Sometimes what’s old doesn’t need replacing, but simply improving. Recently, the trustworthy zinc primers people have been using for decades to protect steel just got a lot better. But first, a few other remarkable developments to describe like a robot designed to keep people safe. Let’s jump into this week’s innovation roundup!

A robot as smooth as a snake

In Salt Lake City, a company called Sarcos designed a robot that goes into those narrow, dangerous places where you don’t want to send your workers. It’s small, moves forward on magnetic tracks and in every direction, and can collect important data for the workers safely stationed outside. It’s perfect for moving along oil pipelines or metal walls and considering its small size, it’s able to reach places people aren’t able to. Jeff Reinke on Thomasnet has a video ready for us to see the slithering robot in action.

AI teaches a car how to drive

In the world of autonomous cars, there are still a few pieces of the puzzle missing, but two Cambridge PhDs have seemingly found them: more intelligent algorithms rather than sensors or other applications. Make the car smarter, and have it teach itself. So the pair took a Renault Twizy to the road with a driver at the wheel, but the car had full control. The algorithm the two researchers developed ensured that the car learned independently what to do, punished itself for mistakes, and corrected them as well. Loz Blain on Newatlas explains how this might be a key step in solving the problems that are holding us back from a driverless world.

Drones to fill potholes using 3D-printed material

Potholes in the road can cause serious damage, and cost millions each year to repair. The University of Leeds wants to make this process cheaper, faster, and easier by deploying drones capable of independently tracking and filling those potholes using a 3D-printed substance. When these get deployed, there will no longer be potholes appearing faster than they are being filled up. Smooth roads for all those self-driving cars in the future! And it’s not just Leeds that’s trying to create road solutions. Read more on Euronews, where Alice Tidey and Lillo Montalto Monella have a lot more to show.

New zinc primer technology

Gus Badamalenti explains how the status of zinc-rich primer just got elevated. First of all, the key element here is that zinc-rich primers have been effectively protecting carbon steel from erosion for literal decades, and he also explains that the last breakthrough in this area was in ’59. Now, over half a century later, new technology ensures that these primers can be applied more thickly and that fewer coats of protective layers are necessary. This saves time and resources, and a higher-quality coating means longer-lasting materials. For detailed info, let us lead you to BIC Magazine.

Whether it’s in the chemical world, smart cities, utilities, and more, there’s always something in here for all so make sure to subscribe! Any astonishing news you found, or anything else to share? E-mail us at info@tenforce.com, or one of the many social media platforms.