Around the world in 7 days #3

NASA launches a first 3D printed test rocket.

A test rocket, 100 feet tall and 7.5 feet wide launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida became the first launch of a test rocket made entirely from 3D-printed parts. A combination of copper, chromium, and niobium, GRCop (named after Glenn research copper) is optimised for high strength, high thermal conductivity, high creep resistance – which allows more stress and strain in high temperature applications – and good low cycle fatigue – which prevents material failures –above 900 degrees farenheit. They tolerate temperatures up to 40% higher than traditional copper alloys, which leads to higher performance components and reusability. Modern manufacturing methods such as?laser powder bed fusion ?and directed energy deposition are two approaches that can be used to build GRCop parts for many aerospace applications, such as the Terran 1 rocket engines.

My take: 3D printing is going through the phase where early high investment cost and uncertainty of the outcome are constraints to adopt it. As and when such achievements are done, this will ease the use of additive manufacturing. Lasers will play central role in additive manufacturing and an inflexion in this field could be seen in near future. Also, the material property limitations can be assessed with additive manufacturing, which provide a vast array of options in synthesising new materials.

Geoffrey Hinton leaves Google

Geoffrey Hinton, one of the most respected names in the artificial intelligence community, has left his job at Google to speak out about the dangers that AI pose now and in the future. "In the NYT today, Cade Metz implies that I left Google so that I could criticize 谷歌 . Actually, I left so that I could talk about the dangers of AI without considering how this impacts Google. Google has acted very responsibly" he tweeted

It all began in 2012 when he and two of his students created a breakthrough neural network that could analyze images and identify common items in the photos. The following year, Google acquired Hinton's company, DNNresearch, for?$44 million ?and brought him on to continue his work.

In the short term, he is worried about the Internet being flooded with fake pictures, videos, and text that will confuse people and leave them not knowing what is real anymore. Over the long term, AI could eventually replace many jobs done by humans. Eventually, AI could overtake its human creators in other areas, too.

My take: It's still at nascent stage to know anything about AI, but just like a knife it can be used for anything. A good policies on deployment of AI & protecting people from fake news and images should be done on priority. AI will make humans concentrate on better problems to be solved and thats where our policies should direct AI.

Microsoft to build its own GPU with AMD

Looks like 微软 is leaving no stone unturned to gain dominance in AI. It?is working with AMD on the chipmaker’s expansion into artificial intelligence processors, as a part of a multi-pronged strategy to secure more of the highly coveted components.This is to counter 英伟达 's which dominated AI GPU. a first version is just a starting point, the people said. It takes years to build a good chip, and 英伟达 has a substantial head start. 英伟达 is the chip supplier of choice for many providers of tools for generative AI, including 亚马逊 , Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud , and Elon Musk has secured thousands of its processors for his fledgling AI business, according to reports.

My take : It really looks like Microsoft has big plans for deploying AI with current products, with its cloud-computing services and acquisition of GitHub it is looking to pioneer many AI applications. It can bring some revolutionary product on lines of Microsoft 365 Copilot This also signals Microsoft's deepening involvement in the chip industry. Microsoft has spent about $2 billion on its chip efforts -Athena project. Microsoft is positioning itself in "all things AI".

May the fold be with you

After months of rumours and leaks,?Google ?has confirmed the?Pixel Fold's ?existence. It showed off the foldable in an official capacity for the first time in a video posted on Twitter and YouTube . The company?was expected ?to reveal the Pixel Fold?at Google I/O next week .

It's said to run on Google's Tensor G2 chipset .The external screen reportedly measures 5.8 inches and the internal display 7.6 inches. As for battery life, rumors suggest the Pixel Fold will run for up to 24 hours based on regular use and up to 72 hours with Extreme Battery Saver mode enabled.

My take : Companies have been aggressively trying to work on foldable display devices , but I don't think this is a need for a regular person. A foldable phone will be bulkier and still wont be as big as tablet. People usually have their laptops in office settings and usually switch to it when they need a bigger screen. While travelling the same principal applied , either you pull out your laptop or travel with a tab. Most vehicles today have a good dashboards and screen behind seats where you can display your own content via phone. I am yet to see a need for foldable devices, except for niche application.

Nokia drone for site maintenance inspections

Nokia has released a cellular-connected drone solution for enterprises to run remote security and maintenance inspections of sites and equipment. It is pitched for public safety agencies, smart cities operations, manufacturing and construction companies, energy and utilities groups, and the defense sector.?

Nokia’s drones offer 50 minutes of flight time and a 30 kilometre range.Beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations with real-time kinetic (RTK) positioning improves situational awareness. Dual modem connectivity allows Nokia drones to simultaneously connect to multiple networks, complying with system redundancy that is commonly required by aviation regulatory bodies

My take : Drones will take off quickly once the regulatory policies are decided and security concerns gets addressed. Companies such as Zipline are doing wonderful job with the delivery of blood to hospitals. Solutions like the one offered by 诺基亚 can easily now be used in large ports, solar farms , oil rigs etc where the situational awareness can evaluated remotely before allocating resources. This solution will drive efficiency and can further enhance many operations such as dockyards, sewage treatment plants etc.

EU to build its own Starlink

A consortium of nearly every major European satellite company?announced Tuesday ?that it plans to bid for a proposed satellite constellation to provide global communications. Essentially, such a constellation would provide the European Union with connectivity from low-Earth orbit similar to what SpaceX's Starlink offers.

China is also developing its own mega constellation, but Europe clearly did not want to hand over its secure communications to a global rival . That left Eutelsat OneWeb . But this network is partially owned by the United Kingdom—which very publicly exited the European Union a few years ago—and may not have the capacity to meet all of Europe's needs.

My take : The most well-known frontrunners are Eutelsat OneWeb and StarLink, but many others aim to make similar systems, for example LeoSat Enterprises, Inc. , Telesat (Canada) and Honyan (China). Small satellites could allow near real and real time satellite imagery, making it feasible for global corporations to monitor all their assets at the same time and generate high-resolution visual data for individual companies, governments, or those trading on global financial markets. The advantages in deploying small satellites for EO include lowered business entry barriers and faster deployment due to the reduced costs and improved surveillance capability made possible by constellations and swarms. And there will be a swarm. Prior to 2012, less than 100 satellites were being launched into LEO orbit. Since then, there has been a surge in activity, leading to a launch rate of more than 400 for 2017-2018, with an estimated further 7000 ready for launch in the next 10 years .

An app update could ease tensions

Airbnb Inc. ?is revamping the home-rental platform in an effort to ease mounting tensions between guests and hosts ahead of what it expects to be a busy summer travel season.To fix pricing, Airbnb called on its design department and 20 different teams. The result is a system that allows guests to view the total cost, including all fees before taxes across the entire app. Hosts will also have new tools to set competitive prices, add discounts and compare their listing to similar ones in their area. Hosts can also view their total nightly price across the app to always know what guests will pay.?

They also admitted that they had deviated from their core mission ie. staying at cheap and meeting new people. They are making sure their rooms will cost less than $100.

My take : This holiday season will be very competitive for lodging space since social media sites today advertise hotels, motels, etc much effectively and thereby creating better experiences. Hotels are drastically reducing prices to attract the customers, since they are professionally managed they are better and safe for short stays. Airbnb could cater to long stays and digital nomads, but as said with internet and effective online marketing one place his property effectively without Airbnb .

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