Technology

Former NASA Chief Astronaut Patrick Forrester Retires

Published

6 months ago

July 3, 2024

WASHINGTON, July 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — NASA astronaut Patrick G. Forrester retired June 29, after a career spanning 31 years of service and three spaceflights. He went on to become chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office, and most recently served as an advisor to the associate administrator for the Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Forrester joined the agency in 1993 as an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and was selected to become an astronaut in 1996. He dedicated his early career to the assembly of the International Space Station, spending 40 days in space and completing four spacewalks totaling 25 hours and 30 minutes.

“Pat’s dedication and commitment to the advancement of human space exploration over the past three decades has been an inspiration, not just to the Johnson workforce, but the Artemis generation as well,” said NASA’s Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche. “I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Pat for his outstanding contributions. His legacy will continue to impact the agency and the next generation of explorers for many years to come. Many congratulations to Pat; I wish him all the best in his retirement.”

Forrester launched to the space station for the first time in August 2001 aboard space shuttle Discovery in support of STS-105. Forrester was the mission’s prime robotics operator, helping to install the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module that would help deliver 2.7 metric tons of supplies to the station. He flew again with STS-117 in June 2007 aboard space shuttle Atlantis, delivering the orbiting laboratory’s second starboard truss and its third set of solar arrays. His final spaceflight, STS-128 aboard Discovery, launched in August 2009. As prime robotics officer, Forrester again installed Leonardo and the crew transferred 18,000 pounds of supplies.

Forrester continued to support the astronaut corps through numerous leadership positions, serving as technical assistant to the director of Flight Crew Operations. He was a crew representative of robotics development on the space station and shuttle training and onboard crew procedures. Forrester also held the role of spacecraft communicator, or CAPCOM, for both station and shuttle missions.

In 2017, Forrester became chief of the Astronaut Office, overseeing the first flights of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and helping develop the initial architecture for the agency’s Artemis campaign. In 2020, he stepped down from his chief position, handing over to NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman.

“Pat’s leadership was instrumental during a time where NASA was just starting to launch our astronauts from American soil again,” said Norm Knight, director of flight operations at NASA Johnson. “I admire his courage, his tenacity, and his character during such a dynamic time in our history, and I thank him for laying a strong foundation, not just in his role as chief astronaut, but through his career in human spaceflight. To me, he is a mentor and a friend, and I wish him all the best.”

At the time of his retirement, Forrester supported the Space Operations Mission Directorate, serving as the director of the Cross-Directorate Technical Integration Office and an adviser to the directorate’s associate administrator and fellow NASA astronaut Ken Bowersox.

“Pat is an incredible leader who has provided invaluable service to NASA’s astronaut corps and human spaceflight during his career,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for space operations at NASA. “In the Space Operations Mission Directorate, his influence will be felt long after his departure as we continue to work every day in low Earth orbit and prepare for the future near Earth, at the Moon, Mars and into the solar system.”

An El Paso, Texas, native, Forrester earned a bachelor of science degree in applied sciences and engineering from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York, and a master of science in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. A retired colonel in the U.S. Army, Forrester logged more than 5,300 hours of flight time in over 50 different aircraft as an operational aviator and test pilot, retiring in 2005.

“It has been an honor to serve our nation as a member of the NASA family. Many of the stories I will tell for the rest of my life will be related to my experiences here,” said Forrester. “I look forward to watching my friends and colleagues circle the Moon and eventually land on its surface – with the help of all those serving faithfully on the ground. I am forever grateful.”

Read Forrester’s full biography at:

https://go.nasa.gov/45NnfUA

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SOURCE NASA

Technology

MEMS Drive: Paving the Way for Super-High Image Resolution

Published

34 minutes ago

December 27, 2024

TAIPEI, Dec. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Fabless chip firm MEMS Drive Hong Kong Ltd manufactures cutting-edge MEMS actuators targeted at mobile imaging in portable electronics. The company uses its proprietary MEMS design and process to allow CMOS sensors to achieve swift and precise ‘SensorShift’ and is the first semiconductor company to implement 5-axis stabilization in mobile cameras.

“With edge computing capabilities steadily advancing, MEMS Drive utilizes precise movement matching algorithms and artificial intelligence [AI] to derive multiple image-enhancing features besides just stabilization, such as super-resolution and improving identification capabilities,” says Colin Kwan, CEO and President of MEMS Drive during an interview with EE Times Asia. “MEMS SensorShift-driven image sensors overturn traditional voice coil motors [VCMs], and could be applied to mobile phones, sports cameras, wearable tech, surveillance, autonomous vehicles, robotic vision and other products, bringing unlimited possibilities to the future of imaging systems.”

It is for these reasons that the company won an Innovation Award and Best Sensor of the Year award for its piezo technology-enabled autofocus actuator and optical image stabilizer (OIS) actuator at EE Awards Asia 2024. Now in its fourth year, EE Awards Asia honors some of the best products, companies, and leaders making a difference every day in Asia’s electronics industry.

The MEMS autofocus (AF) actuator is a piezoelectric multi-morphic thin film actuator that can move at Z-axis and tip-tilt directions to achieve a 3-axis compensation. The MEMS devices are designed to be based on standard silicon fabrication processes, thereby enabling good scalability and ease of handling, testing, and packaging.

According to Colin, this sensor-based technology offers multiple advantages. “It provides 3-axis image adjustments as compared to 1-axis counterparts on lens-based AF systems; it also moves three times faster and 10 times more precise by detecting positions of less than a pixel, compared to 3-5µm on lens-based AF,” he explains. “And finally, by not using a motor to move the lens around, it consumes up to 50 times less power and avoids heating problems that could affect the image’s quality.”

Meanwhile, its OIS, known as SensorShift, is said to be the world’s smallest MEMS OIS actuator. It provides a 5-axis OIS solution to improve clarity and achieve stable and precise image.

“All vibrations in pitch, yaw, roll, translational X, and translational Y can be compensated with a single MEMS chip,” says Colin. “Due to its high precision and fast response in active movement, we can achieve another application called super resolution. By shifting the imager 1 pixel or half a pixel in different directions, capturing the image at each position, and then merging and processing those images, we can get a 4X or even higher-resolution image.”

Colin notes that compared to traditional lens-based OIS, MEMS Drive’s MEMS OIS is a sensor shift solution that provides superior stabilization performance with multiple advantages, including a 10ms fast response, just 4mW of power consumption, sub-pixel precision, and high image resolution in low light and video without blur.

“Powered by our patented electrical conductive flexure [ECF] technology, the MEMS Drive actuator provides consistent, durable performance,” says Colin. “With over 2.5 billion test cycles completed in continuous operation, these innovations are crucial for ensuring the highest standards in automotive applications and safety.”

MEMS Drive’s technology is suitable for smartphones, automotive, wearable technologies such as AR/VR camera systems, sports cameras, smart city applications, and robotic vision.

In this video interview, Colin also talks about his outlook for the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing industry over the next year, upcoming challenges amid the increasingly complex designs and architectures, and the new opportunities in the market.

For more information about MEMS Drive Hong Kong Limited and its innovative solutions, please visit: memsdrive.com
Youtube / Bilibili : MEMSDrive
LinkedIn: MEMS Drive

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SOURCE EE Times Asia

Technology

Nodepay Raises $7M Total Funding To Power AI Growth with Real-Time Data Infrastructure

Published

34 minutes ago

December 27, 2024

SINGAPORE, Dec. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Nodepay, a decentralized AI platform transforming unused internet bandwidth into real-time data pipelines for AI training, today announced it has raised a second round of funding, bringing its total to $7 million.

The latest funding round welcomed new strategic investors IDG Capital ($23 Billion AUM), Mythos, Elevate Ventures, IBC, Optic Capital, Funders.VC, Matthew Tan (Etherscan founder) and Yusho Liu (CoinHako Co-founder & CEO) as notable angels. They join an impressive roster of previous backers that includes Animoca Brands, Mirana, OKX Ventures, JUMP Crypto, Tokenbay Capital and more.

Nodepay’s network taps into a global community of users running privacy-protected nodes. By sharing their spare internet bandwidth, these participants earn rewards for creating a real-time data source that improves AI inference with accurate, timely information—an approach known as Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG).

Darren Nguyen, co-founder of Nodepay commented: “Our mission is to develop solutions that create tangible value for both AI developers and its end users. We give contributors a share in the AI ecosystem they help fundamentally build.”

Nodepay’s infrastructure platform integrates real-time data retrieval, a Web3-focused decentralized answer engine, reinforcement learning for more accurate model output, and gamified human verification. Together, these components combine to create a fair, collaborative, and innovative AI ecosystem.

Eric Le, investment director of IDG Capital, said, “The team at Nodepay is democratizing the AI economy by providing a platform that allows users to share directly in the value they create. We’re proud to support their vision of making AI more accessible and beneficial to all.”

With this funding, Nodepay will continue to commercialize its infrastructure to benefit both its community and partner AI labs. As it prepares to launch on Solana, Nodepay stands ready to lead the next era of decentralized AI development and training.

Already serving over 1.5 million active users worldwide, Nodepay continues to expand its reach, solidifying its role as a leader in the integration of AI and blockchain technology. Users can expect further updates and new announcements through their social channels and official website.

About Nodepay
Nodepay is a decentralized AI platform dedicated to democratizing AI training through real-time data retrieval. By turning idle internet bandwidth into a valuable resource, Nodepay fuels the next generation of AI models and stands at the forefront of AI decentralization.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/nodepay-raises-7m-total-funding-to-power-ai-growth-with-real-time-data-infrastructure-302339478.html

Technology

Plume Network Partners with Maseer to Tokenize $200M of Carbon Allowances

Published

2 hours ago

December 27, 2024

NEW YORK, Dec. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Plume Network is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Maseer, an Abu Dhabi based tokenization platform, to bring $200M in Carbon Allowances exclusively on-chain to Plume. Built on Plume’s Real-World Asset Finance (RWAfi) ecosystem, Maseer will offer a tokenized solution to one of the fastest-growing alternative asset classes: compliance carbon.

Empowering Climate Action Through Compliance Carbon Tokenization

Compliance carbon has been one of the fastest growing alternative asset classes given increased regulatory and business scrutiny on emissions. The S&P Global Carbon Credit Index, which tracks the most liquid segment of the tradable carbon credit futures markets, has seen a 15.68% annualized return over the past five years. The value of these markets reached nearly one trillion USD in 2023.

The partnership with Plume Network allows Maseer to bring fully collateralized carbon products on-chain, where they will be fully compatible with Web3’s potent DeFi sector. DeFi integration vastly enhances compliance carbon markets with superior liquidity solutions and greater access to a global body of investors, broader market demand, and new yield sources.

“We are excited to partner with Plume to bring carbon allowances on chain. Plume is uniquely positioned to bring this vision to fruition because they are the only chain purpose built for RWAs. They’ve raised the bar with their tokenization engine, infrastructure tooling, and ecosystem network effects. We believe Plume is on the bleeding edge of on-chain adoption of RWAs,” said Bradley Allgood, CEO of Maseer.

“Energy transition is an asset category that we have been increasingly focused on at Plume because of growing demand for climate action, both from a government and corporate sustainability perspective. Volumes for the global carbon credit market are forecasted to grow at a 39% CAGR from 2024 to 2033,” said Teddy Pornprinya, Chief Business Officer and Co-Founder at Plume Network.

What are carbon allowances?

Compliance carbon allowances trade under cap-and-trade programs known as Emissions Trading Systems (ETS). These systems create transparent, liquid markets that are government-mandated and regulated. As of April 1, 2024, approximately 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are covered by emissions trading systems (ETS). Carbon allowances are distinct from project-based carbon offsets and offer a market-based approach to regulating a region’s emissions, with mandatory participation for specified industries. Carbon allowance supply is managed by government agencies and adjusted primarily through an annually declining cap. 

About Plume
Plume is the first fully integrated L1 modular blockchain focused on RWAfi, offering a composable, EVM-compatible environment for onboarding and managing diverse real-world assets. With 180+ projects on its private devnet, Plume provides an end-to-end tokenization engine and a network of financial infrastructure partners, simplifying asset onboarding and enabling seamless DeFi integration for RWAs. Learn more at https://www.plumenetwork.xyz/ or contact press@plumenetwork.xyz

About Maseer
Maseer operates out of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the world’s leading Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for digital asset innovation. Maseer is led by Tokenization and Free Zone Veteran Bradley Allgood and is focused on the design of bringing real world assets on chain to be fully interoperable with DeFi. Maseer has developed strategic relationships with Sovereign Nations and Large Enterprises to identify the highest quality real world assets around the world.

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SOURCE Plume Network