Category Archives: Technology

Future Of Eating Out: Chef Eric Rivera’s “Addo: Incubator” Maximizes Tech To Serve Better Food

From a Wired.com online review:

Addo Restaurant Eric RiveraEvery possible step is done online, and for most meals customers must reserve—and often pay—in advance, essentially buying tickets through a service called Tock that’s mostly used only by high-end restaurants. This means no host manning a podium, no reservation or PR teams, no extra staff on a slow night, almost no food waste, and better guest communications. It also allowed them to go from 20 employees to four full-time and three part-time workers.

Within moments of arriving at Seattle’s Addo restaurant, I was handed a Nintendo Switch controller and a can of Georgetown Brewing Company’s Bodhizafa IPA.

While chef Eric Rivera shuttled back and forth to the kitchen to bring out Puerto Rican snacks, Addo’s director of operations Ingrid Lyublinsky took another controller, jumped into a game of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on a giant projector screen hanging inside the front window, chose Pink Gold Peach, and shot down the track riding a Bone Rattler while someone shouted Pew! Pew! Pew!

To read more: https://www.wired.com/story/eric-rivera/

Automotive Trends: Tesla Unveils “Cybertruck” With “Ultra-Hard 30X Stainless Steel”, 500+ Mile Range

From the Tesla website:

  • Cybertruck is built with an exterior shell made for ultimate durability and passenger protection. Starting with a nearly impenetrable exoskeleton, every component is designed for superior strength and endurance, from Ultra-Hard 30X Cold-Rolled stainless-steel structural skin to Tesla armor glass.

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  • With up to 3,500 pounds of payload capacity and adjustable air suspension, Cybertruck is the most powerful tool we have ever built, engineered with 100 cubic feet of exterior, lockable storage — including a magic tonneau cover that is strong enough to stand on.
  • Space for your toolbox, tire and Cyberquad, with room to spare. Utilize 100 cubic feet of exterior, lockable storage — including the under-bed, frunk and sail pillars.
  • Seat six comfortably with additional storage under the second-row seats. Complete with an advanced 17” touchscreen with an all-new customized user interface.
Tesla Cybertruck
From rugged to refined, Cybertruck is completely adaptable for your needs. Prepare for every experience with a versatile utilitarian design — including on-board power and compressed air.

It’ll do 0-60 mph (0-98 km/h) in 2.9 seconds, and a quarter mile in a ridiculous 10.8 seconds in its highest performance variant. In top spec, it’ll go as far as 500 miles (800 km) on a charge, making it a genuine option for multi-day off-road adventures, and its 250-plus kilowatt charging capability means fast top-ups are on the cards, too. Towing capacity is over 7,500 lb (3,400 kg), which Musk happily demonstrated in an uphill tug of war against a hapless F150.

Website: https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck

Future Of Homebuilding: Prefab “Sunset BUD LivingHome” By Douglas W. Burdge Architects

From a PlantPrefab.com online review:

Douglas W. Burdge - Sunset BUD LivingHomeThe idea for this ADU was conceived in the wake of the 2018 Woolsey Fire, as a way to help families reinhabit their properties while rebuilding their primary residence. All “BUD” designs provide beautiful living spaces that can be delivered quickly and enjoyed for generations as a valuable addition to almost any property.

Burdge Architects
https://www.buaia.com/

This innovative accessory dwelling unit (ADU) offers four different size and layout options to fit almost any property. From a compact studio, to a two-bed, two-bath home with garage, all configurations meet California ADU size allowances and are designed for fast and efficient prefabrication at Plant.

To read more: https://www.plantprefab.com/models/19

Photography: “Stunning” 52-Megapixel Photos Of Moon By Eric Morgunov

From an Interesting Engineering online article:

Morgunov said, “This picture is two different types of photos, a long exposure (to capture earthshine) and a fast shutter to capture the illuminated side.”

Eric Morgunov 52 Megapixel Photo of the Moon Using 500 Images

He continued to explain the additional images he used, which created the final piece: “The illuminated side is 500 photos of 1/60 at 100iso, was stacked and sharpened in autostakertt3 and registax6. The earthshine was around 15 photos at 3-second expo w/ 1600iso stacked and sharpened in autostakertt3 and registax6. I blended the two photos together in photoshop (a lot more work then it seems) added a star trail background gave it glow.”

https://www.instagram.com/ericmorgunov/

Eric Morgunov’s image of the Moon stands out for one main reason: it’s 500 pictures of the Moon brought together to create one incredible 52 megapixel photograph.

To read more: https://interestingengineering.com/man-creates-amazing-52-megapixel-photo-of-the-moon-using-500-images?_source=newsletter&_campaign=23rY2Mo8goQjd&_uid=46dBBxnxd7&_h=0c209d493fa27bb2c39469a873cbbd733289c833&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=mailing&utm_campaign=Newsletter-19-11-2019

Medical Technology: Mobile Ultrasound For Smart Phones Or Devices Assists In Cardiac Arrest

From a Philips.com online release:

Philips Lumify Handheld UltrasoundPhilips Lumify ultrasound technology is an important component of the mobile ECMO unit. Members of the ECMO team use Lumify for real-time visual guidance when inserting tubes in veins and arteries in a process called ECMO cannulation.

“Lumify has excellent image quality and is easy to use – it was instrumental in our first pre-hospital ECMO cannulation,” said Dr. Darren Braude.

Physicians from the University of New Mexico (UNM) and local emergency responders recently treated a cardiac arrest patient with the first ever out-of-hospital portable life-support system available in the United States.

The machine performs a function called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO. ECMO machines mimic a functioning heart and lungs, circulating oxygenated blood for patients who have suffered a cardiac arrest.

To read more: https://www.philips.com/a-w/about/news/archive/standard/news/articles/2019/20191119-philips-lumify-handheld-ultrasound-supports-life-saving-technology-in-pre-hospital-setting.html

To Improve Healthcare: A New, Unbiased “Health Information Agency” Would Transform System

From a HealthAffairs.org online article:

Health Information AgencyThis proposed agency could work like a seal of approval, like the Energy Star program run by the Environmental Protection Agency, for new software, apps, and vendors that will be handling sensitive health information. Just like dishwashers evaluated by Consumer Reports, apps that handle personal health information should have a similar unbiased review process.   

The US health care system is finally at a tipping point of much needed and overdue modernization. While it promises a brave new world of streamlined and improved health care, we are facing nothing short of a revolutionary transformation that is based on a tsunami of readily accessible health information and digital tools.

Currently, there is no federal agency, public-private collaboration, or private industry mechanism that is prepared to handle the ensuing activity in its entirety. We need to get a handle on how best to protect our private health care data while also making sure that information is allowed to flow as freely as necessary to improve our delivery system and population’s health. We need a dedicated team of experts who speak the language of both information technology and public policy. We need a new federal agency that has jurisdiction and dedicated staff to oversee health information and the technology that will simplify and operationalize the information.

To read more: https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20191108.972878/full/?utm_campaign=HASU&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Association+Health+Plans%3B+HIV+Preventive+Recommendations%3B+Improper+Medicaid+Enrollment+Following+Expansion%3B+Health+Reform+On+The+Campaign+Trail%3B+Frequent+Emergency+Department+Users&utm_source=Newsletter

Technology Innovations: “WI-CHARGE” Charges Smart Devices Wirelessly With Infrared Light

From an Interesting Engineering online review:

Wi-Charge TechnologyWi-Charge says it has a solution to the problem. Its technology allows users to power small devices, such as smartphones, smart fire alarms, and smart locks, from several feet away without any wires.

The technology works by sending out a thin beam of infrared light. A receiver on the enabled device then converts the beam into electricity.

Electronic waste is expected to exceed 50 million tonnes by 2020. That number simply isn’t sustainable.

One company is aiming to get rid of one of the main culprits in e-waste: the electronic cable. Wi-Charge has created a method for powering devices wirelessly using safe and efficient infrared technology.

Aside from having the potential to end a great deal of waste, the company is also aiming to meet a growing demand for power that will only increase with the advent of 5G.

WiCharge_Charging_-infographic_wide_v2

To read more: https://interestingengineering.com/is-wireless-power-the-future-for-charging-smart-home-devices?_source=newsletter&_campaign=YqN5dY3r3bJLA&_uid=46dBBxnxd7&_h=0c209d493fa27bb2c39469a873cbbd733289c833&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=mailing&utm_campaign=Newsletter-15-11-2019

 

Medical Podcasts: New Stanford Hospital Uses Technology To Stay “Future-Proofed”

From a Stanford Medicine online article:

Stanford Medicine“A simple example would be copper and fiber wires. When you’re putting wires in a new facility, it’s easier to put in many more than you need that moment because putting them in 5 years from now or 10 years from now is quite hard. Something like 85 percent of our copper wires and fiber optic cables are dark right now because we know we’re going to need them in the future.”

When you consider the fast pace of technological advances today, you wonder how do you go about building a new hospital and keep the technology relevant for 10, 20 or even 50 years?  I put that question to Stanford Health Care’s technology wiz Gary Fritz. He told me:

“We try to do something we call future-proof the hospital. We tried to make design decisions and technology decisions that allow us to move to the current or the next generation technology as easily as possible.”

 

Automotive Nostalgia: 1940s British Van “Morris Commercial” Relaunches With All-Electric Model

From a AutoCar online article:

Morris Commercial Electric VanThe van is new from the ground up, sitting on a new modular platform and featuring a 60kWh lithium ion powertrain said to endow it with a “power-to-weight efficiency that fully maximises the range of the vehicle”. It can fast charge to 80% in 30 minutes. 

Morris Commercial ranks it alongside the Mini, Morris Minor and Land Rover Defender as a “truly iconic post-war British automotive design”.

Revived thanks to unnamed UK and European financial backing, Morris Commercial’s first production model since the 1960s has a 200-mile range, a 1000kg payload and a 2.5-tonne gross weight.

Company website: https://www.morris-commercial.com/

It’ll be priced from £60,000 and set to be built in the UK at an undisclosed location, with the design an engineering taking place in a facility in Worcestershire.

Morris Commercial Electric Van

To read more: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/morris-commercial-revived-1940s-style-electric-van?utm_medium=EMAIL&utm_campaign=&utm_content=ACAR%20ENews%20Bulletin%20-%20SUBS%20AD%20V5%20(14.11.2019)::article2_readmore&utm_source=20191114

 

Top New Science Podcasts: 3D Printer Advances, Gut Microbes Linked To Liver Disease (Nature Magazine)

Nature PodcastHear this week’s science news, with Nick Howe and Shamini Bundell. This week, a new 3D printer allows quick shifting between many materials, and understanding the link between gut microbes and liver disease.

In this episode:

00:46 A new dimension for 3D printers

A new nozzle lets a 3D printer switch between materials at a rapid rate, opening the door to a range of applications. Research Article: Skylar-Scott et al.News and Views: How to print multi-material devices in one go

08:07 Research Highlights

The slippery secrets of ice, and cells wrapping up their nuclei. Research Highlight: Viscous water holds the secret to an ice skater’s smooth glideResearch Highlight: Super-thin layer of ‘bubble wrap’ cushions a cell’s nucleus

10:17 Linking bacteria to liver disease

Researchers have isolated a bacterial strain that appears to play an important role in alcoholic liver disease. Research paper: Duan et al.News and Views: Microbial clues to a liver disease

17:10 News Chat

‘Megaconstellations’ of satellites concern astronomers, and a report on the gender gap in chemistry. News: SpaceX launch highlights threat to astronomy from ‘megaconstellations’News: Huge study documents gender gap in chemistry publishing