Robotics for Sustainability

Player i-on, a student at GWU wins the Heisenberg for biggest impact on the conversation.  From biomimetics to energy storage, from water oxidation to recycling, from underwater robots to smart shingles, i-on is asking provocative questions and making bold forecasts about the next decade.

Not only that, but more than half of i-on’s microforecasts have garnered responses and engagement from other players.  A true conversation catalyst.  Congratulations, i-on!

For more on awards, achievement and recognition you could win with your forecasting, click here.

There have been many cards played on desalination. While desalination will be key in meeting the rising demand for fresh water globally. There are some hurdles that need to be overcome for desalination to be viable. First, the current desalination techniques are highly energy intensive: both heat treatment and reverse osmosis. How can chemists contribute to bring down the energy cost of desalination? Second, most desalination plants are located around the coasts and it is very expensive to move desalinated water inland from the coasts. One interesting fact, for example, the state of California spends 20% of the total energy to move water within the state. Lastly, the residue water from desalination if pumped directly into the ocean is highly polluting, especially for corals. What can chemists do to make the residue sustainable?

Player openthefuture forecasts a provocative future for sustainability, and asks what the role of chemists will be in this future scenario:

Here is a bit more context from Institute for the Future’s research into geoengineering scenarios:

Geoengineering intentionally manipulates the Earth’s systems to reduce the amount or impact of warming.  Among many, candidate paths toward this could include:

• decreasing how much sunlight (or insolation) hits the lower atmosphere by increasing the reflectivity (or albedo) of the upper atmosphere.  This might be done by emulating the effects of volcanoes through the injection of megatons of sulphate particles into the stratosphere.
• ocean iron fertilization to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere through induced algae blooms or cloud brightening, which pumps seawater into the lower atmosphere to increase cloud reflectivity

These only hint at the geoengineering approches, much less the challenges of monitoring and management that would follow if any of these paths were taken.  Player openthefuture asks, what role will chemists have in all of this?

What do you think?  How will you make the future in this sustainability forecast?  Click here to respond.

Amyameretta’s provocative micro-forecasts and sharp questioning of other ACS Robotics for Sustainability made her worthy of the TED Talk badge! The world is ready for Amy to give a stirring 18-minute treatise on the future of her field.

We are seeing some really interesting forecasts so far.  If you have already played a “card” or two, consider challenging yourself further:  Are you thinking outside of the box as you look ahead to 2020?  Find out!

On the top right of your screen, you will see a link to “My Profile.” 

Click on My Profile, and you’ll see your total forecasting points, along with a breakdown of your strengths.  This highlights which cards you’re playing the most.  Are you focusing mostly on cool advances in robotics without forecasting what will be happening in sustainability by 2020? 

Only playing first-level forecasts, but not building on anyone else’s ideas by playing the follow-up cards? If so, try underscoring someone’s point by referencing something going on in the field with a “Check this out” card.  Have a spirited disagreement by playing a “No Way!” card.  Build momentum and riff on someone else’s idea with a “Couldn’t You Also?” card or ask for clarification with a “Tell Me More” card.

Remember, one valuable achievement in this game is to win “The Works” award for contributing all five types of micro-forecasts in a single experiment.  Are you thinking outside of the box?  Round out your strengths by playing a different type of card.

To play a follow-up or feedback card, click on a first level card, and see your options underneath. 

The world needs your outside of the box ideas in order to meet the challenges of the next decade!

Here is a quick entry point to bring you up to speed on the themes we’ve encountered so far on the Robotics for Sustainability ACS Signtific Lab thought experiment:

Hot zones to watch:

• Chemistry contributes to robotic frontiers: robots that learn about the chemical composition of their environment, robots using polymer “skin” for pressure sensitivity in medical robots, chemists pioneer better Rare Earth Element manufacturing processes for greater robot complexity, encapsulated mitochondriaconducting polymers for robotic facial expression, unmanned water robots to repair water pipes, polymer coatings for robotic devices & safety applications, encapsulated mitochondria generates ATP to drive bio-mechanical actuators for material & control of robot,
• Environment: toxic spills, chemists expanding battery energy storage capacities, environmental sensors become standard on robots, programmable material death, smart shingles, recycling,

• Chemistry for human quality of life: food fabbing, dishes you never wash, Cantu’s printable food, polymer electrolyte gels for muscle augmentation, eradicating hunger?, chemistry for access to food?

• Chemistry for our energy future: hybrid fuel cells for interplanetary exploration, DFT methods for energy, materials with built-in insulation, Thorium, clean hydrogen fuel,

• Unleveraged or underleveraged capabilities: new functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (Player kathivian asks how robotics will take advantage of this)

• New norms in 2020: benchtop combinatorial chemistry, high thruput screening & genomics for both hardware & software side of robotics, concern with chemical product life cycles & cradle-to-cradle approach

• 2020 Partners & collaborators: Who will chemists partner with to make these advances by 2020?, possible barriers to these partnerships?

drdoom holds an early lead on the Leaderboard for playing cards about density functional theory, functionalized magnetic nanoparticles, and polymer electrolyte gels.

Do you have some comments for drdoom? do you have your own ideas about chemistry, robotics, and sustainability.

Play a few cards and then click Leaderboard at the top of the Signtific Lab home page to see where you rank in the discussion.