5 technologies that will change our world
Over the years, technology has revolutionized our world and daily lives. Here are 5 technologies that are expected to significantly change people's lives in the future.
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Canadian researchers are closing in on an oral insulin tablet to replace injections for people with diabetes.
Oral insulin could make the medication more affordable, less uncomfortable, and easier to transport and store. What’s more, it would cut down on the waste produced by disposable syringes.
Previous versions developed by Anubhav Pratap-Singh, principal investigator of the project at the University of British Columbia, and his team have been slower-acting than injectables and require much higher doses because so much gets wasted in the stomach. In rodent trials published in Scientific Reports, a new tablet designed to dissolve in the mouth was absorbed fully by the liver, with no medicine languishing in the stomach. “We are on the right track in developing an insulin formulation that will no longer need to be injected before every meal, improving the quality of life, as well as mental health, of more than nine million Type 1 diabetics around the world,” Pratap-Singh said.
The Foldscope, a powerful microscope made from paper. Credit: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Two bioengineers, formerly of Stanford University, made a research-quality microscope out of paper.
Microscopes can cost tens of thousands, even half a million dollars. “We wanted to make a microscope at a price point of $1,” said Manu Prakash, who designed the Foldscope with his former student Jim Cybulski. “I want to bring science into everyone’s hands.” The final product costs about $1.75 to make and retails for $10.
The device is made mostly of waterproof paper, with a single spherical glass lens that magnifies 140 times. That’s enough to see blood cells and bacteria. (Last year it was used to identify a new type of cyanobacteria.) Magnets hold the lens in place and help users attach it to their cellphones to record images. The American Association for the Advancement of Science recognized the Foldscope with a 2022 Golden Goose award.
Rechargeable cyborg insects with an ultrasoft organic solar cell module. Credit: npj Flexible Electronics
An international team of scientists at Japan’s RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research designed a solar-powered backpack for controlling cyborg cockroaches — part insect, part machine.
Researchers have been trying to design remote-controlled bionic roaches to inspect hazardous areas or monitor the environment. But keeping their control mechanisms powered for long periods is a challenge.
The researchers focused on keeping the elements as thin and light as possible, so as not to weigh down the cockroaches, while also allowing for natural movement. They designed a 3D-printed pack to hold the leg-control mechanism to the thorax (or upper back). They then designed an ultrathin, flexible solar film and glued it to the abdomen (lower, toward the tail). Observing that the abdomen changes shape as the insects walk, they glued only sections of the film, which allowed it to stick while also bending with the insects’ swagger. “Since abdominal deformation is not unique to cockroaches, our strategy can be adapted to other insects like beetles, or perhaps even flying insects like cicadas in the future,” said Kenjiro Fukuda, an author on a paper in npj Flexible Electronics.
The WSU research team used PLA plastic waste to create a high-quality resin for 3D printing. Credit: Washington State University
Washington State University researchers came up with a cheap, simple way to turn hard-to-recycle plastics into 3D printer “ink.”
Around 300,000 tons of polylactic acid (PLA) are used each year to make plastic utensils and food packaging. Though technically biodegradable, the bio-based plastic PLA can last for a year in water and 100 years in a landfill. And it’s not a valuable recyclable. The new method, published in Green Chemistry, gives the increasingly popular plastic a second life. “We want to make sure that when we do start producing PLA on the million-tons scale, we will know how to deal with it,” said Yu-Chung Chang, one of the authors.
The researchers used an inexpensive chemical called aminoethanol to break down the plastic into monomers — the building blocks of polymers. They employed those to create a common resin used for 3D printing. The entire process was done at mild temperatures in just 48 hours. The team hopes to apply the method to PET, a popular plastic and a major source of pollution.
Justin John, Executive Technology Director for the Controls & Optimization Group at GE Research, delivers the opening keynote address to kick-off GE Research's 2022 EDGE Symposium. More than 500 top thought leaders and stakeholders from industry, government and academia are attending this year's conference at the Research Lab's Niskayuna, NY campus.
Dubbed “Menlo,” nicknamed after Thomas Edison’s famed lab, the Invention Factory, in Menlo Park, NJ, this new supercomputing platform builds upon the success of the Lab’s previous platform, Breeze. Menlo has been developed in partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) as well as Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and leverages the latest generation of HPE’s Cray supercomputing products and technologies. Once commissioned, Menlo will support new Lean digital product development practices as well as other breakthrough scientific developments across aviation, energy, and healthcare with remarkable speed, precision, and fidelity.
Menlo also will also serve as a key catalyst for advancing ongoing supercomputing research GE researchers are doing on some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers run by the U.S. National Labs. Over the years, GE scientists and engineers have been able to translate much of the scientific discovery and exploratory work performed on the National Lab’s supercomputers in areas like combustion dynamics and aerodynamic design into more efficient aircraft engine, gas turbine and wind energy designs using our existing supercomputing resources in-house.