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grow

MIT showcases ‘blackest black’ material to date

September 18, 2019 by David Edwards

MIT has been showcasing what it describes as “the blackest black material to date”, at a time when BMW has unveiled a new car coated with what the automaker also claims is “the world’s blackest black” material. 

However, MIT claims that its material is “10 times blacker than anything that has previously been reported”.

Although the university does not specifically mention “Vantablack” – which is the name of the black nano-material used by BMW for its X6 prototype – its emphatic claim would suggest that Vantablack is included in its considerations.

The MIT material is made from vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, or CNTs – microscopic filaments of carbon, like a fuzzy forest of tiny trees, that the team grew on a surface of chlorine-etched aluminum foil.

The foil captures at least 99.995 percent of any incoming light, making it the blackest material on record.

Brian Wardle, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, says: “Our material is 10 times blacker than anything that’s ever been reported, but I think the blackest black is a constantly moving target.

“Someone will find a blacker material, and eventually we’ll understand all the underlying mechanisms, and will be able to properly engineer the ultimate black.”

Wardle collaborated with Diemut Strebe, an artist-in-residence at the MIT Center for Art, Science, and Technology, on an exhibition to demonstrate the features of the new black nano-material.

The exhibition – entitled The Redemption of Vanity – features a 16.78-carat natural yellow diamond from LJ West Diamonds, estimated to be worth $2 million, which the team coated with the new, ultrablack CNT material.

The effect is that gem, normally brilliantly faceted, appears as a flat, black void. (See main picture.)

Wardle’s co-author on the paper about the MIT black nano-material is Kehang Cui, who says the team had some difficulties in developing the new black.

The group was using salt and other pantry products, such as baking soda and detergent, to grow carbon nanotubes.

In their tests with salt, Cui noticed that chloride ions were eating away at aluminum’s surface and dissolving its oxide layer.

Cui says: “This etching process is common for many metals.

“For instance, ships suffer from corrosion of chlorine-based ocean water. Now we’re using this process to our advantage.”

Cui found that if he soaked aluminum foil in saltwater, he could remove the oxide layer.

He then transferred the foil to an oxygen-free environment to prevent reoxidation, and finally, placed the etched aluminum in an oven, where the group carried out techniques to grow carbon nanotubes via a process called chemical vapor deposition.

By removing the oxide layer, the researchers were able to grow carbon nanotubes on aluminum, at much lower temperatures than they otherwise would, by about 100 degrees Celsius.

They also saw that the combination of CNTs on aluminum significantly enhanced the material’s thermal and electrical properties – a finding that they expected.

What surprised them was the material’s color.

“I remember noticing how black it was before growing carbon nanotubes on it, and then after growth, it looked even darker,” Cui recalls. “So I thought I should measure the optical reflectance of the sample.

“Our group does not usually focus on optical properties of materials, but this work was going on at the same time as our art-science collaborations with Diemut, so art influenced science in this case,” says Wardle.

Wardle and Cui, who have applied for a patent on the technology, are making the new CNT process freely available to any artist to use for a noncommercial art project.

Main picture: The Redemption of Vanity… (left) 16.78 carat natural yellow diamond; (right) the diamond covered with “the blackest black on Earth”. Exclusive image copyright : Diemut Strebe

Filed Under: News, Science Tagged With: aluminum, art, black, blacker, blackest, carbon, cui, foil, group, grow, layer, material, mit, nano-material, nanotubes, oxide, process, team, wardle

International Space Station creating new biological life forms

September 4, 2019 by Sam Francis

The International Space Station is creating new biological life forms using “cutting-edge 3D biomanufacturing”.

3D printing – also known as additive manufacturing – is a well-known method of making things here on Earth, and on the ISS, but this method uses materials such as plastics and metals.

However, 3D biomanufacturing uses biological materials such as new tissue or blood vessels. (See video below.) [Read more…] about International Space Station creating new biological life forms

Filed Under: News, Science Tagged With: ability, aboard, biological, biomanufacturing, blood, body, build, cell, cells, contact, dimensions, dr, earth, engineer, grow, human, immune, lab, layers, living, microgravity, organ, organs, rejection, roberts, space, station, three, tissue, tissues, vessels

Global wearable robotic exoskeleton market forecast to grow to $4 billion

August 31, 2019 by Mai Tao

The global wearable robotic exoskeleton market is forecast to grow to more than $4 billion by the end of 2026 and record annual growth of 43.1 per cent during the forecast period of 2019-2026.

At present advancement in Artificial Intelligence and robotics is enabling wearable robotic exoskeleton development primarily for logistics, medical and engineering commitments due to limited battery support capabilities.

However wearable robotic exoskeleton can be applied in a wide range of industries capable of augmenting the growth of the global wearable robotic exoskeleton market. [Read more…] about Global wearable robotic exoskeleton market forecast to grow to $4 billion

Filed Under: Features, Humanoids Tagged With: exoskeleton, exoskeletons, global, grow, growth, industrial, insurance, market, mobility, powered, rehabilitation, robotic, sub-segment, support, wearable

Samsung moves into the vertical farming market

May 2, 2019 by Anna

Agricultural innovations are essential for feeding our ever-growing global population.

Especially these days, as industrialisation and global warming continue to negatively affect soil fertility and reduce the amount of arable land.

According to the United Nations, the world’s population is set to reach 9.8 billion by 2050.

[Read more…] about Samsung moves into the vertical farming market

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Doosan Robotics signs up RG Group as first US distributor and integrator

April 15, 2019 by Sam Francis

RG Group has become the first US company to agree on a distribution and integration partnership for Doosan’s collaborative robots.

Doosan Robotics says its collaborative robots can be useful in different industries and processes ranging from assembly and inspection to gluing and packaging.

The company claims to have “the world’s most diversified lineup of collaborative robots” which boast high-performance torque sensors and the industry-leading collision detection technology.  [Read more…] about Doosan Robotics signs up RG Group as first US distributor and integrator

Filed Under: Industrial robots, News Tagged With: collaborative, companies, company, dedication, distribution, doosan, doosan robotics, global, group, grow, industrial, manufacturing, market, offering, opportunity, partner, partnership, rg, rg group, robotic, robotics, robots, technology, years

Toyota demonstrates ‘human service robot’ of a type that may take over a lot of homes

July 2, 2017 by Sam Francis

Toyota has been demonstrating what it calls its “Human Support Robot”, a type of robot which looks likely to take over millions of homes all over the world in the next few years.

The market for this type of so-called personal assistance robot is forecast to grow very quickly over the next few years because of advances in the technology.

According to analysts at ResearchAndMarkets.com, the personal robotics market will grow by almost 40 per cent within the next five years to a total size of $34 billion.  [Read more…] about Toyota demonstrates ‘human service robot’ of a type that may take over a lot of homes

Filed Under: News Tagged With: grow, homes, household, human, japan, kuka, midea, personal, robot, robotics, support, toyota

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Overused words

abb ai automated automation Automotive autonomous business cars china collaborative companies company control data design development digital driving electric industrial industry kuka logistics machine manufacturers manufacturing market platform production robot robotic robotics robots sensors smart software solution solutions system systems technologies technology vehicle vehicles warehouse

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Latest news

  • BP invests €10 million in mobility-as-a-service startup
  • Hanwha to supply $300 million of aircraft engine components to GE
  • Velo3D ships seventh Sapphire printer to aerospace production customer
  • Worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales jump 12 percent
  • ACEINNA wins award for autonomous car navigation and guidance technologies
  • Edge computing infrastructure market set to be worth $700 billion by 2028, says report
  • EIT to award €500 million to innovators across Europe in 2020
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  • OnRobot ‘One System’ grippers receive UR+ certification for operation with Universal Robots
  • Automation increases productivity in materials science by 384 times, say researchers

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