China launches lobster-eye telescope

In another landmark achievement for the country’s young space program, China has officially deployed the world’s first lobster-eye telescope into orbit. Known as the ‘Einstein Probe’, the advanced satellite observatory can detect far-off cosmic phenomena, including black holes and neutron stars. A Long March 2C liquid fuel rocket successfully launched the Einstein Probe from the…

Chinese start-up unveil coin-sized nuclear battery

Chinese start-up, Betavolt New Energy Technology, has revealed a nuclear battery powerful enough to charge your smartphone for fifty years. When the coin-sized power bank enters production, it will become the world’s first mass-produced atomic battery. Measuring just 15 millimetres squared and 5 millimetres high, the tiny three-volt battery has 100 microwatts of power, putting…

Chinese scientists develop a coal-to-protein animal feed process

It sounds like alchemy, but Chinese researchers have developed a method that uses methanol to convert coal into protein for animal feed. The breakthrough has the scientific community hopeful the low-cost source of protein could become an alternative source of nutrition for animals as food prices worldwide continue to increase. Population growth, particularly in underdeveloped…

Chinese scientists develop aerosol-based vaccine

A group of immunologists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have reportedly developed a “super-small” inhalable vaccine that could provide better protection against viral infections than conventional injectable vaccines. A single dose of the aerosol-propelled drug delivers microscopic 2.8 micron-thick particles that produced a sustained immune response in several lab subjects, including mice, hamsters…

Robo-octupus breakthrough to boost human-robot interaction

Chinese roboticists from Beijing’s prestigious Beihang University have created a flexible robotic appendage capable of mimicking the movements of an octopus’s arm. The research team believes the breakthrough design marks a significant step in soft robotics and human-robot interaction. The device, which has been named an electronics-integrated soft robotic octopus arm (E-SOAM) has the agility…

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 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…