London, December 17 (ANI): It can cost you a lot if your mobilephone screen cracks after you accidentally dropped it, but help is at hand. Amazon has invented an airbag for smartphones. The innovative technology makes use of the motion-sensors that are now built into most smartphones to detect when it has entered an airborne state, so that a mini-airbag can be deployed to cushion its fall. Amazon has won a patent for the protective system this week. As well as mobile phones, the technology could be used on electronic readers, including the online retailer's own Kindle, as well as computer tablets and cameras. Amazon's founder, Jeff Bezos, filed the application for a patent himself. The application reads "Prior to impact between a surface and a device, a determination of a risk of damage to the device is made. If the risk of damage to the device exceeds a threshold, a protection system is activated to reduce or eliminate damage to the device." The airbag would draw on data from a mobile phone's built-in gyroscope, camera, accelerometers and other such sensors, according to the patent. Then, if it is determined that the gadget has been dropped, the technology will trigger the release of airbags and could even include air-jets to change its trajectory in mid-air. (ANI). Source: NewsTrackIndia, Image: flickr.com
Smartphone airbags could make 'cracked screens' a thing of the past
London, December 17 (ANI): It can cost you a lot if your mobilephone screen cracks after you accidentally dropped it, but help is at hand. Amazon has invented an airbag for smartphones. The innovative technology makes use of the motion-sensors that are now built into most smartphones to detect when it has entered an airborne state, so that a mini-airbag can be deployed to cushion its fall. Amazon has won a patent for the protective system this week. As well as mobile phones, the technology could be used on electronic readers, including the online retailer's own Kindle, as well as computer tablets and cameras. Amazon's founder, Jeff Bezos, filed the application for a patent himself. The application reads "Prior to impact between a surface and a device, a determination of a risk of damage to the device is made. If the risk of damage to the device exceeds a threshold, a protection system is activated to reduce or eliminate damage to the device." The airbag would draw on data from a mobile phone's built-in gyroscope, camera, accelerometers and other such sensors, according to the patent. Then, if it is determined that the gadget has been dropped, the technology will trigger the release of airbags and could even include air-jets to change its trajectory in mid-air. (ANI). Source: NewsTrackIndia, Image: flickr.com
China starts mass production of carbon-14 isotope
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The Qinshan plant (Image: CNNC)
The carbon-14 isotope is being produced at the Qinshan nuclear power plant, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has announced.
According to CNNC the development means that the country can fully meet its demand for carbon-14, which is used in medical and scientific research and in fields including agriculture and chemistry as well as in medicine and biology. Radiocarbon dating uses carbon-14 to determine the true age of ancient objects up to 50,000 years old.
Apart from very limited production in experimental reactors, it was previously imported, with CNNC saying it was "expensive and supply could not be guaranteed - the shortage of supply has seriously restricted development of downstream industries". The irradiated carbon-14 target was successfully extracted from the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant's heavy water reactor unit at 13:48 on Saturday 20 April.
Shang Xianhe, general manager of Qinshan Nuclear Power, told reporters: "This is the first time China has achieved mass production of carbon-14 isotopes in a commercial nuclear power reactor. From now on, it is expected that we can produce about 150 curies of carbon-14 isotopes every year, which can fully meet China's market demand."
The carbon-14 targets will be supplied to the market at the end of 2024 after being separated and purified, CNNC said. "This will effectively promote the development of China's isotope application industry chain and further establish and improve industry-university-research cooperation to develop commercial reactors. The research and development system for irradiation-produced isotopes promotes and drives the research and development of high-tech nuclear drugs and nuclear medicine industries by downstream medical enterprises, providing strong support for the development of the domestic isotope application industry."Qinshan is China's largest nuclear power plant, comprising seven reactors. Construction of Phase I of the plant - a 300 MWe pressurised water reactor (PWR) which was the first indigenously-designed Chinese nuclear power station to be built - began in 1985, with the unit entering commercial operation in 1994. Qinshan Phase II is home to four operating CNP-600 PWRs, built with a high degree of localisation. Units 1 and 2, comprising the first stage of Phase II, began operating in 2002 and 2004, respectively. Units 3 and 4 entered commercial operation in October 2010 and April 2021. Phase III consists of two 750 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors supplied by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd and commissioned in 2002 and 2003. Researched and written by World Nuclear News China starts mass production of carbon-14 isotope : New Nuclear - World Nuclear News
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