Science & Technology

Kanpur: The robots developed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, can steer through agricultural fields thereby helping the farmers guard the crops, leaves and flowers against onslaughts of the fatal insects.

It will treat the crops sending out instant alert signals about the viruses. These infect the soil. The farmers will thus plan better ways to get good crop quality and yield, said Prof. V. Bhattacharya.

These robots will be put at the Agriculture University fields here to secure information on soil and crop conditions between October and November.

29 Aug 2021; MEMO: Turkey has risen to the world's top three in combat drone technology, the Turkish president said on Sunday, reports Anadolu Agency.

"With our unmanned combat aerial vehicle Akinci, Turkey has become one of the three most advanced countries in the world in this technology," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the delivery ceremony for the Bayraktar Akinci combat drone in the northwestern Tekirdag province.

Kanpur: A second-year B.Tech student, from a private engineering college in Rooma here, has developed a new solar-powered air conditioner in a bid to give an eco-friendly alternative to the existing ACs. 

Sharing his concept with the college teachers he got ample support from them. According to the student S Singh, this prototype will be suitable for use in e-rickshaw as it neither consume electricity nor engine oil.

BEIJING (AP) — China’s Zhurong Mars rover is soldiering on after completing its initial program to explore the red planet and search for frozen water that could provide clues as to whether it once supported life.

China’s National Space Administration said on its website Friday that Zhurong completed its 90-day program on Aug. 15 and was in excellent technical condition and fully charged.

09 Aug 2021; MEMO: New microbialites different in structure and shape compared to previous discoveries have been found on the shore of Turkey’s eastern Lake Van.

The microbialites were photographed by Cumali Birol, head of the culture, art, and tourism association of the town of Adilcevaz, which lies on the edge of Lake Van, and Ali Ethem Keskin, a diver and documentary filmmaker.

New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) Scientists have developed piezoelectric molecular crystals that repair their own mechanical damage without the need for any external intervention, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) said on Saturday.

Piezoelectric crystals are a class of materials that generate electricity when it undergoes a mechanical impact.

New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) The DRDO successfully flight-tested the new-generation Akash surface-to-air missile system from an integrated test range off the Odisha coast on Wednesday.

The defence ministry said the missile was test-fired at around 12:45 pm from a land-based platform and that the "flawless performance" of its weapons system was confirmed by the complete flight data.

The new variant of the Akash missile (Akash-NG) can strike targets at a distance of around 60 km and fly at a speed of up to Mach 2.5.

Moscow, Jul 20 (AP-PTI) With much fanfare, Russian aircraft makers on Tuesday unveiled a prototype of a new fighter jet that features stealth capabilities and other advanced characteristics.

Russian President Vladimir Putin inspected the prospective warplane displayed at the MAKS-2021 International Aviation and Space Salon in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow.

The new design has been developed by aircraft maker Sukhoi under the LTS program a Russian acronym for the Light Tactical Aircraft.

Tehran, Jul 14 (AP-PTI) Iran's outgoing president on Wednesday warned his country could enrich uranium at weapons-grade levels of 90% if it chose, though it still wanted to save its tattered nuclear deal with world powers.

President Hassan Rouhani's comments, carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, came as he also criticised Iran's wider theocracy for not allowing his government to reach a deal soon to restore the 2015 atomic accord.

11 July 2021; MEMO: Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, on Saturday launched a national programme for coders that aims to establish 1,000 tech companies, reported Reuters.

The programme will increase start-up investments from 1.5 billion dirhams ($408 million) to 4 billion dirhams ($1 billion).