🧲 Fusion with household magnets, Programmable metafluid, Lunar time capsule

Scientists achieved a significant breakthrough in fusion energy technology. They’ve built the first-of-its-kind fusion experiment using permanent magnets — the same kind that’s used in your fridge.

The surprisingly simple technique could potentially slash the cost of future fusion power plants. Find out what this means for a type of fusion machine called a stellarator by reading today’s Must Read.

🔥Today’s job of the day as featured on jobs.interestingengineering.com:

> Director, Software Development, Machine Learning Engineering
> Web and Automation Developer/Engineer

🎙 New podcast How SqUID robots are taking over warehouse logistics with Gili Ovadia

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MUST READ

🧲 Scientists build breakthrough nuclear fusion device with household magnets

Traditionally, stellarators create their complex magnetic fields with precisely constructed and expensive electromagnets. But a team’s new device, called MUSE, breaks the mold.

That is, they rely on permanent magnets — like those on your refrigerator –— instead of electromagnets. This drastically simplifies construction. MUSE’s design goes beyond affordability, though. Scientists theorized this approach for decades — it just took decades for a team to pull it off.

Stellarators hold an advantage over tokamaks, a popular alternative fusion machine design. Tokamaks rely on electric currents within the plasma, which can be unstable, making fusion reactions harder to sustain. Stellarators, lacking this issue, can run continuously.

🫗 Harvard team engineers shape-shifting metafluid that can program robots

In a recent Harvard study, engineers unveiled pulled the wraps off a special metafluid. So what sets it apart? Well, apparently, it’s programmable, boasting configurable springiness, optical traits, and viscosity. Moreover, it can transition between Newtonian and non-Newtonian states.

Using a scalable method, the team made numerous malleable capsules filled with air and suspended them in silicon oil. Applying pressure breaks the capsules, whereas releasing pressure causes the capsules to return to their spherical shape.

The team claims that by varying capsule quantity, size, and thickness the metafluid’s traits are customizable. Such a development can be useful in developing hydraulic actuators, programming robots, and intelligent shock absorbers (just to name a few).

🚀 Lunar time capsule to store ‘essence of humanity’ on 24 sapphire discs

French engineer Benoit Faibeley is leading a team of international scientists and artists, in collaboration with NASA, to send a time capsule to the Moon for future generations to uncover.

The project, called “Sanctuary on the Moon,” aims to engrave 24 sapphire discs, each with up to seven billion micropixels of information. The discs are currently being engraved with “the very essence of humanity.”

It’s not the first time a space mission has aimed to send a “backup for humanity” to the Moon. However, Sanctuary on the Moon will be the first mission to carry male and female genomes. It will also include mathematic equations, as well as scientific findings, and works of art.

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IE QUIZ: THE RESULTS

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The answer is: 15

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