A summary of interesting news of the week, you definitely won’t expect the last one!

New sensor unveiled: wearable devices no longer need charging

New Zealand technology company StretchSense this week unveiled a flexible sensor with energy harvesting capabilities. When bent, this special sensor can generate and store energy, which can be used to power electronic devices.

According to StretchSense, this sensor technology is still in the research and development stage, but has completed academic testing. They currently have more than 100 customers and are exploring the application direction of the sensor with them.

"Our initial goal was to develop a technology that could harvest energy from human movement," said Ben O'Brien, president of StretchSense. "Through our collaboration with the University of Auckland, we have produced a compact, inexpensive solution that should be available commercially in the near future."

One of the most direct applications of this sensor is obviously in the field of wearable devices. When built into the body of devices such as motion trackers and fitness wristbands, this sensor can harvest energy from the natural movement generated when the device is working, thus completely solving the problem of weak battery life of such devices.

StretchSense has not yet disclosed when devices using the sensor will be available.

Rat brains create organic computers

Scientists have been trying to achieve brain-to-brain communication for years, but recently Duke University Medical Center neurobiologist Miguel Nicolelis has made great progress in his research.

His team created a network called "Brainet," which is made up of four connected mouse brains. The four rodents exchange information in real time via microelectrodes mounted directly on their cerebral cortices. Together, this organic computing device is able to compute computational tasks such as image processing, storage, and even predicting chemical precipitation.

Nicolelis first studied the possibility of connecting three macaques' brains to control the arm of a virtual monkey. Each monkey was placed in a separate room, but their brains were connected to each other through electrodes. This allowed the monkeys' brains to exchange information with each other, and each monkey saw one aspect of things on the screen in front of it. In a series of experiments, scientists tried various combinations, including two monkeys connected and three connected. They found that the monkeys could control an arm together to pick up a specified object (does this remind you of the mecha operation in "Pacific Rim"?). After each successful experiment, the monkeys were rewarded with juice. After multiple practice sessions, the monkeys' synchronization rate was further improved.

Next, the researchers explored the possibility of a "super brain". They divided the mice into groups of two and connected the brains of the two mice with electrodes. When one group of mice successfully solved the task, their brain activity was recorded and replayed on the brains of the other group of mice through electrodes. The study showed that the same problem was easier for the second group of mice. The researchers believe that this is because the interconnected mouse brains recognize the patterns of brain activity for completing specific tasks and command the body to make similar movements when the brain receives the same stimulation. In one experiment, the mouse group was stimulated by an electric current that changed with the indoor air temperature. Subsequently, based on these electrical stimulations, the mouse group was able to predict the temperature changes with 41% accuracy. This shows that the mouse group has the ability to think faster and more accurately than individual individuals.

One of Nicolelis' most amazing findings was beyond everyone's expectations. He found that the mouse combination found a way to evenly distribute the burden of thinking between the two brains so that neither brain would be exhausted due to overuse. These experiments provide a new means to study the social behavior of animals, but more importantly, it reveals the possibility of building organic computers between human brains. Scientists believe that these studies may help stroke and epilepsy patients in the future. Currently, Nicolelis and his team are studying ways to build human Brainets without the help of implanted electrodes.

Boeing's new patent: Future passenger aircraft may use nuclear energy

According to foreign media reports, Boeing recently launched a peculiar patent, suggesting that future aircraft will use mini fusion devices as power, which uses the action of lasers and radioactive substances to generate energy and form thrust. If the experiment is successful, future aircraft will be expected to use this revolutionary power. Since fusion reactions do not produce nuclear waste, spacecraft will also use fusion power, allowing all interplanetary flights within the solar system to use fusion power, greatly reducing the amount of fuel carried. Boeing has already started applying for a patent for fusion power, which aims to use high-energy lasers and radioactive substances to produce fusion reactions.

Boeing's fusion engine uses high-power laser technology to act on radioactive materials for an extreme period of time. According to Boeing's public documents, the laser beam produced is very critical. At least one high-energy laser will be excited and precisely positioned. The byproducts of this process are hydrogen or helium, and there is almost no harmful waste. Boeing engineers also considered using coolants to reduce the temperature on the side walls of the thrusters. Currently, Boeing's latest 787 series still uses turbofan engines, which use compressed air and fuel combustion to generate thrust.

The fuel cost of the 787 series passenger aircraft is about $24 per nautical mile. Once the fusion engine is used, the fuel cost can be greatly reduced. After large-scale promotion, the fusion engine has broad application prospects and can reduce costs. Boeing recently contacted the US Patent and Trademark Office to discuss the application of a patent for this design of fusion engine. It is not clear whether Boeing has built a prototype for testing. The fusion engine requires neutron nuclear reactions. If this project enters the test state, the power of future passenger aircraft will undergo a major change.

In April this year, Boeing also filed some interesting patent applications, such as using a sleeping system on passenger aircraft to create a mini device to replace a reclining chair, which not only achieves the goal of rest, but also saves space and does not use facilities such as reclining chairs. After using the mini sleeping system, passengers actually sleep sitting up, with a cushion in front that they can hug. Studies have shown that such a design is actually quite comfortable to sleep on, and is more creative than leaning against a seat.

White appliances and black appliances, where did this naming come from?

First of all, we need to know that the naming method of white appliances and black appliances was first created by foreigners. When household appliances were just emerging, the engines built into large appliances such as washing machines, air conditioners, and refrigerators were relatively large. If you want to ensure that the net capacity inside the machine meets people's daily lives, the size of the entire appliance must be relatively large, otherwise you would be equivalent to spending a lot of money to buy an engine home.

At this time, the white shell can play the role of shrinking the visual angle, making the machine itself look smaller and not so abrupt when placed in the bathroom, kitchen, etc. As time goes by, people call machines such as washing machines, air conditioners, and refrigerators that can convert electrical energy into heat energy through their own motors to help people complete their daily work "white appliances." Yes, because their exterior coating is mostly white.

Black appliances are essentially different from white appliances. Black appliances mostly refer to products that can provide people with entertainment, such as color TVs, stereos, and cameras. At that time, the outermost edge of the TV with a CRT display screen was black, because such a design can minimize the user's visual error, and the black body is also conducive to the heat dissipation of the machine. After that, most designers designed TVs and related products such as video recorders, stereos, etc. in black so that they would not look out of place with the TV. Over time, people called these products that can provide people with spiritual entertainment "black appliances." Yes, because their exterior coating is mostly black.

The truth is that it is so ridiculous. If you ask me if there is any huge mystery behind this, there is really none. It can be said that it is because they have always been this color in the past, and people have called it this way over time. This is also reasonable and irrefutable.

Now, with the improvement of people's living standards, the pursuit of color matching and the technological progress of various home appliance manufacturers, home appliances of other colors besides white and black are emerging in an endless stream, but their functions are nothing more than providing convenience in life and bringing spiritual entertainment to people, so people still habitually call these products white appliances and black appliances. However, if you say a big red refrigerator is a white appliance, people who don't understand will definitely say you are color blind.

Not only white appliances and black appliances, but also computer information products and "green appliances" called "beige appliances" are entering our lives. When we cannot classify refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners with a unified name due to their different functions, isn't the name "white appliances" a good one? However, the editor was really tricked. Such naming is really based on color...

3D printing once again shows its magic: printing songs

Printing physical objects with 3D technology is no longer new, so how about using it to print a song? The startup Reify has designed a proprietary technology that can record sound, then shape the sound in a three-dimensional space model, and use a 3D printer to turn it into a small plastic sculpture that can be placed on the desktop. The team calls it a "totem."

"This technology is designed to create a new visual language," said CEO Wood. The team collaborated with experimental musicians to let them interpret their music as it should be. Early collaboration bands included Tim Fain, Yacht, Mae, and Health, whose main works were not mainstream pop music, but experimental music.

After that, through an app installed on the phone, the user can scan the sculpture with the camera, and the music corresponding to the sculpture can be played on the phone, and the animation corresponding to the music will also appear on the screen. So, you can also understand this sculpture as a music player. Wood said, "You can use the phone as a special pair of glasses to appreciate the world of music through it."

Of course, this project is still in its infancy, but it received $8,789 in fundraising support just three days after it went online on Kickstarter.

When three-dimensional music appears in color, it becomes an audible, visible and tangible existence.