A breakthrough in the world of artificial intelligence has been reported, through a mechanical AI arm being able to identify different materials by touching the surface. This can completely change the manufacturing industry as these robots can now carry out tasks such as sorting and quality control.

The AI arm was recorded to identify certain materials with a 90% accuracy rate. This is because of their triboelectric touch sensors gain information about the surface of an object, such as its temperature. It was trailed 100 times and used 12 materials including wood, glass, plastic and silicon and combined with machine learning-based data analysis achieved approximately 90% accuracy rates.

The device works with 4 square sensors made up of different plastic polymers, chosen for several electrical properties. When sensors move close enough to the surface of an object, electrons from each square interact with the surface in a slightly different way which can then be measured.

Researchers suggest this can be a breakthrough in the world of robot manufacturing, however, will become more effective when combined with other sensors that can detect more precise things such as roughness, edges, or friction.

Additional researchers also suggest that these machines can also be used as prosthetics however Tamar Makin at the University of Cambridge states that 'for technology that is human controlled, we don’t need this level of sophistication.'

While many companies around the world have turned to influencer marketing as their most ‘powerful’ source of selling their products and services, this method is set to move towards a more digital setting like most of big corporations’ functions. ‘Serah Reikka’ is an automated actor with over 79,000 Instagram followers and says she loved French food, cats and dressing up as characters from books and movies.

She is a semi-automated artificial intelligence online personality that has the ability to change personality and appearance according to the app’s algorithms and since 2014, she has been a part of the ever-evolving community of online social media influencers that do not exist in the real world. The only difference between Serah and her peers and ‘real-life’ Instagram influencers, is that they are computer generated and operated. While not being human, these AI-operated influencers are able to accomplish the same marketing goals as any influencer you find online, posting similar things such as holiday snaps, food pictures and new outfits.

There are now approximately 150 virtual influencers online, and they are continuing to gain popularity, with the most popular computer-generated influencer having 55 million Instagram followers – more than the average 'real-life' influencer. While increasing efficiency by adapting to users’ algorithms, AI influencers are set to become the most popular way to sell products online.

Researchers have developed a way to produce energy from solar panels using heat radiation, creating solar-powered energy at night as well as during the day. After recent advancements in thermal capture technology, the sun’s immense energy may soon be captured even in the dead of night.

Australian scientists have developed thermal capture technology that is able to convert infrared heat into electrical power. During the day, the sun warms up the earth's surface, but when the sun sets the heat dissipates. This is done using a power-generated tool called a thermos-radiative diode – like the technology found in night vision goggles.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, it was found that the efficiency of steam engines was dependent on the temperature differential across an engine, which led to the development of thermodynamics. This technology, using solar-powered devices without the sun, uses the same principle. The sun provides a heat source, and the Earth’s surface provides a cold absorber. This allows electricity to be produced. However, when we think about infrared emission from the Earth into space, it is now the earth that is the warm body, with the vast void of space being cold. Using the same principle of thermodynamics, it is possible to generate electricity from this temperature difference too: the emission of infrared light into space.

Scientists in Birmingham have recently developed new beam-steering antennas that increase the efficiency of data transmission, opening a range of frequencies for mobile technology (even beyond 5G) communications that are inaccessible to currently used technology. Results from these new advancements have been recorded at the Third International Union of Radio Science where they displayed how this device can provide continuous wide-angled beam steering, allowing it to track a moving mobile phone in the same way that satellite dishes turn to track moving objects with significantly advanced speeds.

This technology has demonstrated a vast improvement in data transmission at frequencies ranging across a millimetre-wave spectrum. Those identified for 5G (mm-Wave) and 6G, where high efficiency is only achievable using slow mechanically steered antenna solutions.

This new technology has shown unprecedented transmission productivity. Additionally, it does not require complex and inefficiency feeding networks required for commonly deployed antenna systems, instead uses a low complexity system that improves performance and is simply fabricated.

Companies around the world have whole-heartedly adopted working-from-home, after we were given no choice during the global COVID-19 pandemic. With statistics on both employee satisfaction as well as overall performance, numerous businesses have reported an improvement in their business with this new way of life. Where it stands now, with the pandemic having died down, most companies that can, now offer flexible working schemes, allowing their employees to work both from home and in the office. CEOs around the world have stated that this is the future of the workspace, and it will no longer be the norm for future generations to experience the typical nine-to-five job that we have grown accustomed to.

As this new way of life is ushered into the workplace, technologies are being developed to continue to enhance and cater to this adjustment. Such advancements include virtual reality, holograms, and the constantly evolving internet-of-things. Moreover, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institution has recently announced a successful demonstration in the industrial Internet-of-Things (IoT) service that controls and monitors smart factory facilities and robots in real-time at home and abroad simultaneously.

This new IoT device is connected through ultra-low latency communications technology and communications delay between distances of over 10,000km is less than 0.3 seconds. This project demonstrated that a factory in Gyeongsan, Korea can be controlled in real-time seamlessly from the University of Oulu, Finland. This technology has enabled increased productivity and reduced defects, therefore increasing competitiveness, even taking into consideration the possibility of the event of communication errors. This innovation demonstrates a new remote manufacturing possibility where factories at home and abroad can be managed from single or multiple locations. It is the world’s first attempt to enhance the service scope and availability of smart factories.

Predominantly in the past few decades, human activity has had an impact on our earth’s physical environment. With an increasing number of endeavours into space, such as satellites and space tourism, it is inevitable that comparable results are happening up there too. When up in space, satellites malfunction, break off and come to the end of their lifespan, becoming space debris. While these man-made machines float in our galaxy, scientists are beginning to focus on creating technologies to ‘clean up’ space. Not only will this remove unused machinery, but it will also make more space for other active satellites that can be launched, especially within the lower earth orbits, whose numbers are set to upsurge in the coming years.

The European Space Agency has recently announced a pioneering project, set to act as a servicer prototype to capture multiple satellites in space, once they have reached the end of their lifecycle, as well as floating pieces of debris that may have broken off. Planned to launch in February 2024, this new technology will clear up space by gripping and collecting satellites using a magnetic and grappling fixture and is set to become a commercial service by 2030.

With these groundbreaking advancements in technology, scientists are urging telecommunications companies to start incorporating these technologies, once they have been more established, into their business plans. It is important that today's interconnected digital world is not compromised by collisions that damage active satellites in space.

The International Cybersecurity Forum (FIC) is an annual industry event bringing together service and solution providers with companies, governments, policymakers and law enforcement agencies to strategise on the emerging challenges posed by digital threats.

With in excess of 15,000 visitors from Europe and beyond coming through the doors at the Lille Grand Palais, France, the three-day conference offers a rare opportunity to take the pulse of the cybersecurity sector.

Technology Exchange recently announced a strategic partnership with one of the driving forces behind the event, Avisa Partners. A Paris-based risk advisory, economic intelligence and global advocacy agency, Avisa Partners offers a suite of cybersecurity and risk mitigation services to clients around the world.

The collaboration will bring the combined expertise and international reach of Technology Exchange and Avisa Partners to new markets and customers.

“Technology Exchange is globally focused, working in multiple jurisdictions around the world at the cutting edge of technology,” said John Watts, managing partner, Avisa Partners’ London. “They see with their clients the increasing risks around cybersecurity and the need to protect core technology assets. Technology Exchange and Avisa Partners are working very closely together to ensure that we can deliver on the ground in markets around the world.”

“Technology Exchange is a part of a group for which connectivity is at the heart, and we realise that cyber security is evolving,” added Technology Exchange’s Hathal Sharif. “Today we are here [at the FIC] for intelligence gathering, working with our specialist partner, Avisa, to have a solid understanding of the cyber security requirements for our customers.”

While much of the world ground to a halt during the global Covid outbreak, cyber criminals around the globe became more active than ever. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre reported a 15-fold increase in the number of scams it took down at the height of the pandemic as criminals sought to take advantage of public fear, uncertainty and changing behaviours.

The evolution of global cyber-criminal activity was reflected in the conference portion of the event. From established endpoint and ransomware attacks of today to the growing threats posed to operational technology and supply chains, vendors and service providers were keen to pitch zero-trust technology solutions, human-firewall training and coordinated intelligence sharing as key strategies to keep criminals at bay.

“The days of countries just looking after their own cyber security needs are over,” said John Watts. “What we’ve seen – particularly in the last couple of years, and more acutely in the last couple of months with the Russia Ukraine conflict – is just how genuinely global the problem really is. The more people can talk, the more people can learn best practice and exchange ideas, the better.”

“A lot of the issues that we’re discussing are not academic issues. What they require is local knowledge, local understanding and local delivery,” John Watts concluded. “Working with somebody like Technology Exchange means that we, in partnership, can deliver solutions on the ground for customers in this increasingly complex area.”

The last decade has shown phenomenal growth in the sale and acceptance of electric vehicles, largely driven largely by a relative newcomer to the motor industry, Tesla. The self-driving vehicles have promoted a fashionable form of environmentally friendly transportation and are now seen as a necessity rather than merely a luxury car. Naturally, as the world becomes increasingly more advanced, it is inevitable that other forms of transport will follow suit. Since the start of 2016, NASA has been working on creating an electric-powered aircraft – experiment X-57, which is set to have its first test flight next month. With the goal of making aircraft more sustainable and more efficient, scientists at NASA designed the X-57 to be used without aviation gasoline, but with lithium-ion batteries, which are also found in your average laptop.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation states that aviation transportation makes up two per cent of global CO2 emissions, therefore, the potential use of electric aircraft will spark an incredible movement for environmental change. Moreover, for higher levels of efficiency, the X-57 has been built with wings forty-two per cent smaller than the average aircraft size. Additionally, the new electric plane will use twelve smaller rotors to help mitigate the loss in the lift from the small wing, doubling the lift available to the aircraft.

The electric motors are powered by 400-pound lithium-ion packs mounted in the cabin of the aircraft. Providing 23 kilowatts hours of power. NASA spent a lot of time and effort making sure they would not overheat and catch fire. Experts are saying if this test aircraft can fly over the hot California sun, the new form of electric aircraft will become over 40% more efficient than the planes that people have access to today.

In the first quarter of 2022, NASA reported two eruptions of solar flares less than 48-hour apart, sparking concerns about a solar storm in the coming years. As the sun is heading towards the final stages of its 11-year solar cycle (in 2025), space agencies, by monitoring solar X-ray wavelengths, are recording an increasing number of solar flares, and NASA suggests that preparing for a solar storm is becoming more necessary as these expulsions are becoming more frequent.

Solar flares can take many forms and are classified by their strength—the basic definition of a solar flare is the explosion of radiation from the sun's surface. More vigorous bursts can trigger mass expulsion of radiation from the sun that can interrupt communication from the satellites to earth and temporarily cause blackouts; therefore, using space technology to predict these events is vital. 

Faster solar flares are more harmful to satellite connections because their geometric fields extend beyond geostationary orbits and electron radiation levels increase around the orbit. Thus, the field is misleading in a significant geometric storm, and radiation levels peak closer to the earth. Satellites are more likely to survive electrostatic charges from solar flares when built with an enclosed metal shielding – usually a minimum of 2.5mm of aluminium - surrounding them.  

The solar flare reported on 19th April 2022 was relatively small and identified as an M-class flare, while the one recorded the following day was recorded on an X-class – ten times the size of the previous. 

With the two eruptions happening so close, space experts insist that more frequency and intense solar eruptions should be expected in the next two years while the sun finishes its cycle. The magnetic field lines that form sunspots are also involved in solar eruptions and flares. 

With the solar flares erupting in an unexpectedly short amount of time, space experts are suggesting that this could be a more frequent occurrence, and increasingly intense solar eruptions should be expected, especially within the next two years. So, the question stands; should satellite providers be worried about the potential solar storm?

With advances in identifying and analysing space weather, scientists can improve predictions of a solar flare before it happens. While there is no real way to protect a satellite from the damage that an oncoming solar flare can cause, there are safety measures that operators can make to lower the risk of damage or a connection blackout – for example, switching their satellite to ‘safe mode’ when the predicted solar flare is set to erupt. This can differ between satellites, however often the safe mode involves pointing the antenna back to earth, listening for a reboot, restart or reset command. While satellites are not immune from a potential stronger X-class solar flare, these are precautions that all satellite providers need to consider.

The use of satellite imagery has played a significant part in the events currently taking place in Ukraine. Military satellite imagery earlier this week has been able to showcase further destruction caused by Russian armaments.

On Monday 6 June, 2022, high-resolution satellite images captured building damage caused by shelling and military explosions in Severdonetsk in the Donbas’s Luhansk region – the largest city in Ukraine that is still under their control.

The images below demonstrate satellite pictures of the same area just 24 hours apart.

The images were able to identify the military destruction being caused by Multiple Rocket Launches – or MRLs – to execute these attacks as seen below.

70% of Ukraine is under Russian control, however, Ukraine is still finding back and satellite images such as those shown in this news article play a major role in boosting the operational capabilities of the nation's armed forces.