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2022 timeline contents

2022 - Germany phases out nuclear energy | Qatar hosts the FIFA World Cup | China's first space station is complete | The European Extremely Large Telescope is operational | Nanotech clothing is growing in popularity | Piezoelectric nanowires are appearing in high-end products | Deafness is fully curable

 

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2022

Germany phases out nuclear energy

After the Fukushima disaster in Japan, a number of countries began to reconsider their use of nuclear power. Germany was among the nations to abandon this form of energy altogether. The government had originally planned to keep plants running until 2036, but this schedule was brought forward. Seven plants which had been temporarily shut down for testing in 2011, and an eighth taken offline for technical problems, would remain closed permanently. The remaining nine plants would be shut down by 2022.

Prior to this phasing out, nuclear power in Germany had produced about a quarter of the country's electricity and the industry employed some 30,000 people. The shortfall would be made up by renewables, a temporary increase in the use of coal* and the cutting of electricity usage by 10 percent through more efficient machinery and buildings.*

 

Germany's nuclear plants in 2011, showing the zones of radiation in a potential worst-case scenario, as happened with Fukushima. According to this map, large areas of north and south Germany would be made uninhabitable if all plants were to meltdown.

 

 

Qatar hosts the FIFA World Cup

Qatar is a tiny Persian Gulf nation of just 1.7 million people. It has the second highest GDP per capita in the world, owing to its massive natural gas deposits. It becomes the first country in the Middle East to host the World Cup.

Summers in Qatar can reach 50°C. However, each stadium employs state-of-the-art cooling technology, capable of reducing temperatures by over 20 degrees celsius. The upper tiers can be disassembled after the tournament and donated to countries with less developed sports infrastructure.

One of the stadia includes a 420,000 sq ft media facade, covering almost the whole exterior. This futuristic screen displays news, adverts, tournament information and live matches to viewers outside.*

 

 

 

China's first space station is complete

China's efforts to develop low Earth orbit (LEO) space station capabilities began with a space laboratory phase, consisting of three "Tiangong" space modules launched in 2011, 2013 and 2015, respectively. These were small and experimental modules intended to demonstrate the rendezvous and docking capabilities needed for a much larger space station complex. They were designed for short stays with a crew of three.

The larger, modular space station begins to take shape in 2020, using the previous separate components which are arranged as a Core Cabin Module (CCM), Laboratory Cabin Module I (LCM-1) and Module II (LCM-2), a "Shenzhou" crewed vessel and a cargo craft for transporting supplies and lab facilities.

The multiphase construction program is completed by 2022. The complex weighs approximately 60,000 kilograms (130,000 lb) and will support three astronauts for long-term habitation. It has a design lifetime of ten years.*

 

Credit: Chinese Society of Astronautics

 

 

The European Extremely Large Telescope is operational

This revolutionary new telescope is built in Cerro Armazones, Chile, by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), an intergovernmental research organisation supported by fifteen countries. It has the aim of observing the universe in greater detail than even the Hubble Space Telescope.

A mirror of 39 metres (129 ft) will be powerful enough to study the atmospheres of extrasolar planets. It will also perform "stellar archaeology" - measuring the properties of the first stars and galaxies, as well as probing the nature of dark matter and dark energy.

Originally planned for 2018,* the observatory is delayed until 2022 due to financial problems.* The mirror is also reduced in size slightly, having previously been 42m.

 

Credit: ESO

 

 

Nanotech clothing is growing in popularity

A variety of nanotech clothing is becoming mainstream now. This includes the first truly waterproof garments. These are made from polyester fibres coated with millions of silicone filaments. They are structured in such a way that water simply falls off, without leaving any dampness.*

Other textiles utilising nanotechnology include self-cleaning carpets. Millions of tiny fingers, embedded in the fabric, gently sway and lean towards the edge of the room, shifting dust and other garbage in a matter of minutes. Collectors fixed into the skirting board then gather and dispose of any detritus as necessary. This has already been used in hotels, luxury apartments and high-grade office buildings - but is now entering the consumer market thanks to falling costs.

Nanotech is also being used extensively by the military, as well as police forces. Ultra-lightweight but extraordinarily impact-resistant jackets and body armour are becoming available. Fireproof suits can also be made safer using these new materials.

 

Credit: University of Zurich/Wiley Vch

 

 

Piezoelectric nanowires are appearing in high-end products

The piezoelectric effect, in which crystalline materials under mechanical stress produce an electric current, is now being utilised at the nanoscale level to power a variety of devices.*

Tiny vibrations - such as those created by wind, sound waves, friction, and even the turbulence of blood flow - can be captured and harnassed by a nanowire mesh. The bending of this mesh in response to these subtle forces can generate over 200 millivolts.

This form of self-powering technology is so sensitive, it can even be embedded in clothing. For instance, the subtle movements of a belt, shirt or trouser pocket can produce enough power to charge the batteries of a cell phone.

Implantable medical devices benefit particularly well from this. Hearing aids, for example, no longer require batteries since they can be powered by sound waves hitting them. Meanwhile, bone-loss monitors and other sensors can be activated by stresses to the body - then beam an alert signal to a computer.

Piezoelectric nanowires have a range of other applications. They can be used in engineering, for example, to detect microscopic fractures in an aeroplane or spacecraft. They can also be used in identity verification: a grid of piezoelectric wires underneath a signature pad (or other touchscreen device) can be used to record the pattern of pressure applied, which is then checked against a database.

 

 

Deafness is fully curable

Recent advances in stem cell research have provided a method of regenerating sensory cells within the inner ear. Humans are born with 30,000 cochlear and vestibular hair cells per ear. Unlike many animal species, they are unable to regenerate these when they are damaged. However, experiments with mice showed that it was possible to induce stem cells - as well as reprogrammed fibroblasts - into creating enough replacement hair cells to fully restore hearing. This process was then replicated in people.*

Using the patient's own skin as a source of stem cells means that the replacements are a perfect genetic match for their body, avoiding issues of immune rejection. This form of therapy also enables a variety of other ailments to be treated, such as balance disorders and tinnitus.

 

© Anita Potter | Dreamstime.com