113. Neural Sleeve for Mobility Issues, Micro Teeth Cleaning Robots, Supercharger Open to Non-Teslas

That‘s Cool News | A weekly breakdown of positive Science & Tech news.

News:

This new neural sleeve helps people overcome mobility challenges | ZDNet (01:08)

• A new mobility sleeve under development and out of stealth promises a compelling solution for those suffering a variety of mobility issues.
  • Monitor and stimulate the neuromuscular system
  • Lightweight next-gen mobility devices
• The technology was invented by Jeremiah Robison, a Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur, following his daughter's cerebral palsy diagnosis.
  • Inspired by two of his daughter's clinical experiences.
• The first inspiration was a complex data capture session at a gait lab using optical and EMG sensors, which recorded precise information about her walk.
  • Electromyography sensors, also known as EMG sensors, measure small electromyographic signals generated by your muscles as you move them.
• The second inspiration was functional electrical stimulation as part of her physical therapy.
  • Electrode pads were placed on individual muscle groups, which a therapist stimulated during walking sessions to stimulate and strengthen the muscles.
• The device & company that was created is called CIONIC
  • The device is a wearable for people with mobility issues that doesn't just monitor leg movements but actually helps activate the person's muscles.
  • CIONIC partnered with the Laboratory for Engineering of the Neuromuscular System (LISiN) at The Polytechnic University of Turin.
• Robison talked on the device:
  • “We set out to create a product that combined the diagnostic power of a multi-million dollar gait lab with the therapeutic power of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) … We were confident we could leverage the recent technological advances enabling innovative products like self-driving cars and apply it to the human body to solve an enormous problem: 14% of adults in the US experience mobility impairment, a number expected to balloon to 20% by 2050."
• The resulting sensor array successfully combines electromyography (EMG) and functional electrical stimulation (FES).
  • LISiN Lab helped develop a comprehensive risk assessment strategy to ensure that the product was effective and safe

Meta open sources early-stage AI translation tool that works across 200 languages | The Verge (08:37)

• Social media conglomerate Meta has created a single AI model capable of translating across 200 different languages
  • The company is open-sourcing the project in the hopes that others will build on its work.
• The AI model is part of an ambitious R&D project by Meta to create a so-called “universal speech translator,” which the company sees as important for growth across its many platforms
• Machine translation allows Meta to better understand its users (and so improve the advertising systems that generate 97 percent of its revenue)
  • Could also be the foundation of a killer app for future projects like its augmented reality glasses.
• While most machine translation models handle only a handful of languages, Meta’s model is all-encapsulating: it’s a single system able to translate in more than 40,000 different directions between 200 different languages.
• Meta AI research scientist Angela Fan, who worked on the project, says the model, described in a research paper here, is already being tested to support a project that helps Wikipedia editors translate articles into other languages.
• Additionally, Fan stated that an important decision was to open-source as many elements of the project as possible — from the model to the evaluation dataset and training code.
  • Meta also offers grants to researchers who want to contribute to such translation projects but are unable to finance their own projects
• We are going to end off with a quote from Fan:
  • “I think that’s really, really important, because it’s not like one company will be able to holistically solve the problem of machine translation … It’s everyone — globally — and so we’re really interested in supporting these types of community efforts.”

Tiny shapeshifting robots brush and floss your teeth, kill bacteria | New Atlas (14:53)

• Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a system of microrobots that can change shape to form bristles or floss.
  • They don’t just brush plaque away, but release antimicrobials to kill bad bacteria.
  • If you want to outsource brushing your teeth to robots.
• Part of the problem with teeth brushing is that toothbrushes don’t account for differences in the shape or spacing of different people’s teeth.
  • The new system solves that issue by effectively shapeshifting.
• It’s made up of iron oxide nanoparticles, which can be assembled into different formations and controlled using magnetic fields.
  • The particles can be arranged into the shape of bristles to brush plaque from tooth surfaces, or thinner floss-like strands to scrub between teeth.
  • Iron oxide is known to activate hydrogen peroxide, triggering a reaction that produces free radicals that kill bacteria and the sticky biofilms they form on teeth.
• The system was tested on a flat slab of artificial tooth-like material, then a 3D-printed tooth model, and finally on real human teeth.
• The tests showed that these microrobots could efficiently remove plaque and biofilms, reducing pathogenic bacteria below detectable levels.
• Also showed they could precisely control the bristle stiffness and length by adjusting the magnetic field.
  • This allowed the tips to be made firm enough to clean the teeth but still soft enough to be gentle on gums.
• The researchers say that the customizability of this microrobot system could clean people’s teeth better, while its hands-free potential could allow people with reduced fine motor skills to still take care of their oral health.

New drug increases human life span by 30%, according to Mayo Clinic | Brighter Side News (19:47)

• Scientists may never find the elixir of life, but they are finding new ways to extend our life spans.
  • Mayo Clinic researchers say senolytic drugs can boost a key protein in the body that may protect older people against aspects of aging and a range of diseases.
• Senolytics developed at Mayo Clinic and given once clear the bloodstream of senescent or "zombie" cells.
  • These cells contribute to multiple diseases and negative aspects of aging. Diseases including atherosclerosis (a form of heart disease), diabetes, and lung disease.
  • As you age, these zombies build up in the body. They can make it difficult for your body to repair tissue, and they can release chemicals that harm normal cells nearby.
• This study shows that the removal of senescent cells significantly boosts the production of a protective protein called a-klotho.
  • The protein a-klotho is important to maintaining good health, as it tends to decrease with age, and especially decreases in multiple diseases, including Alzheimer's, diabetes and kidney disease.
• James Kirkland, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic internist and senior author of the study., talked on these Senolytics drugs:
  • “We show that there is an avenue for an orally active, small-molecule approach to increase this beneficial protein and also to amplify the action of senolytic drugs."
• Animal studies have shown that decreasing a-klotho in mice shortens life span and increasing a-klotho in mice by inserting a gene that causes its production increases life span by 30%.
• This study shows that senolytics increased a-klotho in humans with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a senescence-associated disease that leads to frailty, serious breathing difficulties and death.

Tesla will open up Superchargers to non-Tesla electric vehicles in the US later this year - The Verge (24:23)

• Tesla plans to open up its Supercharger network to non-Tesla electric vehicles in the US in late 2022, according to a White House memo.
• The company has been allowing non-Tesla EVs to use its Supercharger plugs in several cities in Europe as part of a limited pilot program but has been quiet about when US charging stations would be available to non-Tesla EV owners.
• The memo stated: “Later this year, Tesla will begin production of new Supercharger equipment that will enable non-Tesla EV drivers in North America to use Tesla Superchargers.”
• Tesla did not respond to an email seeking confirmation of these plans (Elon Musk disbanded the company’s PR office in 2019).
  • It’s not clear whether the White House purposefully scooped Tesla’s own announcement on this project.
• Tesla’s Supercharger network is often held up as the best possible example of an EV charging network: fast, reliable, and plentiful.
• This news is in line with what Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk has, for years, about opening up his Superchargers to other companies’ electric vehicles.
• If the US version of the pilot program works the same as it does in Europe, non-Tesla EV owners will need to download the most recent version of Tesla’s smartphone app in order to access the stations.
  • They will be prompted to select “Charge Your Non-Tesla” in order to find the closest participating Supercharger site.
  • Tesla owners can still use the stations just as normal.