With the global introduction of high speed modes of transportation the UAE government sprang to the challenge of advancing these highly automated future transport systems on its home ground.
Which is why the first ever hyper loop passenger pods were unveiled at UAE’s Innovation exhibit at the final week of UAE innovation Month. The exhibit which was open to the public gave visitors a chance to witness the futuristic transportation system that is believed to revolutionize all aspects of terrestrial transportation.

Previously, a prototype of the Hyperloop which was initially conceptualized as a low cost, energy efficient model was unveiled by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), in collaboration with Virgin Hyperloop One at City Walk. This move comes in the wake of one of many tangible efforts by the country to make 25 per cent of all journeys to be driverless by 2030.
The Hyperloop pod which is slated to be launched by 2020, is furnished with leather seats and high definition screens for displaying information. Each pod has the capacity to accommodate 12 passengers who will be travelling at speeds of over 1,000 kilometers an hour, making the normal 2 hour journey in under 12 minutes only. The Hyperloop will initially make journeys between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah and Dubai.

The hyperloop is designed in a way that the passenger pod is enclosed in a tube under a partial vacuum. The pods are made to levitate through the vacuum tube with the help of an electromagnetic propulsion system. The system hovers above the ground and is held in place by concrete columns thereby maintaining a straight trajectory. The pods do not have windows to avoid motion sickness.

A statement revealed that His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, director general of the RTA, said: ‘When introduced in future, the hyperloop technology will impact the town planning and the availability of parking spaces. ‘It will revolutionize people mobility between various destinations in the city, logistical hubs like airports and ports, and shipping patterns.

‘These pods, the first of their kind worldwide, have been designed to travel over short and medium distances on dedicated lanes. ‘They can be coupled in 15 to 20 seconds or detached, depending on the destination of riders, in five seconds. ‘They are fitted with cameras and electro-mechanical technologies to carry out the coupling and detaching processes, and this feature can be activated in-motion.’

Sources:
https://www.thenational.ae/uae/transport/first-look-prototype-for-hyperloop-unveiled-in-dubai-1.706889
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/transport/video-rta-unveils-hyperloop-prototype-in-uae-innovation-month-

Team members Muhammad Dawood, Ushma Farooq, Hassan Raza, Hassnain Qasim, Ayesha Khan and Babar Nawaz were awarded a Silver medal at an award ceremony that was held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.

The global iGEM contest based on synthetic biology is a five-day event featuring oral presentations, poster presentations, workshops and social events.

This year’s participants were encouraged to design projects in the environmental/social context. The iGEM Peshawar team developed a “Reporter Fish” that is genetically engineered to detect mental contamination in water. The fish will change its color once it comes into contact with water contaminated with heavy metals or other pollutants – an indication that the waterbody is too polluted to support a population of fish for human consumption. The team self-engineered the genetic circuits for the said characteristic and tested its viability in bacterial cells. The project also featured a sensor system that alarms farmers through a text message upon detection of contaminated water.

Today, polluted seafood is a serious environmental issue. It contains an increasing level of contaminants that are causing serious health problems. The iGEM Peshawar students believe that this technology can be used by fish farmers to combat the problem of unhealthy fish and provide produce which is safe for human consumption.

iGEM is a global event that has been running for over a decade. It encourages students to solve some of the world’s most serious problems by building genetically engineered biological systems. The Pakistani cohort competed with over 90 teams whose projects were featured at the event – it also had over 3,000 synthetic biologists.  Speaking about the experience Omer Zeb from Swabi said: “Being the only electrical engineer in the team working with the undergrad biologists of Pakistan was a good experience.” Another member of the team, Hassan Raza, from Faisalabad said the project would help in combating a pressing environmental issue – water pollution.

‘I am super proud of the team who put in a lot of effort to win us a Silver medal this time. A lot of thanks to the Government of KP and CECOS university for the sponsorship and the all-out support throughout the competition this year, said Dr. Faisal Khan team supervisor and the director of the Institute of Integrative Biosciences at CECOS University. ‘We hope our industry will join hands with us in IGEM 2018 like all other teams here from different countries’, he added.

This is the second time a Pakistani team has participated and won in this competition. Previously, the Pakistani team was awarded a bronze medal for devising a BioSensor that recorded carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide levels being eliminated from vehicle exhausts.

Sources:

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1557867/1-pakistani-team-bag-silver-medal-igem-2017/

http://iib.cecos.edu.pk/igem-peshawar-17-wins-silver/

https://www.pakistankakhudahafiz.com/pakistani-biology-students-bag-bronze-medal-igem-world-championship/

In 2016, Shaheer became the first ever Pakistani to Participate in the International Young Physicists’ Tournament where he provided a visual demonstration of this scientific phenomenon.  Through a practical demonstration he proved that heat gradients are produced when a drop of oil is subjected to heat and that heat is not uniformly distributed through the oil droplet. Moreover, he showed that when electrically charged particles are made to travel through the oil droplet they align themselves into a polygonal pattern that physicists refer to as The Rose Window Instability.

Muhammad Shaheer Niazi recently published his work on the electric honeycomb phenomenon in the prestigious Royal Society Open Science journal

Shaheer’s study is based on the premise that above a certain voltage freely charged particles work to restore balance by moving in a polygonal shaped circuit resembling a wax honeycomb.

He photographed images of the procedure using the Schlieren photographic technique that shows the oil surface transforming into an electric honeycomb with the flow of electric charge. The manner in which electric particles travel through a fluid medium has applications in printing, heating, and biomedicine.

This is based on one of the fundamental laws of physics which states that everything in nature seeks to create balance and regain order. In this case the ions are the main cause of instability which subsequently self-organize to form a polygon thus making the system stable.

Shaheer’s work was inspired by Dr Alberto T. Pérez Izquierdo, a physicist at the University of Seville in Spain who termed his work an outstanding achievement at such a young age.

Shaheer received support from Dr. Farida from COMSATS University and worked under the guidance of Dr. Sabieh Anwar at PhysLab at LUMS during the summer of 2016 where he received full access to the laboratories and equipment for carrying out his experimentation and research.

Young Shaheer aspires to further his research on the electric honeycomb and aims to win a Nobel Prize one day.

References:

http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/10/170503

http://www.peacepak.pk/17-year-old-pakistani-students-physics-paper-surprises-older-scientist/

https://propakistani.pk/2017/10/05/17-year-old-pakistani-shocks-world-proving-electric-honeycomb-theory/

The Dubai Media office announced plans to build the world’s biggest space simulation city to support its  Mars 2117 Project that aims to colonize the planet Mars in the next 100 years.

The ultra-modern Space City shall comprise multiple climate controlled domes designed to prevent direct exposure to solar radiation simulating Mars lack of a layer of protective gases to shield its inhabitants from solar radiation.

Scientists and engineers have considered transparent recyclable plastic material as viable option for constructing the giant inflatable dome like structures. Laboratories inside the facility will simulate temperature conditions similar to Mars which are much lower than on earth. However, it not clear how the City will simulate Maritian gravity at 38% of earth’s gravity.

The facility that will attempt to construct “a viable and realistic model to simulate living on the surface of Mars” is the brain child of the celebrated Danish architect Bjarke Ingels; and is a collaboration between his firm BIG, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, and the Dubai Municipality.

The mock multi-domed Martian complex is set to house various scientific laboratories dedicated to space research and planetary exploration, a museum 3-D printed from desert sand, and an amphitheater for recreational and educational purposes. The laboratories will serve as testing sites for food and water security, agricultural farming and energy generation in the future.

UAE recently announced its plan to build a Mars Scientific City on the outskirts of Dubai

A museum to celebrate “humanity’s greatest space achievements” will also be built within the Space City. Its walls shall be 3D printed from the desert sand thus testing the concept on 3D printing human settlements from Mars own resources. An interactive educational zone will draw the attention of the youth and invoke a passion for outer space research and exploration.

One of the highlights of the space age Martian complex would be its inhabitants. It aims to house a team of earthly Martians for a year to work together on develop self-sufficient technologies in energy, food and water.

The UAE’s ambitious plan to build a prototype city as part of its vision to make huge strides in space exploration is one of the biggest initiative in planetary science and space travel from the Muslim world.

This is an extension of the same vision – the Emirates Mars Mission under which UAE will send an unmanned probe to Mars by 2020 which would make it the first Muslim country to send a probe to Mars. By announcing its Mars 2117 Initiative, UAE has now put a stake in for an even greater challenge of Mars Colonisation.

References:

http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/space-flight-news/united-arab-emirates-build-mars-science-city/

https://www.sciencealert.com/to-prepare-for-mars-the-uae-is-building-a-simulated-martian-city-on-earth

https://www.popsci.com/united-arab-emirates-mars-city-pictures?src=SOC&dom=

Four students of Pakistani American descent won the coveted $1m Hult Prize in New York City last month. They were handed over their award by former US President Bill Clinton.

Recent graduates of the Rutgers University, Gia Lakhani, Hasan Usmani, Moneed Mian and Hanaa won seed funding for their transportation startup called Roshni Rides. The team devised a solution to provide affordable, readily available and reliable public transportation for informal settlements in the South Asian region. Customers have the option of using preloaded Roshni cards that act as tickets to ensure an efficient and uniform payment option.

The Hult challenge is one of the most prestigious awards for social entrepreneurs and enterprises and has gained considerable popularity in a very short span of time. The contest invites teams from all over the world to address pressing social issues centered around food and water issues, energy, climate change, sustainable growth and education.

This year’s contest on social ventures to address problems of people residing in informal settlements anywhere. After several rounds in the competition six finalists, including Team Roshni Rides and another team from Pakistan, pitched before a jury in New York to take the ultimate prize.

Roshni Rides had successfully raised around $30,000 through a crowd funding campaign to put their idea to practice in Karachi’s Orangi Town. The team felt that transportation was a major challenge for the informal communities because of lack of infrastructure and this resulted in poor access to hospitals, schools or workplaces. Due to poorly constructed roads even three wheeled rickshaws cannot make it to some of these localities and those that do often demanded often staggering fares.

Beginning with trying to build a solar powered electric rickshaw, the team ended up using ride sharing app for existing rickshaw fleets. This way the drivers could share rides and earn a higher income than what he could as an independent driver.

In the coming years, Roshni Rides hopes to use the prize money to expand the company. By 2022, they aim to have a fleet of 1,200 rickshaws across south Asia and serve 2.2 million refugees. If they meet that goal, the company is projected to make a profit of over $5 million a year through advertising revenue and fares.

The idea of “Walk to Beat” walking stick initially struck Neha when she saw her grandfather suffering from Parkinson’s for nearly eight years. After witnessing the Parkinson’s freeze herself, she aimed to help patients who suffer from this disease.

Parkinson’s disease refers to a neurological disorder which particularly affects movement in the body and is more common among the elderly. It affects a person’s ability to walk, eat, write and speak. This state has come to be known as a Parkinson’s freeze – a sudden temporary episode of complete immobility. It not only limits the ability to start movement but also hampers an ongoing rhythmic activity such as walking or speaking. The brief pause in walking is very disabling as it gives the sensation of being glued to the ground. During this Parkinson’s freeze, there is a high probability that patients might injure themselves if they continue to stand for too long.

Key components of the Walk to Beat walking stick handle

By conducting research, Neha found a simple solution to remedy this particular aspect of the illness. Neha developed this idea as her final year research project during her Bachelor’s degree at the University of the West of England. She made an initial prototype of the walking stick which she incubated at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. The structure of the walking stick operates using haptic vibrations; the handle of the stick is equipped with a device that gives a vibrating pulse like sensation to the person holding the stick serving as an impulse to continue movement. The rhythmic pulse allows patients to match the pace of their movement with the beating. She also incorporated a recording sensor in the stick that will record the time and duration of the freezing episode based on their walking patterns. Neha believes this is an important modification which will help doctors and health care professionals to better understand the disease and its implications on their patients.

Neha tested the walking stick with Parkinson’s patients making changes over the course of one year based on patients’ feedback. She wanted to develop a product which was not only effective but also aesthetically pleasing to reflect the needs of the patients. This battery operated walking stick has is rechargeable and once fully charged, it operates for 5 days. Each product has a life span of five years.

Neha has received widespread positive feedback on this invention. As a result of this, she went on to found her own company “Walk to Beat” under which she began developing this product further. Neha and her team are continuously making efforts to improve this product and develop a minimum viable product by November 2017, aiming to launch the complete product by early next year. Neha is currently doing her Master’s in Marketing at the University of the West of England, polishing her skills to reach a wider market audience. Her invention has won three awards for entrepreneurship and five prizes including 100,000 pounds worth of investment to produce and develop this walking stick.

Farid Dailami, Associate Professor for Knowledge Exchange in Manufacturing at the Robotics Innovation Facility remarked: “The Walk to Beat walking stick can make a real difference to the lives of people suffering from Parkinson’s, and we are looking forward to providing further support and helping realize its potential.”

References:

http://parkinsonslife.eu/parkinsons-walking-stick-neha-chaudhry-walk-to-beat/

https://info.uwe.ac.uk/news/uwenews/news.aspx?id=3360

http://parkinsonslife.eu/walk-to-beat-innovative-walking-stick-parkinsons-patients-neha-shahid-chaudhry/

A group of scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed an environmentally friendly omni-phobic (liquid repellent) material, it was learnt today. This novel material is inspired by soil-dwelling insects – springtails which are omnivorous, free-living organisms that prefer moist conditions.

Working under the leadership of Himanshu Mishra at KAUST’s Water Desalination and Reuse Centre, these new materials can be used in a range of applications such as reducing biofouling and underwater drag to membrane distillation, oil-water separation, and waterproofing.

Himanshu Mishra is the Assistant Professor at KAUST in the Environmental Science and Engineering and Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Divisions with an interest in this particular discipline. Generally, the process of developing liquid repellent veneers relies heavily on the use of per-fluorinated coatings; even though this solution works, it is generally short-lived and is likely to corrode under harsh physical conditions. It also has adverse effects on environment as well as health. To counter this issue, Himanshu Mishra and his colleagues came up with a viable alternative by studying the surface coatings of springtails.

Using inspirations from naturally occurring materials, substances, and phenomena to create artificial materials and designs, generally known as biomimicry, is a highly popular mechanism to induce greater creativity in the scientific process and has been widely used in other instances such as conversing energy and improving communications and transportation.

Scientists draw inspiration from springtails for developing a liquid repellent material

In this particular instance, the scientists studied the surface properties of springtails. The patterns on the springtails exploit surface textures that contain a double layer of reentrant cavities, which keep them dry. By using photolithography and dry-etching tools at the KAUST Nanofabrication Core Lab, the researchers recreated these double layered reentrant micro cavities on silica surfaces. These micro cavities can trap air and prevent penetration of liquids, even under elevated pressures. The surface of the springtails also prevents any loss of omniphobicity in the presence of localized damage or defects or upon immersion in wetting liquids.

The team of scientists stated that the potential of this material is yet to be fully realized as it can be used to reduce hydrodynamic drag which is the force acting opposite to the relative motion of any object moving with respect to a surrounding fluid and anti-fouling which refers to  specialized category of coatings applied as the outer surfaces of materials to slow the growth of subaquatic organisms.

References:

http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=177740&CultureCode=en

The Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications center (SESAME) in Jordan

The facility which costs USD 90 million is located in the Jordanian town of Al-Balqa and is funded by member states with support from UNESCO and the European Union. Initial funds for the building and site were offered by the government of Jordan. That coupled with annual contributions including pledges of USD 5 million each from member states of Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and the Palestinian Authority cover for staff and other operational costs[1]. The European Union through CERN has also pledged 5 million dollars alongside grants from UNESCO and IAEA. The funds provided by IAEA were used for training scientists and engineers[2]. Similarly, substantial contributions were provided by Italy amounting to 3.56 million dollars till date which have been used to procure equipment and build a hostel for SEASME[3]. Founded on the model of Europe’s state of the art physics research laboratory, OPEN SESAME is the Muslim world’s only leading synchrotron.[4] ^[5]    The project signaling the dawn of a new era of scientific collaboration is modeled and conceptualized around CERN, the world’s largest and most powerful particle collider located in Geneva.

What is SESAME?  

The synchrotron is a particle accelerator that can be used to analyze and study almost anything from environmental pollutants to human body tissues. The principle behind it is that it uses a light source that scientists can use to gather information about the structural and chemical properties of the materials at the molecular level. Globally, there are around 60 synchrotrons driving scientific research and functioning as incredible tools in medicine and engineering but SESAME is the first one in the Middle East where expert physicists and researchers practice advanced science and research.

The synchrotron is a large machine about the size of a football field that is used to accelerate electrons at a high speed. The 130 meter accelerator shoots electrons propelling them at high energy and guiding them through a circular tube. They are shot like cannon balls travelling almost at the speed of light. The resultant beam is directed towards an area where the experiments are performed. Each beam line has a specialized wavelength that can be used to analyze a broad variety of materials that are otherwise invisible to the human eye. The synchrotron has wide applications in the fields of chemistry, biology, electronics, medicine, engineering, and archeology.

The idea of the project, led by British physicist Prof Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith, was conceptualized almost 20 years ago and faced obstacles of varying nature along the way.

The Middle Eastern synchrotron faced a host of obstacles due to the complex nature of the project. The plan faced financial and technical delays almost at its onset. The hurdles were further aggravated due to regional sensitivities, governmental hostilities and miniscule science and research budgets of the member states. Iran’s contribution of 5 million dollars as part of its individual pledge faced delays due to international sanctions on banking. Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency is also an observer on the SEASME council. Despite such immense challenges, the venture still managed to materialize in the form of a world class interdisciplinary research laboratory.

What exactly does SESAME do?

Today, SESAME is capable of generating of up to 20 beamlines but scientists have initially planned to work with three.

The first is an X-ray light that has applications in environmental research and can be employed to identify potential sources of environmental pollution.

The second is an infrared light that can be used to study the structural and chemical properties of cells and their proteins.

The third MX (Macromolecular Crystallography – a radiation technique used to study biological molecules) can be used to study the structural characteristics of viruses in order to develop effective drugs against them. Efforts are underway to introduce an imaging beamline to study archaeological or cultural heritage artefacts.

The project open to international and Middle Eastern researchers in universities and scientists, has already received 55 proposals to use the first two beamlines. In Jordan, an advanced research center has been established to study globally relevant problems pertaining to the environment and public health. A project to determine the causes of soil pollution in the Jordan River Valley spearheaded by scientist Messaoud Harfouche and other collaborators from Egypt and Jordan is underway. Similarly researchers are probing the causes and environmental factors linked to cancer which is on the rise in the Middle Eastern region.

In addition, an advanced training program was initiated to train scientists and engineers from the region to impart critical knowledge about the accelerator technology and its uses. Sesame has successfully conducted 30 trainings in the Middle East and other countries and has trained 750 scientists and engineers about the applications of synchrotron technology. The program also offers opportunities of international exposure and collaboration where around 105 research students and scientists were given the opportunity to gain firsthand experience of using the radiation sources by spending up to two years at other synchrotron radiation facilities in Europe, USA and Asia. This program enjoys the support of IAEA and the European Union.

The region’s first synchrotron and the only one being powered by renewable energy holds tremendous potential for advancements in research and technology for future generations. It is the transformative power of science that has enabled scientists and researchers from countries like Iran and Israel to work together despite tensions between their regional countries.

The facility will serve to usher in a new era of scientific knowledge and discovery in this part of the world fostering international scientific collaborations, promoting the development of industrial processes and providing individuals with an environment for scientific research and collaboration. SESAME aspires to reverse the brain drain in the region by promoting research in fields ranging from medicine and biology, through materials science, physics and chemistry to healthcare, the environment, agriculture and archaeology.

Along with this, SESAME also fosters scientific and technological capacity building in the Middle East and neighboring regions. Enhanced scientific links are being developed to nurture a culture of peace through collaboration on scientific advancements.

[1] http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/ON-Jordan-inaugurates-regions-first-synchrotron-1705177.html

[2] http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/ON-Jordan-inaugurates-regions-first-synchrotron-1705177.html

[3] http://www.sesame.org.jo/sesame/images/News/SESAME-Opening/Souvenir_Booklet.pdf

[4] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39927836

[5] https://phys.org/news/2017-05-sesame-science-centre-inaugurated-jordan.html

Nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have tested a temporary tattoo that both extracts and measures the level of glucose in the fluid in between skin cells. This first-ever example of the flexible, easy-to-wear device could be a promising step forward in noninvasive glucose testing for patients with diabetes.

The sensor was developed and tested by graduate student Amay Bandodkar and colleagues in Professor Joseph Wang’s laboratory at the NanoEngineering Department and the Center for Wearable Sensors at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. Bandodkar said this “proof-of-concept” tattoo could pave the way for the Center to explore other uses of the device, such as detecting other important metabolites in the body or delivering medicines through the skin.

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