China Plans a Trio of Missions to the Moon

The discovery of Changesite-(Y) has reinvigorated the country’s ambitions for the moon.

I’ve been writing about tech, including everything from privacy and security to consumer electronics and startups, since 2011 for a variety of publications.

(STR/AFP via Getty Images)

China is planning to visit the moon at least three more times in the next decade.

Bloomberg reports (Opens in a new window) that "China’s National Space Administration, its equivalent of NASA, received approval to send three orbiters to the moon as part of the Chang’e lunar program" following the discovery of a new lunar mineral following the Chang’e-5 mission in December 2020.

That mineral is called Changesite-(Y). It was discovered by the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology from samples collected as part of Chang’e-5, and according to Bloomberg, it contains "an isotype [sic] that’s been speculated as a future energy source" called helium-3.

The European Space Agency says (Opens in a new window) "it is thought that this isotope could provide safer nuclear energy in a fusion reactor, since it is not radioactive and would not produce dangerous waste products," which could make nuclear energy more sustainable in the long term.

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Bloomberg reports that China’s next unmanned mission, Chang’e-7, will target the South Pole. China Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center https://jiji.ng/ official Liu Jizhong reportedly said the country also plans to build an international research station on the moon’s surface at some point.

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This Robot Is Designed to Catch Elderly People

I’ve been writing about tech, including everything from privacy and security to consumer electronics and startups, since 2011 for a variety of publications.

(NTU Singapore)

Researchers in Singapore have developed a robot to catch elderly people as they start to fall.

The so-called Mobile Robotic Balance Assistant (MRBA), or "Mister Bah," is described as "a wearable assistive robot that can detect and prevent a fall before it happens." It was developed by researchers at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) with assistance from the state-backed National Robotics Programme.

NTU Singapore says the robot "uses its inbuilt sensors to instantaneously detect a loss of balance and catches the user with its attached safety harness which is worn around the user’s hips." MRBA can also "help users who have difficulty in walking and balancing to stand up safely from a seated position, and to sit down safely from a standing position," the university says.

Insider notes (Opens in a new window) that falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths in the US for people who are older than 65, per data published (Opens in a new window) by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and NTU Singapore says that statistics from the World Health Organization indicate that "falls are the second leading cause of death from accidental or unintentional injuries worldwide."

"In clinical trials involving 29 participants, including patients who suffered from stroke, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries, the researchers found that MRBA was successful in aiding them with sitting, standing, and walking, as well as assisting in tasks like fetching water," NTU Singapore says. "No falls were recorded in the trials, which spanned three days per participant."