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,... Read more
China’s floating fish farms set to revolutionise aquaculture
EnvironmentInfrastructureNewsTechnology 2nd Jun 2022 0
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... Read more
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... Read more
Chinese ‘Flubber’ has real applications despite 1 April launch
HealthMedicalNewsTechnology 13th Apr 2022 1
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... Read more
China helps Kenya to add nuclear to its energy mix
EnergyEnvironmentInfrastructureNewsTechnology 6th Apr 2022 1
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... Read more
China puts world’s largest amphibian plane into production
EnvironmentNewsTechnology 24th Feb 2022 0
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... Read more
The scientific community has been energised by news that Chinese officials have approved the use of gene-edited crops. Food insecurity is present in some form or another on every continent. Current data estimates that 47 countries, predominantly in Africa, will fail to achieve even ‘low hunger’ in the next... Read more
China builds the world’s first artificial moon
NewsTechnology 31st Jan 2022 0
In a world-first, Chinese scientists claim to have successfully constructed an artificial moon. Capable of creating zero-gravity and limited-gravity environments at the switch of a button, the lunar stand-in will be used to prepare astronauts for moon-based operations and to learn more about how matter interacts in low-gravity. Recreating... Read more
Chinese scientists use electricity to boost crop yields
EnergyEnvironmentNewsTechnology 24th Jan 2022 2
A team of Chinese scientists has developed a little-known method to increase the yields of certain crops using electricity. Working out of Beijing’s Chinese Academy of Sciences, the researchers found that pea yields were increased by almost 20% when a rain- and wind-powered triboelectric nanogenerator was among the plants.... Read more
Chinese robotaxis set for US market
EnergyNewsTechnology 11th Jan 2022 1
In the final days of 2021, Zeekr, the Geely-owned manufacturer announced it had teamed up with Waymo, one of the United States’ largest self-driving tech companies, to create a fleet of driverless ‘robotaxis’. Zeekr, the year-old electric vehicle (EV) startup, has created a significant disturbance in the industry. According... Read more