⚡️ POWER: RTX awarded $10M to build aerial ‘Energy Web’ for US military

Plus: DNA gets two extra letters, meet Barry the weightlifting robot,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 December 18, 2023 | [Read Online]( Like an internet for electricity, the US military is developing a scheme that will see a network of blimps and drones across battlespaces that are able to redirect energy to aerial and ground robots fighting behind enemy lines. No longer constrained by fuel convoy ambushes or tethered to distant generators, swarms of sensors and lethal munitions accessing this laser-linked power grid could remain indefinitely over target areas. While still firmly conceptual, the foundations are being laid, and the funding is allocated to build an unprecedented capability to distribute power across hundreds of square miles as easily as data moves globally through data clouds today. Learn more in today’s [Must Read](. 👀 Have you subscribed to our two latest newsletters? [Mechanical]( and [AI Logs]( are your weekly briefing on the worlds of mechanical engineering and artificial intelligence, and they’re essential reading. Good morning. I’m Tim, newsletter editor at IE. This is the Blueprint. Let’s start the week! Did a friend forward this e-mail to you? [Subscribe ✉](  VIDEO OF THE DAY [Why it’s called ‘The largest magnifying glass on Earth’]( A solar facility near Las Vegas resembles a giant magnifying glass, using smaller, cost-effective mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto a central tower, producing intense heat. 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[Subscribe]( HOT TOPICS - 🆙 [Five trailblazing companies trying to bring back airships]( With rising concerns over aircraft emissions, these five brave companies are picking up the mantle to usher in a new age of the airship. - 🗑 [China's green energy boom faces waste crisis: 12.9 million tons by 2050?]( According to a new study in Nature, China could be facing an impending wind turbine waste problem if it cannot find ways to deal with it. - ✅ [US Congress green lights the sale of nuke subs to Australia]( Under a historic moment for the US Congress, bipartisan support has been given to pass a bill to sell nuclear submarines and technology to Australia. - ⚠️ [Tesla’s Autopilot under fire after recall and lawsuits]( The recall, the largest in Tesla’s history, comes after a US safety regulator found that Autopilot did not ensure drivers remained alert and attentive. MUST READ ⚡️[RTX gets $10 million DARPA funding to build wireless 'energy webs']( Like WiFi hotspots furnishing internet across cities, invisible “energy webs” could soon project power to troops in warzones from aerial hubs. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has granted RTX (a Raytheon company) $10 million to develop an airborne laser grid transmitting wireless energy. Called the Persistent Optical Wireless Energy Relay program, POWER for short, the system aims to create resilient optical relay networks rapidly redirecting energy across land, sea and air military assets as needed without resupply. Solar power harvested from safe zones could be beamed to deployed forward robots and sensors, reducing the need for vulnerable fuel convoys. By enabling flexible energy flows, the innovative technology could provide commanders unmatched capability to dominate modern battlespaces. [Read more >]( SCIENCE 🧬 [Scientists Add New “Letters” To Life’s Genetic Code]( Researchers developed two artificial DNA nucleotides that flawlessly bind with natural pairs, validating their integration into life’s machinery. The amended six-letter genetic alphabet, created using a system called AEGIS, was accurately processed by enzymes that read and build proteins. By mimicking the geometry of standard adenine and thymine, the novel substitutes sneak in as guanine and cytosine analogs. The breakthrough now allows engineering custom proteins with tailored medical or industrial properties. Learn how expanding DNA’s dictionary unlocks new biological potential. [Read more >]( INNOVATION 🦿[‘Barry’ the robot can carry 198 lbs using custom high-torque legs]( Swiss engineers customized a quadrupedal robot called Barry to efficiently bear heavier loads than commercial counterparts like Spot. Carrying up to 198 pounds (90 kilograms) for hours, its high-efficiency electric motors minimize energy use while rugged sensorless transmission streamlines maintenance. Barry could find a role in construction or disaster relief, and now researchers plan to upgrade its perception and give it an autonomous navigation capability. Click below to see Barry at work. [Read more >]( QUESTION OF THE DAY Do you think RTX’s wireless energy distribution system will work better than fuel convoys? [Yes, it could transform military logistics]( [Maybe not on the battlefield, but for civilians]( [It could be jammed or blocked by the enemy]( [The old ways are best]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS In Saturday’s poll, we asked about the possible affects GE Aerospace’s new hypersonic engine might have. Here are the results. 37% Enabling rapid global connectivity 27% Enhancing scientific research 26% Revolutionizing space exploration 10% Facilitating rapid emergency response “Life on Earth is amazingly diverse with just four nucleotides, so imagine what we could do with more.” Dong Wang, Ph.D., a professor at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at UC San Diego THINGS WE LOVE Body Fat Scale $42.47 LEVOIT Air Purifier $126.99. Bose Music Amplifier $599.00 Laser Hair Remover $349.94 AND ANOTHER THING - [450MW Loch Ness 'water battery' joins Statkraft's burgeoning portfolio]( - [Sierra Space's Dream Chaser spacecraft enters final testing phase at NASA]( - [Aging Japan reaches out: 100,000 Indonesian workers to ease labor crunch]( - [ISS: Lost tomatoes resurface 8 months later with no fungal growth]( - IE+ [The ALPHA-g experiment: Exploring gravity's impact on antimatter]( Need help with advertising? Reach 150,000 engineering and tech professionals. 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