Monday, July 26, 2021

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The Morning After: EV-charging roads in Indiana

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 04:15 AM PDT

One problem with our electric vehicle future is the need for ubiquitous, easy-to-use charging points all over the world. After all, the only way to avoid range and lines-at-the-charger anxiety is to make sure you can get power whenever you need it. That's what makes a project, started by Indiana's Department of Transport, so exciting: It's working on a road that can charge your EV as you drive.

Backed by the National Science Foundation, and in partnership with Purdue University, the team will test concrete embedded with magnetized particles. This magnetized cement, or Magment, will be produced by a German company (also called Magment). The idea will, if early tests prove successful, see Indiana's DOT build a quarter-mile track of Magment to see if it can charge a heavy duty truck while it trundles along.

A number of countries, including the UK and Sweden, are currently testing road-based charging. If it works, we won't need to reorder our lives to accommodate an EV. Better still, permanently available power may make it easier to build cars with smaller batteries, knowing you're never more than a few inches from your next set of electrons.

— Dan Cooper

Steam Deck can limit frame rates to give you longer battery life

The target is 30 frames per second for an extra hour or two of juice.

Valve Steam Deck with carrying case
Valve

Steam Deck, Valve's handheld console, brings PC gaming to your morning commute. The open question, of course, was how such a wee device would cope with the demanding, graphically intensive titles of the last few years. Valve's Pierre-Loup Griffais explained that the console will ship with an option to limit the frame rate. This Frame Limiter, which has a lower limit of 30 frames per second, was tested on Portal 2, which lasted four hours without it, and six with. It seems like Valve is at least aware its handheld is more than a little ambitious and is making every effort to ensure it actually works. Continue Reading.

China plans to build the first 'clean' commercial nuclear reactor

Reactors using thorium and molten salt is the holy grail for clean energy visionaries.

Thorium pellets. In India, nuclear energy and secrecy literally go hand in hand. In a rare treat, photographer Pallava Bagla was given exclusive access deep into the heart of India's nuclear weapons laboratory for an unprecedented glimse into India's secret nuclear program. This new reactor, simply called a
Pallava Bagla via Getty Images

China has unveiled its design for a "clean" nuclear reactor, which is at less risk of meltdown and doesn't require water for cooling. This reactor, which uses thorium and molten salt, is a bit of a holy grail for our clean energy future, at least until something better comes along. Tests should begin later this year, and there's hope of seeing the first working commercial reactor in the early 2030s. Developed by the US in the early '60s, thorium and molten salt reactors are comparable to current uranium reactors. Why was the technology mothballed? For a couple of reasons, most notably because, unlike uranium, the technology didn't work for weapons. Continue Reading.

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter has flown a total of one mile on Mars

This is one air mile you can't trade in for extra legroom.

NASA Ingenuity helicopter on 10th flight over Mars
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Ingenuity, NASA's Mars helicopter, has now covered a mile of distance flown while studying the surface of the Red Planet. On its latest jaunt, the 10th so far, it zoomed around taking pictures of the Raised Ridges region of the Jezero Crater. They will help mission commanders determine if the Perseverance rover can make it over the rough terrain. Continue Reading.

Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony included a light display with 1,800 drones

A globe made of drones was a very impressive sight.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - The Tokyo 2020 Olympics Opening Ceremony - Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - July 23, 2021. Drones form a shape of the world during the opening ceremony, seen above the Olympic Stadium REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Kim Kyung Hoon / reuters

The 2020 Summer Games, before all of the running and jumping and swimming started, was a feast for the more nerdily inclined. The opening ceremony featured a light show, with a fleet of 1,824 drones taking center stage. Initially forming the shape of the five rings, the craft then recombined to create a 3D globe in the air, while a rendition of Imagine, re-orchestrated by Hans Zimmer, rang throughout the stadium. And the geeky festivities didn't stop there: The athletes walked out to orchestrated versions of classic video game songs. Continue Reading.

But wait, there's more..

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LG's new Tone Free earbuds have a case that doubles as a wireless dongle

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 03:45 AM PDT

LG may be through with smartphones, but it's still making gear you can use with your mobile. The Korean company has unveiled its new range of LG Tone Free wireless earbuds, and this time the germ-killing UV tech isn't the highlight. Of the three newcomers, the high-end FP9 model has a charging case that plugs into a headphone jack to work as a Bluetooth dongle. The feature could be handy during flights and in other wired environments. 

The trio, including the mid-range FP8 and low-end FP9, also come with active noise-canceling and two new spatial audio upgrades. That means you should hear musical elements as if they're positioned in different spaces in a 3D soundstage. The results are supposed to be more "lifelike," according to LG, but we'll have to test them before offering a verdict. 

LG Tone Free FP
LG

In fact, spatial audio is becoming a more common feature in general. It recently arrived on Apple Music and has long been available through Sony's 360 Reality Audio format. While Verizon claims that its spatial audio format, Adaptive Sound, doesn't even require specific headphones, earbuds or speakers.

The big departure in the Tone Free's design is the shorter stem, which LG reduced by 4.4 millimeters. All three also pack a trio of microphones and a new voice calling feature, dubbed Whispering Mode, that lets you hold the right earbud close to your mouth as a dedicated mic. 

UV auto-cleaning is back, too, but limited to the FP8 and FP9. It can get rid of 99.9 percent of germs in five minutes when the buds are placed inside the case, which features wireless charging on the FP8. Both the mid- and high-end earbuds also pack more battery life than the low-end- FP5: 10 hours of playback time compared to 8 hours between charges, and 24 hours with the case compared to 22 hours. 

LG says the LG Tone Free FP series will be available starting this month in colors including charcoal black and pearl white, with the FP8 and FP9 also offered in haze gold. We've reached out for pricing info and will update this article accordingly.

A magnetic helmet shrunk a deadly tumor in world-first test

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 02:35 AM PDT

We've seen helmets and AI that can spot brain tumors, but a new hard hat can actually treat them, too. As part of the latest neurological breakthrough, researchers used a helmet that generates a magnetic field to shrink a deadly tumor by a third. The 53-year-old patient who underwent the treatment ultimately passed away due to an unrelated injury. But, an autopsy of his brain showed that the procedure had removed 31 percent of the tumor mass in a short time. The test marked the first noninvasive therapy for a deadly form of brain cancer known as glioblastoma.

The helmet features three rotating magnets connected to a microprocessor-based electronic controller operated by a rechargeable battery. As part of the therapy, the patient wore the device for five weeks at a clinic and then at home with the help of his wife. The resulting magnetic field therapy created by the helmet was administered for two hours initially and then ramped up to a maximum of six hours per day. During the period, the patient's tumor mass and volume shrunk by nearly a third, with shrinkage appearing to correlate with the treatment dose.

The inventors of the device — which received FDA approval for compassionate use treatment — claim it could one day help treat brain cancer without radiation or chemotherapy. "Our results...open a new world of non-invasive and nontoxic therapy...with many exciting possibilities for the future," said David S. Baskin, corresponding author and director of the Kenneth R. Peak Center for Brain and Pituitary Tumor Treatment in the Department of Neurosurgery at Houston Methodist Neurological Institute. Details of the procedure have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Oncology.

Autonomous quadrotor beats two human pilots in a drone race

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 01:29 AM PDT

Unlike self-driving cars, autonomous drones can generally get from "A" to "B" safely, but could they beat a human pilot in a drone race? So far the answer has been "no way," but now, researchers from the University of Zurich (UZH) have created an algorithm that allowed an AI-powered drone to beat two human pilots on an experimental race track. The work could lead to more efficient drones for rescues, deliveries and other chores. 

In the past, researchers have built simplified models of quadrotor systems or flight paths to calculate the optimum trajectory. This time, however, they fully accounted for the drone's limitations. "The key idea is, rather than assigning sections of the flight path to specific waypoints, that our algorithm just tells the drone to pass through all waypoints, but not how or when to do that," said PhD student and author Philipp Foehn.

For the AI versus human race, researchers let the human pilots train on the circuit so the comparison would be fair. They set up external cameras to send the drone's exact position to the algorithm in real time. Once both humans and AI were trained, the algorithm beat the humans on every lap and had more consistent performance to boot. 

The research could lead to quicker drones for real-world applications, even in complex environments with multiple waypoints. The next step is to make the system less computationally demanding and allow it work with onboard, rather than external cameras. "This algorithm can have huge applications in package delivery with drones, inspection, search and rescue, and more," said UZH's head of Robotics and Perception Group, Davide Scaramuzza. 

Turtle Beach’s first gamepad pairs its audio expertise with great ergonomics

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 12:01 AM PDT

Each gaming accessory company has one thing they do well, like Corsair and its keyboards or Razer's line of mice. Turtle Beach is known as a premium headset manufacturer, but that hasn't stopped it from expanding its offerings, starting with its very first gamepad, the Recon Controller. And it happily still incorporates the company's audio expertise.

It's a wired controller compatible with XboxSeries X|S and One as well as Windows 10. As a couch gamer I'm never really thrilled by the need to be tethered, but it makes up for it with a great hand feel. The grips are covered in a tactile gray material, with a grid of triangles that help channel heat and sweat away from your palms. But what I really like are the textured buttons — the shoulder, trigger and back buttons are studded with bumps that do a good job of keeping your fingers from slipping. They also feel great, so much so that I often find myself playing with the Recon Controller even when I'm not gaming.

Turtle Beach Recon Controller in white with purple cord plugged in
Kris Naudus / Engadget

The marquee features of the Recon Controller are its audio controls, located in a small panel at the top of the gamepad. One of my editors said it looks like a modern interpretation of a Mad Catz unit and, well, he isn't wrong. It's not exactly attractive, with so many buttons it looks over-engineered.

What all those fiddly buttons offer is an array of options for the sound coming from the headset you've plugged into the controller. The bottom has the usual 3.5mm port, so it'll work with pretty much any headset, provided you have the right cable for it. I tried it with the Recon Spark, a solid and inexpensive set of cans that's served as my daily driver at the office for a few years now.

Turtle Beach Recon Controller in white
Kris Naudus / Engadget

At each end of the trapezoidal control panel are two toggles, the one on the left adjusts the volume and the right one handles the balance between game audio and chat. They're far up enough on the controller such that you don't accidentally hit the X and Y buttons. However, the buttons on the panel itself are packed in so tightly that if you overshoot you're likely to hit one of the controls in the middle instead.

Which is less than ideal, given that the two big buttons are the mute function (not something you want to accidentally hit while communicating with your teammates) and the "superhuman hearing" button. The latter is a new feature, boosting smaller sounds like footsteps so you won't miss a thing. The effect wasn't as pronounced as it promises, as I didn't notice huge changes while I played a few rounds of Among Us. But it certainly doesn't hurt to have it, and the effect may vary depending on the game you're playing and the headset you have connected.

Turtle Beach Recon Controller
Kris Naudus / Engadget

Between those two buttons is another toggle, one that serves a variety of functions. You can adjust your EQ presets between the default, bass, bass/treble and vocal settings. You can also adjust the power of the gamepad's vibrations, as well as the sensitivity of the thumb sticks. It's nice to be able to adjust these things on the fly, rather than having to fiddle around in a settings program. The big drawback is that it's not immediately clear what the icons represent, and I had to consult the instructions and experiment with them before I really understood.

Overall I was happy with the controller's performance, and I'm enamored of the ergonomics of it more than anything. I'm just not entirely sure they're worth dealing with a wired controller and headset when you're used to going wireless.

Researchers are testing concrete that could charge your EV while you drive

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 09:12 PM PDT

Roads that can charge electric cars or buses while you drive aren't a new concept, but so far the technology has been relatively expensive and inefficient. However, Indiana's Department of Transport (INDOT) has announced that it's testing a new type of cement with embedded magnetized particles that could one day provide efficient, high-speed charging at "standard roadbuilding costs," Autoblog has reported. 

With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), INDOT has teamed with Purdue University and German company Magment on the project. They'll carry out the research in three phases, first testing if the magnetized cement (called "magment," naturally) will work in the lab, then trying it out on a quarter-mile section of road. 

In a brochure, Magment said its product delivers "record-breaking wireless transmission efficiency [at] up to 95 percent," adding that it can be built at "standard road-building installation costs" and that it's "robust and vandalism-proof." The company also notes that slabs with the embedded ferrite particles could be built locally, presumably under license. 

The final phase sounds ambitious, with INDOT saying it would "test the innovative concrete's capacity to charge heavy trucks operation at high power (200 kilowatts and above)." If the final quarter-mile test track is a success, INDOT will use the tech to electrify an undermined segment of public interstate in Indiana. 

Powering heavy trucks directly from the road without any pollution at an affordable price would be an environmental breakthrough, but there's still a lot of work to do to prove it works. Plenty of other similar efforts are underway, as the UK has committed around $780 million for under-road charging research, for example. Sweden has also tested slot-car like technology that would contain an electrified "rail" embedded into roads. This latest efforts sounds far less complicated, provided it lives up to Magment's claims, 

China plans to build the first 'clean' commercial nuclear reactor

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 02:42 PM PDT

Are you intrigued by the possibility of using nuclear reactors to curb emissions, but worried about their water use and long-term safety? There might be an impending solution. LiveSciencereports that China has outlined plans to build the first 'clean' commercial nuclear reactor using liquid thorium and molten salt.

The first prototype reactor should be ready in August, with the first tests due in September. A full-scale commercial reactor should be ready by 2030.

The technology should not only be kinder to the environment, but mitigate some political controversy. Conventional uranium reactors produce waste that stays extremely radioactive for up to 10,000 years, requiring lead containers and extensive security. The waste also includes plutonium-239, an isotope crucial to nuclear weapons. They also risk spilling dramatic levels of radiation in the event of a leak, as seen in Chernobyl. They also need large volumes of water, ruling out use in arid climates.

Thorium reactors, however, dissolve their key element into fluoride salt that mostly outputs uranium-233 you can recycle through other reactions. Other leftovers in the reaction have a half-life of 'just' 500 years — still not spectacular, but much safer. If there is a leak, the molten salt cools enough that it effectively seals in the thorium and prevents significant leaks. The technology doesn't require water, and can't easily be used to produce nuclear weapons. You can build reactors in the desert, far away from most cities, and without raising concerns that it will add to nuclear weapon stockpiles.

China is accordingly building the first commercial reactor in Wuwei, a desert city in the country's Gansu province. Officials also see this as a way to foster China's international expansion — it plans up to 30 in countries participating in the company's "Belt and Road" investment initiative. In theory, China can extend its political influence without contributing to nuclear arms proliferation.

That might worry the US and other political rivals that are behind on thorium reactors. The US-based Natrium reactor, for instance, is still in development. Even so, it might go a long way toward fighting climate change and meeting China's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2060. The country is still heavily dependent on coal energy, and there's no guarantee renewable sources will keep up with demand by themselves. Thorium reactors could help China wean itself off coal relatively quickly, especially small-scale reactors that could be built over shorter periods and fill gaps where larger plants would be excessive.

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter has flown a total of one mile on Mars

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 01:14 PM PDT

NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter just marked an important milestone. Space.comreports that Ingenuity crossed the one-mile mark for total distance flown with its 10th flight on July 24th, when it traveled over the Jezero Crater's "Raised Ridges" area. That may not sound like a lot of flying, but NASA was only planning a few test flights for Ingenuity before expanding the vehicle's role — the robotic aircraft wouldn't have covered nearly as much ground otherwise.

This was also the most ambitious flight to date. The helicopter had to swing past 10 different waypoints, and flew to a record-high altitude of 40ft during the 310ft journey. It also had to capture enough images to help NASA produce stereoscopic images of Raised Ridges and help inform a potential visit from the Perseverance rover.

It's not clear just how many more miles Ingenuity can rack up. The helicopter is the first of its kind, and tends to push limits with each new flight. The one-mile threshold is significant by itself, though — it suggests the aircraft might accomplish a lot during Perserverance's planned two-year mission, and possibly more.

Steam Deck can limit frame rates to give you longer battery life

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 11:02 AM PDT

Valve may boast that the Steam Deck will run games well, but you won't have to worry about the handheld PC running games too quickly. As The Vergenotes, Valve's Pierre-Loup Griffais has revealed that the Steam Deck will include a "built-in" frame rate limiter option that caps performance in return for longer battery life. If you're playing a title that doesn't demand highly responsive visuals, you can trade some unnecessary frames for extra game time.

Not that games will necessarily drag the system down. After Valve told IGN it was aiming for a 30FPS target, Griffais added that the frame rate was the "floor" for playable performance. Every game the company has tested so far has "consistently met and exceeded" that threshold, the developer said. While you probably won't run cutting-edge games at 30FPS with maximum detail (this is a $399 handheld, after all), you might not have to worry that a favorite game will be too choppy to play.

The company already expects Portal 2 to last for six hours at 30FPS versus four with no frame rate restrictions. We wouldn't be surprised if the effect is reduced for newer or more intensive games that are less likely to reach high frame rates.

The Steam Deck might not offer a completely seamless experience even with the limiter. Digital Foundrywarned that you might get a less-than-ideal experience with V-Sync active. And of course, the 30FPS target generally applies only to existing games — don't count on a cutting-edge 2023 game running at playable frame rates, at least not without significantly reduced detail. This is more about ensuring that your existing game library is usable on launch.

Motorola's next Edge flagship phone might drop the curved display

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 09:42 AM PDT

Motorola might soon release a sequel to its flagship Edge phones — albeit without their signature feature. OnLeaks and Pricebaba have shared what they say are CAD-based renders of the standard Edge 20, and Motorola appears to have dropped the highly curved "endless" display in favor of a 6.7-inch flat screen. It would be just another phone on the outside, even if the 120Hz,1080p panel could make it feel extra-responsive.

You'd also get a triple rear camera system that reportedly includes a 108MP primary sensor, a 16MP secondary cam and an 8MP tertiary sensor (likely for telephoto and wide-angle shots). This regular Edge 20 model would be an upper mid-tier device on the inside between a Snapdragon 778G chip, up to 8GB of RAM, a peak 256GB of storage and a 4,000mAh battery.

There is a chance the rumored Edge 20 Pro would keep the curved screen, and it might offer improved performance from the Snapdragon 870. An Edge 20 Lite is supposedly in the works as well. If Motorola does use this design for the mainstream Edge 20, though, it signals a change of tack. Rather than relying on an eye-catching (if somewhat impractical) design for the entire Edge line, it would focus on delivering value for the money. It's just a question of whether or not the price will be low enough to draw you away from rivals.

Las Vegas police solve an old murder case using record-low volume of DNA

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 08:37 AM PDT

Las Vegas police appear to have smashed a record while using ancestry to find cold case suspects. BBC Newsreports that Vegas law enforcement claims to have solved the 1989 murder of 14-year-old Stephanie Isaacson (pictured here) using the smallest known volume of DNA. Investigators sent just 0.12 nanograms of DNA samples, or about 15 cells, to Othram's gene sequencing lab to help find a match. For context, a typical home DNA testing kit collects at least 750 nanograms.

Othram used the sequences to comb through ancestry databases and pinpoint the suspect's cousin and identify Darren Roy Marchand as the culprit. The team confirmed the match by comparing the sample against Marchand's DNA from an arrest for a 1986 murder case. Marchand was never convicted and died in 1995.

Vegas police launched the investigation after resident Justin Woo donated money to help law enforcement solve cases using "minimal" DNA levels. The investigation at Othram started on January 19th, but it wasn't until July 12th that the company identified a suspect.

Othram chief David Mittlemen characterized the effort as a "huge milestone" in a discussion with the BBC. This could theoretically solve cold cases where the samples were previously thought too small to be usable.

The breakthrough won't necessarily thrill everyone, however. There have been concerns that law enforcement might violate privacy when conducting these tests, and the Justice Department has established guidelines precisely to prevent those kinds of abuses. While there's no indication Vegas authorities crossed boundaries in the Richardson case, a much larger range of potentially solvable cases also widens the potential for more privacy violations.
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