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Innovation

All articles tagged with #innovation

LEGO-powered motor reaches 4,000 RPM with minimalist parts
innovation10 days ago

LEGO-powered motor reaches 4,000 RPM with minimalist parts

A YouTuber builds a fully working electric motor from LEGO bricks, magnets, a hand-wound copper coil, a sensor coil, a transistor, and a 9-volt battery. Without a microcontroller or complex electronics, a sensor coil detects rotor magnets and triggers timed power bursts to the driving coil, producing self-timed rotation. The project illustrates core electromagnetism and feedback control, with rotor configurations claimed to reach up to 4,000 rpm and varying speeds/torques that can drive a small LEGO car.

via Interesting Engineering|
#diy#education#electromagnetism
China unveils ultrafast holographic 3D printing at 0.6 seconds
innovation11 days ago

China unveils ultrafast holographic 3D printing at 0.6 seconds

Researchers at Tsinghua University have introduced Digital Incoherent Synthesis of Holographic light fields (DISH), a holographic-based volumetric 3D printing method that can fabricate millimeter-scale objects in 0.6 seconds with 12‑micrometer precision. By projecting holographic light from multiple angles in a resin, without moving parts or layered drying, the system achieves about 333 cubic millimeters per second and could enable rapid, high-resolution production for biomedicine, nanotechnology, micro-robotics, and flexible electronics.

via Interesting Engineering|
#3d-printing#biomedicine#dish
Smart Autocracy: How China Turned Control Into a Tech Powerhouse
world15 days ago

Smart Autocracy: How China Turned Control Into a Tech Powerhouse

Jennifer Lind argues that China’s leaders embraced “smart authoritarianism,” pairing selective openness, elite education, and controlled civil society with advanced surveillance and state-led tech investment to spur innovation without loosening political control. The approach has helped China become a global tech leader in AI, quantum tech, and robotics, altering global competition and challenging the assumption that autocracy cannot innovate; the United States will need to adapt its own strengths to counter the rising Chinese model.

via Foreign Affairs|
#ai#china#geopolitics
NASA’s Athena hits 20 petaflops, boosting rockets, aircraft, and AI
innovation26 days ago

NASA’s Athena hits 20 petaflops, boosting rockets, aircraft, and AI

NASA has unveiled Athena, its most powerful supercomputer to date, delivering over 20 petaflops at the Ames Research Center to run complex rocket and aircraft simulations, train large AI models, and analyze vast mission data with a hybrid on-site and cloud approach; the system is available to NASA researchers and external scientists, as Artemis II preparations continue.

via Interesting Engineering|
#athena#hecc#hybrid-computing
US Seeks Fresh Ideas to Redefine Its Space Program in $125K Challenge
technology27 days ago

US Seeks Fresh Ideas to Redefine Its Space Program in $125K Challenge

Amid China's rising space capabilities and a booming commercial sector, scientists and policymakers are soliciting ideas through the Space Ideation Challenge—a $125,000 prize (including $25,000 for student submissions) for 3–5 page white papers on ways to boost the space economy or national security. Submissions are due by June 30, with judging by August 15 and winners briefed to policymakers including Congress, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, and Space Force leaders. The goal is nontraditional, open thinking to help NASA navigate private space, new lunar competition, and the broader strategic space landscape.

via Ars Technica|
#innovation#nasa#space
Hair-thin fiber chips turn garments into microcomputers
innovation1 month ago

Hair-thin fiber chips turn garments into microcomputers

Researchers at Fudan University have created fully flexible fiber chips that embed complete electronic circuits inside hair-thin strands, forming fiber integrated circuits (FICs) with high transistor density capable of processing digital, analog, and neural-style computing; these fibers survive thousands of bending cycles, washing, and heat, enabling self-contained computing in smart textiles and wearables, with early scalable manufacturing and publication in Nature.

via Interesting Engineering|
#fiber-chips#fiber-integrated-circuits#flexible-electronics
technology1 month ago

War Department Unifies Innovation Engine to Accelerate Warfighter Tech

The War Department reorganizes its innovation ecosystem to accelerate fielding of commercial technology: the Defense Innovation Unit and Strategic Capabilities Office are designated as Department of War Field Activities under a CTO-led structure, Cameron Stanley is appointed Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, Owen West leads DIU, and a CTO Actions Group oversees six execution organizations to align services with innovation goals and speed acquisitions for faster delivery of technology, products, and operational capabilities to the warfighter.

via U.S. Department of War (.gov)|
#artificialintelligence#defense#defenseinnovationunit
Bill Gates Warns of AI Risks and a Potential Return to Dark Ages by 2026
world1 month ago

Bill Gates Warns of AI Risks and a Potential Return to Dark Ages by 2026

In his 2026 letter, Bill Gates expresses cautious optimism about the future, emphasizing the importance of innovation in health, climate, and education, while highlighting challenges such as rising child mortality, economic disparities, and the disruptive potential of AI. He advocates for increased generosity, scaling technological solutions for equality, and careful management of AI risks to ensure long-term progress.

via Fortune|
#2026-annual-letter#bill-gates#climate-change