Chinese Plan to Build Giant Solar Power Station in Orbit

The Chinese want to build a giant solar power station in orbit that "can produce as much energy in a year as can be extracted from all global oil reserves". The 1 km wide installation will fly at an altitude of 36,000 km and transmit energy to Earth using microwaves, with plans to deploy it to orbit in several stages. However, everything is still in the planning stage, so there are no exact timelines.

MIT Scientists Create Robo-Bees

MIT scientists are creating robo-bees that could replace living insects. Microdrones can hover in the air for 15 minutes, accelerate up to 35 cm/s, and perform complex maneuvers. Scientists hope that in the future, such machines will replace natural pollinators.

Xiaomi smartphones drop out of China's top 5 for sales for the first time

Xiaomi smartphones have dropped out of the top 5 for sales in China for the first time in 2024. A total of 285 million smartphones were sold in the country, and the top five are as follows: Vivo - 49.3 million, Huawei - 46 million, Apple - 42.9 million, OPPO - 42.7 million, Honor - 42.2 million.

Speaking Robot-Calf Spotted in New York

A speaking robot-calf has been spotted in New York. The animal rights organization PETA released a robotic dog in a cow costume, which roams the streets and shames people in leather or fur clothing.

Concept of 'Public Transport Killer' Unveiled in New Zealand

In New Zealand, the concept of a 'public transport killer' was unveiled. The startup Whoosh showcased a system of autonomous transport capsules, resembling an intricate cable car system over the city. They will travel at a speed of 40 km/h, without traffic jams and delays.

KAIST Develops Ultra-Fast Camera

A camera capable of shooting 9120 frames per second has been developed. KAIST scientists have created an ultra-fast camera inspired by the compound eyes of insects. The device can capture up to 9120 frames per second with high sensitivity even in low light conditions. The camera mimics the principle of the compound eyes of insects by processing signals through multiple optical channels in parallel and applying a temporal sum to enhance image brightness. Following this, a special algorithm eliminates blurring and restores the clarity of the captured material. The matrix thickness is less than 1 mm, making it ideal for portable devices and medical imaging.

The seventh Starship test flight

Unfortunately, not everything went as planned and the ship broke apart during acceleration. This time, a second-generation rocket with design modifications was tested, as well as for the first time with a payload - mock-ups of Starlink satellites. The booster was successfully caught with 'claws' on the tower, but the ship itself broke apart and fell down in small debris. The exact causes of the incident will still be analyzed.

Meteor Hits Porch of Canadian House

A meteor traveling at 200 km/h hit the porch of a house in the Canadian city of Marshfield. For the first time in history, there is video and audio of a celestial body's fall. It was all recorded by a doorbell camera. Now scientists are studying the scattered fragments. According to experts, the piece of the astronomical object came to us from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Rolls-Royce Unveils Exclusive Phantom Dragon for Chinese Billionaire

Rolls-Royce has unveiled an exclusive Phantom Dragon, designed as a one-off for a billionaire from China. The interior features natural leather and wood, the ceiling is adorned with LED dragons, and at the front, there is a handmade mosaic of eucalyptus, maple, and ash.

Blue Origin's New Glenn Launches for the First Time

Blue Origin, the company of billionaire Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon), has launched the New Glenn rocket for the first time, which has been in development for almost 10 years. It features a reusable first stage and has a payload capacity of 45 tons - 19 less than the heavy SpaceX Falcon Heavy. In the future, the rocket will be used for commercial launches and to develop its own satellite internet.

Eco-Friendly 'Paper' Batteries Developed in Singapore

In Singapore, 'paper' batteries have been developed that completely degrade in soil within six weeks without leaving any toxic substances. Lithium and cobalt have been replaced with zinc and manganese, and the production costs are only 10% of lithium-ion battery costs. The capacity is currently only 600 mAh, but the technology promises to be enhanced in the future.

Huawei to Embed Robot Arms in EV Chargers

Huawei will start embedding robot arms in its electric vehicle chargers in China, which will connect the cable instead of a human. The mass adoption is expected to begin in the coming months, and these manipulators will work with cars of various brands, including BYD, Xpeng, Li Auto, Aito, JAC, and Great Wall.

SpaceX sends two private spacecraft to the Moon

SpaceX has sent two private spacecraft to the Moon. One belongs to the American company Firefly (a NASA contractor) and carries a 'space vacuum cleaner', while the other, from Japanese Ispace, carries a mini lunar rover. The first is scheduled to land in about 45 days, while the second will land in five months, as it follows a more energy-efficient route using a gravitational maneuver.

27 Unreleased Eminem Tracks Leaked

27 unreleased Eminem tracks from various years have leaked online. Among them are collaborations with Anderson .Paak and Nate Dogg, as well as five joint works with Dr. Dre. It seems they were meant to be included on the never-released album 'Detox'. The most talked-about track is 'Smack You', where Eminem directly accuses Suge Knight of the murders of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. He emphasizes that he could be killed for such words, but he is ready to stand his ground for the truth. The song also features the voice of his daughter Hailie.

Superintelligence

According to Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the first AI agents will start working in the real economy in 2025, radically changing the efficiency of companies. He is confident that OpenAI is ready to create AGI and sees it as a path to accelerating scientific discoveries and enhancing human prosperity. In his blog, Sam noted that the past few years have been the most challenging and significant of his life. OpenAI, in just 9 years since its founding, has launched revolutionary products such as ChatGPT 4o and o1, and is now aiming to develop 'superintelligence' capable of expanding human capabilities.

Woman loses €830,000 to scammer in France

In France, a woman divorced her husband and lost about €830,000 to a scammer who pretended to be Brad Pitt for two years. In 2023, the scammer gave the woman expensive jewelry, for which she paid about €5,000 in delivery costs. Later, 'Pitt' asked her to transfer €800,000 for kidney cancer treatment. The woman was convinced she was communicating with the real actor by photos and videos, which later turned out to be photoshopped or generated by a neural network.

China creates the fastest robot dog in the world

China has created the fastest robot dog in the world. The machine Black Panther V 2.1 is made of strong and lightweight carbon fiber, reaching speeds of up to 10 m/s. The robot will be improved until it surpasses the fastest athletes.

Firefighting Planes Turn Los Angeles Pink

Firefighting planes turn Los Angeles pink with a fire-retardant mixture. The substances added to the water include phosphorus and ammonium sulfate compounds. A pink dye is also added so firefighters can see where the treatment has been applied. When heated, the mixture releases carbon dioxide, which helps to extinguish the flames.

The TV Killer at CES 2025

At the technology exhibition CES 2025, the TV killer was showcased. The Jmgo O2S Ultra 4K is an ultra-short-throw projector that creates a 100-inch picture from just 14.6 cm away. It almost fits in the palm of your hand: the device's dimensions are 31.2 x 29.0 x 14.0 cm.

BepiColombo Sends New Images of Mercury

The European spacecraft BepiColombo has sent new images of Mercury, taken during its final flyby just 295 km away from the planet. In the six years since its launch, the spacecraft has made six close approaches and now aims to enter a permanent orbit around Mercury for further study - if all goes according to plan, this will occur by the end of 2026.