Computer America

From Interplanetary Light Sails to Sub-Millimeter Quantum Measuring w/ Ralph Bond

Show Notes 3 April 2026Researchers Develop Photonic Crystal Light Sails for Interplanetary Exploration NationalToday.comhttps://nationaltoday.com/us/al/tuskegee/news/2026/03/06/researchers-develop-photonic-crystal-light-sail-for-interplanetary-exploration/Fuel-free interplanetary travel:Photonic crystal sail could help laser beams push spacecraft MSNhttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/fuel-free-interplanetary-travel-photonic-crystal-sail-could-help-laser-beams-push-spacecraft/ar-AA1XLjxKDesign and manufacture of a photonic crystal light sail SPIE Digital Libraryhttps://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/journals/journal-of-nanophotonics/volume-19/issue-04/046008/Design-and-manufacture-of-a-photonic-crystal-light-sail/10.1117/1.JNP.19.046008.fullNASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) NASAhttps://www.nasa.gov/mission/acs3/How UCLA scientists helped reimagine a forgotten battery design from Thomas Edison UCLAhttps://www.chemistry.ucla.edu/news/how-ucla-scientists-helped-reimagine-a-forgotten-battery-design-from-thomas-edison/A Fast-Charging, High-Stability Nickel-Iron Battery via Protein-Induced Biomineralization Wiley Online Libraryhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/smll.202507934Quantum-inspired laser system delivers distance measurements with sub-millimeter accuracy Phys.orghttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-quantum-laser-distance-millimeter-accuracy.htmlHow your virtual twin could one day save your life IEEE Spectrumhttps://spectrum.ieee.org/living-heart-project-virtual-twinsThe Living Heart Project Dassault Systèmeshttps://www.3ds.com/heartThe Living Heart Project: A Decade of Innovation YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae_IqlxgCMELab-grown algae removes microplastics from water University of Missourihttps://engineering.missouri.edu/2026/lab-grown-algae-removes-microplastics-from-water/

The Price of Entertainment: PlayStation, Netflix, and Nintendo w/ Calcopia

Sony Is Raising Prices on PlayStation Consoles and Portals Polygonhttps://www.polygon.com/ps5-price-increase-sony-playstation-portalNetflix Raises Prices Across All Streaming Plans CNBChttps://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/26/netflix-raises-prices-across-all-streaming-plans.htmlPhysical vs Digital: Switch 2 Games Pricing Explained Polygonhttps://www.polygon.com/physical-vs-digital-switch-2-games-pricingApple Discontinues the Mac Pro Engadgethttps://www.engadget.com/computing/apple-discontinues-the-mac-pro-221502339.htmlMacBook Neo 2026: The Perfect Laptop for Most Users Calcopiahttps://calcopia.com/macbook-neo-2026-the-perfect-laptop-for-most-users/ChatGPT Sexy Mode Disabled Following Investor Concerns Ars Technicahttps://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/chatgpt-wont-talk-dirty-any-time-soon-as-sexy-mode-turns-off-investors-report-says

AI Search Robots, Tofu Water Batteries, and 4D Vision Chips w/ Ralph Bond

Story 1: AI search robot uses 3D maps and internet knowledge to find lost items Andreas Schmitz, Technical University Munich TechXplore.com https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-ai-robot-3d-internet-knowledge.html Research paper: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11359697 Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUouwHUZPWQStory 2: Tofu brine could power safer batteries that last decades, researchers say Skye Jacobs Techspot.com https://www.techspot.com/news/111434-tofu-brine-could-power-safer-batteries-last-decades.html Research paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-69384-2Story 3: New 4D vision chip can help robots, drones track distance and speed of moving objects Mrigakshi Dixit InterestingEngineering.com https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/4d-vision-chip-helps-robots-track-distance-speed Research paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10183-6Story 4: Blood test 'clock' can predict Alzheimer's symptoms before they emerge David Nield ScienceAlert.com https://www.sciencealert.com/blood-test-clock-can-predict-alzheimers-symptoms-before-they-emerge Research paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04206-yStory 5: Scientists mixed dead leaves with magnesium—and created a super metal Darren Orf Popular Mechanics via MSN.com https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-mixed-dead-leaves-with-magnesium-and-created-a-supermetal/ar-AA1YOXDc?ocid=BingNewsSerpStory 6: Turning sawdust into fire-resistant materials Samuel Schlaefli ETHzurich https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2026/03/turning-sawdust-into-fire-resistant-materials.htmlStory 7: The world’s first self-balancing electric motorcycle is now entering production Micha Toll Electrek.com https://electrek.co/2026/03/16/the-w

EyeDAR Sensors, Transplant Coatings, and Prostate Cancer Advances w/ Ralph Bond

Show Notes 20 March 2026Story 1: Extra ‘set of eyes’ for self-driving cars: Roadside radar sensors could reduce blind spots Silvia Cernea Clark Rice University websitehttps://news.rice.edu/news/2026/extra-set-eyes-self-driving-cars-roadside-radar-sensors-could-reduce-blind-spotshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1SWRzGPQJQStory 2: Spray-on 'immune-shield' coats transplant organs to curb rejection Medical Xpress via MSN.comhttps://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/spray-on-immune-shield-coats-transplant-organs-to-curb-rejection/ar-AA1XGjVRhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016836592501082XStory 3: A New Type of Immunotherapy Drug for Prostate Cancer Shows Up to 99% Drop in Cancer Biomarkers Tudor Tarita ZME Sciencehttps://www.zmescience.com/medicine/diseases-medicine/a-new-type-of-immunotherapy-drug-for-prostate-cancer-shows-up-to-99-drop-in-cancer-biomarkers/Story 4: Researchers develop beating, 3D‑printed heart model for surgical practice Tina Hilding Washington State Universityhttps://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2026/03/04/researchers-develop-beating-3d-printed-heart-model-for-surgical-practice/Story 5: Breakthrough laser technology enables deeper, more efficient bone surgery University of Basel News-medical.nethttps://www.news-medical.net/news/20260226/Breakthrough-laser-technology-enables-deeper-more-efficient-bone-surgery.aspxhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-37117-6Story 6: Hyundai’s Autonomous Firefighting Robot Handles 1,400+ Degree Temps TomorrowsWorldToday.comhttps://www.tomorrowsworldtoday.com/robotics/hyundais-autonomous-firefighting-robot-handles-1400-degree-temps/Story 7: Scientists discovered a way to create 3D-printed wood — and the breakthrough could change how hundreds of products get made Laurelle Stelle The Cool Down on MSN.comhttps://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/scientists-discovered-a-way-to-create-3d-printed-wood-and-the-breakthrough-could-change-how-hundreds-of-products-get-made/ar-AA1XuWWfStory 8: New microrobot swarms use whirlpools to lift objects 45,000 times heavier Mrigakshi Dixit Interesting Engineering

Hair Loss Breakthrough: Light Therapy Suppresses Key Markers by 92%

  Show Notes 13 March 2026Story 1: 3D Printing Soft Robots - Rotational multi-material printing offers intricate, programmable shapesSource: Harvard School of Engineering Story by Anne J. ManningLink: https://seas.harvard.edu/news/3d-printing-soft-robotsSee video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK9K_mJjlxEStory 2: AI robot vehicles learn to team up and extinguish fires in early trialSource: TechXplore.com Story by Andrew ZininLink: https://techxplore.com/news/2026-02-ai-robot-vehicles-team-extinguish.htmlSee research paper here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0952197626000618?via%3DihubStory 3: New Light Therapy Can Suppress a Key Marker of Hair Loss by 92%Source: ScienceAlert.com Story by Carly CassellaLink: https://www.sciencealert.com/new-light-therapy-can-suppress-a-key-marker-of-hair-loss-by-92Story 4: Mapping Protein Production in Brain Cells Yields New Insights for Brain Disease - UC San Diego and Scripps Research scientists used a novel method to show that some memory neurons produce proteins at higher rates than others.Source: UC San Diego Today Story by Susanne Clara Bard Link: https://today.ucsd.edu/story/mapping-protein-production-in-brain-cells-yields-new-insights-for-brain-disease