Tech Briefs Magazine - October 2021 - 6

UP
FRONT
NASA Cites Winners of
CO2 Conversion
Challenge
On Earth, plants use sunlight to turn
carbon dioxide (CO2) into sugars for
energy. On Mars, there aren't plants and
oceans but there is an abundance of CO2.
A recent NASA challenge awarded teams
that demonstrated systems to convert
CO2 into sugar, which astronauts could
use to make useful products like plastics,
adhesives, fuels, food, and medicine.
Learn about the winners at
www.co2conversionchallenge.org
What's New on Techbriefs.com
An autonomous robot
needs to know more
than where to go - it
has to balance itself,
too. A new algorithm
from the University of
Michigan finds robots
the best path across uneven terrain as
well as the best placement for the robot's
arms and feet. This month, we spoke with
Dmitry Berenson, a professor and engineer
behind the robotic route planner.
Go to techbriefs.com/blog to read this
Q&A and other interviews with the inventors
of today's cutting-edge technologies.
Send your comments and suggestions to
me at billy.hurley@saemediagroup.com.
Next Month in Tech Briefs
The November issue will include a special
section on NASA's Artemis Project,
which will land the first woman and first
person of color on the Moon. The initial
mission, Artemis I, is an uncrewed mission
scheduled for November. It will
send the Orion spacecraft around the
Moon and back to Earth ahead of future
flights with astronauts.
Connect with Tech Briefs
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Tech Briefs, October 2021
Charging Room
System Powers
Without Wires
Researchers at the
University of Michigan
and the University of
Tokyo developed a
system to safely deliver
electricity over the
air, potentially turning
entire buildings
into wireless charging
zones. In addition to
untethering phones
and laptops, the technology
could also pow -
Editorial Director
Linda Bell
Editorial Director
The finished charging room. (Credit: University of Tokyo)
er implanted medical devices or mobile robotics. The team is working to implement
the system in spaces that are smaller than room-sized; for example, a toolbox that
charges power tools placed inside it.
The team demonstrated the technology in a test room where it wirelessly powered
lamps, fans, and cellphones that could draw current from anywhere in the room
regardless of the placement of people and furniture. It uses a conductive surface on
room walls and a conductive pole to generate magnetic fields, delivering at least 50
watts of power.
Visit https://news.umich.edu
LEDs Detect
Spoiled Food and
Lethal Gases
The University of Mel -
bourne (Australia) has de -
veloped a smart device
with an infrared lightemitting
di ode (LED) that
is tunable to different
wavelengths of light. The
device could enable a re -
frigerator to tell when
food is spoiled. The device
could identify a suite of
gases, potentially including
leth al ones, improving
the safety of firefighters, the military, miners, and plumbers.
The LED technology could fit inside smartphones and become part of everyday
use. For example, the bacteria found in meat release gases as they multiply. The presence
of these gases is a good indication that the meat is spoiling. The device, placed
inside a refrigerator, could send a notification that the meat is not fit to eat. When
pointed at a handbag, for instance, it could also reveal whether the bag is made of
real leather or a cheaper substitute material.
Visit https://about.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom

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Tech Briefs Magazine - October 2021

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