The Elements of Innovation Discovered
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Jet Propulsion Lab rovers will conduct autonomous experiments to test viability of mostly independent robotic work in space. After years of research and development, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced that its CADRE mini-rovers will soon arrive on the Moon aboard a lunar lander to test the viability of cooperative robotics in future exploration of celestial bodies. Developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, the Cooperat... Full story
Betavolt reveals battery of atomic proportions, may be solution to long-form energy storage on a micro-scale Exploring alternate battery chemistries, Beijing-based Betavolt has unveiled a new battery that it claims can generate electricity for at least 50 years without the need for recharging or maintenance. The catch – they are nuclear-powered, with diamond semiconductors, and only generate around 100 Microwatts at a size less than a five Jiao coin, which is about 25... Full story
Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator network issues third round of pan-Canadian call for proposals Issuing its third pan-Canadian call for proposals from innovative clean-tech companies for the mining industry, the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) network, supported by the Government of Canada, hopes to once again drive the nationwide commodity toward modernization through efficiency and sustainability. Created in 2021 through a strategic C$40...
Seeks innovation in recovering untapped multi-billion-dollar electronic scrap industry in America. Organizing an engaging competition to spur recycling of critical materials from electronic scrap, the U.S. Department of Energy launched its Electronics Scrap Recycling Advancement Prize (E-SCRAP), which will award up to $4 million for winning competitors. Including mobile phones, home appliances, medical or office equipment and essentially any other consumer technology powered... Full story
Supports future recycling leader toward ongoing facility construction. Almost two years after its initial $200 million investment from Glencore plc, Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. has announced a new $75 million strategic investment from the Swiss commodities trading and mining company to help the recycling company continue to position itself as a future leader in the production of critical battery materials. "We are pleased to secure an additional $75 million investment from... Full story
Department of Energy hopes to build a more secure and resilient semiconductor supply chain for EV manufacturing in the U.S. Once again investing in the future of secure, domestic manufacturing, the U.S. Department of Energy, through its Loan Programs Office (LPO) has conditionally committed to loan SK Siltron CSS, LLC $544 million to expand American production of high-quality silicon carbide (SiC) wafers for electric vehicles. This more than half-a-billion-dollar loan toward...
Titanium metamaterial unlocks strength beyond nature. Pushing beyond what is found in nature, scientists from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology have engineered a lightweight and high-strength titanium material that holds promise for applications in medical, transportation, military, energy, and everything else that could benefit from an already widespread metal. Using a common titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V (titanium-aluminum-vanadium), the research team constructed...
Three projects that will advance coal-derived rare earths and critical minerals. Further attempting to strengthen America's critical mineral supply chain and by proxy its national security, the U.S. Department of Energy announced $17 million in funding for three projects focused on establishing a domestic supply of rare earth elements and critical minerals from coal-based resources. Funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as part of President Biden's Investing in...
Prismo Metals brings ExploreTech xFlare technology to world-class copper project Heating up its exploration endeavors at the company's Hot Breccia project in the heart of the great Arizona Copper Belt, Prismo Metals Inc. has enlisted the support of Exploration Technologies Inc.'s xFlare artificial intelligence technology to assess the potential of this world-class copper target. "The Hot Breccia project should be an ideal place to apply xFlare," said Prismo Metals President... Full story
The GMG battery maintains less than body temperature when charged and discharged over long periods, high speeds. Following its successful production of a prototype 500 milliampere-hour graphene-aluminum battery, Graphene Manufacturing Group Ltd. (GMG) continues to demonstrate the performance of its potentially game-changing batteries compared to conventional lithium-ion. This includes keeping their cool during rapid charging and discharging. Capitalizing on its proprietary...
Supersonic experiments help identify atomic resilience in metamaterials for spacecraft, vehicles, helmets, or other objects. In a "sound-breaking" study conducted by engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a novel method has been unveiled for rapidly assessing the resilience of metamaterials and their architectures by exposure to supersonic impacts, positioning research toward possible nanoscale particle-proof protective hulls and segments that can withstand... Full story
Startup sets new standard for orbital industry with scalable, modular thrusters that come with a suite of support tech for seamless operation. Supporting the dreams of countless space-venturing hopefuls, like its namesake, Morpheus Space Inc. has unveiled a potentially game-changing liquid metal ion propulsion system that they believe will chart a path to the stars for smaller companies and organizations to explore the infinite possibilities of endless space. As orbital capabi...
Works with ABB to develop prototype that seldom needs a recharge due to innovative trolly assist and regenerative braking system. Heavy equipment staple Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. and electrification and automation leader ABB Ltd. have reached a milestone in their collaboration to develop a battery-powered electric mining haul truck that never needs to break for a recharge. Under development since 2021, with the goal of meeting the growing demand for reducing...
With the groundwork laid out for its THERMAL-XR graphene-based HVAC coating, Graphene Manufacturing Group Ltd. (GMG) recently expanded its product reach to North America, receiving approval from Canada and awaiting the final okays from the U.S. Based out of Richlands, Australia, GMG is a clean-tech company that, instead of mining or sourcing graphite to refine into graphene, makes the wonder material through a unique synthetic process. The company has devised a proprietary...
Building the infrastructure that can sustain life is the first step to living outside of Earth's atmosphere. Seeing as it is currently impractical to launch hundreds of rockets laden with all the equipment and supplies needed for a space colony, the European Space Agency is testing extraterrestrial additive manufacturing with the first metal 3D printer delivered to the International Space Station. Although several 3D printers already exist on board the ISS, the first of which...
Inching closer to a fully operational battery recycling and refining facility, Electra Battery Materials Corp. has utilized the last year to meticulously streamline, optimize, and improve its battery recycling trial, as well as the recovery systems for lithium, nickel, cobalt, and other critical minerals at its Ontario complex in Canada. "Throughout this 12-month demonstration operation, our team has continued to refine and optimize the processes resulting in successive...
Further positioning itself as a future domestic supplier of battery materials, American Battery Technology Company announced a substantial expansion of resources at its Tonopah Flats lithium project in Nevada. The Tonopah Flats lithium project encompasses one of the largest known inferred lithium claystone deposits in the United States. While ABTC only began exploration of this lithium deposit in Nevada's Big Smoky Valley in 2021, the company has quickly turned out an...
Looking to put some order into the modern mine, Hivekit Inc. has released an operations management system for the mining and metals industry, providing a cloud-based platform able to track individuals, vehicles, equipment, and other data sources– replicated as a three-dimensional digital twin – allowing management in the virtual before taking it to reality. Founded in 2023, Hivekit is the result of five years of research and development into creating a new way of... Full story
DOE national lab verifies stronger and more flexible 3D-printed metal. As additive manufacturing continues to shift from hobbyist to mainstream, research has ramped up to delve deeper into its expansive applications. A significant focus lies in the materials, such as those being called high-entropy alloys, that unlock unprecedented compositions unattainable through conventional methods. This innovation being explored by scientists has now been examined to its very atomic...
Introducing yet another innovation out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, researchers have developed an additive manufacturing technique that can rapidly print liquid metal into large-scale parts like table legs and chair frames in a matter of minutes. To date, nearly 20 different methods of 3D printing are being utilized, most employing a technique of heating the material after it has been prepared. This is due to various factors, but generally because the material in...
Making some headlines so far this year, a research paper published in "Advanced Quantum Technologies" by leading quantum technology company, Terra Quantum, details a topic that swept the world up in a storm last fall – room temperature superconductors – and much like the excitement of LK-99, this superconductor is also made of a fairly benign ingredient, graphite. Superconductivity is the ability of a conductor to transmit electrical current without the loss of any... Full story
Further advancing the disease-fighting products it developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Zentek Ltd. has released the details of a new study focused on the logistics and costs for commercial facilities that adopt its graphene-based ZenGUARD Enhanced Air Filters, as well as the benefits its product provides to mitigate the spread of airborne transmissive pathogens. "We have learned through the pandemic that viruses spread almost exclusively when people are indoors, and one...
In a discovery that is approaching an "alchemist's dream", a team of scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne and Tokyo Tech has transformed glass into a light-powered semiconductor that could be the window into future clean energy generation. Interested in the behavior of atoms in tellurite glass when exposed to ultrafast bursts of high-energy laser light, the researchers were surprised that a short burst of energy over one femtosecond, or one quadri... Full story
Aluminum-sulfur, iron-phosphate, nickel-hydride, solid-state, redox flow, molten-salt, the growing list of potential alternatives to lithium-ion batteries has exploded onto the scene in the past few years as experts quickly determined a single battery technology could not withstand the torrent of technologies vital to power a future of clean, sustainable energy. One of the most promising contenders is sodium-ion batteries, and with support from automaker giant Stellantis, it...
After successful incentives and mobilization, federal agency says to keep eyes peeled for more development. With a resurgence of nuclear energy in 2022 marking possibly the most significant year for nuclear energy since its inception, 2023 was the year to see if legislation put forth by the Biden administration to reinvigorate this stigmatized power supply would lift off. And according to the Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy, it appears to have been a...