-Quantum is one of those words that implies a certain significance to whatever it describes. So it seems a little odd when the recent news that Los Alamos National Labs has been using what equates to a quantum internet for 2 years, the announcement was almost an aside. Now the important aspect of a quantum internet is its security. Much as the nature of a particle is altered when one attempts to ascertain both its position and momentum, if a quantum internet connection is interrupted by someone trying to gain access to the information, it will collapse. Now the labs were using a work around by running connections to a central hub which then redistributed signals to their destinations. That’s important because typically the idea behind a quantum internet implies that it can only run between two points because, as mentioned above, any alteration in the nature of the signal causes its state to collapse into noise. So merely telling it to go from one location to another breaches the security. So instead signals are sent to a central router which then redirects them. That does mean that the router is a weak point, but the whole concept of the protecting the signal in transit is sound.

-Antimatter may be the opposite of matter but there are some very good questions about how it reacts with the forces that are present in the universe. CERN is presently beginning to set up experiments that will measure the effects of gravity on antimatter. While there are no expectations that antimatter will react in a directly opposite manner than ordinary matter, it does make scientists wonder if the established laws of gravity will be born out in their experiments. CERN’s experiment will start by generating anti-hydrogen which will be contained in a magnetic bottle. The scientists will then observe which of the walls of the bottle the anti-hydrogen will collide with in order to establish a pattern. Since antimatter reacts violently with matter and releases a tremendous amount of energy upon contact it could be used for energy production or possibly even propulsion. However, in order to use this effectively we need to understand the nature and properties of antimatter which is where CERN’s research comes into play.

-Crossing the US by air happens daily but the journey of the Solar Impulse will be something different. The solar powered plane will leave from Mountville, CA and travel to New York, NY starting on May 1st. The plane has space for a single pilot and is capable of flying overnight. This is not a straight through flight and will feature stops in Phoenix, Dallas and then D.C. before the final lap to New York. The idea is to show case the technology along the way. While the wingspan is larger than a 747 the plane itself weighs less than a car.

-Hydrogen Peroxide could be the key to life beneath the surface of Europa. While it’s not something one usually considers a key, the mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water causes the compound to decay with an oxygen byproduct. The Galileo mission found initial proof of hydrogen peroxide during its study of the moon. Recent observation by the Keck telescope has revealed that the face of Europa in the direction of its orbit has the highest concentration. Also on March 26th President Obama signed a bill that will add 75 million dollars to fund to explore Europa as well as increasing the money for planetary exploration.

-The most recent Space-X Dragon capsule sent to the International Space Station almost didn’t make the trip. Due to small error in the production of the oxidizer tank check valves, three out of four of the valves failed under high pressure right after separation in the critical time where the capsule orients itself to receive communication from the ground. The solution was rather ingenious and involved rapidly writing new code to cause a build up pressure above the valves and make it release rapidly forcing them open. The tricky part was that the capsule was not in a position to receive the programming upload so the Air Force was contacted to provide higher intensity communication arrays that were able to reach the Dragon Capsule. The last minute solution was a success and the capsule docked with the station in what was described as a picture perfect catch.

-China is determined to be wired. New policies just put into place require that if a home is built within a mile of a fiber optic cable that it will be hooked up. This all begins in April and China hopes to have 40 million of its residents wired by 2015. But that isn’t all, if you’re hooked up, you also have the right to choose amongst all of the possible local providers via the fiber. This is a very proactive stance and it’s way ahead of the US’s own since Google seems to be the only one who’s trying to promote fiber wiring. Right now our nation doesn’t even have consistent broadband coverage, so it sounds like we could be left behind. -Graphene—the list of what it can’t do is getting smaller. A few months ago WTS let you know the many uses of this series of carbon molecules. Now you can add one more thing to the list—graphene can be used to help clean up spills of nuclear waste. The waste adheres to the graphene and allows workers to clean up the spill. Later, since graphene burns, it can be burnt away from the waste which can then be contained.

-Tactus is an interesting new way to expand the touch screen into actual buttons. The buttons are pockets that are filled with a liquid that is in a layer and pulled up into gaps on request. The buttons are not tall they are only a few millimeters above the surface but they can be used to create a better representation of a keyboard than keys that are merely graphics. The company will produce the screens which can then be attached to tablet or reader surfaces. The buttons can represent anything from a standard keyboard to game controllers.

-That yellow light that’s glowing constantly on your car’s dashboard could have been prevented by a new product called carvoyant. There is a standardized plug on all cars built after 1996 that is located near the car’s steering column. By taking a carvoyant device and plugging it in here, the user is then able to warned about potential issues that could lead to costly repairs via cell phone. By looking at readings taken over time, the carvoyant device looks at the same information that your garage does, but shares it with you. Making replacements and repairs ahead of time will allow the driver to increase the lifespan of their car.

(Getting what we need from the environment without harming it)

-Wetlands could generate electricity using the Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell. Netherlands researchers have developed the device which is designed to be placed near the roots of plants where the electrode of the cell would capture electrons released by bacteria as they feed off the organic effluvia. So not only would this work in marshes the scientists believe that it would also be effective with grasses. So you could potentially charge your laptop from cells that were amongst the roots of the grass planted on the roof of your home.

-The PENG or pyroelectric nano generator takes a different approach to things and uses heat to harvest potential. Excess heat produced by any number of things represents thermal potential and a team of scientists have created a device to take advantage of the pyroelectric effect. This effect derives electric potential from minute changes in temperature. So imagine placing a PENG next to your computer’s exhaust port to charge your telephone battery.

Instead of wasting the potential of the heat caused by the processor, we reuse it. Right now almost half the energy generated in the US is lost in waste heat, so the PENG could turn the tables on that problem. Prior generators were limited in their output, but using lead zirconate titante as a building material has allowed scientists to greatly increase their efficiency. The key here is these are small, so it is the end result of a bank of generators instead of a single one that is important. Right now the current issue rather than the voltage since current PENG’s cannot deliver the electricity faster than a device could discharge, but the technology continues to have great potential.

-In dry and arid places a self filling water bottle could be the holy grail sought by a new startup called NBDnano. To be truly self filling, the bottle will not require any additional energy to be input to start the process. Nature has already taken a stab at the idea with Namib Desert beetle. This little bug has alternating areas that are attractive and repellant to water. When exposed to water vapor, droplets form and a shepherded together in such a way that they will not be lost and can be ingested by the beetle. There still has to be a moisture laden breeze and NBDnano is generating the breeze with solar panels and rechargeable batteries. If there is no moisture then the system doesn’t work. So it looks like the company has a long road ahead of them to true success.

-Carbon has a number of desirable states. The one we are most familiar with is the diamond. Interestingly enough there is a good chance that one of the first exo-planets identified, 55 Canceri, is composed of quite a bit of diamond. The planet which is twice the size of earth is also eight times as dense and given the close proximity of its orbit, astronomers believed it would have a burned and blasted surface. But 55 Canceri has a very strange chemical makeup, one so odd that it seems there were several misconceptions about what actually could occur on its surface. There were guesses at supercritical fluids that welled up onto the land which scientists have now passed over in favor of graphite and diamond. Astronomers now believe that original estimate of the density of the planet (which was initially close to that of lead) is due to the presence of large quantities of diamond. 55 Canceri is not the first diamond planet discovered, but it is the first one orbiting a planet similar to our own sun.

-Another aspect of carbon are carbon nanotubes. Using the unique bonding properties of the carbon atom, the tubes provide high tensile strength and are used in building materials which need to be both light and durable. New research has shown that if the tubes are aligned and then stretched that the end result can be a 90% increase in the tensile strength of the material. The tubes are grown upright and tend to lean against each other. Pulling on one side of the substrate causes them to fall over in the same direction. The tubes are then encased in resin and wound into a ribbon. This breakthrough may lead to materials for the construction of a space elevator.

-Graphene is yet another carbon form that is most useful in sheets only a molecule thick. These sheets are formed of hexagons with a carbon molecule on each tip forming a plane. Since the sheets are only one atom thick, electrical impulses and energy such as heat pass easily through them. In fact taking the sheets and creating a layering can produce an electric transformer where the electrons in one layer pull others up due to the interaction of their charges. Graphene can also be used as a lubricant if broken down into tiny plates. Scientists also believe that a foam of graphene can be used to create supercapicitors.

Cool Tech

-What if your shoes knew the way home? Dominic Wilcox has created the “No Place Like Home” shoes with a GPS device in the left heel. The left toe of the shoe is a circle of lights which will indicate the direction one should travel. The right toe had a line of lights which gradually goes out the closer one gets to the destination. Program in your goal and get walking!

-Here’s another good reason to wear a helmet when you’re on your bike, the new ICEdot will send out a call for help if you take a serious spill. The In Case of Emergency contact programmed into your phone can be activated via blue tooth when the helmet detects an impact. The user has the option to override the message in case things aren’t threatening, but the option is there if needed. The ICEdot technology could have many other uses like monitoring motorcyclists or construction workers.

-Enabletalk have created a pair of gloves which will allow sign language users to literally speak with their hands. The gloves interpret the signing and then via a smart phone “speak” for the user. Enabletalk’s next ambition is to allow two users to have a cell phone conversation with each other.

-Your driveway could be a cool glowing path leading the way home at night. Round pebbles coated with photoluminescent paints can be scattered across your drive. Each day the rocks receive a charge from the sunlight and each night they give off a luminous glow. COREglow pebbles come in three colors and after 10-20 minutes worth of exposure to sunlight, shine for 10-12 hours. COREglow is on sale currently in the UK.