DRONES
The First Autonomous Drone Delivery Network Will Fly Above Switzerland Starting Next Month
Thuy Ong | The Verge
“Logistics company Matternet has announced a permanent autonomous drone network in Switzerland that will now see lab samples like blood tests and other diagnostics flown between hospital facilities, clinics, and labs. The first delivery network will be operational from next month, with several more to be introduced in the next year. Matternet says medical items can be delivered to hospitals within 30 minutes.”
BIOTECH
China Signs $300m Deal to Buy Lab-Grown Meat From Israel in Move Welcomed by Vegans
Rachel Roberts | Independent
“For many environmental and animal rights groups, lab meat is seen as a positive move away from the slaughter of billions of animals, as well as being a greener option than traditional factory farming.”
ROBOTICS
Newly Developed Artificial Muscles Can Lift 1,000 Times Their Own Weight
Luke Dormehl | Digital Trends
“Call it one step closer to Terminator becoming a reality if you want, but researchers at Columbia Engineering have developed self-contained soft robotic muscles that are three times stronger than those made of natural tissue. The 3D-printed synthetic soft muscles boast a strain density (expansion per gram) that’s 15 times that of natural muscles, can lift a whopping 1,000 times their own weight, and — best of all for the cost-conscious — cost just three cents per gram to create.”
SPACE
Mock Mars Crew Emerges from Dome in Hawaii After 8 Months of Isolation
Hanneke Weitering | Space.com
“After spending eight months simulating life on Mars on the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano, six ‘astronauts’ emerged from their Hawaiian habitat on Sunday (Sept. 17) to return to civilization. This concluded the fifth mock Mars mission of the NASA-funded HI-SEAS program (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation). Operated by the University of Hawaii, this research project studies how groups of interplanetary travelers would work together on long-term missions while in cramped quarters.”
COMPANY NEWS
Tesla’s Remote Upgrades to Its Vehicles During Hurricane Irma Are the Future of Tech
Bob O’Donnell | Recode
“The event that triggered my thought process was Tesla’s recent decision to remotely and temporarily enhance the battery capacity, and therefore driving range, of its Tesla vehicles for owners in Florida who were trying to escape the impact of the recent Hurricane Irma. Tesla has offered software-based hardware upgrades—not only to increase driving range but to turn on its autonomous driving features—for several years.”
Image Credit: Kreativorks / Shutterstock.com
