News of science and technology around the world

[roman olkhovsky]

The first flight of the Russian long-haul passenger aircraft Il-96-400M took place.

The flight of the prototype aircraft took place at an altitude of up to 2000 meters, at a speed of up to 390 km/h and lasted 26 minutes. The aircraft can accommodate up to 370 passengers, and the new navigation system is created from Russian components taking into account current international requirements. The aircraft is a modernized version of the Il-96-300, features a fuselage lengthened by 9.35 meters and is equipped with more powerful Russian PS-90A1 engines. The aircraft may have a cargo configuration. The maximum flight range of the Il-96-400M in a two-class passenger configuration is 8.1 thousand km. During the first flight, stability, controllability, systems, and radio equipment were checked.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

A futurist engineer from Yemen and Hashim al-Ghaili developed a project for a flying plane-hotel Sky Cruise. The flying nuclear-powered hotel Sky Cruise is capable of carrying up to 5,000 people. The giant plane will fly without pilots. The artificial intelligence system will be in charge of this, but a human will be able to take control at any time. According to the author's idea, the artificial intelligence-controlled Sky Cruise will take to the skies thanks to 20 nuclear-powered engines. According to the creator, this will solve the issue of carbon dioxide emissions. The liner will not need to land on the ground for maintenance, it will be able to fly for years. Everything necessary for a normal life of people will be delivered by electric aircraft. So far, mankind does not have the opportunity to implement such a project. On the other hand, not so long ago, tourist flights into space were also considered science fiction.

Uh and if one of them would happen to crash how would you deal with the nuclear contamination?

 

[cawacko]

Uh and if one of them would happen to crash how would you deal with the nuclear contamination?

Mott, what do you think of the Harbaugh allegations?

 

[Mott the Hoople]

Mott, what do you think of the Harbaugh allegations?

Wacko. Please spell his name correctly. It’s Hairball. ;-)

Given what an arrogant and insufferable prick Hairball is and now a certified liar, I think the situation is absolutely hilarious.

I mean that school up North sneers down their oversized noses about how superior they are and would never ever dirty their hands as something as tawdry as this and having their hypocrisy exposed that their poo stinks to is just the funniest things to happen in football.

I mean Hairballs excuse “They started it! They did it first!” Is the kind of reasoning no parent would accept from an 8 year old.

It will be even more funny if Penn St. whoops them today. LOL

 

[T. A. Gardner]

Uh and if one of them would happen to crash how would you deal with the nuclear contamination?

Depends on how thorough you want to be. The basic method would be a combination of collection and removal of radioactive materials and then soil removal for radioactive particulates. Most of the later, if at lower levels, is best dealt with simply by waiting a few months for it to decay to acceptable levels.

 

[roman olkhovsky]

The Aeromax company announced the launch of production of a new model of the Russian unmanned cargo helicopter SH-3000. The SH-3000 helicopter-type drone was developed very quickly, its development began a year ago. The first prototypes of the helicopter will appear in 2024 and testing will begin then. So far, only civilian versions of drones have been reported. The SH-3000 drone is adapted for flights in difficult weather conditions. The length of the helicopter is about 13 meters. Its maximum speed reaches 210 km/h. The drone is capable of staying in the air for up to five hours and covering a distance of up to 900 km. The cargo drone is designed to transport cargo weighing up to 1000 kilograms. It is planned to use the helicopter in hard-to-reach regions of Russia.

 

[roman olkhovsky]

Serial production of Russian UAVs from the Flying Machines of Thuring company from Moscow will begin in Kaluga. The launch of production will take place at the Kaluga Electromechanical Plant. The drones promise two and three times redundancy of all systems, 5 times redundancy of communication channels, and 360-degree video streaming for the pilot. Two aircraft-type UAVs with vertical takeoff and landing will be produced, the T-300 UAV and the TFM-15 UAV. The drones are based on a scalable and easily upgradeable platform. The company's drones are designed primarily for logistics purposes, but drones can be used in other areas: from monitoring to agriculture. Modernization for military functions is also possible. Regarding the characteristics, the TFM-15 UAV has a payload of 15 kg and a flight speed of up to 130 km/h, the standard version has a flight range of 200 km, but there is a hybrid version with an engine-generator that can fly up to 800 kilometers. The T-300 UAV is designed for transporting heavy loads, its payload capacity is up to 130 kg, the flight range is the same 200 km, in a hybrid version up to 1000 km. The company has been carrying out import substitution of components for its UAVs since 2021.

 

[roman olkhovsky]

Boston Dynamics showed flexible new robot Atlas

Boston Dynamics presented a new model of the Atlas robot, which it developed jointly with South Korean Hyundai. Now the robot is completely electric, and the hydraulics have been removed. Unlike the previous model of the Atlas robot, which was developed for 11 years and is now not assembled, the new robot has received more powerful drives and has also become more flexible. Now he doesn’t have to walk on two legs, he can fold into different positions. Some users were even frightened by this mobility. The new Atlas robot will be used in production automation; it is reported that the robot is already working at Hyundai factories.

 

[roman olkhovsky]

The Dagestan plant Concern KEMZ officially presented the new Russian twin-engine multi-purpose aircraft Alfa-KM. The aircraft is a significantly improved version of the MAI-411 aircraft; for example, due to the use of composites, the Alfa-KM aircraft turned out to be 250 kg lighter than its predecessor. The Russian aircraft - Alfa-KM, is an analogue of the European CS-23 and American FAR-23 aircraft, the demand for small aircraft is growing and its production is now especially relevant. The aircraft is intended for air transportation, air tourism, patrol and other uses in small aviation.
The aircraft is made from Russian components; it was previously reported that the Austrian Rotax 912S engine is used, but there is no data on what it is now. In case of engine failure, the aircraft has a parachute rescue system. Companies from Malaysia, India and Turkey already intend to purchase Dagestani aircraft. The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is 1250 kg, but it is capable of carrying 4 people over a distance of up to 1500 km, with a cruising speed of up to 250 km/h, at a flight altitude of up to 3000 meters.

 

[roman olkhovsky]

New Volga S40, K30 and K40 cars are shown in Russia. At an exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin was shown new cars of the revived Volga brand. Reportedly, they plan to produce three car models: Volga C40 - class D sedan, Volga K30 - class C crossover, Volga K40 - class D crossover. There is no official information yet about the partner who is helping with the revival of the Soviet car brand. The likely donor for Russian cars is the Chinese cars Changan Raeton Plus, Changan Oshan X5 Plus and Changan Uni-Z. It is worth noting that the design of Chinese cars in recent years has become even better than European ones. All three cars use a gasoline engine with a power of 188 horsepower and a torque of 300 Nm. Presumably a seven-speed automatic transmission and a 1.5 liter engine. The cars are equipped with intelligent driver assistance systems, and Russian services are integrated into the multimedia system. Production of the machines will begin in 2024, and from 2025 - in full cycle mode.

 

[roman olkhovsky]

Boeing said it is working on a new quality issue for the Boeing 737 MAX and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. It is worth noting that the problem with the quality of Boeing aircraft can already be called a detective story, since two informants who reported them have already died under mysterious circumstances. Bloomberg published a report from Boeing's quality control inspector. Sam Mohawk said: Boeing lost 400 defective parts that - either intentionally or by mistake - could have been installed on new planes. Records of where and how defective components were stored disappeared from internal archives.
On June 18, a hearing was held in the US Senate, at which Boeing CEO David Calhoun spoke and answered questions from congressmen who criticized the corporation for numerous problems with the quality of aircraft. According to media reports, the head of Boeing had to justify himself in the Senate because of his salary of more than $30 million and the concealment of spare parts; he also apologized for problems with flight safety.
Problems with the Boeing 737 MAX became known 5 years ago, the same problems with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, in short, they are all related to the acceleration of aircraft production, a problem with parts from suppliers and savings on wages for engineers, designers and programmers. Boeing said it continues to refine and improve its aircraft manufacturing process, but scandals have plagued the company, which has already impacted its financial performance.

 

[roman olkhovsky]

Elon Musk showed prototypes of two new Tesla products at once: the Cybercab robotic taxi and the Robovan driverless van. The Optimus humanoid robot was also shown. The Cybercab robotic taxi can be used not only for personal use, but also rented out, making money on it. Tesla has assembled at least 50 Cybercabs and plans to launch mass production no later than 2027. The price of one Cybercab taxi for entrepreneurs will be less than 30 thousand dollars. There is no steering wheel or pedals in the Cybercab, since human control is not provided at all, the car operates completely in unmanned mode. The Cybercab car will be charged inductively, without the need to connect to the network. Musk said that autonomous cars will be 10-20 times safer than those controlled by people. A ride on a Cybercab will cost 20 cents per 1.6 km, for comparison, on a bus it costs $ 1.

The Robovan driverless van will be able to transport 20 people, it also has a numb steering wheel and pedals, it can be converted into a cargo version. The Optimus robot attracted the most attention from the public, in the future it can become one of the family members. They promise that the Optimus robot will be able to clean the house, walk the dog, mow the lawn, water the plants, set the table, wipe the dust, play with children and much more. Optimus robots are already being adapted for work in production and as auto mechanics.

 

[Kafka]

A futurist engineer from Yemen and Hashim al-Ghaili developed a project for a flying plane-hotel Sky Cruise. The flying nuclear-powered hotel Sky Cruise is capable of carrying up to 5,000 people. The giant plane will fly without pilots. The artificial intelligence system will be in charge of this, but a human will be able to take control at any time. According to the author's idea, the artificial intelligence-controlled Sky Cruise will take to the skies thanks to 20 nuclear-powered engines. According to the creator, this will solve the issue of carbon dioxide emissions. The liner will not need to land on the ground for maintenance, it will be able to fly for years. Everything necessary for a normal life of people will be delivered by electric aircraft. So far, mankind does not have the opportunity to implement such a project. On the other hand, not so long ago, tourist flights into space were also considered science fiction.

These are always so much fun to envision. I'm actually kinda glad that the 1960's-1970's era testing of nuclear plane engines never really got off the ground. Sounds like a ginormous disaster just waiting to happen.

PLUS it's piloted by AI! That sounds SUPER sketch.

 

[Kafka]

...and then you needed to let it sit for days to recharge it!

Sounds like someone has never heard of DC fast charging. LOL.

Sorry, CAT. This isn't going to make it in the harsh world of the mining biz.

Not only are you a trained electrician who "owns his own company" but you also know all about mining! Woah. You are some sorta renaissance man!

 

[Into the Night]

Sounds like someone has never heard of DC fast charging. LOL.

You can't charge your car while you are discharging your car, moron.

Not only are you a trained electrician who "owns his own company" but you also know all about mining! Woah. You are some sorta renaissance man!

That I am.

 

[Into the Night]

Maybe they could add some solar panels to it...

Not enough. You need more power than solar panels covering that area can provide.

 

[Into the Night]

A futurist engineer from Yemen and Hashim al-Ghaili developed a project for a flying plane-hotel Sky Cruise. The flying nuclear-powered hotel Sky Cruise is capable of carrying up to 5,000 people. The giant plane will fly without pilots. The artificial intelligence system will be in charge of this, but a human will be able to take control at any time. According to the author's idea, the artificial intelligence-controlled Sky Cruise will take to the skies thanks to 20 nuclear-powered engines. According to the creator, this will solve the issue of carbon dioxide emissions. The liner will not need to land on the ground for maintenance, it will be able to fly for years. Everything necessary for a normal life of people will be delivered by electric aircraft. So far, mankind does not have the opportunity to implement such a project. On the other hand, not so long ago, tourist flights into space were also considered science fiction.

Meh. Yet another pipe dream.

 

[Into the Night]

The Chinese company Xiaomi has introduced a humanoid robot CyberOne. The new robot was developed by the Xiaomi Robotics Lab division. The robot is 177 cm tall, weighs 52 kg, and has an average movement speed of 3.6 km/h. With the help of sensors, he orients himself in space, recognizes people and can react to their actions. The company reports that the robot is able to answer questions, maintain a conversation and recognize 45 human emotions.

The Tesla robot has already gotten this one beat.

 

[Into the Night]

The first flight of China's Qimingxing 50 solar-powered UAV

Footage of China's first solar-powered Qimingxing 50 UAV has been released. The large-sized twin-fuselage UAV was developed by the First Aircraft Building Institute AVIC. The UAV took off from Yulin Airport and stayed in the air for 26 minutes before landing on the same runway. The Qimingxing 50 UAV is equipped with six solar-powered electric motors. He can observe forest fires, conduct geodetic surveys, perform high-altitude reconnaissance and other tasks that require a long stay in the air.

Nuthin' new here. As always, solar power aircraft have no useful payload.

 

[Into the Night]

The electrification of vehicles has reached the conservative niche of mining dump trucks. The American company Caterpillar has introduced a prototype of the world's first all-electric mining truck Caterpillar 793 with a capacity of 2650 hp. With. Caterpillar has not yet disclosed the characteristics of its dump truck. The Caterpillar 793 looks like the company's standard mining truck. During a test run at the company's test site in Arizona, a dump truck transported a load weighing 265 tons over a distance of 7 km. The dump truck sometimes accelerated to a maximum speed of 60 km / h.

This one won't survive the harsh conditions of mining, and requires an inconveniently long time to recharge. Such trucks often need to run 24/7. Not practical for an electric truck.