🔰 Origami drone grippers, Butterfly solar wings, Princeton's nuclear tool

Researchers at Japan’s Shibaura Institute of Technology have revealed the “Self-Folding Origami Gripper (SOG).” The SOG upgrades unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by adding grasping capabilities, taking inspiration from the ancient Japanese art of folding paper — origami.

Of late, drones have transformed industries, whether photography, agriculture, surveying, or even disaster management. For more on how the folding grippers work, have a look at today’s Must-Read.

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

> Systems Engineer
> Staff Engineer

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MUST READ

🔰 Inspired by origami, researchers create self-folding grippers for drones

Introducing grasping mechanisms to lightweight quadcopters— the most popular type of low-cost drone— has proven challenging due to weight limitations that can compromise flight stability. In light of this, a team engineered a self-folding paper device.

At the heart of the SOG is a “bistable” structure, a clever origami configuration that can exist in two stable conformations, similar to a snap bracelet. The researchers adopted a “water bomb” base, which transitions from a “mountain” to a “valley” shape when force is applied to its center.

They also introduced cylindrical “fingers” around the edges of this water bomb base, which allows SOG to clutch and hold objects as it “closes up.” 

🦋 Super maneuverable satellite with butterfly-like solar wings unveiled

A spaceflight start-up has emerged from stealth mode after securing more than $3 million in funding from the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Space Force. Portal Space Systems, located in Seattle, U.S., will use this funding to accelerate the development and deployment of its flagship innovation: the Supernova satellite bus.

Founded in 2021, the space startup aims to solve orbital maneuverability challenges with its “ultra-mobile spacecraft.” The Supernova bus runs on solar-thermal propulsion technology, which uses sun energy to heat propellant and generate thrust.

The Supernova will be designed to be more mobile than any other satellite currently in orbit. This means Supernova will be able to trek from low Earth to geostationary orbit in hours.

☢️ Princeton’s new pinhole-camera-like tool promises better nuclear fusion

A new diagnostic tool developed by researchers at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) aims to increase the heat of nuclear fusion reactions and the overall power output.

Dubbed ALPACA, the instrument measures the light emitted by the halo of neutral atoms surrounding plasma in tokamak reactors. Previous attempts have used measurements from other instruments, but the data has been difficult to interpret.

ALPACA is the first diagnostic tool that can work specifically to measure Lyman-alpha frequency and deliver cleaner data. The researchers have designed a twin instrument called LLAMA (Lyman-alpha measurement apparatus) that can measure the lower part of the tokamak.

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HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY

SCIENCE

> In a new initiative, researchers have proposed that astronauts run the ‘lunar Wall of Death’ to counteract muscle and bone wasting on the Moon. (More)

> Surgeons in Japan have successfully transplanted kidney tissue from one rat fetus to another while the recipient was still in its mother’s womb. (More)

> University of San Diego researchers created a biodegradable plastic from bacterial spores and thermoplastic polyurethane pellets. (More)

ENERGY

> Researchers unveil a novel approach using mining byproducts to produce batteries crucial for the growing electric vehicle (EV) market. (More)

> Japan’s Chubu Electric Power Co. Inc. secures a EUR 130 million (USD 139.3 million) loan for an 8.2 MW geothermal project in Germany. (More)

> An advanced 'high-density waterless hydro' energy plant gets green light in the UK. The project promises to open up zero-carbon energy storage to a broad range of areas without huge hills. (More)

INNOVATION

> Engineers at RMIT University have developed energy-efficient bricks that can reduce electricity bills by 5 percent. They replace clay with waste materials in brick production. (More)

> Boston Dynamics’ Spot now has a furry cousin, Sparkles, and this cuddly canine will surely melt hearts. A recent video reveals a dance-off between the two. (More)

> An artificial intelligence algorithm trained by thousands of citizen scientists discovered more than 1,000 never-before-seen space rocks in our solar system. (More)

VIDEO

> Northwestern Robotics has presented a novel way of getting robots to swarm. The method involves using image moments - various polynomials - to quickly gather robots. (More)

> Two lifeforms have merged into one organism for the first time in a billion years. The last time that happened, the world developed plant life. This time, the hope is that the organism can revolutionize agriculture. (More)

> How do flies...fly? A team at Caltech is working on breaking down fly flight mechanics. Their work may yet prove vital to future biomimetic robot design. (More)

IE QUIZ: THE RESULTS

In yesterday’s quiz, we asked, What is the maximum number of smartphones you can charge simultaneously?

The answer is: Since we have one source of electrical energy which is the wall plug who has one outlet in total, in the best combination we can charge 15 phones simultaneously.

Ready for more brainy challenges? Gear up for future IE quizzes by following us on Instagram and Facebook! 

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