WORLD’S LONGEST FLIGHT
A Singapore Airlines passenger jet completed the world's longest flight on Oct. 12, covering 10,291 miles between Singapore and Newark, New Jersey, in 17 hours and 52 minutes. The carrier restarted the route this month after a five-year hiatus and after it added efficient long-range Airbus jets to its fleet.
An 18-hour flight: The ultra-long-range version of the Airbus A350-900 can travel up to 11,162 miles, “[farther] than any other aircraft in commercial service,” according to Airbus. Among other innovations, the plane maker built more than half of the plane’s body and skin using tough lightweight materials called carbon fiber composites. The composite parts include complex wing components from GE Aviation.
Read more about the longest flight here.
RECHARGING IRAQ
GE Power is helping Iraq build a new 3,000-megawatt power station. Located in Basmaya near Baghdad, the plant already contributes 2,500 MW to the national grid and will be able to provide the additional 500 MW in 2019. Once complete, it will be the country’s largest combined cycle power station, generating the equivalent power needed to supply up to 3 million Iraqi homes, up to 15% of the country’s current capacity.
Read more about the power partnership here.
DIGITAL RADIOLOGY FOR INDONESIA
Just three years after Indonesia launched its universal healthcare program in 2014, 70% of the population had signed up for some level of government-sponsored health care. This influx of people into the system created a unique challenge for one of the most respected hospitals in Jakarta, RS Premier Bintaro. As its patient volume grew by 30% in 2016 alone, the hospital leadership had to find new ways to handle the growing patient load.
Responsive radiology: RSPB built a web-based system for its radiology department using GE Healthcare software called Centricity Universal Viewer 100 edition. The software instantly uploads medical images to the web so doctors can view them from anywhere. The radiologists use a dashboard to consult with other experts and combine the images with diagnoses and documents related to the patient’s health. The new digital system proved effective, with a 31% cost savings per examination and a 38% reduction in the time between when a patient enters the radiology department and when their report is generated.
Read more about the hospital’s improved radiology system here.
COOLEST THINGS ON EARTH ?
1. Parkour robots
Boston Dynamics’ 165-pound robot Atlas — “the world’s most dynamic humanoid” — is doing parkour. “The control software uses the whole body, including legs, arms and torso, to marshal the energy and strength for jumping over the log and leaping up the steps without breaking its pace,” the researchers said.
2. Self-healing carbon-absorbing material
MIT chemical engineers have designed a self-healing material that uses carbon dioxide from the air to grow, strengthen and mend itself. Engineers could use the gel-like material to create a lightweight matrix for panels “that could be shipped to a construction site, where they would harden and solidify just from exposure to air and sunlight, thereby saving on the energy and cost of transportation,” MIT News reported.
3. An image of light
Scientists at Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne have for the first time obtained an image of light as both a particle and a wave. The ability to “image and control quantum phenomena at the nanometer scale like this opens up a new route toward quantum computing,” research leader Fabrizio Carbone said.
Plus, spider venom fights cancer and biodegradable medical implants in this week’s Coolest Things on Earth.
— QUOTE OF THE DAY —
“The province that is most in need of power is the capital, Baghdad. This power plant will help the people of Baghdad meet critical needs for power, lighting up homes, schools and hospitals, and supporting industrial growth.”
— Ahmad Ismail, chairman of Mass Energy Group Holding
Quote: GE Reports. Images: GE Reports.
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