A Chinese automotive joint venture between three of the country’s most successful brands is gearing up to launch an all-wheel-drive mini electric SUV set to disrupt the global compact SUV market. Developed by SAIC-GM-Wuling, the KiWi mini EV SUV, the compact off-roader, enters the relatively new market segment fresh off the heels of its predecessor,…
Chinese officials claim to have installed the world’s first operational “natural-direct cooling” (NDC) system for a power plant in the country’s north-central province of Shaanxi. Hailed as a milestone achievement for the industry, the novel cooling method could prevent as many as 54 000 tons of harmful carbon emissions from leaching into the atmosphere yearly.…
A team of scientists from Shanghai’s Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics has developed a novel method to generate a ‘laser-like light’ with the potential to boost the communication speeds of everyday electronics. This includes smartphones and barcode scanners, as well as high-precision tools, like laser scalpels. Lasers form when energy, like electricity or light,…
A Chinese renewables firm has installed a massive solar plant above a fishery in Cangzhou, Heibei Province. The development comes during a period where numerous farmers worldwide are scrambling to incorporate green solar and wind infrastructure into their businesses. Concord New Energy, a renewables company that specialises in solar and wind installations, constructed a 70…
Chinese scientists claim to have built tiny robot worms that can navigate and inspect narrow pipes with endoscopic cameras. The novel invention could pave the way for a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to pipeline exploration and diagnostics. Researchers say their creation is best suited to exploring aircraft pipes, oil refineries and machinery otherwise inaccessible…
China recently launched a massive floating fish farm in the coastal city of Qingdao. Named Guoxin 1, the 250 metre vessel left port in late May and will process 3 700 tons of fish every year, according to the Chinese Academy of Fishery Services. Constructed by the Qingdao Conson Development Group, Guoxin 1 is enormous…
Chinese engineers and urban planners have decided to depart from traditional ‘grey infrastructure’ like dams, stormwater drains and catch basins that funnel excess water from our streets. Instead, Kongjian Yu, dean of Peking University’s College of Architecture, and his colleagues have decided to turn their cities into ‘sponges’. Yu has championed the radical idea for…
Scientists have developed what social media users have dubbed the ‘magnetic turd’ and they hope the medical field will one day employ to retrieve foreign objects from inside the body. The Chinese researchers responsible for the slimy creation say the brownish, slug-shaped substance, immediately compared to the 1997 sci-fi film Flubber, can reportedly make ‘C’…
After years of delays and pre-feasibility tests, Kenyan officials have selected two sites for the East African nation’s first nuclear energy production facilities. The project will be run in partnership with China’s National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). Kenya’s Nuclear Power and Energy Authority (NuPEA), scheduled to break ground at the end of the decade, will add…
Chinese engineers are preparing test flights for what will be the world’s largest amphibious aircraft. Dubbed the ‘AG600’, the jumbo jet-sized prototype will see most of its service in the South China Sea, where it can move unencumbered between China’s many far-reaching outposts. It tested four engine units for the airplane on the 15th of…