China has unveiled its first 3D-printed retractable bridge. Located in Shanghai’s Wisdom Bay Innovation Park, the proverbial Mecca for 3D technology firms, the near-10-metre bridge is controlled via Bluetooth and retracts or unfurls in around a minute. The massive feat is viewed by those close to the project as a significant step in the large-scale…
A pair of astronauts aboard China’s Tiangong space module have completed a successful spacewalk. The momentous achievement for both the astronauts and China’s manned space program marks another significant milestone for China’s space ambitions for the moon, Mars and beyond. In June, The Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) launched three astronauts into space. The trio is…
Just a few short weeks after China successfully landed its Zhurong Rover on the surface of Mars, researchers have deployed a similar rover to explore the inhospitable terrain on the ‘Roof of the World’, the Tibetan Plateau. The car-sized rover, named Pandengzhe or ‘The Climber’, spent five days on the icy Kuoqionggangri Glacier, at 18…
China’s prolific space program continues, this time with its first manned space mission for half a decade. The launch was declared a success, safely jettisoning three elite astronauts into space, to connect with China’s space station. In front of a throng of well-wishers, the Shenzhou-12 mission launched into outer orbit from the Jiuquan site in…
A new wind tunnel may put China decades ahead in the race to further develop hypersonic technologies, according to a prominent Chinese physicist. The wind tunnel is the JF-22 facility, situated in Beijing’s Huairou District, and it’s capable of simulating flights moving at Mach 30, thirty times the speed of sound. The JF-22, as well…
The leading public health authority, the World Health Organisation (WHO), has officially approved the Chinese-developed Sinovac Biotech Covid vaccine. The vaccine, which has seen use in more than 30 countries, received the WHO’s emergency use status last Tuesday. This means it can now be considered by COVAX, the global body tasked with ensuring fair and…
A Chinese-built nuclear reactor, constructed to replicate the energy that powers the sun, is closer to creating nuclear fusion. One of China’s most ambitious clean energy projects, it’s something scientists could only theorize about just decades ago. Situated in Hefei, Anhui Province, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is one of China’s “artificial suns”. This…
Chinese robotaxi startup, Pony.ai, has been given the green light to test driverless vehicles in three Californian cities. In late May 2021, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) allowed for the testing in several prominent areas, making Pony.ai one of the only firms allowed to conduct full driverless testing in the state. Pony.ai has been…
A team of Chinese scientists have developed an intelligent material that is capable of curving and curling when external pressures are applied. The fluid motion resembles the mechanics observed in nature more closely than previously thought capable, and is planned for use in the soft- and micro-robotics industries. The researchers, working out of Southeast University…
For the first time in its history, China has landed a rover on the surface of Mars, becoming the second country, alongside the United States, to successfully touch down. China’s Tianwen or ‘Questions for Heaven’ mission made successful contact with Mars at roughly 19:11pm on the 14th of May but, because of the extreme distance…