Posts Tagged: industry
Scientists make ibuprofen and other common painkillers from paper industry waste
It's probably fair to say that when most people conjure images of the pharmaceutical industry, it's not often there's an association between the production of life-saving drugs and environmental decline. But according to one 2019 study by The Conversation, drug companies produce more tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per million dollars than the automotive industry. "By our calculations, the pharma market is 28 percent smaller yet 13 percent more polluting than the automotive sector," the outlet said of the state of the pharmaceutical industry in 2015. Put another way: drug companies need to reduce their carbon emissions for the health of the planet and everyone living on it.
Thankfully, a group of scientists from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom may have found a way for the industry to do exactly that. In a study published in the journal ChemSusChem, the team describes a process they created for converting β-pinene, a component found in turpentine, into pharmaceutical precursors that they then used to synthesize paracetamol and ibuprofen. Right now, most companies producing those painkillers use chemical precursors derived from crude oil. Turpentine, meanwhile, is a waste by-product the paper industry makes at a scale of more than 350,000 metric tonnes per year. The researchers say they also successfully used turpentine to synthesize 4-HAP, a precursor for beta-blockers, the asthma inhaler drug salbutamol and a range of household cleaners.
In addition to being more sustainable, the team's "bio-refinery" process could lead to more consistent drug costs for consumers since turpentine isn't subject to the same geopolitical pressures that can send energy and oil prices skyrocketing. However, a significant pitfall of the process in its current form is that it costs more to produce drugs with turpentine than crude oil. The team suggests consumers may be willing to pay slightly higher prices for more sustainable drugs, but let's be honest, when someone is sick or in pain, paying more for relief is the last thing most people want to do.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/scientists-make-ibuprofen-and-other-common-painkillers-from-paper-industry-waste-182758699.html?src=rss
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Boston Dynamics and other industry heavyweights pledge not to build war robots
The days of Spot being leveraged as a weapons platform and training alongside special forces operators are already coming to an end; Atlas as a back-flipping soldier of fortune will never come to pass. Their maker, Boston Dynamics, along with five other industry leaders announced on Thursday that they will not pursue, or allow, the weaponization of their robots, according to a non-binding, open letter they all signed.
Agility Robotics, ANYbotics, Clearpath Robotics, Open Robotics and Unitree Robotics all joined Boston Dynamics in the agreement. "We believe that adding weapons to robots that are remotely or autonomously operated, widely available to the public, and capable of navigating to previously inaccessible locations where people live and work, raises new risks of harm and serious ethical issues," the group wrote. "Weaponized applications of these newly-capable robots will also harm public trust in the technology in ways that damage the tremendous benefits they will bring to society."
The group cites "the increasing public concern in recent months caused by a small number of people who have visibly publicized their makeshift efforts to weaponize commercially available robots," such as the armed Spot from Ghost Robotics, or the Dallas PD's use of an EOD bomb disposal robot as an IED as to why they felt the need to take this stand.
To that end, the industry group pledges to "not weaponize our advanced-mobility general-purpose robots or the software we develop that enables advanced robotics and we will not support others to do so." Nor will they allow their customers to subsequently weaponize any platforms they were sold, when possible. That's a big caveat given the long and storied history of such weapons as the Toyota Technical, former Hilux pickups converted into DIY war machines that have been a mainstay in asymmetric conflicts since the '80s.
"We also pledge to explore the development of technological features that could mitigate or reduce these risks," the group continued, but "to be clear, we are not taking issue with existing technologies that nations and their government agencies use to defend themselves and uphold their laws." They also call on policymakers as well as the rest of the robotics development community to take up similar pledges.
Tesla nearly doubled its revenue in Q1 despite industry wide supply chain woes
Tesla built 305,000 vehicles in the first "exceptionally difficult" quarter of this year, delivered 310,000 of them, and opened new factories in Berlin and Austin — all while CEO Elon Musk sought a highly publicized hostile takeover of Twitter.
Tesla's recent factory investments, as well as efforts to shore up its battery component supply chain, are part of the company's localization strategy, which seeks to lower production costs by building vehicles closer to the markets they'll eventually be sold in. But like the rest of the automotive industry, Tesla faces an increasingly tight supply of critical semiconductors and rising prices spurred by inflation itself brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It also is currently navigating the shuttering of its Gigafactory in Shanghai, which closed due to COVID outbreaks in the region. Work at the factory has only partially resumed in recent days.
At the opening of the Austin Gigafactory earlier this month, Musk confirmed that the long-awaited Cybertruck would finally be going on sale in 2023 and that a wide beta of its Full Self-Driving technology would be rolling out throughout North America this year. However, both the Cybertruck and the upcoming Roadster (as well as "Future Products") are still listed as "in development," as opposed to "in production" as the X/S and 3/Y are in this latest investors deck. Q1 2022 also saw price increases across Tesla's model lineup and the elimination of gratis mobile charging equipment. Overall, the company posted $ 3.3 billion in net income up from $ 438 million last year.
Tesla will hold its quarterly investor teleconference at 5:30pm ET today, stay tuned for updates from that call along with whatever fun tidbits come out of Elon's mouth during it.
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Smartphones will be just one industry impacted by Coronavirus
As you might expect, smartphone sales are going to slump during the global Coronavirus pandemic. Research firm Strategy Analytics says that shipments in February fell by 38% year-on-year. March numbers could be worse. Industries worldwide are feeling the pain of Coronavirus. In China specifically, “Some Asian factories were unable to manufacture smartphones, while many consumers […]
Come comment on this article: Smartphones will be just one industry impacted by Coronavirus
Waymo’s first outside investment round includes car industry heavyweights
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Samsung tops Android industry profits but is dwarfed by Apple’s overall
New data shows Samsung continues to lead the Android profitshare as well as the Android marketshare, with many distant contenders, but Apple continues to dominate the overall mobile profitshare. Counterpoint Research have released their latest quarterly data on the smartphone industry and they reveal that in the face of an overall downtrend in mobile profits […]
Come comment on this article: Samsung tops Android industry profits but is dwarfed by Apple’s overall
Howard University and Amazon want to diversify the entertainment industry
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Fiat Chrysler may strike Renault deal to survive changing car industry
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FTC task force will investigate tech industry competition
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Shutdown means government won’t engage with the tech industry at CES
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Spotify event series offers aspiring artists music industry tips
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Trump will meet with video game industry leaders on March 8th
After a little bit of back and forth, it appears that the White House's meeting with the video game industry is on. At today's press briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed that a meeting will take place this Thursday,…
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England isn’t windy enough for new turbines, claims industry boss
Every country has its stereotypes, but England will always be famous for its terrible weather. You'd think a land labeled for its cold, wet and windy conditions would be ideal for generating energy, but it turns out that isn't the case. The head of t…
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To save Earth, Jeff Bezos wants to move heavy industry to outer space
To help preserve Earth, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos believes all heavy industry should be moved to space while the globe should be zoned strictly for residential and light industrial uses.
The post To save Earth, Jeff Bezos wants to move heavy industry to outer space appeared first on Digital Trends.
Wearables are already impacting the healthcare industry, and here’s how
With the ubiquity of fitness trackers that promise to keep tabs on your heart rate, your sleeping cycles, and your well-being, it’s no surprise that the healthcare industry has been one of the most heavily impacted by the wearable boom.
The post Wearables are already impacting the healthcare industry, and here’s how appeared first on Digital Trends.
Tim Cook expects ‘massive change’ in the auto industry
In an interview yesterday evening at the WSJD Live event in Laguna Beach, California, Tim Cook didn't spend too much time talking about phones and computers. Rather, he chatted about the company's newest and more forward-thinking endeavors like the…
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