Renewable will power mobile networks

           In early 2018, news headlines lit up with AT&T’s announcement that it would roll out next-generation 5G mobile internet in a dozen markets by the end of the year, expecting to be the first company in the U.S. The advanced energy solution, called Green Tower, combines Panasonic lithium-ion batteries and solar modules with site-management software and big-data analytics, providing an efficient way for mobile operators and tower companies to measure, monitor and maintain energy infrastructure.

          The partnership between Panasonic and Ericsson, a leader in communications technology and services, promises to provide a smoother transition to 5G for mobile network operators, arming them with the capability to more cost-effectively generate and manage the energy needed to power a faster network while still maintaining compatibility for their legacy systems and users. One recent EU study projects dramatic growth in energy use by the telecommunications industry, forecasting that this sector could be responsible for over 50 percent of global power usage by 2030.

           When coupled with smart site management controls, energy storage not only improves site resiliency but can cut operating expenses, offering a crucial advantage that will possibly become the industry standard as energy and operating costs continue to rise. In addition to smart, sustainable energy storage, the Green Tower platform also has the capacity to generate energy through solar panels and generate revenue through provision of grid services. Crnogorski Telekom, Montenegro’s leading telecommunications service provider, has signed a ten-year Battery as a Service managed services agreement with Ericsson. As part of the deal, Panasonic will be responsible for dimensioning, manufacturing, supply, performance guarantees and support for battery and power infrastructure

Space as the next step for humankind

               I always wanted to fly. I imagined it mimicking a nun as a young girl: taking flight into the sky with white dress and habit made of cardboard, the kind cardboard found prepackaged in men’s shirts. I was successful with the overall look; I stood atop a platform on a well-chosen windy day ready for lift off.  But when it came to the countdown, that’s when mortality overcame me with disappointment in a flash…until I quickly shifted into drive and initiated levitation then ascension into the sky. My mind just soared into the bright blue yonder with its collection of the puffiest radiant clouds.  I’ll never forget that impression. 

            To be airborne and ascending, jetting from one destination to another, and even spiraling down, can all be a riveting adventure depending on what aircraft you are using. Humans have a sensational appetite for flying. They have flirted with all kinds of ways to fly, like Davinci’s dissection of mammals, impeccable drawings of future spaceships and what is known as the ornithologist, or helicopter today.

                Whether it’s a dream to discover our atmosphere and deep space, to travel regularly through space until you reach your destination, or to experience flight for the first time in a variety of ways, we are here to inspire ourselves and our children to imagine and experience, in the most sustainable way, a wider scope of all that there is to learn about the immediate and distant future. 

Better data saves marine mammals

            Some marine mammal populations are in major recovery due to successful conservation efforts. Behind these efforts is better data. By filling gaps in our knowledge of marine mammal populations and their movement patterns, scientists are discovering the reality of their situation. Better data makes it easier to create more effective recovery programs.

               Marine mammals are a loose grouping of about 127 species including animals like whales, dolphins and polar bears. According to a report in the Public Library of Science (PLOS) that assessed the recovery of marine mammals, some species that have declined in numbers by as much of 96 per cent have recovered by 25 per cent. Recovery means the population has increased significantly since their decline was recorded. The report highlights the need for enhanced monitoring of marine mammal populations and for collecting more reliable population data so that scientists can make better population trend estimates and create population management programs that are sure to work.

                  As scientists collect more and more data on endangered marine mammal populations, the easier it will be to target what threatens them and monitor their progress towards recovery. We will see more species like the Florida manatee leave the endangered list and once again become thriving populations. The data will also better reflect the effect pollution, climate change, commercial fishing, ship traffic and coastal construction projects have on marine mammal populations and encourage global environmental protection efforts. In the end, accurate data is what will help us solve a variety of environmental issues that threaten the future of our planet.

Nano-medicine expected to treat chronic illnesses

              Whether it’s the hair loss, the nauseating fatigue, or the never-ending stream of pills, anyone who’s ever experienced cancer knows that treatment can be downright distressing. Traditional chemotherapy has a knack for attacking healthy cells in addition to the troublesome malignant ones, resulting in the aforementioned afflictions. But what if we could treat cancer without the debilitating side effects? What if we could target drugs at the offending cells only and release them precisely when we needed to?

             Adah Almutairi, co-director of the Center for Excellence in Nanomedicine and Engineering at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), has developed a technology involving light-activated nanoparticles that could potentially do just that. Using matter on the scale of 100nm, Almutairi and her research team placed drug molecules into tiny little balls she calls nanospheres. Almutairi’s invention isn’t unique in principle. In fact, targeted drug delivery has been at the forefront of research in the burgeoning field of nanomedicine for quite some time. Scientists first tried delivering drugs through liposomes, spherical vesicles that naturally assemble due to the properties of its constituent phospholipids.

             That’s where Almutairi’s model might have struck gold. Not only are her nanospheres “stable as a rock”, but they’re also perfectly safe. According to her, the nanospheres can “stay intact for a year before safely degrading,” as proven in animal trials with mice. The significance of that is monumental, demonstrating non-toxicity may be the first step in getting her invention on the market.

Future classrooms to integrate VR tech

           Welcome to the classroom of the future. This hasn’t happened overnight, it started with online classes. Pre-recorded lectures that students could download and listen to at their leisure. Then there are places like Yale where they offer classes with live video conferencing, but at the Harvard Business School, they have introduced HBX Live: a virtual classroom. In studio, the professor faces a digital screen that has a live feed of students from around the world.

         The main perk of the HBX Live is that students from around the world can tune in to lectures from the comfort of their own homes, but there are many other interactive features of the Virtual Classroom. The professor is able to hold an online poll, and with a touch of a button get back live results from the students. Students can ask questions live and participate in classroom debates. 

         Learning experiences will be widely enhanced. U of C’s Virtual Reality teaching will allow students access to “real world” experience from the safety of their own classrooms. Harvard’s HBX Live will allow students from around the world to participate in lectures. This new virtual classroom technology will allow students from around the world to access high quality education at world class institutions.  And this is only the starting point, as virtual reality technology evolves and innovates, the possibilities are virtually endless

Future of Computers P5

                It's an abstract term that snuck its way into our public consciousness: the cloud. These days, most people under 40 know that it's something the modern world can't live without, that they personally can’t live without, but most people also barely understand what the cloud really is, let alone the coming revolution set to turn it on its head. In this chapter of our Future of Computers series, we’ll review what the cloud is, why it’s important, the trends pushing its growth, and then the macro trend that will change it forever.

              In other words, a server is any application that listens for requests over a network and then performs an action in response to said request. So when people refer to the cloud, they are actually referring to a group of servers where digital information and online services can be stored and accessed centrally, instead of inside individual computers.

                Overall, these edge computing needs to will spur a growing demand for ever more powerful computing and digital storage devices. And as is always the case, as computing power goes up, the applications for said computing power grows, leading to its increased use and demand, which then leads to a reduction of price due to economies of scale, and finally resulting in a world that will be consumed by data. In other words, the future belongs to the IT department, so be nice to them.