"The contract announced by BWXT on Monday will mark the start of a 'deployment phase,' essentially kicking off an exploration of options for the centrifuge pilot plant’s deployment. The engineering study aims 'to inform the acquisition approach for a pilot plant that will demonstrate the DUE centrifuge performance, reliability, and life-cycle costs for the NNSA. Fluor will be the engineering, procurement, and construction service provider for the activity,' BWXT said."

"Prescribed or controlled burns — fighting fire with fire — have long been used by indigenous groups to manage wildfire risk. Clearing excess vegetation reduces a forest’s fuel load, making it less likely a blaze will break out or spread quickly. But it’s a manpower-intensive process. BurnBot’s June burn covered an area the size of an American football field using a five-member crew; Chiverton says the same job sans robot would have needed 10 people."

"Calectra is only just starting to put this concept to the test. With the pre-seed and grant funding in hand, Meskanen and Weger are working to grow their team by hiring a materials scientist and hardware engineers to help nail down the brick-material combinations and build a larger prototype of the system, in preparation for raising a round of seed funding."

"Silicon carbide can survive temperatures hotter than molten lava but can be brittle in its pure form, historically limiting its use as a structural material. GA-EMS solved this problem by incorporating silicon carbide fibre into the cladding. The fibre reinforces the material similar to the way steel rebar is used to reinforce concrete."

Todd Woody of Bloomberg reports on the race to turn air into clean water. “MOFs are made from mostly common elements such as carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, copper and aluminum. But Taha says that some of the specialized molecules Atoco needs can be expensive due to their scarcity, and its scientists are working to synthesize them...

"If demand outstrips the available generation, utilities typically ask customers to adjust their thermostats and otherwise reduce their loads. If that’s not sufficient, blackouts are possible. This is where Merlin comes in. By managing energy use in homes more intelligently, Merlin helps balance the energy supply, making electric grids more stable and reliable. Merlin manages the grid’s use of the home’s battery while maintaining the home’s normal consumption of energy."

"In Paris, as across the world, data centers are a critical link providing the processing power for all manner of online experiences, from searching for an address in Google Maps and booking a hotel to supporting caregiving and record-management in hospitals. The IT infrastructure that carries out these processes inside data centers generates a lot of heat; in Paris, the output from the Equinix center is enough to heat about 1,000 homes."