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Imagine armor as light as fabric yet stronger than steel, built from materials that link together like molecular chainmail. Scientists may have just taken the first step toward making it a reality.

A team of researchers led by Northwestern University scientists has developed what might be the first two-dimensional (2D) mechanically interlocked material, similar to links in chainmail. The material, detailed in a January 16 study published in the journal Science, is exceptionally flexible and strong, with promising applications in products such as lightweight body armor and ballistic fabrics.

The researchers built the material on a nanoscale level, meaning its individual components are measurable in nanometers. It’s technically a polymer: a substance made of large molecules, which are themselves made up of smaller chemical units called monomers. Examples of polymers include proteins, cellulose, and nucleic acids.

The 2D mechanically interlocked material is a polymer structure that uses mechanical bonds—bonds with physical interlocking, as opposed to, for example, covalent bonds, which usually make up polymers and involve the sharing of electrons. The material features 100 trillion mechanical bonds per 0.16 square inch (1 square centimeter), which is the highest density of mechanical bonds ever made, according to the researchers.

“We made a completely new polymer structure,” said study co-author William Dichtel of Northwestern University in a university statement. “It’s similar to chainmail in that it cannot easily rip because each of the mechanical bonds has a bit of freedom to slide around. If you pull it, it can dissipate the applied force in multiple directions. And if you want to rip it apart, you would have to break it in many, many different places. We are continuing to explore its properties and will probably be studying it for years.”

The biggest challenge in creating mechanically interlocked molecules lies in figuring out how to guide polymers into forming mechanical bonds. Madison Bardot of Northwestern University, who led the study, is credited with coming up with a new method to achieve this. The team positioned x-shaped monomers into a crystalline structure (a specific ordered arrangement) and reacted the crystals with another molecule. This reaction created mechanical bonds within the crystals. The final product is 2D layers of interlocked polymer sheets made of these bonds between X-shaped monomers, whose gaps researchers filled with more X-shaped monomers.

“It was a high-risk, high-reward idea where we had to question our assumptions about what types of reactions are possible in molecular crystals,” said Dichtel. The resulting material is incredibly strong, yet still flexible and easy to manipulate, because the individual sheets of interlocked molecules come apart from each other when the polymer is dissolved in a solvent.

“After the polymer is formed, there’s not a whole lot holding the structure together,” he added. “So, when we put it in solvent, the crystal dissolves, but each 2D layer holds together. We can manipulate those individual sheets.”

While previous researchers had made mechanically bonded polymers in very small quantities that would have been difficult to mass produce, the team’s new method is surprisingly scaleable. They made over one pound (0.5 kilograms) of the material, and suggest the possibility of making even more.

Even a small percentage of the new polymer structure, however, can improve other substances. The researchers made a material composed of 97.5% Ultem fiber (an extremely tough material in the same family as Kevlar) and 2.5% of the 2D polymer, and concluded that the mixture had made the former significantly stronger.

“We have a lot more analysis to do, but we can tell that it improves the strength of these composite materials,” Dichtel continued. “Almost every property we have measured has been exceptional in some way.”

This incredibly strong and flexible material might just be the armor the future has been waiting for.

via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com/

January 17, 2025 at 04:10AM

January 16, 2025

New foot-long crustacean named after Darth Vader

https://www.popsci.com/environment/crustacean-darth-vader/

A purchase at an urban Vietnamese fish market turned out to be a whole new species of giant isopod–with a bit of a dark side. The foot-long crustacean has been named Bathynomus vaderi and sports a head that resembles the iconic helmet of Darth Vader from the Star Wars. It is the first giant sea bug discovered in Vietnamese waters and is described in a study published January 14 in the journal ZooKeys.

Isopods are related to pillbugs seen on land and scientists estimate that there are about 10,000 species. Giant isopods of the genus Bathynomus can grow over 11 inches long, with the largest (Bathynomus giganteus) believed to be almost 20 inches long. They are called b? bi?n or “sea bugs” in Vietnamese.

a man holes a large bug-like crustacean that weighs 5.7 pounds — *Nguyen Thanh Son holding a giant specimen of another species of giant isopod found in Vietnam (*Bathynomus jamesi) that weighed 2.62 kg [5.7 pounds] from a seafood market in Hanoi, October 2024. CREDIT: Peter Ng.

In March 2022, a team from Hanoi University purchased four giant isopod individuals from a market in Quy Nh?n City. To identify these large crustaceans, the team in Hanoi collaborated with scientists from the National University of Singapore, the National Research and Innovation Agency Indonesia, and the Vietnam National University. By early 2023, the team realized that these giant isopods belonged to a species that had not been described by scientists.

Bathynomus vaderi is considered a supergiant isopod, reaching about 12.7 inches long and weighing over 2.2 pounds. Like other giant isopods, B. vaderi is a carnivore and is known to eat crab, shrimp, fish, sponges, squid, and munch on whale carcasses. So far, it has only been found near the Spratly Islands in Vietnam by fishers trawling for isopods. The team believes that additional research will confirm its presence in other parts of the South China Sea.

Giant isopods are also considered an expensive delicacy in Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Previously, they had only been sold as a bycatch project at low prices by local fishermen. Since 2017, media attention has put some spotlight on this strange seafood, with some claiming it’s even tastier than lobster. Their popularity has led to them being commercially fished by trawlers operating in various deep-water parts of the East Sea–the Vietnamese part of the South China Sea–and offshore of provinces in southcentral coastal Vietnam. They are often sold alive in markets in major cities and some restaurants will advertise the sale of these so-called “sea bugs.”

The discovery of this strange species also highlights just how little we know about the deep-sea. According to the team, a species this large remaining hidden for so long indicates that a lot of work must be done to fully understand what lives in Southeast Asia’s waters. A better understanding can help inform fisheries policies, as the potential for exploration for oil, gas, and minerals in the deep ocean continues to grow.

The post New foot-long crustacean named after Darth Vader appeared first on Popular Science.

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January 14, 2025 at 08:06AM

January 16, 2025

Nvidia’s tiny $3k AI mini PC is a glimpse of what’s next for Windows PCs

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2573414/nvidias-tiny-3k-ai-supercomputer-is-a-look-at-whats-next-for-windows-pcs.html

When I first saw that photo of Nvidia’s new Project Digits mini PC unveiled at CES 2025, I couldn’t help but notice the Apple influence — minimalist, sleek, next to a monitor that looks like Apple’s Studio Display.

Apple’s latest Mac Mini is revolutionary in many ways, delivering the company’s impressive M4 silicon in an efficient, affordable package. Windows PCs haven’t yet been able to reach the same level of design beauty and overall balanced unit.

Could Nvidia’s new Mac Mini-like small-form-factor AI supercomputer usher in a major disruption for Windows PCs? Let’s dive into Project Digits, what it is, and what it brings to the table for the future.

Project Digits: What it is and what it isn’t

It’s a little unfair to compare the Mac Mini and Nvidia’s Project Digits, mainly because they target vastly different users and markets. After all, the Mac Mini is for home users who just want to do some web browsing, media streaming, and maybe light content creation or gaming. And on the side, you have Apple Intelligence for AI in that ecosystem.

But then you have Project Digits, a powerhouse mini PC infused with the power of Nvidia’s Grace Blackwell GB10 Superchip. The idea here is to pack an AI supercomputer into a small chassis that’s usable by scientists, students, and AI researchers in a very focused manner. That’s reflected in its price: A whopping $3,000 that proves it’s meant to be more of a professional-level device. It launches around May 2025.

Project Digits runs on the GB10 Superchip, meant to run large language models (LLMs) with up to 200 billion parameters. If you connect two of them, they can together handle up to 405 billion parameters. It’s perfect for AI researchers and inference models.

Nvidia

Yet while the built-in GPU is fine-tuned for AI with 128GB of unified memory, there’s no reason why Nvidia couldn’t adapt it for use in a Windows-like gaming PC in the future. Even now, Project Digits is already much more powerful than any traditional PC or laptop, with 1 petaflop of power. (For comparison, modern high-end gaming PCs only reach up to 10 teraflops — the equivalent of 0.01 petaflops.)

Mac Mini users could use their systems for some AI work, but most are just using them as personal computers for mundane, personal tasks. Imagine if Nvidia tuned Project Digits in that direction? As is, Project Digits is an enthusiast- and professional-level product, but what if Nvidia honed it to become like the Mac Mini? A consumer-grade PC with unprecedented power that’s even more revolutionary than the M4 Mac Mini.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang believes AI will go mainstream and make its way into virtually every industry and facet of human life. If he’s right about that, a small yet powerful AI supercomputer could be a game-changer, much like the smartphone was for everyday life. (I wouldn’t doubt Jensen Huang, who’s been a near-unparalleled visionary thus far.)

Nvidia

This means Nvidia would want its AI to have more personal applications for everyday consumers, not just for research or data center purposes. For now, Project Digits gives those who would normally be working in such environments the ability to bring their work home, and that’s one step closer to bringing AI into the personal home space.

Nvidia already meddles in the consumer market, of course. Just look at their GeForce RTX GPUs, which are the company’s DNA — and AI came after developing those graphics chips for gamers. So while Nvidia makes bank on data centers and AI, these applications aren’t the be-all and end-all for the company. Gaming remains important, and there remain plenty of other consumer markets — like this — that Nvidia could explore.

Project Digits could be a looming threat

Nvidia’s Project Digits mini supercomputer runs on Linux, not Windows. A strange choice, perhaps, considering that Nvidia is already intimately familiar with Windows drivers for its GPUs.

Could this be a sign that Nvidia wants to move away from Windows, at least in some capacity? Could it even mean that Nvidia wants to develop their own operating system, one that’s based on Unix (much like Linux and macOS are) and not Windows? This would be an Apple-like endeavor, paving the way for Nvidia to have complete control over their entire portfolio by way of in-house solutions.

Lenovo

This isn’t the first rumbling of a Windows disruption that we’ve heard at CES 2025. Last month, Valve announced its “Powered by SteamOS” branding for partners, signaling a new era in which third-party gaming handhelds, laptops, and PCs will increasingly run on SteamOS. Valve told us more about their plans at CES 2025, and we saw the debut of the first non-Valve SteamOS gaming handheld.

In short, Microsoft should be terrified of SteamOS. It works well enough without Windows and it’s slowly converting Windows gamers over. The Steam Deck has been the big showcase for SteamOS for a while now, but with Valve opening it up to all kinds of other manufacturers, we’re undoubtedly going to see a big shift in years to come.

Now, to be clear, Nvidia has made no indication that they plan to do anything like this. All of this is speculation. But it would certainly make some sense for Nvidia to start forging their own path, detached from Windows and all its baggage. Nvidia has the capital and influence to make it happen, and they could easily argue that their AI and hardware are so bespoke that they need bespoke software solutions. In that case, Microsoft would have something greater than SteamOS to fear.

Thiago Trevisan / IDG

Indeed, I can see a possible near-future where Nvidia doesn’t just sell GPUs but entire mini PCs to their board partners. How does a superpowered Asus ROG Strix Project Digits mini PC sound? It could have a GPU, CPU, and NPU all packed into one tiny unit — and that would certainly feel like Apple’s silicon and tight integration of hardware.

But you never know. The future could be boring. Nvidia may well stick with Windows PCs and take the easier, simpler, well-trodden path. It’s not like they couldn’t do big things here, as Windows PCs need the power and tight integration that Nvidia’s hardware brings to the table. Rumors suggest Nvidia is working on an Arm-powered PC chip now that Qualcomm’s long-leaked Arm Windows exclusivity agreement has ended.

Imagine a small Windows PC the size of a Mac Mini but running on a superpowered chip that delivers RTX-grade graphics and next-gen AI performance. This is an area where even Apple hasn’t yet caught up to Nvidia, and a solid execution of such an idea would sway consumer markets to new form factors and possibilities.

via PCWorld https://www.pcworld.com

January 14, 2025 at 05:37AM

January 13, 2025

Self-Driving Supercar Jumps Potholes Like It’s Training for the Robot Olympics!

https://www.geeksaresexy.net/2025/01/10/self-driving-supercar-jumps-potholes-like-its-training-for-the-robot-olympics/

BYD Yangwang U9 Supercar

The Yangwang U9 is here, and it’s not just a self-driving supercar—it’s a superhero. This all-electric speed demon from BYD can hit 244 mph, making it China’s fastest production car. But forget speed for a second. The U9 can jump. Yes, jump.

In a video from CarNewsChina, this car hops over potholes, skips past caltrops, and finishes with a colorful leap through a rainbow of chalk powder, like it’s auditioning for a Fast & Furious/Mario Kart crossover. The secret? BYD’s DiSus-X Intelligent Body Control System, which lets the U9 dance, drive on three wheels, and perform stunts that scream, “Who needs practicality when you have flair?”

If this is the future of cars, sign us up—for the popcorn, at least.

[Via BB]

Click This Link for the Full Post > Self-Driving Supercar Jumps Potholes Like It’s Training for the Robot Olympics!

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January 10, 2025 at 08:39AM

January 9, 2025

Nvidia is taking over the autonomous driving market

https://www.autoblog.com/news/nvidia-is-taking-over-the-autonomous-driving-market

As autonomous driving technology heats up, one name is emerging as the frontrunner: Nvidia. The California-based semiconductor giant is rapidly building partnerships and unveiling advanced tech that could give it the edge over competitors.

Tesla may be the name most people associate with self-driving cars, but Nvidia seems poised to challenge that dominance. At CES this week, CEO Jensen Huang announced a slew of new collaborations and tech innovations, including a groundbreaking approach to generative training data. These moves could make Nvidia the go-to company for anyone building autonomous vehicles.

Partnering with industry giants

For years, Nvidia has been a trusted partner for automakers developing self-driving software. At CES, the company doubled down on that role with new deals involving Toyota, Aurora, and Continental. These partnerships showcase Nvidia’s ability to power everything from driver-assistance systems to fully autonomous vehicles.

Take Toyota, for example. The automaker plans to use Nvidia’s DRIVE AGX Orin platform in its next-generation models to dramatically improve features like lane-keeping and adaptive cruise control while laying the groundwork for more advanced autonomy down the line. Then there’s Uber, which announced its partnership with Nvidia to develop self-driving tech using Nvidia’s AI systems and Uber’s massive pool of driving data. It’s a natural pairing that could accelerate the rollout of autonomous ride-hailing vehicles.

Breaking away with generative training data

One of Nvidia’s standout innovations this year is its generative physical AI platform, Cosmos. Unlike Tesla, which relies on its fleet of real-world vehicles to gather data for training AI models, Nvidia’s Cosmos can create realistic, physics-based data in a virtual environment. This approach is a game-changer for automakers that don’t have millions of cars on the road collecting data.

Nvidia Omniverse and Cosmos physics AI for synthetic data integration

Nvidia

Here’s how it works: Cosmos uses a small sample of real-world data to generate massive amounts of synthetic driving scenarios. This simulated data can then be used to train AI systems on tasks like obstacle avoidance or merging into traffic. For companies new to the autonomous driving game, this levels the playing field and allows them to develop competitive systems without waiting years to collect enough real-world driving data.

Nvidia vs. Tesla: different roads to autonomy

Tesla has built its self-driving tech around its own fleet, using data from millions of customer vehicles to refine its AI. It’s a powerful approach, but it has its limits. Tesla’s system relies heavily on cameras and avoids using lidar or radar, which some experts argue makes it less versatile in poor visibility conditions.

Tesla Model Y, equipped with FSD system. Three front facing cameras under windshield near rear view mirror.

The Washington Post?Getty Images

Nvidia, by contrast, takes a multi-sensor approach. Its platforms integrate data from cameras, lidar, and radar to create a more comprehensive view of the road. This could make Nvidia-powered systems better at handling tricky scenarios, like driving in heavy rain or dense fog. And while Tesla’s fleet-first strategy locks its tech into its own vehicles, Nvidia’s open platforms can be adopted by any automaker—a key reason so many companies are partnering with them.

A full toolbox for self-driving development

What makes Nvidia’s offering so appealing is the breadth of its ecosystem. The company doesn’t just make chips for in-car computers; it provides tools for every stage of autonomous vehicle development. Automakers can simulate millions of miles of driving in Nvidia’s Omniverse platform, then use the company’s DRIVE AGX Orin units to process real-time data on the road.

This one-stop-shop approach simplifies the process for automakers, who might otherwise have to cobble together solutions from multiple vendors. With Nvidia’s cloud-based training systems, companies can update their AI models remotely, ensuring vehicles stay ahead of the curve as technology evolves.

Synthetic data with real fallbacks

Despite its advantages, Nvidia isn’t without challenges. While generative data is incredibly promising, it still needs validation in the real world to prove its reliability. Tesla’s data, collected from actual driving scenarios, has an inherent credibility that synthetic data doesn’t yet match. Nvidia will need to demonstrate that its virtual training models can produce results that are just as safe and effective as real-world data.

Additionally, the autonomous driving market is fiercely competitive. While Nvidia has made significant inroads, it’s up against established players like Tesla and new entrants with deep pockets and bold ambitions.

What’s next for Nvidia?

Nvidia’s growing list of partners—including Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and BYD—suggests that the company is well-positioned to dominate the autonomous driving market. The fact that even Chinese automakers like BYD, who have become increasingly independent in their vehicle development, still use Nvidia’s tech is a testament to the company’s reach. Analysts estimate Nvidia’s automotive business could hit $5 billion in revenue by 2026, driven by increasing adoption of its platforms across the industry.

Final thoughts

For now, the battle for autonomous driving supremacy is shaping up to be a two-horse race between Tesla and Nvidia. Tesla’s head start in data collection and brand recognition makes it a formidable competitor. However, Nvidia’s scalable, sensor-agnostic approach could make it the preferred choice for automakers looking to get autonomous vehicles on the road quickly and effectively.

Whether Nvidia can maintain its momentum remains to be seen but with its innovative tech and growing influence, the company is setting the pace for the future of self-driving cars.

via Autoblog https://ift.tt/RJgbdqv

January 8, 2025 at 11:53PM

January 8, 2025

SteamOS Is Coming To More PC Gaming Handhelds, Starting With Lenovo’s New Unit

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/steamos-is-coming-to-more-pc-gaming-handhelds-starting-with-lenovos-new-unit/1100-6528686/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f

It’s official: Valve’s SteamOS will be available on more platforms soon, and the first handheld PC gaming device to adopt the operating system will be the new Lenovo Legion Go S. At CES 2025, it was revealed that the slim Lenovo unit will run on the Linux-based OS–, the same one used on Valve’s Steam Deck.

The big draw here is that SteamOS is more intuitive to use and better suited for smaller screens when compared to its Windows 11 counterparts. While you are losing out on the flexibility of being able to load games from multiple storefronts, SteamOS makes up for it by being quick and easy to use thanks to its design. Essentially, if you’re looking for a pick-up-and-play handheld gaming PC that isn’t a chore to use and you don’t mind sticking to Steam, these new Lenovo devices could be perfect for you.

Lenovo Legion Go S (Windows Version)

$730 | Releases February 14

Preorder at Best Buy

As for the new Lenovo model, the Legion Go S looks like it’ll be a direct competitor to the Steam Deck thanks to several hardware changes. Most notable is that it won’t offer Switch-like removable controllers, but it will keep the small trackpad found underneath the face buttons. These handhelds will be flexing some impressive power thanks to the new AMD Z2 Go chip. These will also be equipped with a 120Hz variable-refresh-rate display and customizable levers on the rear.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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January 8, 2025 at 06:35AM

January 6, 2025

The New Snapdragon X Is Qualcomm’s ARM Chip for Lightweight PCs

https://gizmodo.com/the-new-snapdragon-x-is-qualcomms-arm-chip-for-lightweight-pcs-2000546415

Did you get enough about Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips in 2024? To start off 2025, the chipmaker known for finally bringing ARM to PC—and usable this time—now aims to carve a niche in the cheap laptop or mini-PC market. The new Snapdragon X platform isn’t plus and it isn’t elite, although if you want to get your mother a ARM-based small PC for nothing but browsing and streaming, this could be your first CPU of choice..

The current staple of Oryon-based Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chips include an 8-core variant. The Snapdragon X has the same number of cores, though it’s dialed back to 3 GHz clock speeds on the same 4nm processor node and a 30 MB cache. It has a 135 mb/s memory bandwidth but maintains the same 45 TOPS neural processor as the other Snapdragon PC CPUs.

Does the NPU really matter so much when its made for a PC that has a limited amount of onboard RAM? Likely not. The Snapdragon X is more meant to compete against other, low-end CPUs like the Intel Core Ultra 5 120U from early last year. Qualcomm claims its new chip is capable of close to 60% better benchmarks in Geekbench 6 and Cinebench 2024, though for a low-end PC the most important thing is how it handles browsing tasks with better power efficiency. Qualcomm claimed it should get 157% better power efficiency at ISO power than the last-gen Intel chip.

Intel just released new CPUs for both its Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake lineup, including a new U line. Without benchmark comparisons, all we have to go off is the company’s specs. Otherwise, the Snapdragon X supports Bluetooth 5.4 and WiFi 7. Devices with this chip should be able to support 4K HDR video capture and HiFi audio.

There should be several OEMs debuting new Snapdragon X-based PCs during this year’s CES. Lenovo is first out the gate with two mini-PCs, the ThinkCentre neo 50q QC and Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini x (1L, 10). Both include the Snapdragon X Plus, though the IdeaCentre is geared more toward creatives looking for a Mac mini alternative.