Chinese answer to Musk’s Starlink launches

Chinese authorities have announced the initial completion of the country’s long-awaited high-orbit satellite communications network. In what is being touted as a potential competitor to Elon Musk’s Starlink internet constellation, the Chinese equivalent promises to offer high-speed internet services to the country’s more than 1.4 billion inhabitants. The satellite communications network would provide services to…

China’s multi-story robot farms set to help address food scarcity

Chinese agronomists and engineers from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Institute of Urban Agriculture (IUA) have recently completed the world’s first artificial intelligence powered 20-story vertical farm. The unmanned plant factory based in Chengdu, Sichuan province, is considered a breakthrough for a country with persistent food security concerns and unpredictable weather conditions. China’s 2022…

Chinese start-up commercialises liquid algae air purifier

A Hong Kong-based biotechnology start-up has reportedly developed a liquid microalgae air purifier capable of absorbing harmful greenhouse gases from the surrounding atmosphere. Founded by a group of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology graduates, AIGreen was established in 2021 when the young researchers discovered an algae variety with carbon capture and storage properties…

Chinese trial implants chargers that are safely biodegradable

Chinese scientists have created a biodegradable wireless charger they claim can be safely implanted into the human body and used to power bioelectronic devices such as drug delivery systems and sensory devices. Although bioelectronic devices like pacemakers and cochlear implants have been used in medicine for several decades, they require external energy sources that ultimately…

Chinese scientists create 3D-printed semiconductors

Researchers from China have created a novel 3D printing method that takes advantage of what they call ‘molecular glue’ that allows engineers to print precise, high-quality structures, such as semiconductors. Developed by a research unit from Beijing’s Tsinghua University and published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Science, the technique, dubbed 3D pinning, could facilitate the…

Chinese solar panel giant sets new record

LONGi Green Energy Technology Company has set a new record with its state-of-the-art silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells, achieving an efficiency rate of 33.9 per cent. The breakthrough was independently verified by the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in early November 2023, according to a press release by the Xi’an-based photovoltaics firm. LONGi edged…

China ups the space race ante with first reusable rocket test

Chinese aerospace firm, iSpace, has reportedly tested their first full-scale reusable rocket in what is a landmark moment for the country’s space programme. The Beijing-based company successfully conducted “hop tests” with its Hyperbola-2Y rocket in the Gobi Desert, paving the way for further experimentation on the firm’s larger Hyperbola-3 rocket systems as soon as 2025,…

Chinese scientists use wastewater to boost semiconductor production

In a remarkable feat of ingenuity, Chinese scientists have found a way to transform contaminated wastewater into valuable semiconductor materials. Researchers are hopeful the novel, environmentally friendly production method could boost innovation in China’s chip manufacturing sector. Semiconductors and microchips play a vital role in the functioning of modern society and can be found in everything…