Global Biofuels Market: Opportunities, Emerging Technologies And Production-Aarkstore Enterprise
This report is the most comprehensive treatment of the biofuels market available. Worldwide data is provided on biorefineries, conversion and separation technologies, manufacturing, research and development, organic biofuels, consumption, capacity, components and competition.
This report delves into the global efforts to develop technologies that improve the refining processes associated with many different types of biofuels and its growing consumption among nations throughout the next few decades.
Biofuel is expected to become a major renewable resource to produce fuel, electricity, heat, and other sources of power. To compete with other energy types will require development and implementation of an enhanced biorefinery process that minimizes its impact on local environments. Developing sustainable fractionation and separation technologies will be a key factor for the success of refining biomasses into renewable energy.
Biorefinery technology differs from traditional oil based refinery technology because it will be mainly water-based. Today’s biofuels involve either ethanol or diesel, with the former accounting for roughly 90 percent of the market. Brazil, the United States, and China are the greatest producers. More than half of the world’s bioethanol is generated from sugar cane; the rest comes mainly from corn. Biodiesel is mostly derived from rapeseed and sunflower.
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Table of Contents :
Chapter 1: Executive Summary Outlook for Biofuel Consumption Figure 1-1: Global Share of Energy Consumption by Source, 2009 vs. 2014 Table 1-1: Bioenergy Supply, by Region, 2006, 2009 and 2014 (GwH) External Factors Affect Growth of Biofuels Food Prices Fuel Biomass Debate United States Remains Hotbed of Biomass Activity Biofuel Technology Research Global Market Values Table 1-2: Global Market Values of Biofuel and Bioenergy (Organic and Technology) Manufacturing, by Country, 2009 and 2014 (in $ millions) Table 1-3: U.S. Market Value of Biomass Manufacturing, Organic and Technology, 2006 to 2009 Shipments of Organic Biomass Feedstocks Table 1-4: U.S. Export Value of Wheat, by Country, 2004 and 2009 (in $ thousands) Imports of Organic Biomass U.S. Shipments of Biomass Conversion Technology Components Table 1-5: U.S. Shipment Value of Biomass Conversion Technology Components, 2004 to 2009 (in $ millions) Table 1-6: U.S. Market Value of Biomass Conversion Technology Components, 2004 to 2009 (in $ millions) U.S. Backs Biofuel Innovations Federal Funding Fuels Innovation Innovations in Biorefineries Innovations in Biofuel Processing Biofuel Energy Policy Fuels Debate Biofuel’s Effect on Food Prices Biofuels Lobbying Efforts Global Policies toward Biofuels Market Value Forecast Through 2014 Figure 1-2: Share of Global Market Value for Biofuel and Bioenergy Manufacturing by Country, 2009 and 2014
Chapter 2: Introduction and Overview Report Scope Methodology Terminology Table 2-1: Biomass Power Technologies Future Biomass Conversion Technologies Table 2-2: Future U.S. Biomass Conversion Technology Research Projects First- and Second-Generation Liquid Biofuels Ethanol Production Processes Table 2-3: Energy use and Net Energy Value per Gallon Dry vs. Wet Milling Processes (BTUs per gallon) Biomass Feedstocks
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Preclinical Development Of Monoclonal Antibodies And Related Biologicals: Emerging Technologies And New Therapeutic Candidates
Monoclonal antibodies form the fastest growing segment of the pharmaceutical industry, with total annual sales expected to top $50 billion in the next four years. 23 full-size monoclonal antibodies and three monoclonal antibody fragments have been launched so far, several having quickly reached ‘blockbuster status’ (annual sales of over $1 billion). Between 1995 and 2007, the number of monoclonal antibody-based drug candidates entering clinical trials more than tripled, and this expansion is continuing.
This report explains what monoclonal antibodies are, and why large pharmaceutical companies are investing so heavily both in developing such drugs internally and acquiring monoclonal antibody candidates from others. More than 80 popular and emerging technologies are named, explained and illustrated with original full-color diagrams.
The newest wave of drug candidates based on these technologies can be seen in more than 200 case studies, which identify every commercial company known to have carried out preclinical studies of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies in the last year. Finally, prospects and challenges for the future of this field are discussed, with opinions from scientific pioneers and industry leaders.
Key features of this report
• Illustrated ‘beginners guide’ to monoclonal antibodies: What they are, how they are made and why they hold such great promise for the treatment of disease.
• More than 80 descriptions of proprietary technologies currently in use around the world to select produce and re-engineer monoclonal antibodies.
• More than 30 original, full-color diagrams illustrating the science and technology of monoclonal antibodies, both as they appear in nature and in the myriad new forms now being assessed in preclinical trials.
Scope of this report
• Understand the basic qualities of monoclonal antibodies and how these qualities translate into unique medical and commercial features for drug candidates.
• Appreciate the challenges and risks of monoclonal antibodies, as well as their promise.
• Assess promising new technologies for investment or in-licensing.
• Identify which companies are involved in this field, and what they are doing.
• Predict the kinds of drug that will enter clinical trials in the next 1-4 years and may reach the market in the next 5-10 years.
Key Market Issues
• New monoclonal antibodies can be used to target new disease processes that are not currently addressed by any other therapies, thereby accessing market areas with high unmet demand.
• The inherent specificity and predictability of monoclonal antibodies have been shown to shorten drug development times and increase rates of success in preclinical and clinical trials, relative to non-biological ‘small molecule’ drugs.
• High barriers to entry currently prevent many new companies from entering this field. The techniques now used to create, select and modify monoclonal antibodies for human therapeutic use are protected by intellectual property, which the originators defend vigorously. However, several early patents on fundamental techniques will expire very soon.
Key findings from this report
• Early challenges relating to immunogenicity, tissue penetration, administration and production of monoclonal antibodies are being addressed by myriad new technologies.
• The competitive benefits of identifying and addressing new therapeutic targets continue to provide incentives for new target selection and monoclonal antibody identification programs.
• Established techniques for ‘humanization’ of non-human monoclonal antibodies remain popular, despite the rise of newer ‘fully human’ monoclonal antibody technologies. This may be due to the robust nature of the earlier technologies and/or the imminent expiries of key patents.
• Genetic engineering methods and novel ‘host cell’ production systems are being used to optimize and modify functions of monoclonal antibodies. Proprietary platforms using these methods have been widely licensed to many of the major players in the biopharmaceutical industry.
Key questions answered
• What are monoclonal antibodies, and what can they do?
• Why are so many companies developing them as therapeutic agents?
• Which companies are currently working to validate and develop the latest generation of drug candidates based on monoclonal antibodies?
• What technological and regulatory challenges face these companies in developing such candidates and bringing drugs to market?
Table of Content:
Executive summary 16
An introduction to monoclonal antibodies 16
Identifying non-human monoclonal antibodies 17
Optimizing full-length antibodies 17
Fully human monoclonal antibodies 18
Antibody conjugates 19
Novel binding molecules derived from antibodies 20
Chapter 1 An introduction to monoclonal antibodies 22
Summary 22
Introduction 23
Antibodies in nature 23
Advantages of monoclonal antibodies as drugs 29
Target range 29
Predictability 30
Pharmacokinetics 30
Technology protection 30
Challenges and opportunities for the next generation of monoclonal antibodies 31
Target selection 31
Species specificity 33
Pharmacokinetics 34
Manufacture 34
Monoclonal antibody drugs already at market 35
Orthoclone OKT3 35
Remicade 36
Rituxan 36
Zenapax 37
Synagis 37
Humira 37
Vectibix 38
Simponi 38
Lucentis 38
Cimzia 39
Tysabri 39
Preclinical development of therapeutic drugs 40
Proof of concept 40
Safety profile 40
Conclusions 42
Chapter 2 Identifying non-human monoclonal antibodies 46
Summary 46
Introduction 47
Technology platforms 47
Hybridoma technology 48
RabMAbs 48
SLAM 48
Human Response Platform 49
DIAAD 49
ImmuneY2 50
iMAB 50
Fusion Expression Technology 51
ProMIS 51
AbScreen 51
AbProt 52
BioArctic platform 52
FunctionFIRST 52
Case studies 52
Abbott Labs 53
AbGenomics 53
Alethia 53
Amorfix 53
Arrowsmith Technologies 54
AVEO 55
BioSceptre 55
Canadian Bio Med Systems 55
Cangene 56
CellAct 56
CoGenesys 57
Crucell 57
CSL 58
Daewoong 58
DKFZ 58
Epitomics 59
Fusion Antibodies 59
Ganymed Pharmaceuticals 60
GeNeuro 60
Genitope 60
GSK 61
Heat Biologics 61
Immuno-Biological Labs 61
ImmunoGen 62
Immutep 62
InflaRx 63
Innate Pharma 63
Inotek 63
Intercell 64
LigoCyte 64
MedImmune 64
Morphotek 65
NeoGenix 65
Northwest Biotherapeutics 66
Novartis 66
Novo Nordisk 67
OncoMed 67
Perseis Therapeutics 67
Pfizer 68
Pharma Research Toronto 69
Prana Biotech 69
Quest PharmaTech 69
Recepta Biopharma 69
Receptor-Logic 70
Roche 70
Shanghai CP Guojian 71
Suzhou Stainwei Biotech 71
Therapure 71
ThromboGenics 71
Thrombotargets 72
Tolerx 72
Trillium 73
Vaccinex 73
Wilex 73
ZymoGenetics 74
Conclusions 81
Chapter 3 Optimizing full-length antibodies 84
Summary 84
Introduction 85
Technology platforms 86
Chimeric antibodies 86
CDR grafting 88
SMART 90
Superhumanisation 90
Framework Patching 91
Composite Human Antibody 91
ATLAb 92
Humaneering 92
MLG 93
DeImmunisation 93
Humanation 93
Human Engineering 94
FcX 94
The LEX System 94
Potelligent 94
Complegent 95
BestMAb 97
ImmunoBody 97
EB66 97
Synageva Expression Platform 98
XmAb 98
Sugar Engineered Antibodies 99
Wox 99
Case studies 101
Abbott Labs 101
Advanced Immune Therapeutics 102
Alder Biopharm 102
Alethia 103
Alexion 103
Antisoma 103
Arana 104
Attenuon 105
AVEO 106
BioArctic Neuroscience 106
Biogen Idec 106
Biolex 107
BioXell 108
China Synthetic Rubber Corp 108
CSL 108
CureTech 109
Direvo 109
DSX 109
Eli Lilly 110
Epitomics 110
Faron Pharm 110
Femta Pharm 110
Forerunner Pharma Research 111
Fusion Antibodies 111
Galaxy Biotech 112
Galileo Oncologics 112
Genentech 113
Glenmark 113
GlycoForm 114
Glycotope 114
ImmunoCellular Therapeutics 114
Immunomedics 115
Innate Pharma 115
InNexus Biotech 115
Intellect Neurosciences 116
Isu Abxis 116
Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy 116
KaloBios 117
Keel Pharm 117
LigoCyte 117
Lpath 117
Mabion 118
MacroGenics 118
MaimoniDex 119
MAT Biopharma 119
MedImmune 119
Medtronic 120
Micromet 120
NKT Therapeutics 120
Opsona 121
Percipio 121
Pharma Research Toronto 122
ProtAb 122
Scancell 123
Selexys 123
SinoMab Bioscience 124
Synageva 124
TaiMed 124
Trillium 125
United Biomedical 125
Vascular Pharm 125
VasGene 126
Vegenics 126
Vybion 126
Xencor 127
Conclusions 134
Chapter 4 Fully human monoclonal antibodies 138
Summary 138
Introduction 139
Technology platforms 139
Phage display 139
MBAS 141
CBAS 142
HuCAL 142
MAbstract 142
ActivMAb 143
Adimab platform 143
XenoMouse 143
UltiMAb 145
VelocImmune 145
Open Monoclonal Technology 146
Xenerex 146
SEBVI 147
Cloning the Human Response 147
Viventia platforms 147
Natural Human Antibodies 148
MabIgX 148
Reverse Translational Medicine 148
I-STAR 149
CellSpot 149
iBioLaunch 149
Case studies 150
Adimab 150
Acorda Therapeutics 150
Affitech 151
Agensys 153
Alopexx 153
AstraZeneca 154
BioFactura 155
Biotherapix 156
CellAct 156
Celldex 156
Centocor 157
Crucell 158
CSL 158
Dyax 158
Emergent BioSolutions 158
Functional Genetics 159
GenMab 159
Crucell 160
GSK 160
Humabs 160
Human Antibodomics 161
Humanyx 161
iBio 162
ImClone 162
IMED 163
Immune System Therapeutics 163
IQ Therapeutics 164
Kenta Biotech 164
Kyowa Hakko Kirin 165
MabVax 165
Mapp Biopharmaceutical 166
Medarex 166
MedImmune 167
Merck & Co 168
Micromet 169
MorphoSys 169
NatImmune 170
Neurimmune 170
NovImmune 170
Novo Nordisk 171
Omeros Corp 172
Oncaidia 172
OncoMed 172
Oxford BioTherapeutics 173
Panacea 173
Patrys 174
Peregrine 175
PharmAbcine 176
sanofi-aventis 176
Theraclone 177
Trellis Bioscience 178
U3 Pharma 178
Vaccinex 179
Vegenics 179
Xoma 180
Conclusions 189
Chapter 5 Antibody conjugates 192
Summary 192
Introduction 193
Technology platforms 193
Antibody Drug Conjugate 193
Targeted Antibody Payload 195
Probodies 195
Antibody cloaking 197
Targeted Photodynamic Therapy 197
AlbudAb 198
hyFc 198
Ligand traps 198
CovX-Body 200
Dynamic Cross-Linking 200
LEC technology 200
Case studies 201
Algeta 201
Aphios 201
ArmaGen Technologies 201
Asan Medical Center 202
Bayer Schering 202
Beijing ABT 203
Biogen Idec 203
BioTransformations 203
Boehringer Ingelheim 204
Celldex 204
Cytoguide 205
CytomX 205
Dompe 206
EnGeneIC 206
FDA 206
Forerunner Pharma Research 207
Galileo Oncologics 207
Genentech 207
Genexine 208
ImmunoGen 208
Immunomedics 209
InNexus Biotech 210
Medarex 210
MedImmune 211
Merrimack 211
Morphotek 212
Mycenax 212
NCI 212
Oncaidia 213
OncoTherapy Science 213
Panacea 214
Peregrine 214
Pfizer 214
Pivotal BioSciences 215
Seattle Genetics 215
Symphogen 215
Transgene Biotek 216
Viventia 216
Conclusions 222
Chapter 6 Novel binding molecules derived from antibodies 224
Summary 224
Introduction 225
Technology platforms 226
Fab 226
TetraMABs 227
scFv 227
Immuna 228
[scFv]2 228
BiTE 229
Avibodies 230
TandAb 233
Flexibody 234
V-NAR 234
Nanobody 236
Domain Antibodies 238
Heteropolymer 242
UniBody 243
Domain Exchanged Antibodies 244
SMIP 246
SCORPION 247
DVD-Ig 248
Case studies 249
Abbott Labs 249
Ablynx 249
AdAlta 250
Affimed 250
Avipep 251
Beijing ABT 251
Biogen Idec 252
Calmune 252
Elusys 253
ESBATech 253
Galileo Oncologics 253
Glycotope 254
GSK 254
Inmunova 255
MAT Biopharma 256
Micromet 256
Novartis 257
PharmAbcine 257
Trubion 257
Suzhou Stainwei Biotech 258
Taligen 259
Vegenics 259
Conclusions 264
Appendix 266
Primary research methodology 266
Glossary 267
Index 278
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Innovation in Food and Drinks Packaging: Opportunities in added value and emerging technologies–Aarkstore Enterprise
Aarkstore announce a new report “Innovation in Food and Drinks Packaging: Opportunities in added value and emerging technologies” through its vast collection of market research report.
Report Overview…
Food and drinks packaging is in a period of rapid change. Growth in the food and drinks packaging markets of developing economies is expected to increase in conjunction with their rising GDP’s, the changing nature of consumer lifestyles and the increased amount of packaged food and drink. Emerging issues such as sustainability and recent increases in raw material prices are also having a significant impact. Understanding trends and issues within the food and drinks packaging market is important due to their significant effect up on manufacturers, retailers, and distributor costs and logistics.
‘Innovation in Food and Drinks Packaging: Opportunities in added value and emerging technologies’ is a report published by Business Insights that provides added value by exploring innovations in food and drinks packaging from both packaging and food and drinks manufacturer perspectives. This report also delivers an overview of competitor activity and an assessment of the strength of trends and market forces moving forward.
Key Findings…
Glass is the most common material used for new products launched with food safety packaging and this has been relatively stable over the period 2005 to 2008. The next most common material in this category is plastic.
Soft drinks (23.5%), took the highest share of food and drinks launched in innovative packaging between 2005 and 2008, closely followed by alcoholic drinks (23.0%).
Nanotechnology, interactive packaging, intelligent and active packaging, multi-sensory packaging, and edible packaging are developing innovations that are likely to have an impact on the future of food and drinks packaging.
The most commonly used packaging materials in new food and drinks product launches in 2008 in were Plastic (33.2%), glass (11.7%) and cardboard (11.5%).
Use this report to…
• Understand how regulations are influencing NPD in food and drinks packaging and discover how competitors are responding to new challenges set by these regulations with this new report.
• Gain insight into the most up to date packaging technologies including nanotechnology, natural polymers and edible coatings, and evaluate the pros and cons of these new packaging technologies to decide whether these may be appropriate for your organization.
• Identify the key trends in food and drinks packaging and the impact that they are expected to have on the food and drinks market in the future.
• Enhance your product development strategies with this report’s analysis of green, convenient and supply chain efficient packaged food and drinks product launches by region, category and material.
Key issues…
Changes to labelling regulations. Recent debate and regulation on food and drinks labeling means detailed information is becoming a requirement in some regions. This is having an impact on the size and design of food and drinks labels and packs in general.
The Economic climate. More difficult economic times are one of the factors encouraging consumers to shop in discounters and/or switch from branded items to private labels. In a related effect, the downturn is promoting changes in format and size of packs.
The effect of rising prices. The increase in raw material prices has led to some packaging manufacturers passing on price increases to their customers, making cuts within their operating expenses, and in some cases changing the design/format of the packaging material or package itself.
Your questions answered…
• What major trends are impacting food and drinks packaging development?
• How are companies using green packaging materials to lend credibility to their ethical policies?
• Who are the top food and drinks packaging manufacturers?
• What innovative materials are being used within food and drinks packaging?
• Which new technologies, materials and design principles are driving innovation within food and drinks packaging?
• What are the key opportunities and challenges within food and drinks packaging?
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Holograms – The New Frontier For Identity Theft?
Election night 2008 was an historic night. Barrack Obama became the first ever African American President-Elect of the United States. Crowds in America and around the world watched his groundbreaking election as this 44th President of the United States. On this same night, groundbreaking technology was used to report election night coverage as well.
As this major first in American history took placed, a first in American news technology took place as well. CNN reporter Jessica Yelin became the first television anchor to appear in studio, not in person, but as a hologram. During CNN’s election night reporting a holographic 3D, 360 degree image of Yelin in Chicago was “transmitted” to CNN’s election center in New York. During election night coverage, it appeared as if she was a “real” part of the news coverage from the New York studio.
Technology has been commonly used on the road to the White House. For years political parties and lobbyist have been able to use e-mail to reach large audiences. This year we saw technology used in new ways during the election beginning with “text messages” from President -Elect Barak Obama announcing his Vice Presidential candidacy. Entire cable channels were purchased to broadcast a candidate’s platform and finally on election night we witnessed the introduction of a holographic news anchor to walk the United States through the election night process.
How did CNN create the hologram?
CNN used 35 HD cameras shooting different shots at different angles. The shots were synchronized with the cameras in New York. Twenty computers were used to process to process the data. Many people’s first reaction was that this hologram reporter was something straight out of Star Trek. That’s exactly what John Chambers was shooting for. John Chambers, of Cisco Systems and Martin De Beer of Emerging Technology made this Star Trek like hologram a television reality.
Holographic news anchors have not yet become commonplace but already there is much excitement and speculation about the possible uses of holographic imagery for virtual presentations in the future.
Where will we see holographic imagery and virtual presentations next?
- Business Travel: Could holograms be the next alternative to business travel, meetings, presentations and conferences? We already have web conferencing tools available, just think how much more effective it could be with face to virtual face contact – and how much more efficient.
- Education: Could professors perform lectures from the comfort of their offices? Or possibly students attend classes from the comfort of their homes?
- Counseling or Medical Services: Instead of calling your therapist, counselor or other medical professional could you have a virtual consultation? What happens to the office visit co-pay then?
- Recreation: Is this the next step in recreation? Could people actually use this for recreational travel? Or could it be the next new technology for video games, taking the “Wii” system several steps into the future?
- Virtual Banking: Can I save myself a trip to the bank and complete basic services as well as loan and credit applications as a hologram?
- Virtual Shopping: Can holographic imagery give virtual shopping a whole new meaning? Would we move beyond the express lane and self service lanes, to virtual checkouts?
With any new technology there are also new issues and questions that arise. CNN’s holographic news anchor has already stirred a pot of unanswered questions.
-Who owns the image or hologram?
-What happens when enterprising individuals learn less expensive and complicated ways of created a holographic image?
-Could it be possible to capture my image and use it for identification, shopping or even medical services just to name a few?
-Could holographic images be the next new technology in identity theft, fraud or other financial crimes?
Of course new technologies that offer convenience invariably also come with the potential for abuse. E-mail brought many amazing luxuries but also raised the risk of identity theft through spam and phishing. The laws governing technology are always waves behind the new technologies as they come ashore. With every more useful emerging technology such as a holographic image there is a need to not only look to the future uses, but the future threats to our safety and identity that these types of new technology bring. If individuals begin to use holographic imagery for personal purposes, will holographic identity theft be the next logical step?
Emerging Tech News
Three Emerging Technologies that Will Change the World
I was speaking with a friend the other night about his great grandfather. His great grandfather was born in 1875. He lived until 1965. Can you imagine the technology that this man saw come online? Let me name a few: the typewriter, the electric dental drill, the telephone, the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb, the hearing aid, the electric fan, the dishwasher, the escalator, the airplane, the Model T automobile, the air conditioner, the defibrillator, the atomic bomb, the electric guitar, the nuclear submarine, nylon, the polio vaccine, and the laser. He died right when the first minicomputer was coming to fruition. All of that in the span of his lifetime. Which leads me to the topic of this article. Technology has completely changed the way we live. And technological advances have accelerated at unbelievable speeds. Technology is converging in ways no one could have foreseen. I want to highlight some of the most interesting technologies out there. These are technologies that will change the world, for good and bad.
Nano Technology
Probably the most interesting and frightening of the emerging technologies is nano technology. Nano technology is a cross disciplinary field that deals with building and synthesizing materials at scales of 100nm or less. Nano technology usually works in one of two ways. It either pulls smaller parts together to build or it breaks bigger parts down. The parts are then used to form smaller, new materials. But why is nano technology so important?
Nano technology is important because it will have massive effects across every area of life. As I write this, researchers are working on a nano particle to target cancer cells in lungs. In 2004, Rice University tested gold nano particle cancer treatment. In this treatment, these 150 nanometer gold particles were injected into the blood stream of cancerous mice. Gold particles at this size pass into tumors, but not healthy tissue. The researchers then passed infrared through the mice. The tumorous cells absorbed the infrared, heated up, and were destroyed. They are also working on quantum dots that allow doctors to easily identify multiple diseases quickly and accurately. But the uses don’t stop there. Nanotechnology will drive down the scale of electronics. This will lead incredibly small devices. The applications are limitless. And you can bet that the military will be clamoring for nano technology. The military is looking to have numerous nanotechnologies online by the year 2015. Such advances include performance enhancing nanotechnology that aids bodily functions. These will include response times, oxygen use, and heightened senses. But nanotechnology can also be used for reconnaissance and combat. Nanobots could scout areas without being seen. They could also enter into enemies for espionage. They could kill targets from within the host’s body. The possibilities are frightening.
Alternative Energy & Fuels
When gas prices skyrocketed this past year, many people suddenly took an interest in alternative energy and fuels. And because demand rose, companies suddenly found themselves forced to take interest. Most of the common arguments for alternative energy and fuels center around issues of pollution, cost, dependence, and jobs.
What most people don’t realize is that alternative energy and fuels always have environmental effects. This can be in the form of heat generation, air pollutants, waste by-products, land usage, extraction, etc. Instead, we have to talk about pros and cons around each type of energy and fuel. There is no silver bullet. Costs, dependence, and jobs also vary depending on the energy type.
There are a host of alternative energies being tested. Wind powered energy plants are already in place in many parts of the world. Solar energy production has taken huge steps forward with the help of nano technology. One such company is Nanosolar. Nanosolar is producing solar cells that are 100 times thinner than conventional cells. Not only are the cells cheaper to produce, but they also convert the solar energy much more efficiently. Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) uses the temperature differences in the ocean layers to produce energy. And OTEC can utilize this colder water (36 degree F cooler) in other things like on shore agriculture and refrigeration. And the list goes on.
Massive interest was generated in alternative fuels this past year when gas prices hit record levels. New developments in battery technology could help. One such development is Millennium Cell’s hydrogen battery technology. This technology differs greatly from traditional rechargeable batteries in that it’s instantly rechargeable. It also has a much great efficiency for energy conversion, so it is much smaller and lighter. There is also greater reuse efficiency since you don’t need to replace the entire battery. You only need to replace the energy module. Developments are continuing in biodiesel, electric, hydrogen, methanol, etc. I think there could be some serious future synergy between nano technology and alternative energy.
“Bionetics”
This is my name for the incorporation of technology into the body. The dermal display is a great indication of things to come. Though I have yet to find a working demo version of this concept, I have no doubt that it will become a reality. The display would be driven by millions of nanobots. These nanobots would display light when touched. This would print a display onto your hand, or wherever the nanobot display would be housed. And this is where it gets really interesting. The display nanobots would be connected to millions of other fixed and mobile nanobots throughout the patient’s body. This would give instant readings on hundreds of vital statistics. Again, nanotechnology plays a strong role here.
The bionics revolution is already underway. There have been four major cases of robotic limbs recently, the latest being a woman. The robotic limbs take advantage of the functional nerve endings in the limb stump. These nerve endings are used to actuate the robotic limb and to provide feedback to the brain. More money is being poured into robotic limbs every year.
“Functional bionetics” are implants that enhance our lives. And you may be surprised to know that people are actively doing this as I write. People are inserting tiny electronics in their bodies that will unlock their front doors and their cars. The same technology is being used to unlock computers. But it doesn’t stop there. There is talk of implanting devices that will carry health information. You could be carted into a hospital totally unconscious and they would be able to access all of your past medical history. Most of this is done through RFID technology.
“Bionetic networks” will be networks of connected bionetic devices. This would allow people to share sensation, feelings, and communication. If this sounds completely fictional, I invite you to consider the work of Kevin Warwick, Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading, England. He has implanted an extra-sensory device that interfaces with one put in his wife. They were implanted in their arms. The first experiments are aimed at exchanging sensory inputs, like pain. The hope is to extend that to other, more complicated neurological processes like thoughts and emotion. Obviously, that would drastically change relationships and indeed the world. Forget about your teens text messaging, maybe they will be brain linking in the future. Now that’s really scary!
What will we be able to say came online in our lifetimes? I’m sure we could already list a lot of important technologies. But keep your eyes out for these emerging technologies. They are set to change the rules of our world. These technologies will upset economies, change military tactics, empower people, and be used to control others. Keep an eye on them.
Emerging Tech News
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