In the spring of 2021, the staff at video-game juggernaut Roblox Corp. gathered for an all-hands meeting over

Engineers have figured out how to repurpose disused wind turbine blades to serve as bridges capable of supporting up to 30 tonnes of weight. Turbine blades have a lifespan of around 20 to 25 years, meaning hundreds of wind farms set up at the start of the century are now being upgraded. Decommissioned blades are typically sent to landfill or incinerated, with the thousands of non-biodegradable units now posing a major environmental challenge. In an effort to address the issue, five universities and research institutes in Ireland, Northern Ireland and the US set up the Re-Wind Network, which has come up with several ways the blades can be recycled. Potential solutions include bus shelters, street furniture and telecommunications towers, however bridges already offer a practical way to repurpose the blades, with two footbridges successfully built in Draperstown and Cork. “With so many of these blades due to reach the end of their lifespan, we need to find ways to transform them into something useful,” said Jennifer McKinley, a professor at Queen’s University Belfast’s School of Natural and Built Environment. “I am delighted that by working together we’ve been able to find a way to repurpose wind turbine blades. This can only be a good thing, as without intervention they would end up in landfill or they would have to be incinerated.” A third bridge is set to be built in Atlanta, Georgia, before the research team turn their focus towards increasing the length and size of the bridges. The researchers estimate that there will be around 8.6 million tonnes of scrapped wind turbine blades within the next 20 years, though the glass fibre reinforced polymer material could prove useful for building a huge range of objects, like motorway noise barriers and playground equipment. Three of the engineers from the Re-Wind Network project have also formed a spin-out startup called BladeBridge that will look to commercialise the idea, while also looking for new ways to reuse old turbine blades. “We are partnering with well-known designers here in Ireland to create a portfolio of durable and sustainable products, such as greenway furniture and bridges,” said BladeBridge co-founder Dr Angie Nagle. Read More Fossil fuels ‘becoming obsolete’ as solar panel prices plummet Fossil fuels ‘becoming obsolete’ as solar panel prices plummet Solar panel breakthrough could supercharge ‘miracle material’ production Scientists invent solar panels that work in a snow blizzard

BROOKLYN, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 2023--

Online racist abuse of soccer players is prolific on social media platforms

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Scientists have created the world's first "breathing, sweating, shivering" robot in a major breakthrough. The technologically-advanced "thermal mannequin" known as ANDI has 35 controlled surfaces that allow the robot to produce sweat through 'pores'. Designed by US firm Thermetrics, there are just 10 ANDIs in the world. It was designed to gauge a better understanding of the health impacts of extreme temperatures on the body. "ANDI sweats, he generates heat, shivers, walks and breathes," explained Konrad Rykaczewski, principal investigator for the ASU research project. Rykaczewski continued: "There’s a lot of great work out there for extreme heat, but there’s also a lot missing. "We’re trying to develop a very good understanding of how heat impacts the human body so we can quantitatively design things to address it." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Some ANDIs are already being used by sports clothing companies to test garments. Meanwhile, ASU's version is the first that can be used outdoors. Jenni Vanos, associate professor in the School of Sustainability said: "You can’t put humans in dangerous extreme heat situations and test what would happen. "But there are situations we know of in the Valley where people are dying of heat and we still don't fully understand what happened. ANDI can help us figure that out." Later this year, ANDI will be paired with ASU's biometeorological heat robot to delve deeper into human sweating mechanisms. Ankit Joshi, an ASU research scientist leading the modelling and operating of ANDI, said: "We can move different BMI models, different age characteristics and different medical conditions (into ANDI),” "A diabetes patient has different thermal regulation from a healthy person. So we can account for all this modification with our customized models." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

More than a half-dozen leading tech CEOs will be among those attending a highly anticipated artificial intelligence event hosted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer next month, according to the senator's office.

Check out the full Valorant Premier schedule for the Ignition Stage, including all maps, dates, and matches, to qualify for the Playoff Tournament.

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Hedge funds boosted bullish bets on Brent crude to a six-week high amid Saudi Arabia’s surprise move to

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 21, 2023--