Today, you’ll learn about self-healing robots, Afib detection in the produce aisle, and hurricanes on worlds orbiting distant stars.
Today, you’ll learn about self-healing robots, Afib detection in the produce aisle, and hurricanes on worlds orbiting distant stars.
Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/healing-electronics-grocery-cart-sensors-large-telescopes
Healing Electronics
Grocery Cart Sensors
Long Telescopes
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[SFX: INTRO MUSIC/WHOOSH]
NATE: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from Discovery. Time flies when you’re learnin’ super cool stuff. I’m Nate.
CALLI: And I’m Calli. If you’re dropping in for the first time, welcome to Curiosity, where we aim to blow your mind by helping you to grow your mind. If you’re a loyal listener, welcome back!
NATE: Today, you’ll learn about self-healing robots, Afib detection in the produce aisle, and hurricanes on worlds orbiting distant stars.
CALLI: Without further ado, let’s satisfy some curiosity!
[SFX: WHOOSH]
NATE: Remember we did a story not so long ago on the discovery that metal can actually heal itself?
CALLI: Sure! They found that tiny fissures in metal would actually just sorta…heal, right?
NATE: That’s right. It was a discovery that could one day change the way bridges and buildings - and really anything made out of metal is designed. So what if I told you that we were now developing self-healing machines?
CALLI: I would say that sounds like a plotline from Terminator, and I would kindly say no thank you.
NATE: Ha! Right. The T-1000 robot with its liquid metal that can’t be stopped. Classic. Well, as frightening as a self-healing machine might sound, the implications for electronics, industrial processes, and even waste management are huge.
CALLI: Okay. You’ve got my attention.
NATE: Good. So the T-1000 from Terminator 2 is actually a good place to start.
CALLI: Oh great.
NATE: Not because they’re creating a machine that wants to destroy humanity, but because of the T-1000’s properties. If you remember, it’s both a solid and a liquid. You can slice it open, but it kinda just closes back up on its own. Scientists have been interested in material that can not only change shape, but also repair itself AND conduct electricity.
CALLI: So…they want to build a machine out of Silly Putty?
NATE: Basically. And they think they’ve done it. Scientists have developed a variety of new materials that could lead to a revolution in everything from robotics to wearables.
CALLI: I’m trying to think of why we need this, other than to destroy humanity, and I just can’t come up with anything.
NATE: That’s a good question. But before I explain how scientists plan on using this material, it’s worth giving a little background. We’ve talked about polymers in other shows…
CALLI: …sure. They’re basically these molecule chains, right?
NATE: Exactly. They come in all different forms, but the idea is that they are chains of repeating molecules. Depending on their basic composition, they can be super rigid or more on the elastic side. Researchers have worked with healable polymers for a while, and most of them need what they call a ‘trigger’ to heal. Like…when the molecule chain breaks, maybe you apply heat to it and the chain reconnects and there you have it.
CALLI: Got it.
NATE: But there are some polymers that don’t need a trigger to heal.
CALLI: I know I was joking…but is Silly Putty a polymer?
NATE: Totally. Yes. And it can spontaneously heal itself. What’s more, it’s kinda halfway between a liquid and a solid, right? It’ll drip over the edge of a table like syrup, but if you pull it really quickly, it’ll snap apart like a solid.
CALLI: I love that stuff.
NATE: So now imagine if that magical stuff could actually conduct electricity, or if it could light up like the screen on your cell phone.
CALLI: Whoa. A cell phone made of Silly Putty?
NATE: And that could mean bandages that could conform to your skin, measure your heart rate and take your vital signs.
CALLI: Or robots that can’t be killed.
NATE: Yeah. That’s one way to put it. Another way is to imagine robots that maintain their functionality forever because they can repair themselves. Imagine the implications for things like disaster relief or the exploration of distant worlds.
CALLI: Okay. That part I can get behind.
NATE: So right now the materials they’re working with are pretty straightforward and simple. But their real end goal is to create a complex electronic machine made entirely of different self-healing materials, which is incredibly difficult.
CALLI: Why is it so difficult? Can’t they just smush all the parts together?
NATE: Think about the way electronics work - each little connection needs to be lined up in the right spot, and most electronics are built in layers. So if every individual part is made of something that looks like Silly Putty…
CALLI: It’ll just be a blob of electronics.
NATE: Right. The connections will fail and it just won’t work. But if each part is made from a different material, and if none of those materials will bond to each other or disrupt the other connections…then a more non-violent, friendly, and helpful T-1000 could be within our grasp.
CALLI: Okay! A butler made of Silly Putty. Just what I’ve always wanted.
[SFX: WHOOSH]
CALLI: What do you know about aFib?
NATE: Ahhh…I love a good challenge. Okay. Lemme think. aFib stands for Atrial Fibrillation, right?
CALLI: Very good! So…what is it?
NATE: I was afraid you’d ask that. I’m sure we’ve talked about it on this show before. Okay. I think it’s basically an irregular heartbeat. Yes? Am I close?
CALLI: Yes, almost 100%. Atrial Fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm that starts out in the upper chambers of the heart - that’s the atria for all of you keeping score at home. And it’s actually a massive problem. By some measures, one in ten people over the age of 80 have this condition. It can cause fatigue, trouble breathing, heart palpitations - all kinds of issues. And some people don’t have any symptoms at all.
NATE: Hypothetical here: if I have it but don’t have any symptoms at all, is it really a problem?
CALLI: That’s a great question. So the real danger is two-fold. The first is that because the symptoms can be subtle or feel like something else - like a blood sugar issue, for example - millions of people could be walking around with aFib and not even know it. Which brings me to the second problem: people with this condition are up to five times more likely to suffer from a disabling or even deadly stroke.
NATE: Whoa. That’s a massively increased risk! And if you don’t know you have this risk factor, you could be living on borrowed time.
CALLI: Exactly. So researchers in the UK have created a pretty novel way to test people for aFib using…a shopping cart.
NATE: I’m sorry…did you say a shopping cart?
CALLI: Exactly. It’s less mysterious than it sounds. Basically, aFib is detected with an electrocardiogram, or EKG. EKGs basically measure the heart’s rhythm and electrical activity. It’s a painless thing - in fact, some smartwatches can actually measure it.
NATE: So let me guess…they’re putting EKGs in the handles of shopping carts.
CALLI: You’re really crushing it today. Yeah! They fitted ten shopping carts with the EKG sensors in supermarkets around Liverpool and tested over 2,000 shoppers for aFib.
NATE: But… if it was in the UK they’re trolleys but… semantics. Did the people agree to it?
CALLI: Yes. Absolutely. It’s unethical to gather medical data without the patient’s consent. Consent is a must. But what they really wanted to know was whether or not this idea would be acceptable to people who were just minding their business at the store.
NATE: That makes sense. If one of the problems with aFib is that people don’t know they have it, they need a common, easy way to test for it. That’s brilliant. So…how did it work?
CALLI: Well…like I said, a lot of folks agreed to do it. So that was a win. But the sensors they built in were…less than ideal. There were a ton of false positives and lots of false negatives.
NATE: That kinda sounds like a failure.
CALLI: Maybe. But the EKG sensors can be improved. It’s the concept that they want to prove is valuable. And it turns out people will actually agree to do it. So once more accurate sensors are deployed, this simple twist on medical testing could really save lives. In fact, in their test they actually identified 39 folks who didn’t realize they actually had atrial fibrillation.
NATE: Wow! That’s definitely a win. So…when will I be able to get my EKG in the produce aisle?
CALLI: That remains to be seen, but if some of the kinks get worked out…it could be soon!
[SFX: WHOOSH]
NATE: Scientists think they may be on the verge of predicting weather from 40 years ago.
CALLI: Uhhh. Kay, so weather that already happened? Like…they needed a study for that?
NATE: Did I mention it’s weather on Trappist-1, a seven-planet star system about 40 light years away from Earth?
CALLI: You left that part out. 40 light years. So any weather they’re detecting right now would have actually happened 40 years ago. Got it. But wait…how on Earth are they detecting weather in a star system that far away?!
NATE: In a study published in The Astrophysical Journal, a research team led by lead author Michael Plummer wanted to kick the tires on some of the new ELTs coming online. And, for those of you keeping score at home, an ELT is otherwise known as an Extremely Large Telescope.
CALLI: I’m all about calling things like you see ‘em. That name is pretty self-explanatory.
NATE: Totally. These are basically giant, land-based telescopes that will be able to see further into the universe than ever before.
CALLI: What about the James Webb Space Telescope that’s in orbit? I thought we always got the best views without having to look through the atmosphere from Earth? You said these were on land, though?
NATE: These ELTs are so massive that they could actually be more powerful than the James Webb. One of them - the Giant Magellan Telescope has seven of the largest mirrors on the planet and is said to be up to 200 times more powerful than the next best telescope. But it’s not just that one…a few of these are coming online - The Extremely Large Telescope…
CALLI: …another fairly straightforward name, sounds like it’s gonna be Extremely Large….
NATE: …If you like that one, guess how big the Thirty Meter Telescope will be once it’s completed…
CALLI: Uh…thirty meters?
NATE: Nailed it. So the research team behind this study plugged in a model that they created that can simulate and assess stuff happening on the surfaces of distant objects, like very low mass stars and even exo-planets. Using the model can tell them if instruments on these ELTs will be able to detect surface disruptions on these far-away worlds and stars.
CALLI: What kinds of surface disruptions?
NATE: Try cloud systems and hurricanes, just to name a couple. But they’re also finding changes in the magnetic fields of these stars.
CALLI: So were the Extremely Large Telescopes able to see that stuff?
NATE: They say that they will be able to make high-resolution observations of the surfaces of these objects - plus, they’ll be able to detect more and more exoplanets, and even look for clues of life in other star systems.
CALLI: Okay, that’s awesome.
NATE: Absolutely. As these massive telescopes come online, the next decade could be full of unimaginable discoveries about our universe.
[SFX: WHOOSH]
NATE: Let’s recap what we learned today to wrap up. Scientists are developing self-healing electronic material that could revolutionize electronics in everything from wearable tech to robotics to medical sensors. It’s a friendlier, more useful version of Terminator 2’s T-1000 robot.
CALLI: Researchers in the UK put EKG sensors in the handles of grocery carts in order to detect atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm that causes a five fold increase in the risk of stroke among those who have the condition.
NATE: Extremely Large Telescopes are land-based telescopes that can see hundreds of times further than other telescopes - and can even outperform The James Webb Space Telescope. Researchers have shown that these ELTs will actually have the ability to detect hurricanes on planets orbiting other stars.