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Undaunted by speederbike crashes at Battle of Endor, Dubai Police will use Russian Hoverbikes
Dubai police have announced they will soon have officers buzzing around the skies on Star Wars-style electric hoverbikes capable of speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour.
The Hoversurf Scorpion was unveiled at the Gitex Technology Week conference.
The Russian-made craft can fly at a height of five metres and carry a police officer over congested traffic in emergency situations, First Sergeant Ali Ahmad Mohammad told Gulf News.
“The bike can also fly without a passenger and can go up to six kilometres,” he said.
“It can fly for 25 minutes and can carry up to 300kg of weight at a speed of 70kph.”
Russia’s Combat Suit Gets A Nuke Resistant Upgrade
Russia’s new combat suit is getting a major upgrade. With threats of nuclear warfare pending in important regions of the globe, the nuclear resistant watch was a necessary addition to the futuristic fight suit designed by the former Soviet Union.
According to Newsweek, citing Rostec, the Russian defense contractor building the suit, the third-generation Ratnik-3 suit “comprises five integrated systems.” Those five subsystems include “life support, command and communication, engaging, protection, and energy saving subsystems,” according to Tass, a Russian state-owned media outlet. This could be the most advanced combat suit on the planet.
In total, the suit comes with 59 items, Tass said, including a powered exoskeleton that supposedly gives the soldier more strength and stamina, along with cutting-edge body armor and a helmet and visor that shields the soldier’s entire face. The suit also has a “pop-up display that can be used for tasks like examining a plan of the battlefield,” Andy Lynch, who works for a military company called Odin Systems, previously told The Daily Mail Online.
Russia did release a video of the combat suit in late June, but it only showed a static display of the suit making it incredibly difficult to discern if it actually has any of the capabilities that are claimed.
But the newest addition to this high-tech combat suit is fitting with the state of things on our politically volatile planet. The suit is being fitted with a watch that “retains its properties upon the impact of radiation and electromagnetic impulses, for example, upon a nuclear blast,” according to Rostec’s chief designer of the suit, Oleg Faustov.
The first-generation Ratnik suit was reportedly given to a few Russian units in 2013, and some pieces of the suit were spotted on Russian troops in Crimea, according to a report by The New York Times. The third-generation Ratnik suit will supposedly be ready for service in 2022, said Russian Colonel General Oleg Salyukov.
The US hopes to unveil its own Tactical Light Operator Suit which would be similar to Russia’s Ratnik. The US’s suit is also known as the “Iron Man” suit and plans to show it off are scheduled for 2018. France is working on one too, the Integrated Infantryman Equipment and Communications system, or FELIN.
It’s the “space race” of combat suits. But in this contest, it appears that Russia is winning handily.
Anti-drone weapons – Lasers and shotgun shells with nets
The Pentagon has launched a $700 million cash program to combat ISIS’ lethal fleet of drones. ISIS is increasingly using drones on the battlefield, and the Pentagon hopes that the new cash programme will help to combat these weapons.
Lockheed Martin’s laser is a beam combined fiber laser, meaning it brings together individual lasers, created through fiber optics, to generate a single, intense laser beam. This allows for a scalable laser system that can be made more powerful by adding more fiber laser subunits. Athena uses Lockheed Martin’s company’s 30-kW Accelerated Laser Demonstration Initiative (ALADIN). It’s powered by a compact Rolls-Royce turbo generator.
Lockheed 30 kw Athena laser managed to take down all five test drones in a test at White Sands.
The air force is buying 600 ‘Skynet’ anti-drone rounds from AMTEC Less Lethal Systems (ALS). The 12 gauge shotgun shells release a five foot net to trap the drone’s propellers causing it to fall from the sky.
US Senate budgeting $200 million in 2018 to speed laser and microwave weapons
There’s no shortage of U.S. military interest in battlefield lasers and other directed-energy weapons. From truck-mounted lasers to high-powered microwaves that take down small drones, the Army, Navy, and Air Force are all exploring the possibilities. But congressional leaders say for all that interest, the technology’s not getting into the field fast enough.
The $200 million the Senate bill provides could be used to prototype various directed energy weapons at the assistant secretary’s discretion, it highlights several “specific missions in which directed energy could provide solutions to capability gaps,” including fighting off UAVs, rockets, artillery, and mortars.
“We’ve done a lot of microwave work on the side of being able to send in a cruise missile that knocks out electronics,” Heinrich said. “That is just as important as the counter-UAV mission. Both of them are pretty critical at the moment.”
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and other labs are making moves to test directed energy weapons to tackle these solutions. DARPA just announced a competition to demonstrate systems that could take down swarms of drones a kilometer away.
Google Hardware + Assistant + Nest brings Star Trek like Computer Interaction
In Star Trek, you talk to the computer and it understands you and alters the ship and the environment in response. Star Trek also has universal voice translation.
Google is implementing this vision with the newly announced Google Pixelbook, Pixel smartphones when combined with home and building automation with Nest devices.
Google announced their second generation family of consumer hardware products, all made by Google: new Pixel phones, Google Home Mini and Max, an all new Pixelbook, Google Clips hands-free camera, Google Pixel Buds, and an updated Daydream View headset. We see tremendous potential for devices to be helpful, make your life easier, and even get better over time when they’re created at the intersection of hardware, software and advanced artificial intelligence (AI).
Google has had sophisticated voice recognition and actions using the Google Home device. Google Pixelbooks take this capability to another level.
You can now phone your Pixelbook or use your Pixel 2 and give it instructions and they will perform actions around your house via Nest and other connected devices.
Across all these devices, you can interact with the Google Assistant any way you want—talk to it with your Google Home or your Pixel Buds, squeeze your Pixel 2, or use your Pixelbook’s Assistant key or circle things on your screen with the Pixelbook Pen. Wherever you are, and on any device with the Assistant, you can connect to the information you need and get help with the tasks to get you through your day. No other assistive technology comes close, and it continues to get better every day.
Google also has been a leader in language translation and this was highlighted in todays announcement and demos.
2017 lineup of new Made by Google products:
The Pixel 2 has the best camera of any smartphone, again, along with a gorgeous display and augmented reality capabilities. Pixel owners get unlimited storage for their photos and videos, and an exclusive preview of Google Lens, which uses AI to give you helpful information about the things around you.
Google Home Mini brings the Assistant to more places throughout your home, with a beautiful design that fits anywhere. And Max is our biggest and best-sounding Google Home device, powered by the Assistant. And with AI-based Smart Sound, Max has the ability to adapt your audio experience to you—your environment, context, and preferences.
With Pixelbook, we’ve reimagined the laptop as a high-performance Chromebook, with a versatile form factor that works the way you do. It’s the first laptop with the Assistant built in, and the Pixelbook Pen makes the whole experience even smarter.
Our new Pixel Buds combine Google smarts and the best digital sound. You’ll get elegant touch controls that put the Assistant just a tap away, and they’ll even help you communicate in a different language.
The updated Daydream View is the best mobile virtual reality (VR) headset on the market, and the simplest, most comfortable VR experience.
Google Clips is a totally new way to capture genuine, spontaneous moments—all powered by machine learning and AI. This tiny camera seamlessly sends clips to your phone, and even edits and curates them for you.
Google Pixel 2 XL phone with Wide Edge-2-Edge display and Snapdragon 836 processor with incredibly high amount of PPI.
Google Mini, which is the Low Cost version of Google Home. Google Mini is powered by Google Assistant for $49 price.
Google Assistant now is more than available. It connects all other Google Devices around the room, including your Smartphone, and control them. You can say “Hey Google, find my phone” and Google Mini will find it easily.
Google announced Google Home Max – smart speaker. Google Home Max will be available on October 19th for $399 with 12 month of YouTube Music and Spotify. Actually this is the competitor of Apple’s HomePod, but cheaper.
Google announced Pixelbook 2017 – transformer laptop from Google based on ChromeOS with Android Google Play availability.
Google also launched Pixelbook Pen – fastest 10 ms latency pen with 2000 touch points.
Prices for Google PixelBook is $999. PixelBook Pen costs $99.
Google Pixel 2 has Full HD OLED Display with new Design. Second phone announced is Google Pixel 2 XL with Quad HD Display with 555 ppi. Google Pixel 2 has 12 MegaPixels Cameras with Program and Optic stabilizations working simultaneously. Apple’s portrait mode is also available on Pixel 2, but just using one camera. For Google Pixel 2, which is 5-inch, price is $649. Google Pixel 2 XL with 6-inch display the price is $849.
Google Pixel Buds – headphones from Google with 5-hours work and charging case.
Google updated Daydream View and announced Google Pixel Clips video camera, which will change the way you interact with video.
Roll out solar provides 10 times the mobile power
Roll-up solar panels are being used to help power an island off the coast of Cardiff.
The Rapid Roll system allows flexible solar panels to be unrolled like a carpet from a trailer in two minutes.
The pioneering technology aims to meet demands from increased tourism and environmental and logistical challenges on Flat Holm.
This is the first time the system has been used in Wales and it is the first long-term deployment of the technology anywhere in the UK.
The technology was developed by John Hingley, managing director at Renovagen, based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
He came up with the idea of scaling up the concept of mobile solar technology while away travelling five years ago.
By making the panels rollable, a much larger power capacity can fit into a smaller box.
So a 4×4’s trailer can take enough solar panelling to power a 120-bed mobile clinic or to desalinate 25,000 litres of sea water every day.
“Compared with traditional rigid panels, we can fit up to 10 times the power in this size container,” said Mr Hingley.
Finally The Tech Elon Musk Dreams About Is Here
Source: Ian Jenkins
A new technology is here that has the potential to reshape lithium production like fracking reshaped oil.
The global battery market is set to hit $120 billion in less than two years, and there’s a massive investor opportunity here in lithium—but this isn’t a mining play, it’s a tech play all the way.
As lithium continues to enjoy status as the hottest metal on the market, and as producers race to the finish line to bring new supply online, one little-known company just might hold technology that will give it a big edge.
In the swarm of new entrants on the lithium playing field, International Battery Metals (CSE:IBAT; OTC: RHHNF) stands out—front and center—because it’s sitting on a proprietary advanced technology that could push lithium into the production stage rapidly. It has signed an LOI with North American Lithium (NAL) to acquire all its lithium extraction process intellectual property and be restructured with NAL becoming an integral part of the company.
Where traditional solar evaporation technology takes up to 24 months to extract lithium from the brine, IBAT incoming CEO Burba says he can do it in 24 hours. That would put IBAT on the front line of new lithium coming online to meet the battery demand. And that demand is supplying our energy transition for everything from mainstreamed electric vehicles (EVs) to massive energy storage solutions and consumer electronics market that grows leaps and bounds.
The lithium game isn’t about exploration, it’s about innovation—and IBAT’s proprietary technology to be acquired from NAL was invented by the same game-changing inventor that came up with a similar tech for FMC Corp. (NYSE:FMC), one of the world’s four top lithium producers.
Lithium is currently produced through a grueling 24-month solar evaporation process that entails slowly extracting all other elements from the brine until only lithium remains.
IBAT’s technology is designed to remove evaporation ponds from the equation. As inventor-CEO John Burba puts it: “Our tech has such a high specificity for lithium that it can directly take the lithium out.”
With its eye on the lithium prize, IBAT is going for fast production and commercial scalability, at a time when lithium prices per metric ton are fantastic:
Disruptive technology changes everything, and if the deal with NAL completes and IBAT’s tech breaks through successfully, it could potentially do for lithium what fracking did to unlock shale for the U.S. oil and gas industry.
Here are 5 reasons to keep a close eye on International Battery Metals (CSE:IBAT; OTC: RHHNF)
#1 Big Lithium Doesn’t Hibernate in Evaporating Ponds
The technology IBAT has an LOI to acquire, and on acquisition is considering for licensing to third party lithium producers could be a significant key to unlocking $84 billion in lithium brine resources—by making it faster and cheaper to produce.
Production capacity is now at a critical juncture. It takes a minimum of 4 years for an average Lithium brine mine to come online–and another 3-4 years to reach full capacity.
The ambitious targets for EV deployment and energy storage applications require massive Lithium mining capacity to be built much sooner than current technologies allow.
That’s the chief reason why companies are aggressively pursuing new resources such as oil field brines, jadarite and hectorite clay. Lithium brine deposits are estimated to contain 66 percent of the world’s 14 million metric tonnes (MT) of Lithium. That’s Lithium worth $84 billion at current prices.
Unfortunately, recovery of Lithium from brine deposits is a painfully slow process. Traditional solar evaporation technology is an extremely time-intensive process, with a lengthy production cycle that can exceed 18 months.
Oilfield brines solve some of these problems due to their high Lithium concentrations. But, there’s a kicker here as well– oil field brines contain very high concentrations of dissolved ions (>100,000 mg/L), making commercial recovery of Lithium exceedingly expensive.
The technology IBAT is acquiring from NAL is based on a process that has been extracting lithium continuously in Argentina for almost 20 years.
Instead of going the traditional route of trying to isolate Lithium by removing all of those complex ions, the IBAT tech removes the Lithium directly.
According to IBAT CEO John Burba, the mastermind of this technology, the process takes the lithium out on a continuous basis. As the brine goes by, it collects lithium and lets the other impurities continue on and go straight back into the ground. The end-product is a diluted stream of lithium chloride and water that comes out as the brine goes by. That original solution has few impurities which are easily removed through an evaporation process.
The whole extraction process takes–24 hours, period—so it would mean the end of 18-24-month residencies.
If proved up for licensing, this technology could be highly disruptive, offering the fastest-to-production Lithium brine extraction solution out there. Faster means more efficient and cost effective.
While all the new entrants are struggling with costs, IBAT’s technology could put it on cost par with the Big 3 lithium producers—the lowest-cost producers right now. That includes Albemarle Corp. (NYSE:ALB), Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (NYSE:SQM) and FMC.
#2 Inventor/CEO + Technical and Commercial Dream Team
Inventor John Burba—a veteran in lithium extraction—is the incoming IBAT (CSE:IBAT; OTC: RHHNF) Chairman and CEO, and he’s one of the most important pioneers in extraction technologies. He is considered a genius in this space.
IBAT’s new to-be-acquired technology is actually based on a tech that John Burba co-invented and sold in the 1990s when he was a leading technology figure at giant FMC.
Before Burba came along, everyone thought that lithium could be produced from only a limited number of brines.
That’s where Burba’s genius came into play … FMC has been using that same tech for nearly 20 years, and it’s responsible for making the purest primary lithium carbonate in the world. It’s even earned its own lithium label: “FMC-grade” carbonate.
Burba, who became the CEO of lithium extraction company Simbol Materials in 2013, has made dramatic advancements upon the old technology he co-developed for FMC.
Burba will work with Robert Miller on fund raising efforts. Miller has raised over $500 million in early-stage capital and taken 7 companies public, including NASDAQ and AMEX. He’s also founder of one of the largest gold-mining companies, Crystallex.
This inventor/CEO has already revolutionized lithium processing once. Now he’s determined to do it again, this time leading a company and a tag team that packs a professional punch.
#3 IBAT Hits the Brine, Running
Entering the lithium business just this year, IBAT (CSE:IBAT; OTC: RHHNF) has hit the ground running and they have reason to be confident in the commercial viability of their to-be-acquired advanced technology. Who wouldn’t be with the genius in this space who helped design FMC’s super-efficient lithium extraction process.
Oilfield brines are a potentially staggering resource. But it’s a resource that can be best accessed when the tech is proved up and licensed. So, again, this is like a potential shale revolution—but for lithium.
Lithium has been found extensively in North American oilfield brines, and IBAT has evaluated three so far, already securing the first. IBAT plans to set up a pilot extraction facility in early 2018, and then secure additional licenses for other high-grade lithium brines by March.
In late July, IBAT signed an option agreement to purchase 37,500 acres in the Woodbury Carper Lithium Resource Project in Illinois. This is a shallow-drilling lithium resource development opportunity in the U.S. heartland, and it’s on easy-to-permit and easy-to-drill land. It’s already got several existing wells capable of producing large volumes of lithium-rich brine, and a salt-water disposal well to get rid of brines after extraction.
Oil and gas exploration here has already discovered lithium inadvertently, so this is a great place for IBAT to launch.
By 2020, it anticipates becoming a supplier of various battery metals. And by then, well, demand will be out of this world.
#4 Strategic Positioning Across Battery Metals Space
IBAT (CSE:IBAT; OTC: RHHNF) is not setting itself up to be a one-hit metals-wonder: It’s eyeing lithium and tin and coltan.
Tin is one of the best strategic industrial metals, and as early as January 2018, IBAT plans to pay a licensing fee of $3 million to Thompson Resources to secure 3 tin properties.
Strong demand for the non-ferrous metal especially in the food and beverage packaging industries as well.
IBAT also intends to target coltan (tantalum), working with third-parties to identify and acquire high-value properties around the world.
#5 Lithium Demand is a Producer’s Dream
With global battery demand forecast to rise 7.7 percent to $120 billion already in 2019, and with the lithium market alone set to reach $1.7 billion, this is a market that won’t wait for evaporating ponds.
The global Li-ion market is expected to exceed $46 billion by 2022, growing at nearly 11 percent CAGR. What the world needs right now is plentiful supply of high-grade Lithium to power the unfolding EV revolution.
There’s more upside risk here because of battery demand than there is downside risk, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s Andrew Grant.
Lithium prices have made prodigious runs to all-time highs.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) 70kWh Model S battery pack contains 63Kg of lithium, equivalent to the amount of lithium in 10,000 cellphones, and the EV posterchild has already accumulated more than 400K Model 3 pre-orders on its books.
Tesla, too, will use up the entire world’s current supply of battery-grade lithium when it hits a production clip of 500K Model 3s in its giant Nevada Gigafactory sometime in 2018. When it opens up four more gigafactories, well …
Meanwhile, the plug-in EV market is already growing at 10x faster than its gasoline-powered counterpart. Bloomberg Finance has forecast there will be more than 100 million EVs on our roads by 2040.
The Bottom Line? This is Burba’s Brine
This is an improved technology that we’ve already seen put to work in an older, less advanced version, for giant FMC—which is today one of the world’s four major producers who have monopolized lithium.
With the same inventor behind the advanced version of this technology to take over at the helm of IBAT, confidence runs high that we’ll see a positive evaluation process for licensing.
Before the explosive entrance of the lithium-ion battery, getting lithium out of the brine wasn’t so urgent. Now, as EVs become mainstream, all the talk is of massive energy storage solutions and consumer electronics sees no end to demand in site—the brine is the new battlefield. And IBAT (CSE:IBAT; OTC: RHHNF) is poised to deliver the most decisive weapon.
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