Important Innovations

  3D Printed Microneedle Patch Alternative to Needles                                                                 Source:  UNC-Chapel Hill New Tech That's a Breakthru for Vaccines Researchers at Stanford University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill have developed a 3D printed plastic patch as an alternative to COVID-19 vaccinations by needles.  The patch contains an array of microneedles that directly deliver the vaccine into the skin.  The researchers say the microneedle patch is ten times more effective in producing an immune response than a needle and it is painless. Microneedle patches have been under development for decades.  But the breakthrough on this revolutionary new patch came from 3D printing the microneedles on a polymer patch just long enough to reach the skin and deliver the vaccine. Customization Through 3D Printing The key to the new patch is 3D printing which enables customization of the microneedles for various vaccine patches. The researchers

AI Helping to Develop Super Fast Charging, Longer Lasting Batteries for EV's Source:  E-Cars Charging stock image Breakthrough Approach by Toyota, Stanford University & MIT Using AI, researchers at Stanford, MIT and Toyota have developed a vastly accelerated approach to fast-charging, long lasting batteries for electric vehicles.  The team is using a new AI machine learning method.  It slashed battery testing times by 98% and the researchers say that is a key to creating the EV Holy Grail of supercharging batteries.  The researchers say their AI approach may make a recharge take a couple of minutes like refueling your car at a gas station. AI Trial and Error at Warp Speeds The AI method is enabling the team to quickly identify what's working to create ultra-fast and long range batteries.  In fact, they've been able to cut the trial and error of experimenting with different battery development approaches from 2 years to 16 days. 

US Scientists Enable Jellyfish to Swim 3-times Faster Source:  Caltech New Invention with Big Potential to Monitor Health of Oceans Scientists at Stanford University and Caltech have created a pacemaker-like device that enables natural jellyfish to swim three times their normal speed.  The microelectronic, pulsing, tiny, prosthetic device generates electric jolts that make the fish triple their speed while using just twice as much energy.  The scientists and engineers involved in the project says the device causes no additional stress to the sea creatures.  They say the potential for this system is as vast as the ocean itself. Network of Live Ocean Monitors The scientific team says the combination of speed and energy efficiency from this device opens the possibility of using jellyfish to gather data from across the world's oceans. They envision equipping the jellyfish with sensors to track ocean temperatures, salinity and oxygen levels.  They say this could

New, Transformative Device to Generate Power from Night Sky Source:   UCLA Renewable and Complements Solar Power This new, inexpensive thermoelectric device may be transformative in energy generation.  It harvests the coldness of space during the night to generate electricity - enough right now to power a LED light at nighttime, but the inventors say it's very scalable.  The device is a significant new innovation from engineers at UCLA and Stanford University.  The gadget works at night when solar systems don't.  The inventors say it's a new approach to power generation when power at night is needed.  It complements solar power that doesn't work at night, giving a 24/7 approach to green, renewable energy. Phenomenon Like Frost Formation The device takes advantage of radiative cooling, the process by which frost forms on grass during above freezing temperatures at night.  The sky facing surface of the technology passes heat to the atmosphere as thermal radiat

Facial Recognition via DNA Samples If Sherlock Holmes were real and around today, he would soon have a new technology tool to catch criminals.  Based on DNA retrieved at the crime scene, detectives may soon be able to accurately sketch the suspect's face.  That's because researchers have identified 15 genes that determine our facial features. 15 Key Genes Scientists have provided a database with 3D images of faces and the corresponding DNA.  Each face was subdivided into small modules.  Then it was determined if any locations in the DNA matched the modules. Unprecedented Accuracy The modular division technique made it possible to check for an unprecedented number of facial features, resulting in unprecedented facial recognition accuracy.  A team of university scientists from Stanford, Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh collaborated on this breakthrough technique to decode faces from retrieved DNA. Exciting Potential Uses This system not only paves the way

Source:  Stanford -Stanford University Professor Yi Cui and his innovative battery This Water-based Tech Could Forward Renewable Solar and Wind Energy A Stanford University research team has developed a water-based battery that could provide an inexpensive way to store excess wind and solar energy.  They believe the energy can be fed back to the electric grid and redistributed on high demand.   The team is led by Stanford Professor Yi Cui. This could be very important for expanding the use of renewable energy. Water-Based Battery Grid Water-based batteries are becoming a reality and could be part of future power plants.  The scientists believe they can build their table top technology  into an industrial grade system that could charge and re-charge up to 10,000 times.  That would create a grid scale battery with a lifespan in excess of 10 years. The Missing Link in the Energy Puzzle Professor Cui believes this water-based battery could be one of the missing links in the ene