Weight is a big deal in aviation – and that goes double for electric aircraft. Every pound carried skyward represents a pound less payload you can carry, a reduction in the range you’ll get from your battery or hydrogen tank, and ultimately a loss of money for the owner.
Modern sensors have given conservationists a powerful new tool in the fight against poaching. A new research project at the University of Twente could harness this technology in yet another useful way, by mixing motion sensors with machine learning to recognize when wildlife is responding to a nearby threat.
Indigenous rights’ groups and WWF International are beginning to train Andean tribes people deep within the Amazon rainforest in the use of drones so that they, as forest-dwelling specialists, can help protect wildlife, and identify, compile evidence for, and report on, illegal logging activities.
Such an energy and power density boost could be revolutionary for electric cars, motorcycles, bikes, and other emerging ground transport modes, as well as a huge potential leap forward for the electric aviation space.
The people at Republic Services — an “industry leading” waste management company operating in North Carolina — will test the LR Electric model on one of its residential recycling collection routes.
A new LA-based fuel logistics startup, Universal Hydrogen, has embarked on a project to develop a retrofittable hydrogen powertrain for existing airliners, and will test it with a 40-seat De Havilland Canada DHC8-Q300, commonly known as the Dash-8, that will become the world’s largest hydrogen-fueled commercial aircraft.
Kiwi company Hiringa and Hyzon Motors—a U.S. manufacturer of hydrogen fuel cells—signed a “heads of agreement” that would allow Hiringa’s hydrogen-powered electric vehicles (HPEVs) to start hauling freight as early as 2022, positioning New Zealand as a world leader in hydrogen vehicle infrastructure.
The Oceanbird is capable of transporting up to 7,000 cars at an average speed of 10 knots on a North Atlantic crossing. It’s four colossal 80-meter (260-ft) high extendable wing sails promise to reduce emissions by as much as 90 percent.
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have developed an algorithm capable of spotting signs of decidual vasculopathy in placenta tissue. The algorithm has correctly identified damaged vessels 94% of the time and healthy vessels 96% of the time.
Researchers in Saudi Arabia have developed thin, organic solar cells with a few advantages over others of their type. The new solar cells are more efficient, made using more common elements, and can be inkjet-printed onto surfaces, making them light and flexible enough to power wearable electronics.
