New Materials and Devices There seems to be a burst of new elements in the last few years and also new materials. Add to this some new discoveries in other areas. Years ago, a movie name Robinson Crusoe on Mars came out and it was about an astronaut stranded on the red planet. He had discovered there were rocks there that could keep him alive, because they contained oxygen. He also found underground bodies of water and plants that were edible. Amazingly, it has been said water exists underground and now rocks have been found on the ocean floor that contain oxygen and might even manufacture it. The movie was right so far on two of the three things it talked about. Will we find food plants there next? I remember years ago when element 115 was predicted than it was claimed it had fueled UFOs. The surprise took place when it was found it actually existed and was then added to the periodic table. Today we are well past element 115 and are said to be up to 118. Have more been found and are being kept secret? I heard of something the other day online, but can’t say it was true, but it mentioned element 122. It has been said this is a hypothetical chemical element. If that is true, what about elements 119, 120 and 121. To answer that question the number of an element represents the number of protons in the nucleus of each atom. So, you can see how it would be possible to skip some numbers. When I talk about new inventions, they seem to come in two flavors. The first are rather simple things and the second are complex devices. Some believe the rate of invention has increased. It has been said the government pulls the patent for about 10 percent of inventions stating national threats and others. I can’t verify that percentage, but I have seen people quoting it a few times. There seem to be a lot of upset people who lost their inventions. The worst part of this is after your patent is taken, the government can have the invention produced. I saw a quote from 2018 saying it had happened to about 5,000 people so far, but I believe this was a low count. One of the reasons I think the figure quoted was low is the organization called US Inventor is said to have tens of thousands of inventors who have lost their patent to the government. Again, I have not verified these numbers. Titanium Fluoride Phosphate has been invented by Russian scientists. It threatens to take lithium out of cathodes. It is said to be not only cheaper, but much more efficient. A few years back carbon nanofibers came onto the scene and many uses were found for them. Now a new player appeared and it is cellulose nanofibers. The cellulose comes from wood and the fibers are biodegradable. It is the strongest biomaterial invented so far and blows silk out of the water by about 8 times. Look for it to replace plastic if the cost is right. As new metals emerge, it seems we might be getting closer to discovering a material which would protect a capsule from the tremendous heat it encounters. Today we use mostly ceramic tiles, but I have a feeling this will change in the near future. Musk is working on the heatshield problem. He replaced the tiles with ones which were twice as strong. They will work up to 5,200 degrees Fahrenheit. He is also going to add a new layer of heat-resistant material below the tiles in case they crash or dislodge. I am willing to bet as new heat-resistant materials come out Musk might be the first one to test and use them. If someone were to ask me what is the greatest invention which is still unrealized, but has been worked on for decades, it would have to be fusion power. We keep getting closer, but have not received the cigar yet. This invention would completely change the world and make nuclear reactors very safe because there is no waste and if something goes wrong with the reactor, it just shuts down. With the advancement of both artificial intelligence and robotics, look for a smarter robot in a couple of years which might move more like a human and sound more human. They could reach the tipping point where some people would regard them as a friend, especially if we continue to make them look more like us. They might even replace assistants for the elderly who help them around the home. I guess one of the considerations would have to be the price and if they were covered under a health plan. When A solar powered watch hit the market, it seemed like an oddity, after all there is no sun indoors. It was advertised as not having to worry about battery replacement, but I have to say I go about 5 years between batteries, so I don’t think there is anything to worry about. The truth is they also have a rechargeable battery which eventually has to be replaced. It does last longer however. It is also advertised a solar watch can convert any light to electricity, not only sun light. I personally do not see a big advantage in having a solar watch, but I am a cheap watch guy. There is a list of the greatest inventions in the last 5 years. I don’t agree with all the choices, one really stands out and is still far from its potential, but it is obvious it will be incredible. That object is the quantum computer. It relies on quantum bits to operate and so far, using 56 qbits we have gotten a taste of its power. As we gain more and more qbits into the computer it will eventually replace all computers on earth because legacy digital computers will not be able to keep up. Not only will they have to become as useful to us and the digital ones have, they also will probably replace devices like cell phones and smart devices, as they get smaller. An example of what I call a simple invention is something like the paperclip. The modern version of a simple invention is the backpack airbag. It contains a compressed auto inflatable air bag tucked inside. It could be very useful in boating.
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