RT LovelyLoThe @CORSAIR Void Wireless v2 has arrived 🎧 Big fan of the increased battery life and reduced weight compared to the v1. - Custom tuned 50mm drivers paired with Dolby Atmos- Dual wireless connection across Console, PC, and mobile learn more here: https://cor.sr/lovelylo #ad

Electric vehicles have seen a lot of success in recent years, but there are still some concerns—from range anxiety to insufficient charging infrastructure—that limit their overall adoption. Hybrids don’t have those same worries, and hybrid sales have been gaining momentum as the growth of EV sales has slowed. That’s caused some carmakers to pull back on EV offerings and prioritize hybrids instead.  But now a company called Horse Powertrain is offering an alternative to carmakers who are hesitant to go fully electric while still allowing them to develop EVs—and keep their EV production lines. Called the Future Hybrid Concept, it’s essentially a way for automakers to retrofit a battery electric vehicle into a plug-in hybrid. That means automakers could have one production line that makes a variety of powertrains, both developing EVs and also offering hybrid versions. [Photo: Horse Powertrain] Horse Powertrain is a joint venture by French auto manufacturer Renault and Chinese conglomerate Geely (Geely subsidiaries include Volvo and Polestar) created to develop “low-emission” hybrid and combustion systems. Horse Powertrain is unveiling its Future Hybrid Concept at the Shanghai auto show this week. The Future Hybrid Concept is one compact unit that includes an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and a transmission. This allows automakers to “hybridize” their existing battery electric vehicles, the company says, to meet fluctuating customer demands while also “eliminating the need for multiple platforms and production lines.” The Future Hybrid Concept can bolt directly onto an EV’s subframe with “minor” modifications, per Horse. This means that carmakers could manufacture both EVs and hybrids on one assembly line, reducing complexity. Currently, hybrids are often assembled on the same production lines as internal combustion vehicles, and EVs on another, because of the distinct components they need.  Some manufacturers have found ways around this: Honda, for instance, upgraded its Ohio factories so that gas vehicles, hybrids, and EVs can be manufactured on the same lines. But for other automakers that have yet to make those upgrades, or that have prioritized EV innovation but now want to diversify their offerings, Horse Powertrain says its retrofit concept can fit into existing operations. It would also eliminate “most of the tooling and unique assembly steps” hybrids need, the company says, so that manufacturing lines can be simplified.  “Through our innovation, we can deliver a full hybrid powertrain system that seamlessly integrates onto a battery electric vehicle platform,” Matias Giannini, CEO at Horse Powertrain, said in a statement. The Future Hybrid Concept system includes an onboard charger, and could work with a variety of fuels, including gas, ethanol, methanol, and other synthetic fuels. The first vehicles using Horse Powertrain’s Future Hybrid Concept are expected to be on the road as early as 2028. Horse Powertrain already has 17 production plants and five R&D centers across Europe, Asia, and South America, and expects to produce 5 million powertrain engines annually.

For decades, huge swaths of Brazil’s Cerrado ecosystem have been used to support the global demand for burgers. Forests and grasslands were replaced by pastures along with farms growing soy to feed cattle. But a major restoration project is now underway on an area nearly twice as large as Manhattan. If you fly over one part of southwestern Brazil, you’ll see a patchwork of dozens of square plots where a local university is studying different methods of helping native plants regrow on former cattle pastures. On more than 25,000 acres, along rivers and the edge of remaining pieces of forest, new vegetation has been growing quickly over the past two years. Wildlife cameras track the native species that are returning, from puma to an endangered species of rabbit. The environmental group Conservation International is working on the project with an unlikely set of partners: a forestry company and the tech giant Apple. [Photo: TIG] Why Apple is investing in forests The project is one piece of Apple’s climate strategy. “When we look at the global climate science, it’s clear that we have to cut emissions as quickly as possible, but we also have to end deforestation and rapidly scale up carbon removal in order to stay within 1.5 degrees [of global temperature rise],” says Chris Busch, director of environmental initiatives at Apple. The company’s first priority is reducing its own emissions. Through tactics like using recycled rare earth elements in iPhones and helping suppliers shift to renewable energy at factories, it has already cut its emissions by 60% compared to 2015. By 2030, it’s aiming to hit 75%. But for the remaining 25%, Busch says, “We just don’t have a clear line of sight to how to avoid those emissions at scale today within our value chain. So that is where nature comes in to play a role for us.” There are several ways to take CO2 out of the atmosphere, including nascent technology like direct air capture. But Apple knew that in order to reach its short-term goals for 2030, it would need to lean on nature’s ability to capture carbon because no other approach was ready to scale up quickly enough. At the same time, the company recognized that there weren’t enough nature-based carbon credits available to buy—and restoration and preservation projects often struggle to prove that they actually have as much benefit as they claim. In 2021, Apple committed $200 million to the Restore Fund, a new fund established with Conservational International and Goldman Sachs, to help carbon removal grow more quickly and to focus on creating quality projects. (In 2023, it pledged an additional $200 million for a second fund within the program.) One of the first investments, in 2022, was Project Alpha in Brazil. Restoration and planting started in 2023. It’s the first step in a larger effort that will eventually restore 741,000 acres of degraded land across Brazil, Uruguay, and Chile. A biodiversity hot spot The Cerrado ecosystem, which originally sprawled over more than a million square miles in Brazil with a mix of dense forests, grasslands, and wetlands, is a biodiversity hot spot. Many of its 1,600-plus species of animals, and 10,000 species of plants, can’t be found anywhere else. It’s also quickly disappearing. “It’s faced a rate of loss that’s fairly extreme,” says Will Turner, senior vice president at Conservation International’s Center for Natural Climate Solutions. “Well over half of the native Cerrado vegetation has been destroyed, predominantly due to agriculture.” The restoration project is focusing on an area that was converted for grazing in the 1990s, and bought the land from cattle farmers. As grasslands were replaced by pasture, they were planted with invasive grasses to feed cattle. The grass chokes off the growth of native plants. Because it’s spread so much, the non-native grass makes restoration expensive and challenging. That’s why the project took a new approach: Instead of focusing solely on restoration, it’s happening in combination with carefully managed forestry. [Photo: TIG] Why an environmental group wanted to partner with a forestry company BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group (TIG), the forestry partner on the project, is planting tree farms on half of the former grazing land, and managing restoration on the other half. In some ways, the solution seems counterintuitive: The tree farms will grow eucalyptus, a non-native species from Australia. In other parts of Brazil, environmental groups have derided eucalyptus plantations, arguing that they’re destructive. But the trees can thrive in degraded soil where other species struggle to grow. They also grow quickly, taking up large amounts of CO2. Since deforestation reduces rainfall, planting new trees can also help with the hydrological cycle. And as global demand for wood continues to grow, the new plantations—which are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified—can potentially help avoid deforestation of native trees in places like the Amazon rainforest. Some critics argue that eucalyptus overuses groundwater, but Conservation International says that’s often caused by poor management. If a eucalyptus plantation is managed well, the nonprofit says, recent research suggests it will use the same amount of water as a native forest. (The forestry company is also screening out locations that have insufficient water availability and monitoring water security for others in the area.) When TIG bought grazing land from farmers, it carefully tracked where the cattle were moved, making sure that the process didn’t lead to new land being cleared elsewhere. (The company agreed to this, along with other sustainability critera, as part of the project.) Then, with guidance from Conservation International, it began “assisted natural regeneration,” taking steps to help native vegetation regrow. In some areas, it’s also planting seeds or seedlings. Having the forestry company on the site also means that its crew can protect the restored areas from encroachment from other farmers or fight wildfires if needed. The forestry company will earn carbon credits both as its trees capture CO2 and as native vegetation is being restored. Apple also has a stake in the project. “What we’re aiming to do is generate a financial return as an investor in those projects, but also a carbon return,” says Busch. “Part of the return that we get on that investment is carbon credits.” Third-party auditors will monitor the project before the carbon credits are issued. Apple is also helping with some of the monitoring technology, including testing ways to use the iPhone’s lidar scanner to measure the diameter of trees. Without the forestry part of the project in place, Conservation International says it’s unlikely that any restoration would have happened in the area at all. Including forestry makes the restoration financially viable. And it helped it happen at a large scale: The project will increase the restoration across the entire Cerrado region by 50%. “At the end of the day, what we think is really important is figuring out how to get to scale in terms of restoration and carbon sequestration quickly,” says Apple’s Busch. “That needs to be funded somehow. The conservation side of the operation is truly [financially] sustainable because it can be funded by the business side.”

What we know about robots and how they are created is constantly evolving as we see scientists draw inspiration from the natural world to create innovative and efficient machines. The latest marvel to emerge from this fascinating intersection is a small, agile robot that forgoes traditional locomotion in favor of a wing-assisted hopping mechanism. Developed by a collaborative team of scientists from MIT, the University of Hong Kong, and the City University of Hong Kong, this tiny bot is demonstrating a unique approach to movement. Designer: MIT This remarkable creation, standing just over 5 centimeters tall and weighing less than a single gram, utilizes a vertically oriented, spring-loaded carbon fiber rod as its primary means of propulsion. Functioning like a miniature pogo stick, this leg compresses upon impact with the ground, storing energy that is then released to launch the robot into the air. However, what truly sets this robot apart is its integration of four insect-inspired flapping wings, powered by electrically activated artificial muscles. These wings aren’t designed for sustained flight in the traditional sense. Instead, they play a crucial role in augmenting the robot’s leaps, providing additional lift and enabling it to achieve impressive heights of up to 20 centimeters. Furthermore, these wing movements contribute to its lateral agility, allowing it to traverse distances of up to 30 centimeters per second. This novel approach offers a potential advantage in terms of energy efficiency compared to traditional flying robots. By primarily relying on the spring-loaded leg for vertical movement and utilizing the wings for assistance and stability, the robot can potentially operate for longer durations on a limited power supply. Currently, this groundbreaking robot is tethered to an external power source and relies on an external motion-tracking system for guidance. This suggests that it is still in the experimental phase, with future development likely focused on miniaturizing the power source and integrating onboard control systems for autonomous operation. The concept of combining hopping and wing assistance is not entirely new in the realm of bio-inspired robotics. Researchers have previously explored similar ideas, such as the “Hopcopter” developed by the City University of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, which combined a commercially available quadcopter with a spring-loaded hopping leg for efficient ground traversal. Similarly, researchers at Stanford University developed a “jumpglider” that used a spring for takeoff and pivoting wings for gliding, showcasing the potential of combining different modes of locomotion. This latest winged hopping robot represents another significant step forward in this field. Its lightweight design and impressive agility open up possibilities for various applications, such as exploration in confined spaces, environmental monitoring, or even search and rescue operations in complex terrains where traditional robots might struggle. As research progresses and the technology matures, we can anticipate seeing more robots that cleverly combine different forms of movement to achieve greater efficiency and versatility, taking inspiration from the incredible adaptability found in the natural world. This little hopping robot with wings might just be the herald of a new era in robotic locomotion. The post Tiny, winged robot jumps instead of flying first appeared on Yanko Design.

Chess pieces or salt shakers?

SNK's original prize fighter still packs a punch with its comic book roots.

RT James EssesOn the Supreme Court, @Keir_Starmer has just said:“A woman is an adult female, and the court has made that absolutely clear. I actually welcome the judgment because I think it gives real clarity.”This is the same man who previously claimed that 1 in 1000 women has a penis.

RT ELON CLIPSElon Musk: As bad as Twitter was, the federal government is much worse. At least, Twitter passed audits.“Twitter was at least break-even, and it had to pass an audit. The federal government is literally losing $2 trillion a year, and it fails its own audits.There's a case where, Senator Collins gave the Navy $12 billion for more submarines, got no extra submarines, and then held a hearing to ask where the $12 billion went.And they were like, we don't know—that was it. Only the federal government can get away with this level of waste.The reason I'm putting so much effort into this is that I think it is a very dire situation. America's going bankrupt. That just can't happen.”The Joe Rogan Experience, February 28, 2025