Page 35 - BBC Knowledge - October 2017 IN

TRAN S P O R T
TE C H B YTE S
CODING FOR GIRL SCOUTS
Girl Scouts in the US can
now earn badges for coding,
hacking and cybersecurity
awareness. The new badges
have been introduced in a bid
to encourage more young
women to pursue careers in
the IT sector.

HYPERLOOP

FOR THE UK?

Hyperloop One has announced its Vision One of these routes would link Cardiff CITIZENS OF SPACE
For Europe – a series of proposed routes and Glasgow, via Bristol, Oxford, London, Asgardia, a ‘virtual nation’
for Hyperloop transportation systems Cambridge, Nottingham, Newcastle and set up by a Russian scientist
in mainland Europe and the UK. Edinburgh. For this route, Hyperloop One has last year, already has some
First proposed by Elon Musk in 2012, been working with engineering firm AECOM. 2,00,000 citizens. And, now,
Hyperloop is a hybrid electric/maglev system A second route, dubbed the Northern Arc, has it’s launching its own small
designed to shift people and cargo long been proposed in association with architects satellite where all those citizens’
distances at very high speeds, by placing them Ryder and engineering firm Arup, and would link data will be stored, along with
in pressurised pods that travel through tubes Liverpool to Glasgow via Manchester, Leeds, Asgardia’s flag, constitution
in which a partial vacuum is maintained. Newcastle and Edinburgh. Finally, the North- and 13-month calendar.
There are several companies and teams of South Connector route, which has been
scientists and engineers working worldwide developed in association with students and TEMPERANCE TAG
to develop Hyperloop systems, including faculty at the University of Edinburgh and Police in Lincolnshire are
Hyperloop One, Hyperloop Transport Heriot-Watt University, would link London trialling a leg-mounted tag
Technologies and TransPod. and Edinburgh via Manchester and Birmingham. that, instead of tracking
Citing the success of Eurostar trains in All three of the routes are, it should be the movements of low-level
capturing 70 per cent of cross-Channel traffic stressed, strictly speculative propositions offenders, monitors their
in just a few years, Hyperloop’s Vision For Europe at this stage. But the fact that so many leading alcohol intake. It’s designed
proposes routes linking Corsica to Sardinia, businesses and academic institutions around to ensure offenders stick
Spain to Morocco, and Estonia to Finland. the world are taking the Hyperloop project to booze-free conditions
There are also suggested routes in Germany, seriously suggests it may become a reality imposed as part of
Poland and the Netherlands, plus three in the UK. sooner than we think. a community sentence.

A HEADBAND TO TREAT DEPRESSION? H
A South Korean biomedical start- seen increased interest in its activity is associated with EAL TH
up called Ybrain has developed use in treating neurological and depressive disorders. Mindd is
a headband that they claim will psychiatric conditions, and a not intended as a DIY solution:
offer relief from the symptoms of 2016 meta-analysis of hundreds patients would use it in their own
depression. The device, called of studies concluded that it’s homes, and all data regarding
Mindd, works using a technique “possible or probably effective” treatment would be sent
called transcranial direct-current as a treatment for depression. automatically to their doctor.
stimulation (tDCS). Here, a low- tDCS equipment can stimulate The headband is currently
voltage electrical current is particular brain regions either undergoing clinical trials at
applied to specific areas in ‘anodally’ (increasing neuronal Harvard Medical School,
the brain via electrodes placed activity) or ‘cathodally’ and at 12 hospitals in South
on the skull. (decreasing neuronal activity). Korea. Early results are said
tDCS is not new – the basic The Mindd headset applies to be promising, and if all goes
principles have been understood anodal stimulation via electrodes well Ybrain hopes to market
since the early 19th century. in the headband to the frontal the device to health providers
But the past decade or so has lobe, an area where decreased by 2019.
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OCTOBER 2017