General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - February 2016

Feb 2016

Jul 11, 2020

IISc Designs Eye Gaze-Controlled Robotic Arm for Speech, Motor Impaired

An Indian Institute of Science (IISc) research team designed a robotic arm that can be manipulated by eye movement using a computer interface, to help people with Severe Speech and Motor Impairment (SSMI).
According to Bengaluru-based IISc, this interface is non-invasive since it is through a webcam and a computer, unlike other eye gaze-tracking devices that use head-mounted systems.
People with SSMI find it difficult to physically operate devices such as a joystick, mouse or trackball, or use speech recognition systems.
Eye gaze-controlled computer interfaces can help them perform various tasks on par with their non-disabled peers.
To help people with SSMI (a condition caused by disorders like cerebral palsy), a research team at the Centre for Product Design and Manufacturing (CPDM), IISc, worked with young adult students who have SSMI at Vidya Sagar (formerly the Spastics Society of India) in Chennai, an institution for individuals with disabilities.

First Launch of China's Kuaizhou-11 Carrier Rocket Fails

The first launch of Kuaizhou-11 (KZ-11), a solid-fuelled carrier rocket, failed after its liftoff from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. According to reports, KZ-11 failed to reach its intended orbit and the specific reasons behind the failure are currently being analysed and investigated.
The launch of the rocket, developed by ExPace Technology Corporation, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), was already delayed by three years and ended up in a failure. The low-cost solid-fueled carrier rocket, with a lift-off mass of 70.8 tonnes, was designed to launch low-Earth and Sun-synchronous orbit satellites.
The Kuaizhou-11 has a larger diameter and stronger capacity with respect to the other rockets from Kuaizhou series launched previously. It can lift a 1.0-tonne payload to a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometres. The three-stage rocket is reportedly based on the DF-21 missile and consists of three solid-fuelled stages.

Astronomers Spot Red Dwarf Star 'AD Leonis' With Massive Solar Flares

A team of astronomers in Japan have captured a red dwarf star called "AD Leonis" that is found to have massive flares — one of them was even 20 times larger than the solar flares emitted by our own Sun. The star is notably just 16 light-years away from Earth. However, it was seen with an extreme large flare, termed a "superflare". This is believed to result in whopping magnetic storms that if emitted from our Sun could impact the Earth's technological infrastructure.
The team from the Graduate School of Science of Kyoto University captured the AD Leonis star using a 3.8-metre Seimei telescope. The star appears to have temperatures lower than that of our Sun, which results in a high incidence of flares. Moreover, the astronomers detected a superflare on their first night of observations.

Jul 10, 2020

Astronomers Discover South Pole Wall

Spectacular 3D maps of the universe have revealed one of the biggest cosmic structures ever found, an almost-inconceivable wall stretching 1.4 billion light-years across that contains hundreds of thousands of galaxies.
The South Pole Wall, as it has been dubbed, has been hiding in plain sight, remaining undetected until now because large parts of it sit half a billion light-years away behind the bright Milky Way galaxy. The South Pole Wall rivals in size the Sloan Great Wall, the sixth largest cosmic structure discovered. (One light-year is roughly 6 trillion miles, or 9 trillion kilometres, so this "biggest cosmic structure" is mind-bendingly humongous.)

Jul 07, 2020

Israel Successfully Launches New Spy Satellite 'Ofek 16'

The Space Administration in the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), of the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMoD), and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), have successfully launched a new spy satellite 'Ofek 16' into orbit by using a locally-developed Shavit rocket from a launchpad at Palmachim airbase in central Israel.
'Oflek 16' It is an electro-optical reconnaissance satellite with advanced capabilities including breakthrough 'blue and white' technology and its payload was developed by defense firm Elbit Systems.
This is the first launch of an Israeli spy satellite into space since the 'Ofek-11' which entered orbit in September 2016.

Jul 06, 2020

Reliance Takes on Zoom, Launches App

After raising billions of dollars from the likes of Facebook and Intel for its digital business, billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries has launched JioMeet video-conferencing app with unlimited free calling that is being seen as rate war on rival Zoom.
The app is available on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and web. According to the company website, JioMeet supports HD audio and video call quality with up to 100 participants and offers features like screen sharing, meeting schedule feature and more.
But unlike Zoom, it does not impose a 40-minute time limit. Calls can go on as long as 24 hours.

Jul 05, 2020

Latest Mission from New Zealand Lost in Flight

The American launch company that flies its rockets out of New Zealand has lost its latest mission.
Rocket Lab said that its Electron vehicle failed late in its ascent from Mahia Peninsula on North Island.
All satellite payloads are assumed to have been destroyed.
These included imaging spacecraft from Canon Electronics of Japan and Planet Labs Inc of California, as well as a technology demonstration platform from a UK start-up called In-Space Missions.
Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck apologised to his customers.
Rocket Lab has made everyone in the space sector sit up since it debuted its Electron vehicle in 2017. It's at the head of a wave of new outfits that want to operate compact rockets to service the emerging market for small satellites.
This lift-off from New Zealand was the Electron's 13th outing to date. All prior launches had been a complete success, bar the very first which failed to reach its intended orbit.

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