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STIR Team
21 September 2021 |
NIAS Fortnightly on Science, Technology and International Relations (STIR), Vol 1, Issue 9
Cover Story
By Lokendra Sharma and Akriti Sharma
When Science, Technology and Innovation meet Society
An Interview with Young Innovators João Pedro de Goes Novochadlo and Junyi Gao
In the recently concluded BRICS-Young Scientists Forum Conclave (13-16 September 2021) hosted by India, João Pedro de Goes Novochadlo and Junyi Gao bagged the first and second prize in the young innovators' category, respectively. João, who hails from Brazil and is currently associated with the University of Southern California, works on technological solutions for visually challenged people. Junyi, who hails from China and is currently associated with the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, contributes to the advancement of medical technologies. They respond to questions about their innovative projects, ensuing benefits for society, the significance of transboundary networks of scientists, and their message to young innovators.
Can you describe the innovative projects you are working on?
João Pedro de Goes Novochadlo: I have been dedicating my time to Veever, a project that I had the opportunity to present during the BRICS-YSF India Conclave 2021. Veever is a free mobile application that uses micro-location technology and artificial intelligence to facilitate the interaction and mobility of visually challenged and impaired people in indoor and outdoor spaces, all through a virtual voice assistant. We are a start-up that works with assistive technology for people with disabilities using four central technical pillars as a solution: micro-location systems, mobile applications, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. Information is transmitted to the user's smartphone by placing Bluetooth devices (beacons) arranged indoors and outdoors. The mapping of these spaces is done by an artificial intelligence algorithm that predicts and corrects some inconsistencies in information spreading. This content is shared through a mobile application that uses an offline database and voice assistant or video recordings to locate, guide, and describe the user's surroundings. Other functionalities embedded in smartphones, such as gyroscope sensor and GPS, are also used to have a greater sense of what is in that space. Finally, cloud platform is used for data storage and management, allowing the infrastructure manager to control what is sent to the user. Alongside that, usage patterns can also be monitored for gathering insights.
Junyi Gao: As one of the major advances in the medical field, endoscopic technology has been widely and deeply applied in surgical operations, but at the same time it has brought several challenges, such as increasing hemostasis difficulty, changes in surgical approaches and poor field of vision resulting from smoke generated by energy equipment. Although several tentative inventions have been developed, such as anti-fog coated lenses, there were still few satisfactory solutions. In the past years, our group thoroughly analyzed various adverse events in the surgical video, and tried to use artificial intelligence technology to optimize the real-time surgical video, aiming to provide better vision to surgeons and help them make the best choice in surgeries.
To reduce the surgical risks caused by the disadvantages of endoscopic technology, we combined deep learning technology with a deductive reasoning algorithm and applied these techniques in video real-time digital processing. At present, our group has successfully developed a software package containing several functions, such as real-time bleeding area tracking, defogging, gauze recognition and recurrent laryngeal nerve recognition.
How will your work benefit society at large?
João: Veever is a start-up whose main objective is to promote accessibility and social inclusion through technology for people with visual disabilities. Through our solution, we can deliver a much more inclusive experience so that our users can better move around, guide and interact within internal and external environments. In addition, we also work to raise awareness of the cause of people with disabilities, creating informational content and developing community empowerment activities. It's noteworthy that the challenges of people with disabilities, in general, are identical in every part of the world: the lack of accessibility.
Junyi: Our project is designed to provide better surgical vision and more important information to surgeons during operations; we hope our product would benefit surgeons performing laparoscopic surgeries, especially the surgeons in populous and developing countries. With the development of the economy and society, people's demand for high-level medical services will gradually increase, and the pressure on the medical resources will also increase. A shorter training period for doctors and a higher level of medical care can help relieve the pressure of sharply increasing medical demand. Our product could provide surgeons with valuable information during surgical treatment to improve the operation safety, such as bleeding areas and key anatomical structures, resulting in reduction of medical resources loss due to surgical complications.
What factors led to choosing the area of research and innovation?
João: Between 2014 and 2015, I did volunteer work at an institute that served people with visual impairments in my hometown, Curitiba. There, I had the opportunity to get in touch and live with some people who introduced me to the challenges they had to face daily. At the end of 2015, I participated in a hackathon. I decided, with my team, that we would develop a project to minimize the problems arising from the lack of accessibility in urban spaces. Just because I don't face this challenge, it doesn't mean that I'm not responsible for helping solve it.
Junyi: In recent years, AI technology has become ubiquitous in our daily lives. In the medical area, AI technology also performed outstandingly in multiple fields, including interpretation of medical examination, cancer diagnosis and treatment decision. With the development of the economy and society, people's demand for high-level medical services will increase sharply and this problem will be more prominent in developing countries. Application of AI in healthcare might relieve this pressure in some ways. The endoscopic technology has been widely and deeply applied in surgical operations in the past decades, but has also brought some problems.
As a surgeon, I can deeply appreciate the convenience that medical advancement brings to the people, but at the same time, how to better apply advanced technology to benefit patients has become an area of importance. In recent years, our group tried to apply the deep learning technology to processing of surgical videos in the past years, providing surgeons with better real-time visual information during the operations and ensuring the safety of surgery.
Do you think building networks of scientists and innovators beyond national boundaries will lead to a better world - peaceful, prosperous and sustainable?
João: Yes; all knowledge, when shared, is essential for building a more just and socially egalitarian society. Contacting people from different countries, especially those who share our problems and challenges, helps us amplify our power to impact and our ability to execute. I am also delighted to shed light on such an important topic: social inclusion and technology as an engine of transformation, carrying forward connections and ideas that will make our world even better.
Junyi: Science and innovation are very important for the advancement of human society. We not only have the right to share the earth's resources, but also share the obligation to protect the earth and develop the future of mankind.
Breaking the national boundaries, scientists and innovators could make science and technology better benefit human society. In a quote often attributed to George Bernard Shaw, he said: "If you have an apple and I have an apple, and we exchange apples, we both still only have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea, and we exchange ideas, we each now have two ideas". Forums like the BRICS-YSF provide a meeting platform for scientists and innovators. In the recent India Conclave 2021, scientists and innovators from different countries fully shared their ideas and technologies, and such exchanges and sharing marked the possibility of a better world.
What would be your message to young scientists and innovators?
João: Never give up; and whenever you can, act with purpose. Bringing real meaning to your projects will motivate you to work harder and harder, especially when you start to see the results of your work. We are a generation that has almost unlimited access to information. We can connect with any part of the world in a way never seen before in our society. We need to use this opportune moment to be agents of positive transformation, understanding that there is no competition when it comes to the future of our planet. There is just potentially unending scope for collaboration.
Junyi: First of all, as young scientists and innovators, we need to learn more about the needs of society, discern the problems, and try to apply our scientific achievements to improve people's lives. Secondly, scientific research is a difficult process: we not only need to learn to solve problems tactfully, but also need to constantly strengthen our confidence. Last but not least, young people need to create a research environment that respects and encourages science and innovation.
About the interviewers
Lokendra Sharma and Akriti Sharma are PhD Scholars at the School of Conflict and Security Studies, NIAS.
In Brief
By Avishka Ashok and Lokendra Sharma
China's success with Shenzhou-12 and upcoming space missions
On 17 September, Shenzhou-12, China's seventh crewed mission, landed back on earth after a successful outer space flight. The mission broke the record in China for spending the longest duration in space after the three-member crew spent three months in the Chinese Space Station. The spacecraft landed in the Gobi Desert after separating from its orbit on the same day.
The mission was launched on 17 June 2021 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre and was entrusted with numerous tasks. Other than breaking records for being the longest Chinese mission in space, the mission is also credited for bringing the first group of astronauts to Tiangong. It is the Chinese Space Station which was launched in April 2021. The Shenzhou-12 installed a mechanical arm in the Tiangong which will help build the rest of the space station while the country prepares for the next spacewalk, scheduled to happen on 3 October 2021. The mission was also tasked with extravehicular operations, confirming the feasibility of long-duration missions and recycling resources in space.
The crew consisting of Mission Commander Nie Haisheng, Major General Liu Boming and Senior Colonel Tang Hongbo tested the latest space-suits and the abilities of the newly installed equipment and conducted a seven-hour long spacewalk, the longest in China's history of space missions. The Shenzhou-12 mission was different from other Chinese space missions because of its tricky landing conditions. Unlike most missions that land in Siziwang Banner Sit, the Shenzhou-12 landed in Dongfeng due to its topography, climatic conditions, rescue and search practicability and return options. The mountainous terrain posed a challenge to the rescue team but the astronauts were brought to the site soon after they landed.
On 20 September, China also launched the Long March-7 Y4 rocket which was accompanied by the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft. The spacecraft was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Hainan and is tasked with depositing the supplies, equipment and propellant for the upcoming Shenzhou-13 mission. The mission aims to double the longest-duration in space record by spending six months at the Tiangong Space Station. All activities related to Tiangong and the space missions are celebrated in China with enthusiasm as the country is not a part of the International Space Station. ("Shenzhou-12 crewed spaceship launch a complete success", China Manned Space, 17 June 2021; Rhea Mogul, "Chinese astronauts complete first space walk outside new Tiangong space station", CNBC, 4 July 2021; Deng Xiaoci and Fan Anqi, "Mission accomplished: China's Shenzhou-12 crew safely back on earth", Global Times, 17 September 2021; Deng Xiaoci, "China successfully launches Tianzhou-3 for second space station supply mission; to support upcoming six-month Shenzhou-13 manned mission", Global Times, 20 September 2021)
Australia to procure nuclear-powered submarines
On 15 September, a new security alliance called AUKUS was launched by the US, the UK and Australia for tackling shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. The main highlight of the alliance, however, was the commitment of the US and the UK to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines (SNN). While the delivery of the submarines, which are expected to be at least eight initially, may only happen in the 2040s, Australia is considering leasing SSN from the AUKUS partners as a stop-gap measure. Once put into operation, Australia will join a select list of countries — the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, and India. However, Australia would be the only country without nuclear weapons to have a SSN.
There are primarily two types of nuclear submarines: SSN and the nuclear-powered ballistic submarines (SSBN). While the former houses a nuclear reactor fuelled with highly enriched uranium (HEU), the latter has nuclear tipped ballistic missiles in addition to nuclear propulsion. Once fuelled, the mini-reactors in nuclear submarines can last for decades without the need to refuel. Even as Australia and other AUKUS members have made it clear that no submarine would be armed by nuclear weapons, it is hardly a move in consonance with larger arms control and disarmament goals. The sharing of sensitive nuclear technology and HEU has ignited proliferation concerns.
Operating a fleet of SSNs would confer multiple advantages to Australia as compared to the diesel-powered submarines they currently operate or the diesel-powered submarines they were planning (but cancelled in wake of this deal) to procure from France. First, a SSN can be in continuous operation for months at a stretch, giving Australia the capability to project power in the seas near China (especially the hotly contested South China Sea). Second, SSNs comparatively have better speed. Lastly, since they need to resurface only in many months, they are stealthier. (Raghav Bikhchandani, "What are nuclear-powered submarines that Australia will acquire under first AUKUS initiative", The Print, 19 September 2021; Andrew S. Erickson, "Australia Badly Needs Nuclear Submarines", Foreign Policy, 20 September 2021; AJ Mitchell, "How do nuclear-powered submarines work? A nuclear scientist explains", The Conversation, 16 September 2021)
S&T Nuggets
By Akriti Sharma and Lokendra Sharma
Climate and Environment
Japan: Research to address agricultural nitrous oxide emissions
On 7 September, NHK-World Japan reported that the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences has collaborated with the researchers overseas to explore ways to reduce the agricultural emissions of a key greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide. The gas is produced when the nitrogen fertilizer is applied to the farm produce. It is considered to be 300 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. The researchers have developed a new type of wheat which can prevent the nitrogen fertilizer from emitting harmful gas. The tests have shown that the new wheat emits 25 per cent less nitrous oxide. Additionally, the new wheat can maintain the same productivity level while absorbing 60 per cent less fertilizer. Researchers at Tohoku University and the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization have developed bacteria that can convert nitrous oxide emissions from the soybean fields into a harmless gas. Reduction of emission of greenhouse gases from the agriculture sector is important and the scientists in Japan have been able to reduce the emissions by 30 per cent. ("New researches tackle nitrous oxide emissions", NHK-World Japan, 7 September 2021)
The UN: WMO report says COVID-19 has not slowed down the pace of climate change
On 16 September, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released a report titled "United in Science 2021: A multi-organization high-level compilation of the latest climate science information". The reduction in the carbon dioxide emissions due to the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic was temporary. The report says that emissions during January-July 2021 were at the same level as 2019 levels or the pre-pandemic level. While releasing the report, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said: "Unless there are immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to 1.5C will be impossible, with catastrophic consequences for people and the planet on which we depend". Secretary-General WMO said: "Throughout the pandemic we have heard that we must 'build back better' to set humanity on a more sustainable path, and to avoid the worst impacts of climate change on society and economies. This report shows that so far in 2021, we are not going in the right direction". ("United in Science 2021", World Meteorological Organization, 16 September 2021)
Iceland: Zurich-based carbon capture plant project opened
On 8 September, Zurich-based Climeworks opened its carbon capture plant — Orca in Iceland. The start-up claimed that it will build a much larger plant in future which would help in removing millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Orca will remove 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and store it underground. The Orca plant sells the most expensive carbon offset in the world and has been sold out of credit several times in its lifespan of 12 years. According to the energy models, the world will require removal of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to achieve net zero emissions. The disadvantages of carbon capture is that they require too much energy to operate at a meaningful scale. However, the US President Joe Biden's recent infrastructure bill includes USD 3.5 billion for four direct air capture hubs. (Leslie Hook, "World's biggest' direct air capture' plant starts pulling in CO2", Financial Times, 8 September 2021)
Health
COVID-19: Pfizer claims its COVID-19 vaccine works for kids
On 21 September, Pfizer claimed that its COVID-19 vaccine works for kids aged 5-11 and it will soon seek US authorization for the same. It is a key step towards vaccinating children. The vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech already is available for anyone 12 and older. After testing, it has been found out that a lower dose of the same vaccine is effective for elementary school kids. The dosage also proved safe with similar or fewer temporary side effects including sore arms, fever and achiness. Cuba has started immunizing children aged two with their homegrown vaccine and China has cleared two vaccines for the kids aged three and above. However, the western countries have not started vaccinating children younger than 12 years of age. (Lauren Neergaard, "Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine works in kids ages 5 to 11", AP, 21 September 2021)
China: First of its kind treatment for spinal deformity combined with spinal herniation
On 8 September, the Department of Orthopedics at Tangdu Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University successfully performed world's first surgical treatment for "anterior and posterior scoliosis-correction of cervicothoracic spinal deformity, spinal hernia release, and dural hernia repair" for a patient with "congenital cervical thoracic spinal deformity combined with spinal cord herniation". The 40-year-old patient was diagnosed with a "congenital spinal deformity combined with spinal herniation". Prof Liao Bo's team successfully implemented the surgery with full cooperation with a multidisciplinary team. ("Professor Liao Bo's team at Tangdu Hospital Complete the World's First 'Postoperative Revision of Congenital Cervicothoracic Spinal Deformity Combined with Spinal Cord Herniation'", Global Times, 8 September 2021)
COVID-19: Scientists question the need for booster doses
On 13 September, an article titled "Consideration in boosting Covid-19 vaccine immune responses" was published in The Lancet which concluded that "booster doses for the general population are not appropriate at this stage in the pandemic". A group of 18 scientists suggested inoculation of the unvaccinated should be prioritized. Al Jazeera reported that the WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, had called "countries to avoid giving out extra COVID jabs until the end of the year". The UN health agency also urged "all nations to vaccinate at least 10 per cent of their populations by the end of this month, and at least 40 per cent by the end of this year". Although the authors also acknowledged that "some individuals, such as the immunocompromised, could benefit from an additional dose of the same vaccine or of a different vaccine that might complement the primary immune response". ("Covid-19 vaccine boosters not widely needed, say scientists," Al Jazeera, 13 September 2021; Philip R Krause et. al., "Considerations in boosting COVID-19 vaccine immune response," The Lancet, 13 September 2021)
Space
The US: SpaceX's civilian crew returns back to earth after three days in space
On 18 September, SpaceX successfully completed its Inspiration4 mission when the all-civilian crew landed in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Florida. SpaceX's first space tourism flight was comparatively different from recent ones by Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic. While the latter two went around 100 kms above earth (sub-orbital), the SpaceX flight went up to 590 kms (orbital), which is even above the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope. And unlike the previous flights which offered only a short period of weightlessness, the SpaceX Dragon capsule stayed encircled earth for three days. The four civilian crew included two persons selected through a contest, a cancer recovered health care worker and a billionaire, Jared Isaacman. Jared has now become the third billionaire to make a trip to space, after Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos. A highlight about the crew was that none of them were trained astronauts and thus had no professional experience. (Amy Thompson, "SpaceX's Private Inspiration4 Crew Is Back on Earth", Scientific American, 21 September 2021; Marcia Dunn, "SpaceX launches 4 amateurs on private Earth-circling trip", AP, 16 September 2021)
The UK: OneWeb launches 34 more satellites in its quest for global internet
On 15 September, London-based OneWeb reached a new milestone when its 34 satellites were successfully placed into earth's orbit by Arianespace's Soyuz rocket which lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. With this launch, OneWeb will now have 322 satellites circling earth, which is nearly half of the total number of satellites it eventually wants to put in space — 648. OneWeb plans use a constellation of low earth orbit satellites to provide global internet, even in the remotest corners of earth. OneWeb has secured global funding, and the UK government and India's telecom major Bharti group acquired the company in 2020 as the OneWeb emerged from bankruptcy. The company is directly competing with SpaceX's Starlink to provide global internet. (Mike Wall, "Arianespace Soyuz rocket launches 34 more OneWeb internet satellites to orbit", Space, 14/15 September 2021)
China: Indigenous hydrogen liquefying system developed
On 21 September, the Global Times reported that China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has developed a hydrogen liquefying system with about 90 per cent of localization. Producing about two tons of liquified hydrogen, it will be a major boost for the country's domestic space industry. So far, China's main rockets in the Long March series have relied on liquid hydrogen produced by foreign equipment. Another positive fallout will be for the larger energy sector, which is vying to use hydrogen as a fuel. ("China's self-developed hydrogen liquefying system to power domestic carrier rockets", Global Times, 21 September 2021)
Technology
Europe: European Commission announces plans for self-reliance in semiconductors
On 15 September, the European Commission (EC) announced plans for building a regional ecosystem to ensure self-reliance in semiconductor chips. Reuters quoted EC President Ursula von der Leyen as saying during a speech at the European Parliament: "We will present a new European Chips Act. The aim is to jointly create a state-of-the-art European chip ecosystem, including production. That ensures our security of supply and will develop new markets for ground-breaking European tech". This comes in the wake of global chip shortage and a realisation among European policy makers that a reliance on Asian and North America based suppliers is not sustainable. (Foo Yun Chee, "EU plans' Chips Act' to promote semiconductor self-sufficiency", Reuters, 15 September 2021)
China: Machines being developed that can track data sent abroad by automobiles
On 14 September, Reuters reported that China Automotive Engineering Research Institute (CAERI) has been developing machines and systems that are capable of tracking the data generated by cars in China. High-end cars sold by foreign companies have a number of sensors that collect and transmit data back to the company's servers and this has been an issue of concern for the Chinese government. Regulators have mandated that any data being generated within China has to be stored locally. The company developing these communication detection systems, CAERI, has tested vehicles of various foreign companies, including Tesla, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Daimler and Land Rover. It is however unclear when this system would be rolled out and at what scale. ("China develops machines that can track data sent abroad by cars", Reuters, 14 September 2021)
Israel: Citizen Lab finds another exploit developed by the NSO Group
On 13 September, the University of Toronto based Citizen Lab, which is an interdisciplinary group researching digital espionage on civil society, reported that it had found a "zero-day zero-click exploit against iMessage" called FORCEDENTRY. Found to be effective against the operating systems of Apple devices (iOS, MacOS, WatchOS), Citizen Lab "determined that the mercenary spyware company NSO Group used the vulnerability to remotely exploit and infect the latest Apple devices with the Pegasus spyware". On the same day, Apple released updates for its devices to patch this vulnerability after Citizen Lab shared the details with the former. The NSO Group, accused by Citizen Lab to be behind developing this exploit, has previously been embroiled in another controversy over targeting of civil society across many countries using a sophisticated attack through popular communications app WhatsApp. (Bill Marczak et. al., "FORCEDENTRY: NSO Group iMessage Zero-Click Exploit Captured in the Wild", The Citizen Lab, 13 September)
Lithuania: Defense Ministry flags cybersecurity risks of Chinese mobiles
On 21 September, the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense warned citizens against using Chinese mobile phones. The Ministry's National Cyber Security Centre conducted a "cyber security assessment of 5G smartphones made by Chinese manufacturers and supplied in Lithuania: Huawei P40 5G , Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G, OnePlus 8T 5G", according to a press release by the Ministry. The investigation found multiple problems with the smartphones, including that relating to freedom of speech. The Xiaomi device in particular was found to censor "449 keywords and keyword combinations in Chinese characters, for example, free Tibet, America's voice, democratic movement, Long Live the Democratic Taiwan, etc". The report comes against the backdrop of tense relations between China and Lithuania after Taiwan announced establishing a 'Taiwanese' (and not 'Taipei' which China prefers) representative office in Lithuania. ("Things your smartphone does without your awareness: investigation into three China-made 5G devices", Ministry of National Defense of Lithuania, 21 September 2021).
About the authors
Lokendra Sharma and Akriti Sharma are PhD Scholars, Avishka Ashok is a Research Associate at the School of Conflict and Security Studies, NIAS.
