Media Watch

Now a team reports pushing these lattices to their ultimate limit, generating a ceramic material that’s as strong as theorists believe to be physically possible. The material is stronger than diamond while being up to 70 percent air. … While earlier lattices were made up of cylindrical beams, the new design uses connected ceramic plates. This design makes it 639% stronger and 522% stiffer than the best beam-based lattices. In fact, it boasts the highest strength theoretically possible for any such architected materials, says Jens Bauer, a mechanical and aerospace engineer at the University of California, Irvine. Read More

Virgin Orbit worked with physicians and medical-device experts at the University of California Irvine (UCI) and the University of Texas at Austin, as part of the Bridge Ventilator Consortium, a group formed recently to quickly find a solution to the shortage of ventilators during the pandemic.  … "Getting ventilators out there is very important to save lives," Dr. Brian J.F. Wong, an assistant chairman of otolaryngology (the study of the ears, nose and throat) at UCI who is a part of the Bridge Ventilator Consortium, said in the statement. "The demand outstrips supply, so it is important the government, industry, academia, non-profits and the community work together to identify solutions, and design and construct them as fast as possible." Read More

Virgin Orbit has worked with the Bridge Ventilator Consortium to develop a simple “bridge” ventilator that could be used for COVID-19 patients who don’t need intensive care or have partially recovered. … The Bridge Ventilator Consortium is a team of health professionals and researchers trying to solve the national shortage of ventilators; UC Irvine and the University of Texas at Austin have led the effort. “The demand outstrips supply,” Dr. Brian J.F. Wong, assistant chairman of otolaryngology at UCI, said in a statement, “so it is important the government, industry, academia, non-profits and the community work together to identify solutions, and design and construct them as fast as possible. [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More

“We face a slow-motion Dunkirk, and getting ventilators out there is very important to save lives,” said Dr. Brian J.F. Wong, assistant chairman of otolaryngology at UCI, in a statement. “The demand outstrips supply, so it is important the government, industry, academia, non-profits and the community work together to identify solutions, and design and construct them as fast as possible.” Read More