The right end point for plastic is fire. Very useful materials, we should use them where they're useful, but burn them after.
For the love of god don't grind them up to 'reuse' them.
Dec 21, 2024 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
OK my $1000 bounty on this is starting to pay off. @icanc4 has been working it at Waterloo and connected w a Russian hacker who has tons of not-published-in-English info.
There's a kill-switch in FaceID modules which we thought was antitampering, but it's actually laser safety!
The unique part of faceID is the crazy optical module below which shines two invisible near-infrared lights in your face: a simple spotlight, and an array of 40,000 tiny laser dots (second pic).
Vincent found repair docs explaining that any tampering with the module kills both.
Oct 6, 2024 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
Lincoln Lab researchers appear to have invented a viable new class of motor in 2021???
They use electrowetting of tiny water drops which sounds like high voltage low force bullshit, but no!
Competitive power and torque densities to conventional motors! WTF??
I mean this paper is just a candy shop!
- Natively nanopositioning capable
- Native support for gear ratios without efficiency loss??
- Trivial, ultradense packaging of multi-stage actuators?
- Self alignment during assembly??
- Layer to layer interconnect with the same tricks??
Jul 16, 2020 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
Did you know Disney has a research division?
They do super cool stuff, all in the pursuit of better animation, theme park animatronics, and toys.
Here's a thread of some favorites with possible applications!
Quasi-static cavity resonance for wireless power
If you build a donut shaped metal room you can do efficient, modestly powerful wireless power transfer throughout the room!
Imagine theme park rides full of tiny drones that *never have to land*
