General science thread

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A university janitor who turned off a freezer after hearing multiple "annoying alarms," ruined more than 20 years of research, according to a lawsuit filed against his employer by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York.

The janitor, who is not being sued in the lawsuit, was a contractor with Daigle Cleaning Systems Inc., who worked for several months in 2020 at the private research university in Troy, New York.

The school is seeking more than $1 million in damages and legal fees from Daigle Cleaning Systems as a result of the incident.

A warning was posted on the freezer, according to the court filing.

"THIS FREEZER IS BEEPING AS IT IS UNDER REPAIR. PLEASE DO NOT MOVE OR UNPLUG IT. NO CLEANING REQUIRED IN THIS AREA. YOU CAN PRESS THE ALARM/TEST MUTE BUTTON FOR 5-10 SECONDS IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MUTE THE SOUND,

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e California Institute of Technology’s (Caltech) Space Solar Power Project (SSPP) launched a device called the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1), which carried an instrument known as the Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment (MAPLE) into space.

It was MAPLE that was ultimately responsible for wirelessly transmitting solar energy back to Earth, where it was received by two separate receiver arrays, which then lit up a pair of LEDs (light-emitting diodes), rendering the experiment a success.

“To the best of our knowledge, no one has ever demonstrated wireless energy transfer in space, even with expensive rigid structures,” co-director of the Space-Based Solar Power Project, Ali Hajimiri, said in a statement. “We are doing it with flexible, lightweight structures and with our own integrated circuits. This is a first.”

“In the same way that the internet democratized access to information, we hope that wireless energy transfer democratizes access to energy,” he said. “No energy transmission infrastructure will be needed on the ground to receive this power. That means we can send energy to remote regions and areas devastated by war or natural disaster.”

Quote: rxwine

LEDS, but still first time ever.

Quote: odiousgambit

democratizing access to power? oh my! now that's a real dreamer

interesting though

Quote: rxwine

The internet is kind of democratized. You only need a device. Then stand near one of the many free public Wifi sources. You don't even need phone service, just a cheap, possibly second-hand phone. Which you could probably get for $10. In fact, I have a cheap phone with a cracked screen that still works fine, I would sell for $5 if not giving it away. (I've actually 4 older phones sitting around. The old Samsung7 has good video resolution and use it on the drone.)

Quote: rxwine

The internet is kind of democratized.