Cyborgs with superhuman strength move a step closer after scientists combine muscles made from living tissue with a machine

Biorobotics is a developing area of science which aims to combine the best of the natural world with the best of the field of robotics. A new study succeeded in merging muscle fibres to a robotic skeleton

Human-robot hybrids could be in the pipeline as Japanese scientists have succeeded in merging muscle fibres with a robotic skeleton.

Previous attempts at this have been short-lived and prone to failure. 

A new study took a different approach and grew the muscles from scratch, instead of taking a muscle that had grown inside an animal.

This discovery could pave the way for superhuman cyborgs, but scientists say larger-scale applications are at least a decade away.

The cross-over project is a breakthrough in the field of biorobotics, as it uses fully-functioning skeletal muscle tissue. 

A common issue facing scientists before was that the muscles had a tendency to lose their strength and shrink.

Lead author Yuya Morimoto, of the University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science, overcame these issues.

His new method ensures the muscles are stronger and more durable than previous attempts. 

Human-robot hybrids could be in the pipeline as Japanese scientists have succeeded in merging muscle fibres with a robotic skeleton. This discovery could pave the way for superhuman cyborgs, but scientists say larger-scale applications are at least a decade away

 

To do this, the researchers needed to use special sheets which contained myoblasts - muscle precursor cells - from rats.

Over the course of ten days, the muscles slowly grew on the skeleton.

The muscles were eight mm long in total and able to contract with a force of 10 mN.

Full range of motion of the finger allowed it to bend by around 90° and even pick up and move a plastic ring.  

The muscles survived and functioned well for more than a week, far exceeding what others had done previously.  

'Once we had built the muscles, we successfully used them as antagonistic pairs in the robot, with one contracting and the other expanding, just like in the body,' study corresponding author Shoji Takeuchi says. 

'The fact that they were exerting opposing forces on each other stopped them shrinking and deteriorating, like in previous studies.' 

The cross-over project is a breakthrough in the field of biorobotics, as it uses fully-functioning skeletal muscle tissue

For simplicity, the researchers used antagonistic pairs to demonstrate the functionality of the hybrid. 

These are pairs of muscles which work in direct opposition to one another in order to perform a simple function.

For example, the bicep and tricep form an antagonistic pair as they work in opposition to either straighten the arm or bend it.  

The new method ensures the muscles are stronger and more durable than previous attempts. Rather than extract and use a muscle that had fully formed in the body, the team opted to built one from scratch

The scientists hope to build on their success and develop ever more complex arrangements of the human body to replicate with their biohybrid. 

'Our findings show that, using this antagonistic arrangement of muscles, these robots can mimic the actions of a human finger,' lead author Yuya Morimoto says. 

'If we can combine more of these muscles into a single device, we should be able to reproduce the complex muscular interplay that allow hands, arms, and other parts of the body to function.' 

Dr Murimoto told MailOnline that although this result is promising 'ten years are required' before larger-scale robotic applications will be a reality. dailymail

The muscles were eight mm long in total and able to contract with a force of 10 mN. Full range of motion of the finger allowed it to bend by around 90° and even pick up and move a plastic ring

KF-X Fighter Key Points Program

KF-X Block 3

The project goes ahead, the 1st step will involve picking a foreign development partner, and the next step will involve choosing between 1 of 2 competing designs. The C103 design’s conventional fighter layout would look somewhat like the F-35, while the C203 design follows the European approach and uses forward canards in a stealth-shaped airframe. It’s likely that the choice of their foreign development partner will determine the design choice pursued.

KF-X Block 1
Either aircraft would be a twin-engine fighter weighing around 10.4 tonnes, with stealth shaping. In order to keep ambitions within the bounds of realism, KFX Block 1 fighters would only have to meet the radar cross-section of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet or Eurofighter Typhoon. Sources have used figures of 0.1 – 1.0 square meters.
Note that even this specification amounts to developing a plane similar to or more advanced than the JAS-39E/F Gripen, from a lower technological base, with less international help on key components, all for less development money than a more experienced firm needed to spend. South Korea’s own KIDA takes a similar view, questioning the country’s technical readiness for something this complicated, and noting an overall cost per aircraft that’s twice as much as similar imported fighters.

KF-X Block 2
KFX Block 2 would add internal weapon bays. Present plans call for Block 1 would be compatible with the bays, and hence upgradeable to Block 2 status, but Block 1 planes wouldn’t begin with internal bays. The fighter’s size and twin-engine design offer added space compared to a plan like the Gripen, but this feature will still be a notable design challenge. Additional tolerance and coating improvements are envisioned to reduce stealth to the level of an F-117: about 0.025 square meters.

KF-X Block 3
KFX Block 3 would aim for further stealth improvements to the level of the B-2 bomber or F-35.
No timeline has been discussed for Block 2 and Block 3 improvements. At this stage of the program, any dates given would be wildly unreliable anyway.

The ROK Agency for Defense Development says that if full-scale development begins in October 2014, the 1st KF-X Block 1 prototype flight wouldn’t take place until September 2020. Based on the history of other programs, the new plane would be hard pressed to enter service before 2025. (DefenseIndustryDaily)

Block 1 for Indonesia, Block 2 & 3 for Korea.
"At this point, there is almost no difference between KF-X and IF-X shapes," says the official.
Still, the South Korean and Indonesian examples are likely to be different. Previously, officials have said that a Block I configuration without stealth coatings and the ability to carry weapons internally will go to Indonesia. South Korea will have a Block II aircraft, with stealth coatings and weapons bays.

Seoul will also develop indigenous capabilities in key areas where it failed to obtain export licences from the US, an early stumbling block for the programme. These include the jet's active electronically scanned array (AESA), which will be developed with Israeli assistance, infrared search & track (IRST), electro-optical targeting, and the aircraft's electronic warfare suite.

Researchers reveal solar-powered tiles that can create enough energy to power entire cities

A computer generated image of what a walkway by the Arabian Gulf in Doha, Qatar could look like

Solar-powered tiles could soon line pavements, harnessing the sun's energy to power our cities. 

At least that's the vision of Scottish scientists who are working on creating paving tiles that converts energy from the sun into electricity.

Scientists say the tiles are tough enough to withstand pedestrian traffic and waterproof enough to survive rainy weather.

A team, including scientists at Glasgow Caledonian University, have invented the energy-producing tile which in their hundreds could line whole pavements.

On sunny days the tiles could produce 200 watts of energy per square metre, and about 150 watts if cloudy.

Lead researcher Dr Azmy Gowaid and his team received £75,000 ($100,000) funding when organisers of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar invited competitive bids for innovative designs that could deliver a tournament powered by as much renewable energy as possible.

The team of five scientists has already conducted a pilot study at the Al Shamal stadium in Qatar. 

They are planning to demonstrate its prototype either outside one of the World Cup venues or in a fan zone.

Dr Gowaid, who is a lecturer in Power Electronics at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: 'Qatar has a drive to deliver as much as possible a sustainable tournament and so they are keen to get some sort of renewable technology running alongside the tournament.'

Prior to that, Dr Gowaid's project, called PVTopia, will be rolled out in the hotter climates of North Africa and the Middle East. 

The tile’s innovative cooling system that prevents heat damage will be put to the test under severe surface temperatures reaching 80°C. 

The tile, which comes at regular paving stone sizes, could light up the buildings we live and work in. Pictured is the same bit of pavement without solar panels. Pictured is the same walkway by the Arabian Gulf in Doha, Qatar as it currently looks 

Pictured are early laboratory-test prototypes of the PVTopia solar tile. It is made of a tough resin and contains photovoltaic cells which convert the energy from the sun into a flow of electrons

Dr Gowaid said: 'This is about cities generating their own energy rather than supplying the whole country's needs.

'You're looking – for a start - at the owners of residential houses or small commercial shops generating their energy on their own.

'If this is deployed amongst thousands and thousands of people then eventually the overall impact is going to relieve the (national) grid significantly.' 

The spread of solar energy means roof space will be a diminishing resource, Dr Gowaid said. 

'Meanwhile cities are getting more dense as electricity demand rises amid serious climate change challenges', he said.  

Scientists say the tiles are tough enough to withstand pedestrian traffic, and waterproof to deal with our rainy weather. Pictured is an artist's impression of walkable solar tiles laid in St Enoch pedestrian square in Glasgow

 On sunny days the tiles could produce 200 watts of energy per square metre, and about 150 watts if cloudy. Pictured is St Enoch pedestrian square in Glasgow as it currently looks

Dr Gowaid points out that while the costs of the tiles can be double that of normal paving, the energy they produce means the installation costs will soon be met.

Once the break-even point is reached the tiles will continue producing power for another 15-20 years – for free.

Dr Gowaid said 'At low scale, say on a pavement of a street or general pedestrian walkways, the installation cost would be more than double the cost of paving stones. 

'However, the generated revenue by feeding to street lighting, traffic systems, or simply selling energy to the electricity provider means the walkable solar pavement will be much cheaper than paving stones over the expected lifetime'.

The team of five scientists has already conducted a pilot study at the Al Shamal stadium in Qatar. Pictured are the tiles during lab tests

Researchers are planning to demonstrate its prototype either outside one of the World Cup venues or in a fan zone. Pictured is a prototype 

Traditional solar panels are mostly limited to slanting roofs as they cannot be walked on and render any space they lie on useless for other purposes.

To generate energy from flat rooftops that are normally used for other purposes, walkable solar tiles are a potential alternative solution.

As well as being made of a tough epoxy resin the tiles are also fitted in a hard frame from recyclable material that makes it very durable.

'Should this prove successful, it is our dream that this product can eventually be installed at mass scale anywhere in the world – even in rainy old Glasgow,' said Dr Gowaid.

'We want to see the tiles contribute to the energy supply mix of stadia, other sporting facilities and beyond to public squares, pavements, schools and university campuses'.

Fatma Al Numai, of the Qatar tournament's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, said: 'We set up a legacy programme for exactly this reason – to support entrepreneurs, innovators and scientists like Dr Gowaid.

'What the team at PVTopia are doing is incredible and we can't wait to see everything in action at the World Cup'.

HOW MIGHT SOLAR PANELS ALSO GENERATE ENERGY FROM RAIN?

A new type of solar panel cell that generates energy from rain as well as the sun's rays could be used in countries that see little sunshine.

A prototype recently developed by Chinese scientists works like a normal silicon cell with an extra power generator layered on top.

In the rain, the cell switches over to this 'triboelectric nanogenerator' (Teng), which converts the downward force exerted by raindrops into electricity. 

Because the plastics used to make the Teng are transparent, the solar cell could still generate energy from sunlight, as well as falling raindrops.

The physics behind the hybrid device involves the transfer of electrons between two conducting materials when they make contact.

When raindrops fall on the cell, they compress the upper Teng layer, generating a current of electrons that flows to an electrode below.

It could be useful in areas that see little sunshine, such as the UK, which can produce up to 8GW of solar power on sunny days - a quarter of the nation's power demand - but just 1GW of power on dull days in winter. 

CRISPR gene therapy produce rice with 25-31% higher yield

Jian-Kang Zhu’s research team used CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology to silence a suite of genes in rice, leading to a variety that yields as much as 31 percent more grain.

A team of scientists from Purdue University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has used CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology to develop a variety of rice that produces 25-31 percent more grain and would have been virtually impossible to create through traditional breeding methods.

The team, led by Jian-Kang Zhu, a distinguished professor in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Purdue and director of the Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, made mutations to 13 genes associated with the phytohormone abscisic acid, known to play roles in plant stress tolerance and suppression of growth. Of several varieties created, one produced a plant that had little change in stress tolerance but produced 25 percent more grain in a field test in Shanghai, China, and 31 percent more in a field test conducted on China’s Hainan Island.

Zhu’s team, which includes Purdue’s Ray A. Bressan, a distinguished professor in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, and researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, silenced suites of pyrabactin resistance 1 (PYR1)/PYR1-like (PYL)/regulatory components of ABA receptor (ACAR) genes, or simply, PYL genes. These genes enhance tolerance of abiotic stresses, such as drought, soil salinity and other environmental factors, but also inhibit growth.

Since plants have evolved to create genetic redundancies, especially for traits required for survival, knocking out one gene in the PYL family might not have much effect on stress tolerance or growth since redundant genes can kick in to provide a similar function. Crafting the right knockout combination, however, led to a plant that uses just the right redundancies to hold onto its stress-tolerance characteristics but reduces the growth inhibition.
“There is lots of evidence that although each PYL gene may have an individual specialty in function, by and large they also share some common functions,” Zhu said. “When you remove one, others will function as a replacement.”

The CRISPR/Cas9 technology allows plant breeders to quickly and accurately snip portions of DNA out of a sequence, editing the DNA code. The method allowed Zhu’s team to modify multiple genes at one time, something that would have taken decades to do with traditional methods without a guarantee that the resulting plants would have the desired characteristics.

“You couldn’t do targeted mutations like that with traditional plant breeding. You’d do random mutations and try to screen out the ones you don’t want,” Bressan said. “It would have taken millions of plants. Basically, it’s not feasible. This is a real accomplishment that could not have been done without CRISPR.”

The improved rice plants created in these experiments come from a common research line. The next step is to use CRISPR/Cas9 to edit the same genes in elite varieties of rice to determine if those will also show similarly improved yield.
“If this holds true for the varieties that farmers currently use, this big increase in yield would be very important,” Zhu said. “It would really help produce a lot more grains to feed more people.”

Significance
Climate change is challenging plant agriculture and our ability to manage food security. Crop growth and yield are controlled by several phytohormones and their overlapping signal networks. We report here an unexpected aspect of the abscisic acid (ABA) signal network that directly impacts rice productivity. Simultaneously mutating the genes encoding the ABA receptors pyrabactin resistance 1-like 1 (PYL1), PYL4, and PYL6 causes improved growth and increased grain yield in rice. Our work thus reveals an important role of these ABA receptors in growth control and a genetic strategy to improve rice yield.

Abstract
Abscisic acid (ABA) is a key phytohormone that controls plant growth and stress responses. It is sensed by the pyrabactin resistance 1 (PYR1)/PYR1-like (PYL)/regulatory components of the ABA receptor (RCAR) family of proteins. Here, we utilized CRISPR/Cas9 technology to edit group I (PYL1–PYL6 and PYL12) and group II (PYL7–PYL11 and PYL13) PYL genes in rice. Characterization of the combinatorial mutants suggested that genes in group I have more important roles in stomatal movement, seed dormancy, and growth regulation than those in group II. Among all of the single pyl mutants, only pyl1 and pyl12 exhibited significant defects in seed dormancy.

Interestingly, high-order group I mutants, but not any group II mutants, displayed enhanced growth. Among group I mutants, pyl1/4/6 exhibited the best growth and improved grain productivity in natural paddy field conditions, while maintaining nearly normal seed dormancy. Our results suggest that a subfamily of rice PYLs has evolved to have particularly important roles in regulating plant growth and reveal a genetic strategy to improve rice productivity.

A Star Wars Story - Movie Review

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Star Trek-style invisibility cloaks come a step closer after scientists find a way of making submarines undetectable by sonar

Researchers developed the new material and incorporated it into a three-foot high prototype (pictured). Sonar works by firing soundwaves and listening for their 'echo', but the pyramid-shaped prototype was able to redirect redirecting approaching waves

Star Trek-style invisibility cloaks are a step closer to becoming reality after scientists developed a material that could make submarines invisible to sonar detectors.

The invention deflects sound waves without echoing them back meaning sonar equipment cannot detect it.

The device could lead to military submarines that are invisible to enemy sonar, paving the way for an invisibility cloak that deflects light like the device used by the Starship Enterprise spacecraft in the Star Trek film and TV franchise.

Radar-evading stealth aircraft are a fixture of the world's air forces but until now underwater craft able to hide from sonar have proved elusive.

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University developed the new material and incorporated it into a three-foot high prototype.

Sonar works by firing soundwaves and listening for their 'echo', but the pyramid-shaped prototype was able to redirect approaching waves.

Rather than deflecting off the object, the waves skirted around it without scattering any energy, rendering sonar technology useless.

To create the device, scientists engineered a new type of metamaterial - materials engineered in a lab to produce extraordinary properties not found in nature.

To work, the unit cell - the smallest component of the metamaterial - must be smaller than the acoustic wavelength of the sonar wave.

Study coauthor Dr Amanda Hanford said: 'These materials sound like a totally abstract concept, but the math is showing us that these properties are possible.

Star Trek cloaking devices (pictured) are a step closer to reality after scientists developed a material that could make submarines invisible. Until now underwater craft able to hide from sonar have proved elusive.

HOW DID SCIENTISTS CREATE A MATERIAL THAT IS INVISIBLE TO SONAR?

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University designed and built a material that deflects the probing sound waves produced by sonar equipment.

Sonar works by firing sound waves and listening for their 'echo', but the pyramid-shaped prototype device was able to redirect approaching waves.

Rather than deflecting off the object, the waves skirted around it without scattering any energy, rendering sonar technology useless.

To create the device, scientists engineered a new type of metamaterial - materials engineered in a lab to produce extraordinary properties not found in nature.

To work, the unit cell - the smallest component of the metamaterial - must be smaller than the acoustic wavelength of the sonar wave.

'We are working to open the floodgates to see what we can create with these materials.'

Until now most acoustic metamaterials have been designed to deflect sound waves in air.

Acoustic cloaking underwater is more complicated because water is more dense and doesn't compress as well as air, limiting engineering options.

After multiple attempts, the team designed a three-foot-tall pyramid out of perforated steel plates.

They then placed the structure on the floor of a large underwater research tank. 

Inside the tank, they fired acoustic waves between 7,000 Hz and 12,000 Hz at the object and monitored the reflected waves.

They found the phase and amplitude of the waves reflected from the cloaking device matched those reflected by the tank's surface - rendering the object invisible. 

These results demonstrated this material could make an object appear invisible to underwater instruments like sonar, the researchers said. dailymail

NASA supersonic X-plane that could fly from London to New York in THREE HOURS without producing a loud sonic boom

Nasa is set to begin tests for its 1,100mph (1,770kph) 'Son of Concorde' commercial jet that can travel from London to New York in just three hours.

The plane, dubbed the Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) low-boom flight demonstrator (LBFD), aims to cut out the noise associated with supersonic travel.

Flights conducted by Nasa in November will study the US public's reactions to 'quiet' supersonic noises, a researcher has revealed.

'This project, QSF 18, is a test so we can test the methodology for future community response testing for projects like the LBFD,' said Larry Cliatt, principal investigator for Nasa.

LBFD aims to cut out the noisy sonic booms that echoed above cities in the era of Concorde, while travelling at speeds of 1,100mph (Mach 1.4 / 1,700 km/h).

The loud booms that rang out whenever a Concorde aircraft broke the sound barrier were often described as 'unsettling.'

LBFD, which Nasa is developing with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, will make its first flight in 2021 if production goes according to plan.

The team hopes to reduce the sound of the sonic boom to a quiet thud, similar to the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance or a neighbour closing their door. 

Before LBFD's first flight Nasa intends to simulate the sounds to gauge public responses to the aircraft's sonic booms.

Flights conducted by Nasa in November will study the US public's reactions to 'quiet' supersonic noises above their homes, a Nasa researcher has revealed. Pictured is an artist's impression of the Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) low-boom flight demonstrator (LBFD)

With low boom flights, Nasa said it 'intends to gather data on how effective quiet supersonic technology is in terms of public acceptance.'

Tests scheduled for November will see an F-18 fighter jet conduct a dive manoeuvre off the shores of Galveston, Texas - an island city near Houston.

The plane will dive 49,000 feet (15,000 metres), briefly going supersonic and firing off the sound likely to come from LBFD aircraft.

HOW WILL NASA REDUCE SONIC BOOMS?

In a conventional supersonic aircraft, shockwaves from the nose, cockpit, inlets, wings and other features come together as they move through the atmosphere into strong shocks emanating from the nose and tail.

These are known as bow and tail shocks, respectively.

As these shockwaves pass over the ground, air pressure rises sharply, declines, then rises rapidly again.

It's this that produces the classic 'double-bang' sonic boom.

In a conventional supersonic aircraft, shockwaves from the nose, cockpit, inlets, wings and other features come together as they move through the atmosphere into strong shocks emanating from the nose and tail

  

Reshaping the aircraft to produce a longer, more slender shape is the best way to generate shockwaves of lower, more equal strength that do not form into such strong bow and tail shocks.
Nasa and other organisations are working on creating shapes to reduce sonic booms.
Stretching the nose to break the bow shock into a series of weaker shockwaves is particularly effective.
This lowers and spreads that initial pressure peak and softens the first bang of the sonic boom.

'It's extremely exciting, and I expect the Galveston people will be excited, as well,' Mr Cliatt said. 

QueSST is the latest addition to the X-series of experimental aircraft and rockets, used to test and evaluate new technologies and aerodynamic concepts.

Their X designation indicates their research mission status within the US system of aircraft naming.

The team hopes to reduce the sound of the sonic boom to a quiet thud, similar to the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance or a neighbour closing their door. This graphic compares the F18 sonic boom to the sonic 'thump' that Nasa aims to achieve in the future

This all dates back to Chuck Yeager's sound-barrier-breaking craft, the X-1, a rocket engine–powered aircraft, designed and built in 1945, that achieved a speed of nearly 1,000 miles per hour (1,600 kmh) in 1948.

Nasa's vision for the LBFD was approved In the latest proposed US budget released by the Office Of Management And Budget In Washington, DC, in February.

The space agency was awarded $19.9 billion (£14.3bn) for the next year, $500 million (£360m) more than the previous year.

WHAT WAS CONCORDE?

Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger jet that was operated until 2003. 

It had a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04 (1,354mph or 2,180k per hour at cruise altitude) and could seat 92 to 128 passengers.

It was first flown in 1969, but needed further tests to establish it as viable as a commercial aircraft.

Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger jet that was operated until 2003. It had a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04 and could seat 92 to 128 passengers 

Concorde entered service in 1976 and continued flying for the next 27 years.

It is one of only two supersonic transports to have been operated commercially. 

The other is the Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-144, which ran for a much shorter period of time before it was grounded and retired due to safety and budget issues.

Concorde was jointly developed and manufactured by Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) under an Anglo-French treaty. Concorde's name, meaning harmony or union, reflects the cooperation on the project between the United Kingdom and France. 

In the UK, any or all of the type are known simply as 'Concorde', without an article. 

Twenty aircraft were built including six prototypes and development aircraft.

Air France (AF) and British Airways (BA) each received seven aircraft. The research and development failed to make a profit and the two airlines bought the aircraft at a huge discount.

Concorde was retired in 2003 due to a general downturn in the commercial aviation industry after the type's only crash in 2000, the September 11 attacks in 2001, and a decision by Airbus, the successor to Aérospatiale and BAC, to discontinue maintenance support.

It is not known what proportion of this will be spent on the supersonic aircraft project.

QueSST will be used as a test bed for technologies that could make their way into commercial planes.

Writing in the latest budget, its authors said: 'The Budget fully funds the Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator, an experimental supersonic airplane that would make its first flight in 2021. 

'This 'X-plane' would open a new market for US companies to build faster commercial airliners, creating jobs and cutting cross-country flight times in half. ' 

The space agency is hoping to achieve a sonic boom 60 dBA lower than other supersonic aircraft, such as the Concorde, a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger jet that was operated until 2003.

LBFD aims to cut out the noisy sonic booms that echoed above cities in the era of Concorde, while travelling at speeds of 1,100mph (Mach 1.4 / 1,700 km/h). Pictured is an concept design of the Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) low-boom flight demonstrator (LBFD)

The QueSST low-boom flight demonstrator (LBFD), or X-plane, aims to produce a much lower 'boom' than other supersonic aircraft at speeds beyond Mach 1.

It is designed to fly at Mach 1.4 (1,100mph / 1,700 kph), 55,000 feet (10 miles) above the ground.

The aircraft is shaped to separate the shocks and expansions associated with supersonic flight to reduce the volume of the shaped signature, and was developed by Lockheed's Skunk Works over 20 years.

Recent research has shown it is possible for a supersonic airplane to be shaped in such a way that the shock waves it forms when flying faster than the speed of sound can generate a sound at ground level so quiet it will hardly will be noticed by the public, if at all.

The space agency is hoping to achieve a sonic boom 60 dBA lower than other supersonic aircraft, such as the Anglo-French Concorde. 

In a written statement, a Nasa spokesman previously said the aim was to create a boom 'so quiet it hardly will be noticed by the public, if at all... like distant thunder [or] the sound of your neighbor forcefully shutting his car door outside while you are inside.' 

It's been decades since Nasa has worked on a manned supersonic X-plane, and after the contract is awarded, the winning team will undergo critical design review in 2019 to bring the plan closer to life.

Nasa is hoping to see the first flight tests take place in the first quarter of 2021.

Flying-wing bomber unveiling forecast by aviation experts

A new-generation long-range bomber is likely soon unveil, aviation industry observers said amid disclosure of the plane’s appearance by its developer on Tuesday.

Aviation Industry Corp of China, the nation’s leading aircraft maker, displayed a front view of what appears to be a flying-wing aircraft concept at the end of a promotional video. The video was published on its WeChat account to mark the 60th birthday of Xi’an Aircraft Industry, an AVIC subsidiary in Shaanxi province that is China’s major builder of bomber aircraft.

The video shows an artistic rendering of a triangle-shaped plane under two English words and ellipses, “The Next……”. The scene closely resembles a moment in a 2015 promotional video from United States aerospace and defense technology company Northrop Grumman that depicted what is now known as the B-21 Raider, the US’s next long-range, stealth strategic bomber.
AVIC did not explain the six-second episode, placed at the end of the video in an unmistakable attempt to highlight the plane’s significance and mystery.

Despite its brevity, the video seems to have ended debate among Chinese military fans and aviation industry observers on whether the country’s new bomber will adopt a conventional aerodynamic configuration or a flying-wing design previously used only by the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.

China is likely to soon unveil one of its most anticipated weapons — a new-generation long-range #bomber, aviation industry observers said amid disclosure of the plane’s appearance by its developer on Tuesday.

—  (@ChinaDailyUSA) May 8, 2018

Shi Jian, senior editor at Aviation World Monthly magazine, said the latest AVIC move indicates that the State-owned defense giant believes the new bomber’s design and technologies have advanced enough that the company wants to let people know of the program’s progress.
He said the flying-wing design should not have been difficult for Chinese engineers when they designed the bomber, explaining the real challenges lie in the plane’s flight-control system and engines.

Fu Qianshao, an aircraft expert said it will probably have an operational range of at least 12,000 kilometers and a maximum payload of 20 metric tons of bombs and missiles.



This concept plane:

• Length: 34.5m
• Wing Span: 32.9m
• Height: 4.9m
• Empty weight: 56,000 kg
• Take-off weight: 126,000 kg
• Max take-off weight: 132,000 kg
• Thrust: 4 x 150 kN
• Internal fuel: 60,000 kg
• Max speed: Mach 2.0
• Cruise speed: Mach 0.9
• Range: 12,500 km
• Combat radius: 6000 km
• Service ceiling: 18,000 m
• Thrust to weight: 0.48
• Max internal payload: 20,000 kg

New Antman and the Wasp movie trailer

Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and The Wasp is In theaters July 6.

There is a new trailer.