After an experiment in the Gulf of Mexico last summer proved that the absence of gravity was pivotal to the successful 3D printing process of a human heart, engineering firm Techshot, bioficial (biological and artificial) 3D-printing ink maker Bioficial Organs, and 3D-printer manufacturer nScrypt are aiming to print the world's first beating heart in the International Space Station by 2019. Space is not only a great place to print bioficial organs, but also for creating advanced technological components such as transparent fiber optic cables, and more efficient solar panels made from gallium arsenide instead of silicon, whose refinement creates toxic byproducts. [Popular Science]
Though General Electric (GE) has its roots in lighting—the company was co-founded by Thomas Edison, after all—the multinational conglomerate is now looking to sell its consumer-lighting business, a source tells The Wall Street Journal. "The lighting unit GE is considering selling is now a small and shrinking business that consists of residential LED lighting and connected-home technology in North America," according to the article. Though there is no concrete deal in the works yet, the sale is potentially worth around $500 million. Last year, the GE's lighting business earned $2.2 billion, just 2 percent of its total revenue. GE plans to retain its commercial-lighting business. In recent years, GE has turned to larger industries and projects such as healthcare equipment, power turbines, and airplane engines. [The Wall Street Journal]
Graphene, an ultra-thin sheet of carbon atoms whose conductivity can lead to highly efficient electronic and photonic devices, has been a challenge to manufacture en masse. Engineering researchers at MIT have found a way to reduce the likelihood of wrinkles within graphene as well as to fix more easily wrinkles that are present through using a silicon carbide wafer to produce single-crystalline graphene. Using a thin sheet of nickel, reasearchers can then peel off the smooth, topmost graphene layer from the silicon carbide wafer. [MIT News]
At a press conference in Brussels yesterday, the majority of the European Union announced that they would not be investing in any future coal-fired plants after 2020 in an effort to meet the Paris climate agreement of 100-percent carbon neutrality by the year 2050. While 26 of the 28 member states agreed to halt investment in coal plants, Greece and Poland did not sign up for the initiative. “History will judge this message we are bringing here today," said Kristian Ruby, secretary-general of Eurelectric, the association of the electricity industry in Europe. "It is a clear message that speaks for itself, and should be seen in close relation to the Paris agreement and our commitment to provide 100-percent carbon-neutral electricity by 2050.” [The Guardian]
For Milan Design Week, Zaha Hadid Architects 3D printed a sculptural installation called "Thallus," which is being displayed at the city's Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera. Created by a six-axis robotic 3D printing system, the piece was constructed out of a 22,966-foot-long, ribbon-like strip of plastic that was manipulated and layered into curvilinear forms. The base of the sculpture was shaped by a trimmed cylinder, which gives it the thallus-like shape of a plant body that has not separated into stem and leaves. [3Ders.org]
The Matrix Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences at Michigan State University (MSU) and a team led by Jon Frey, an associate professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at MSU, are digitizing an Ancient Greek excavation site in Isthmia, Greece. The team is using drone imagery to create a 3D map of the area. [Michigan State University]
ICYMI: The 11th Annual R+D Awards has announced its 2017 jury! Enter your game-changing technologies, products, and projects by April 14 for the Early Bird registration rate, or April 19 for the regular rate. [ARCHITECT]
"Harry," a driverless electric car, is being tested at London's Heathrow Airport to understand how the technology can be applied in urban areas. The vehicle can carry four passengers and a safety officer who can apply emergency brakes if needed). With a maximum speed of 10 mph, the car is not going anywhere fast, but it uses lasers and cameras to measure and be made aware of its surroundings. [Engadget]
Researchers at Purdue University, in Indiana, have found that modified silicon wafers used in a layer for solar absorption devices help improve the capture of sunlight, lower production costs, and reduce re-emission created by heated objects. Devices with the reflective silver layer of silicon wafers on their back also have an upper layer containing an anti-reflection coating made of silicon nitride. "Ideally, the hybrid solar-power system could achieve efficiencies of more than 50 percent, compared to 31 percent for photovoltaic cells alone," says an article on Phys.org. [Phys.org]
