The Shell Sky Scenario: Our Need To Critically Assess Sponsored Corporate Content
Is the Shell Sky scenario visionary or subterfuge?
MIT
Solid-State Airplane With No Moving Parts Takes Flight
An airplane with no moving parts has flown a distance of 60 meters. Is that a big deal? It is if you consider that on a cold December day in 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright’s first airplane changed the world when it flew a distance of only 37 meters. What new ideas could a solid-state airplane with no jet or internal combustion engine lead to?
Climate Change Impacts Can Worsen Mental Health Conditions
Research conducted at MIT investigated the connection between climate change impacts like severe weather incidents and mental health conditions. Researchers found that weather conditions like hotter temperatures and severe tropical cyclones can have an impact on mental health. One of the researchers, Nick Obradovich, answered some questions about the study for CleanTechnica.
Tesla Autopilot Miles Skyrocketing (Cool Graphs)
The MIT Autonomous Vehicle Technology Study (MIT-AVT), which is studying human-AI interaction in driving, has collected masses of real-world driving data, and is using that data to glean all sorts of insights of interest to Tesla fans. In a previous post, we admired a set of nifty charts, prepared by study co-author Lex Fridman, that illustrate how many Tesla vehicles with each version of Autopilot hardware are on the roads.
Tesla Autopilot Deliveries — Past, Present, & Future
Tesla’s Autopilot system has been through several versions, and will surely go through several more. While the company can perform software upgrades remotely, it can’t (or at any rate, doesn’t) retrofit hardware components of Autopilot to older cars. The result of this is that there are vehicles with three different iterations of Autopilot on the roads.
The Heila IQ Optimization System Brings Balance To Microgrids
Heila Technologies has built an impressive suite of microgrid solutions aimed at improving the resiliency and automation of microgrids in connected and islanded modes. The foundation of the Heila solution is the Heila IQ unit, which adds a cloud-connected brain to distributed energy generation (DEG) assets on a microgrid.
MIT Engineers Develop Unmanned Flying Robot To Monitor The World’s Oceans
MIT engineers have designed a wind-powered unmanned nautical air-water vehicle that they plan to fly around the world to monitor the oceans of the world.
Health Benefits Of Chinese Climate Goals Could Offset Costs By 2030
A new study from researchers at MIT has concluded that if China follows through on its climate policies targeting the reduction of CO2 emissions, the monetary savings stemming from air quality and human health will greatly exceed the cost of meeting those goals in the first place.
Electricity From Thin Air — Thermal Resonator From MIT Gets The Job Done
Researchers at MIT have created a thermal resonator, a device that can harvest electricity from changes in temperature. While early prototypes only generate a small amount of electricity, the potential for this technology is significant.
A Cautionary Tale About Mainstream News Media
Warning: this is a cautionary tale about mainstream news media, distortions, and beating others to the punch. It is also followed after many paragraphs by a CleanTechnica fundraising pitch. Of course, regarding the mainstream media frustration, we are very well aware that we are preaching to the choir here. CleanTechnica is made up of independent journalists, writers, and enthusiasts. We write, talk, and film for independent media outlets. As such, we don’t owe allegiance to companies, executives, editors (well, sort of — right, Zach?), or ideologies. Nor do we bow to any lobby groups.
