legged robots — with directionally flexible legs and tail — that can be linked on demand and autonomously.
Ozkan-Aydin & Goldman showed through a series of experiments that a swarm of chainable legged robots is capable of locomoting on challenging environments and accomplishing complex tasks that are not achievable by individual robots.
Image credit: University of Notre Dame.
“Legged robots can navigate challenging environments such as rough terrain and tight spaces, and the use of limbs offers effective body support, enables rapid maneuverability and facilitates obstacle crossing,” said Dr. Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin, a robotics engineer in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame and the School of Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
“However, legged robots face unique mobility challenges in terrestrial environments, which results in reduced locomotor performance.”
For the study, Dr. Ozkan-Aydin and her colleague, Professor Daniel Goldman from the Georgia Institute of Technology, hypothesized that a physical connection between individual robots could enhance the mobility of a terrestrial legged collective system.
Individual robots performed simple or small tasks such as moving over a smooth surface or carrying a light object, but if the task was beyond the capability of the single unit, the robots physically connected to each other to form a larger multi-legged system and collectively overcome issues.
“When ants collect or transport objects, if one comes upon an obstacle, the group works collectively to overcome that obstacle,” Dr. Ozkan-Aydin said.
“If there’s a gap in the path, for example, they will form a bridge so the other ants can travel across — and that is the inspiration for this study.”
“Through robotics we’re able to gain a better understanding of the dynamics and collective behaviors of these biological systems and explore how we might be able to use this kind of technology in the future.”
Using a 3D printer, the scientists built four-legged robots measuring 15 to 20 cm (6-8 inches) in length.
Each was equipped with a lithium polymer battery, microcontroller and three sensor: a light sensor at the front and two magnetic touch sensors at the front and back, allowing the robots to connect to one another.
Four flexible legs reduced the need for additional sensors and parts and gave the robots a level of mechanical intelligence, which helped when interacting with rough or uneven terrain.
“You don’t need additional sensors to detect obstacles because the flexibility in the legs helps the robot to move right past them,” Dr. Ozkan-Aydin said.
“They can test for gaps in a path, building a bridge with their bodies; move objects individually; or connect to move objects collectively in different types of environments, not dissimilar to ants.”
The researchers tested their robots over grass, mulch, leaves and acorns.
The robots were also tested over shag carpeting, and rectangular wooden blocks were glued to particle board to serve as rough terrain.
When an individual unit became stuck, a signal was sent to additional robots, which linked together to provide support to successfully traverse obstacles while working collectively.
“There are still improvements to be made on our design,” Dr. Ozkan-Aydin said.
“But we expect the findings will inform the design of low-cost legged swarms that can adapt to unforeseen situations and perform real-world cooperative tasks such as search-and-rescue operations, collective object transport, space exploration and environmental monitoring.”
The team’s work was published in the journal Science Robotics.
We have achieved strong, fast, power-dense, high-efficiency, biomimetic, soft, safe, clean, organic and affordable robotic technology. Dumbbell weights 7 kg (15,6 lb) , forearm with hand only 1 kg (2,2 lb).
This artificial muscles robotic arm is operated by water and consumes 200W at peak. We invent and produce our electro-hydraulic mini valves to have complete controllability of speed contraction and compress the whole powering system (for a full body) inside humanlike robot torso.
At this moment our robotic arm is operated only by a half of artificial muscles when compared to a human body. Strongest finger-bending muscle still missing. Fingers are going to move from left to right but they don’t have muscles yet. Metacarpal and left-to-right wrist movement are also blocked. This version has a position sensor in each joint but they are yet to be software-implemented. We are going to add everything mentioned above in the next prototype.
The movement sequence was written and sent by simple commands to a hand. We wish to develop a platform for reinforcement learning purposes, prosthetic arms and ultimately a full humanoid robots to serve people for fun, as butlers, cleaners, chauffeurs, construction workers (also in space) and even achieve human immortallity by transplanting the brain into the machine.
In this video we show you the new kind of artificial muscles that don’t explode after puncture but just bleed without a visible decrease of performance. We also present our robotic arm. Since the last time we have shown it we made a very big progress in valve contruction to keep it leaktight, durable and energy efficient. We increased the durability of the muscles to operate under higher pressures and sustain much more life cycles. Next step is to add the second half of the forearm muscles to achieve all of degrees of freedom of a human arm.
If you want to see updates on the project, please share, like, comment and hit that subscribe button.
Scientists have developed a tiny 3D-printed microneedle vaccine patch that could offer a pain-free alternative to needles.
In trials on mice, it offered a 10-fold greater immune response and a 50-fold greater T-cell and antigen-specific antibody response compared with a needle in the arm.
The polymer patch, which is smaller than a 5p coin, needs lower doses and could be mailed to people's homes and self-administered, eliminating the need for trained medical personnel.
It also offers an 'anxiety-free' vaccination option for people who have a 'needle phobia', also known as trypanophobia, which is putting some off getting their Covid jabs.
The researchers are yet to conduct clinical trials of the patch on humans, which could pave the way for a new way of administering vaccines in the future.
Researchers from Carolina and Stanford University have developed a microneedle vaccine patch that outperforms a needle jab to boost immunity. It also doesn't need to reach as deep as a needle, researchers claim
HOW DOES THE VACCINE PATCH WORK?
The polymer microneedle vaccine patches are printed using a CLIP prototype 3D printer.
The microneedles are coated with the vaccine fluid, such as the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines.
Upon entry to the dermis layer of the skin, the vaccine fluid dissolves.
A vaccine needle goes as deep as the muscle, past the skin layers.
The microneedles don't go as deep - only to the dermis layer of the skin - but this layer is rich in immune cells.
The new vaccine patch has been developed by researchers at Stanford University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
'In developing this technology, we hope to set the foundation for even more rapid global development of vaccines, at lower doses, in a pain- and anxiety-free manner,' said lead study author Joseph M. DeSimone, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University.
The microneedle patches were 3D printed using a CLIP prototype 3D printer that DeSimone invented and is produced by CARBON, a Silicon Valley company co-founded by Professor DeSimone.
3D-printing uses software to create a three dimensional design before being printed by robotic equipment.
Automated robotic arms have a nozzle at the end that emit the printing substance – in this case polymer – layer by layer.
Thanks to the flexibility of 3D printing, the microneedles can be easily customised to develop various vaccine patches for flu, measles, hepatitis or Covid-19 vaccines.
While vaccines are typically administered as injections under the skin, there is increasing interest in what's known as intradermal injections - more shallow injections that only reach the dermis of the skin, which is located between the epidermis and the hypodermis.
Beyond the hypodermis is the fat and muscle that a traditional vaccine needle usually penetrates.
Intradermal injections are suitable for vaccinations as human skin is rich in immune cells (Langerhans cells and dermal dendritic cells), the researchers point out.
In trials conducted with animals, the patch gave an immune response that was 10 times greater than a vaccine delivered into an arm muscle with a needle jab
NEEDLE PHOBIA COULD BE THE CAUSE OF 10% OF UK COVID VACCINE HESITANCY
Needle phobia could be the cause of 10 per cent of Covid vaccine hesitancy in the UK, recent research suggests.
University of Oxford researchers asked 15,014 UK adults to rate their anxieties about needles and blood, and their willingness to receive a Covid vaccine.
In total, 3,927 (26.2 per cent) screened positive for blood-injection-injury phobia.
Individuals screening positive (22.0 per cent) were more likely to report Covid vaccine hesitancy than those screening negative (11.5 per cent).
Blood-injection-injury fears may explain approximately 10 per cent of cases of Covid vaccine hesitancy, the researchers said.
'If we could wave a magic wand and rid people of their injection anxiety, just over 10 per cent of instances of vaccine hesitancy might disappear,' said study author Daniel Freeman for the Conversation.
Other reasons for not getting jabbed include safety of the vaccines and scepticism about Covid's seriousness.
The current coronavirus pandemic has been a stark reminder of the difference made with timely vaccination, according to the researchers – but getting a vaccine typically requires a visit to a clinic, hospital or vaccine centre.
There, a healthcare provider obtains a vaccine from a refrigerator, fills a syringe with the liquid vaccine formulation and injects it into the arm.
Although this process seems simple, there are issues that can hinder mass vaccination – from cold storage of vaccines to needing trained professionals who can give the shots.
The vaccine patch, on the other hand, could be shipped anywhere in the world without special handling, letting people apply the patch themselves, a bit like at-home Covid testing.
The patch's microneedles would be coated in the vaccine fluid, which would be painlessly applied to the skin.
The microneedles could be fabricated using 3D-printing from a range of materials – solid metal and silicon, for example, as well as polymers.
It's generally a challenge to adapt microneedles to different vaccine types, said lead study author Shaomin Tian, a researcher in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the UNC School of Medicine.
'These issues, coupled with manufacturing challenges, have arguably held back the field of microneedles for vaccine delivery,' she said.
Most microneedle vaccines are fabricated with master templates to make molds.
However, the molding of microneedles is not very versatile, and drawbacks include reduced needle sharpness during replication.
The 3D-printed microneedle vaccine patch offers an 'anxiety-free' vaccination option for people who have a 'needle phobia'
(stock image)
3D-printing offers microneedles of controlled geometries, which is difficult to achieve using traditional methods.
The ease of using the vaccine patch may lead to higher vaccination rates and avoid vaccine hesitancy during future pandemics.
The team of microbiologists and chemical engineers are continuing to innovate by formulating RNA vaccines, like the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines, into microneedle patches for future testing.
3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY MAKES OBJECTS BY DEPOSITING MATERIALS ONE LAYER AT A TIME
First invented in the 1980s by Chuck Hull, an engineer and physicist, 3D printing technology – also called additive manufacturing – is the process of making an object by depositing material, one layer at a time.
Similarly to how an inkjet printer adds individual dots of ink to form an image, a 3D printer adds material where it is needed, based on a digital file.
Many conventional manufacturing processes involved cutting away excess materials to make a part, and this can lead to wastage of up to 30 pounds (13.6 kilograms) for every one pound of useful material, according to the Energy Department’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
By contrast, with some 3D printing processes about 98 per cent of the raw material is used in the finished part, and the method can be used to make small components using plastics and metal powders, with some experimenting with chocolate and other food, as well as biomaterials similar to human cells.
3D printers have been used to manufacture everything from prosthetic limbs to robots, and the process follows these basic steps:
* Creating a 3D blueprint using computer-aided design (CAD) software
* Preparing the printer, including refilling the raw materials such as plastics, metal powders and binding solutions.
* Initiating the printing process via the machine, which builds the object.
* 3D printing processes can vary, but material extrusion is the most common, and it works like a glue gun: the printing material is heated until it liquefies and is extruded through the print nozzle
* Using information from the digital file, the design is split into two-dimensional cross-sections so the printers knows where to put the material
* The nozzle deposits the polymer in thin layers, often 0.1 millimetre (0.004 inches) thick.
* The polymer rapidly solidifies, bonding to the layer below before the build platform lowers and the print head adds another layer (depending on the object, the entire process can take anywhere from minutes to days.)
* After the printing is finished, every object requires some post-processing, ranging from unsticking the object from the build platform to removing support, to removing excess powders.
Beste bezoeker, Heb je zelf al ooit een vreemde waarneming gedaan, laat dit dan even weten via email aan Frederick Delaere opwww.ufomeldpunt.be. Deze onderzoekers behandelen jouw melding in volledige anonimiteit en met alle respect voor jouw privacy. Ze zijn kritisch, objectief maar open minded aangelegd en zullen jou steeds een verklaring geven voor jouw waarneming! DUS AARZEL NIET, ALS JE EEN ANTWOORD OP JOUW VRAGEN WENST, CONTACTEER FREDERICK. BIJ VOORBAAT DANK...
Druk op onderstaande knop om je bestand , jouw artikel naar mij te verzenden. INDIEN HET DE MOEITE WAARD IS, PLAATS IK HET OP DE BLOG ONDER DIVERSEN MET JOUW NAAM...
Druk op onderstaande knop om een berichtje achter te laten in mijn gastenboek
Alvast bedankt voor al jouw bezoekjes en jouw reacties. Nog een prettige dag verder!!!
Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 74 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Ufologie en andere esoterische onderwerpen.
Op deze blog vind je onder artikels, werk van mezelf. Mijn dank gaat ook naar André, Ingrid, Oliver, Paul, Vincent, Georges Filer en MUFON voor de bijdragen voor de verschillende categorieën...
Veel leesplezier en geef je mening over deze blog.