Farewell, white knuckle flights: New tech slashes turbulence by 80%

Plus: Suzuki’s stair-climbing motorcycles, the law of nature Darwin missed, MIT gets robots to solve more complex tasks. If you've ever experienced severe turbulence on a commercial flight, you'll know riding a high-altitude rollercoaster can be disconcerting, nauseating, and plain frightening. Thankfully, technology is on the way that should smooth all that out. A new system uses wing sensors to rapidly detect changes in air pressure, feeding back this data to a plane’s avionics to instantly counteract any impending jolts. These tiny adjustments slash in-flight bumpiness by over 80%. The technology may allow jets to glide smoothly through headwinds instead of detouring around them at greater cost. Initial tests give airlines hope of cushioning passengers from excessive shakes, shimmies, and rattles. We can't wait to feel it in action. Check out today's [Must Read]( for more on how the physics of flying is about to get an upgrade. Good morning. I’m Tim, newsletter editor at IE. 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Must Read [✈️ No more bumpy rides: New tech reduces flight turbulence by 80%]( Turbulence Solutions, a company based in Austrian, has developed technology to reduce in-flight turbulence by over 80%. Sensors on the aircraft’s wings detect air pressure changes and automatically adjust control surfaces counteractively within milliseconds. This dampens the impact of turbulence on passengers and aircraft. The system works in a similar way to how birds use feathers for mid-air stability, or how noise-canceling headphones silence the outside world. The continual micro-adjustments differ from pilot inputs so normal flying controls aren't affected. Though currently compatible with light aircraft, the company aims to eventually allow commercial jets to navigate heavier turbulence safely. Turbulence costs airlines up to $500 million yearly in the US alone from detours, slower speeds, and repairs. This technology could significantly improve flight comfort and safety, and its success in initial tests shows promise for smoothing out air travel. [[Read More]( [Science]( [🌌 Scientists find ‘missing law’ of nature explaining how universe evolved]( Scientists proposed a new "law of increasing functional information" governing evolution and complexity across natural systems. It states that diverse systems evolve when configurations are selected based on their function. This fundamental tendency is seen in stars, minerals, life, and more. The law links physics and biology, explaining increasing order in our complex universe. [[Read More]( [Innovation]( [🦾 MIT scientists use AI to make a robot carry out multiple tasks]( MIT researchers created an AI model to help robots handle multiple challenges at once, like staying stable and avoiding crashes. Their method combines different generative AI systems so robots can jointly satisfy constraints. This enables solving complex tasks that usually stump robots. The multifaceted model promises more capable robots that can take on diverse real-world jobs. In doing so, MIT hopes to advance robot reasoning beyond its usual narrow uses. [[Read More]( [Transportation]( [🧑🏼‍🦼 MOQBA: Suzuki unveils revolutionary stair-climbing motorcycle]( Suzuki's revolutionary MOQBA concept motorcycle has both wheels and robotic legs to climb stairs and adapt to cities. With attachments like a wheelchair or basket, it provides inclusive mobility for people who may struggle with uneven urban terrain. The versatile vehicle's three modes - Chair, Standing, and Stretcher - ensure accessibility in a range of scenarios. Though just an eye-catching concept right now, MOQBA reimagines mobility focusing on inclusivity. [[Read More]( job alert In this section you’ll find the latest jobs as featured on: [jobs.interestingengineering.com]( [Software Engineer, Python - 1001]( [St. Louis,US]( [Mobile/Web Developer (.Net)]( [McLean,US]( [Observability Engineer]( [Irving,US]( [Senior Software Engineer - Software Development Engineer]( [Irvine,US]( [Laserfiche/DocuWare – ECM Engineer]( [Charlotte,US]( [CyberArk Engineer]( [Fort Belvoir,US]( QUESTION OF THE DAY Do you think Turbulence Solutions’ system will make it onto commercial passenger aircraft? [Yes, it should be mandated]( [No, our comfort is a low priority]( [It probably won't scale up]( [We should all fly much less]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS An interesting result from yesterday’s poll. Espionage and political will both attracted 33 percent of votes in our question about what explains China’s run of technological success. 33% Espionage 33% Political ambition 25% Great education system 9% Financial power “Right now, it's just a nice add-on for light sport aircraft, but in the long term, we want to make it feel safer and more resilient so that you can actually try and fly through heavier turbulences without having to worry.” Yves Remmler, project manager at Turbulence Solutions THINGS WE LOVE [Pyle Power Amplifier]( [$41.39]( [Keurig Coffee Maker]( [$119.99]( [FANGOR HD Projector]( [$127.80]( [UPERFECT Portable Monitor]( [$199.89]( AND ANOTHER THING - [Building space habitats to ensure psychological health in space]( [premium] - [Scientists invent superlensing microscope without a superlens]( - [NASA starts planning of the Roman telescope's future observations]( - [Meet Abigail Bailey, a UK school's new AI 'principal headteacher']( - [China's satellite achieves 10 Gbps space-to-ground laser data transfer]( - [Ceres: Impact tests unravel origin of organics on dwarf planet]( - [Fanzors: Like CRISPR but better, safer molecular scissors for gene editing]( - [Scientists uncover the source of Mars’ massive quake on record]( - [Study reveals Mesolithic Europeans ate seaweed and freshwater plants]( - [Human interbreeding contributed 6% to Neanderthal genome, finds study]( - [Don’t let the bed bugs bite! 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