Science and Technology
· Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) will bring universities, businesses, startups and government together at its latest innovation hub in Amsterdam to help use digital technology to solve sustainability challenges. It will focus on sustainability challenges faced by organisations and becomes the first in a network of hubs, known as TCS Pace Ports, in Europe.
· IIT Guwahati researchers have developed a “Smart Window” material that can effectively control the amount of heat and light passing through it in response to an applied voltage. This material can help in developing automatic climate control systems in buildings. Such materials can help develop efficient automatic climate control systems in buildings, the scientists claimed. This study was recently published in the journal- ‘Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells.
· Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar (IIT Ropar) in Punjab has developed a first-of-its-kind IoT device, “AmbiTag” that records real-time ambient temperature during the transportation of perishable products, vaccines and even body organs and blood.
· A new AI-driven platform called ‘XraySetu’ has been developed to help in the early detection of COVID 19, with the help of Chest X-ray. The solution will be beneficial for early detection especially in rural areas, where RT-PCR tests and CT-Scans are not easily available. XraySetu will operate through WhatsApp. It will identify COVID positive patients even from low-resolution Chest X-Ray images sent over Whatsapp-based Chatbot.
· Indian Institute of Technology Madras’ Centre for Memory Studies recently hosted virtually Asia’s first International Memory Studies Workshop. Indian Network for Memory Studies (INMS), the first national network in the field in Asia under the aegis of the International Memory Studies Association, Amsterdam.
· European Space Agency (ESA), is now developing its own probe to study Venus, for holistic view of planet from its inner core to upper atmosphere. The mission dubbed as “EnVision” will probably be launched to the planet in early 2030.
· The Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Ropar has developed a device dubbed ‘Jivan Vayu’ which can be used as a substitute for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. Jivan Vayu can deliver high flow oxygen up to 60 Litres Per Minute (LPM).
· The European Space Agency (ESA) has planned to launch the world’s first wooden satellite. It is going to be launched from New Zealand. It will be launched from a Rocket Lab Electron rocket by the end of 2021. The satellite is the brainchild of Jari Makinen.
· The discovery of a “cool” exoplanet located 90 light-years from Earth has excited scientists in their hunt for extraterrestrial life. According to a study published in Science Daily, researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of New Mexico discovered exoplanet ‘TOI-1231 b’ orbiting an M dwarf star – otherwise known as a red dwarf.
· UN body has endorsed a multinational project called “Committee on Earth Observation Satellites Coastal Observations, Applications, Services, and Tools (CEOS COAST)”. CEOS COAST programme is co-led by ISRO and NOAA from the US. This programme aims to improve the accuracy of coastal data on the basis of satellite and land-based observations. Its pilot projects are uniquely capable of using Earth Observation technologies to meet several of the 17 UN-designated sustainable development goals for the Ocean Decade initiative.
· Microsoft officially launched its new Windows operating system ‘Windows 11’. It is being called as the “next generation” of Windows. The release comes nearly six decades after the current latest Windows Operating System ‘Windows 10’ was launched in July 2015. Windows 11 is special because it focuses on a new user interface, a new Windows Store, and improvements to performance, including a centre-aligned Taskbar and Start button.
· Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited and Google Cloud are embarking on a comprehensive, long-term strategic relationship with a goal of powering 5G in enterprise and consumer segments nationwide. In addition, Reliance will also take advantage of Google Cloud’s scalable infrastructure thereby enabling its retail business to achieve better operational efficiency, modernize and scale for growth, and deliver better performance and experiences to customers.
· Firmina, an open subsea cable being built by Google that will run from the East Coast of the United States to Las Toninas, Argentina, with additional landings in Praia Grande, Brazil, and Punta del Este, Uruguay. Firmina will be the longest cable in the world capable of running entirely from a single power source at one end of the cable if its other become unavailable.
· The European Space Agency will hire and launch the world’s first physically disabled astronaut. It received 22000 applicants for this recruitment call. ESA is developing technologies for para-astronaut. It will give a message to the world that ‘Space is for everyone’.