Top News of Last Week with ANA
Azad News Agency (ANA) published a number of scientific and technological news during the past week whose top ones are as follows:
Iran, UAE Officials hold Talks in Tehran to Expand Technological Cooperation
Amir Hossein Mirabadi, the Head of the Center for International Science and Technology Interactions at the Iranian Vice Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy and Omar Ahmed Suwaina Al Suwaidi, the United Arab Emirates(UAE) Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology stressed the need to further expand technological cooperation between the two nations.
Delegations from different countries, including Qatar, Tanzania, Turkey, Oman, UAE, Indonesia, etc., which had visited Tehran to take part at 2024 IRAN EXPO also paid a visit to Iran's House of Innovation and Technology (iHiT) on the second day of the Expo to get acquainted with export capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the capabilities of Iranian companies.
On the sidelines of the visit to iHiT on April 29, Mirabadi held a meeting with Al Suwaidi during which he expressed Iran’s readiness to transfer technology to the UAE.
The Iranian official highlighted that over the past 40 years, Iran has made significant progress in technology development and has since moved towards commercializing and utilizing its innovations.
Mirabadi also emphasized that there are various areas where Iran and the UAE can cooperate, such as agriculture and artificial intelligence.
He further pointed out that one of Iran's primary objectives is to connect to big knowledge-based companies and startups that are experienced to share ideas, technologies, and experiences with them.
The Iranian official further announced his organization’s readiness to lay the ground for technology transfer between Iran and the UAE.
The Emirati Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, for his part, expressed happiness with the visit to iHiT and praised the capabilities of Iranian companies. He said that his country is ready to cooperate with Iran in various fields of industry.
“In recent years, good measures have been taken in this field in the region. For that, we are interested in investing in various fields of technology such as supply chain,” he added.
Iranian Specialists Make Smart Parking System to Prevent Motorcycle, Bike Theft
Iranian experts at a technological unit of Islamic Azad University’s Bojnourd branch succeeded in making a smart parking system which can prevent stealing of bicycles and motorcycles.
“The product is a device for organizing bikes during parking which can also prevent theft of bicycles and motorcycles,” Sadeq Goliani, the director of the technological unit, told ANA.
“After placing the bicycle or motorcycle inside the device, the user can lock all the stealable and important parts of the bike or motorcycle by using the steel cable mounted on the back of the device. Once it is locked, the alarm is activated,” he said.
The traffic in the parking lot is detected by motion sensors, and a warning siren sounds to prevent damage or curiosity,” Goliani said.
“Any damage and cut of the steel wire will cause the long-term alarm system to sound, and when the building's electricity is cut off, the system will automatically switch to a low-consumption mode by the device's power source and continue to work for up to 6 hours, and any unusual contact or movement is detected by the sensors and the alarm is activated,” he underlined.
Iran-Made Smart Pillow Prevents Arthritis in Neck
An Iranian technological unit stationed at the incubator center of Islamic Azad University’s Khomeinishahr branch succeeded in making a smart pillow that puts the neck in a proper position during sleep and rest and prevents the occurrence of arthritis and spinal diseases in neck.
The technological product is equipped with an electric charging unit to provide electricity to the pillow in which the charging, electricity and sleep monitoring units are integrated and installed in the sponge.
The smart pillow has been produced by experts in medical engineering field at Viragostar Almas company.
“The invention is a charging unit for providing electricity from the outside to the pillow which includes a sponge with the function of a pillow and an outer cover around the sponge,” Alireza Ahmadi, the director of the technological unit, told ANA.
“A sleep monitoring unit has been used to monitor the person's sleeping condition, and an electric air pump is also applied to automatically inject or extract air in an air tube,” he added.
“Also, a charging connection terminal connected to an external power cable exists in the smart pillow to provide power from the rechargeable battery next to the charging connection terminal for manual operation of various modes for better sleep performance,” Ahmadi said.
Iranian Scientists Produce Biocompatible Pesticides
A group of Iranian researchers succeeded in settling the problem of impacts of pesticides on agricultural products by making standard biocompatible poisons.
Researchers at a knowledge-based company stationed at Tarbiat Modarres University produced biocompatible pesticide formulations, Varozis disease drug, compounds that attract fruit flies, sulfur and tabul to control pests and plant pathogenic agents, pesticides from plant residues, compounds which increase the effectiveness of pesticides, and active targeted fertilizers.
“Agricultural pesticide residues have created many problems for the export of greenhouse products. An issue that caused many products to return to Iran many times and farmers suffered a lot,” Saeed Moharramipour, a professor of Agriculture Faculty of Tarbiat Modarres University and the managing director of the knowledge-based company, told ANA.
“Our company has produced the product which kills the most important pest of greenhouses in the country - the two-spotted tartan mite. We have also registered the pesticide for fighting the citrus leafhopper, one of the key citrus pests,” he added.
Iran inaugurates Bank of Marine Reserves
Iran has inaugurated its bank (database) of marine reserves at the Iranian National Center for Genetic and Biologic Resources with the aim of protecting the country’s marine resources as a national asset.
Masoud Sadrinasab, an advisor to Iran’s Minister of Science, Research and Technology and Head of the Center for International Scientific Studies and Cooperation of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology attended the opening ceremony of the Iranian Marine Reserves Bank where he emphasized the need to pay more serious attention to the genetic and biosphere reserves in the country. He described the natural marine reserves as a national asset and a factor playing important role in food security and the general economy.
“Aquatic animals in Iran, especially in the Persian Gulf ecosystem, which has a good diversity, need protection and attention,” added the science ministry's center's head.
Also in the inauguration ceremony, Nasser Farrokhi, the deputy head of the Science Ministry's center reiterated the high possibility of generating wealth from knowledge-based products produced based on marine biological resources.
Farrokhi stressed the need for paying more attention to marine reserves in the Persian Gulf given the beginning of the exploitation on the part of the Persian Gulf littoral states from shared natural habitats.
Voicing his happiness with the opening of the Marine Reserves Bank in the Iranian National Center for Genetic and Biologic Resources, he further expressed hope that the protection of marine reserves will gain momentum through the joint efforts of all government and non-government bodies.
Special Enzyme Improver Produced in Iran for Bread Industry
Specialists of an Iranian knowledge-based company managed to produce enzyme improvers for the flour and bread industry by using strain engineering technology.
“The application of strain engineering technology in the production of the maltogenic amylase enzyme, or the special enzyme for flour and bread, is the newest production line launched in our company,” Ali Marjovi, the managing director of the knowledge-based company which makes probiotic and enzyme products, told ANA.
Noting that the entire process of indigenization of strain engineering technology in the production of flour and bread enzymes has been completed by the Iranian experts, he said, “The strain engineering project in the production of flour and bread enzymes is a time-consuming and continuous process that started last year in our company.”
“These maltogenic amylase enzymes are mostly used in the flour and bread industry, but they are also used in a limited way in other food industries. Strains are used as an improver to increase the quality of flour,” Marjovi said.
Maltogenic amylase (MAA) (EC3. 2.1. 133), a member of the glycoside hydrolase family 13 that mainly produces α-maltose, is widely used to extend the shelf life of bread as it softens bread, improves its elasticity, and preserves its flavor without affecting dough processing.
Iranian Scientists Make Smart Label for Monitoring Seafood Health
Iranian researchers produced a type of smart green ink to monitor the freshness of seafood by using nanotechnology and plant materials.
Asma Vardian, a researcher at Mashhad Food Science and Industry Research Institute, used anthocyanin, curcumin and their optimal ratio on nanofibrchitin substrate to produce pH-sensitive ink and indicator for monitoring shrimp spoilage with the naked eye.
In this project, smart green ink was made from shrimp shell waste (chitin nanofibers) and the combination of two natural pigments, curcumin and anthocyanin obtained from saffron petals, to monitor the freshness of shrimp during storage in the refrigerator.
These smart inks were stable even after being stored for six months at different temperatures.
Iran to Launch National Brain Center
Iran is establishing the National Brain Center with the aim of quantitative and qualitative development of interdisciplinary clinical researches, expansion of services, new technologies and empowerment of manpower in the field of cognitive and neurosciences.
The brain center is being created and will be run by Iran’s Cognitive Sciences & Technologies Council at the Firouzgar Educational, Research and Therapeutic Center in Tehran.
The project to create the brain center has had 30% progress so far. The council has announced that the center will be established for quantitative and qualitative development of interdisciplinary clinical researches, expansion of services, new technologies and empowerment of manpower in the field of cognitive and neurosciences.
The National Brain Center will act as a research, educational, therapeutic, and a rehabilitation base. It will act as a consortium consisting of universities and scientific centers operating in the field of neurology and other related scientific fields.
It will seek to materialize the vision of scientific cooperation and interdisciplinary research and will bring closer to each other basic sciences and clinical sciences.
Iranian Companies Producing Several Nano-Based Health Products
Iranian specialists at the knowledge-based and technological companies have used nanotechnology to manufacture several products for medical and health applications.
The most important Iran-made products manufactured for the health sector include wound dressing containing silver nanoparticles with antibacterial properties, chemotherapy injectable drug containing nanoliposomes, viral RNA magnetic extraction kit based on nanoparticles, amphotericin B topical gel containing nanomaterials, amphotericin B topical gel containing nanomaterials, zinc supplement capsule containing zinc oxide nanoparticles, sunscreen cream containing titanium dioxide nanoparticles, hand sanitizer foam containing silver nanoparticles, spunbond fabric covered with nanofibers, antibacterial medical seat pillow containing nanoparticles, and antibacterial orthopedic medical insoles containing nanoparticles.
Iran has made nanotechnology a priority in recent years, achieving lots of success. In January 2022, the nanotechnology research website StatNano ranked Iran as fourth in the world in nanotechnology publications.
“The number of scientific articles is deemed a significant parameter for measuring and comparing scientific development,” read the StatNano report.
Official: Iran Ranks 4th Worldwide in Traditional Medicine Citation
Iran ranks fourth among all participating countries for publication of articles in the field of indigenous pharmacology, traditional medicine and medicinal plants, an official said.
“Scientifically and practically, we have achieved a good position and an acceptable international ranking in the field of medicinal plants,” said Mohammad Reza Shams Ardakani, the secretary of the Science and Technology Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine Headquarters of the Iranian Vice-Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy.
“Since two years ago (2022), we have been able to rank fourth in the world, which is a very special success,” he added.
“We also have good knowledge-based companies that operate in the field of production, processing and extraction (of medicinal plants), and the Headquarters will also support them,” Shams Ardakani underlined.
Iranian Technologists Produce Lithium-Ion Batteries for Use in Auto Industry, Electric Motors
Technologists at a company in Iran have acquired the know-how of manufacturing 18650 Li-ion batteries which according to them, can be used in electric cars, household appliances and other transport vehicles.
“Our company has been operating in the field of banking since 2015 and we have produced products in the fields of banking and information technology,” said Mahdieh Sabour, the director of the digital department of the Iranian technological company.
She said that their company started its operation in the banking field with the production of POS devices, adding, “The production of thermal paper rolls used in POS devices is one of the other products of our company.”
Sabour considered the production of 18650 Li-ion batteries as the latest product they produce in their company, adding, “These batteries are used for electric motors and electric cars and other electric equipment.”
The director further considered 18650 Li-ion batteries to be a type of cylindrical batteries that are designed and manufactured to provide high electrical power and maintain high current for long time under fluctuating and very repetitive charge and discharge conditions.
"This product has the capability to provide a constant current of 25,000 milliamps under conditions of maximum temperature of 80 degrees Celsius. The special design of this product has made it possible for the user to use it at very low temperatures up to minus 30 degrees Celsius," she added.
Iranian Knowledge-Based Company Produces Remote Control Submarines
Experts at a knowledge-based company in Iran have successfully designed and produced remote control submarines for carrying out naval inspection missions under the sea surface.
Milad Fayazi, the managing director of the Knowledge-Based Company, that is the manufacturer of Remote Control Submarine, said that these mini submarines are robots that are widely used in the world.
As regards the specifications of the machine, he said that these remotely guided submarines are egg-shaped which are usually used for military activities or ocean navigation,” he added.
"Our field of work is industrial and free structure devices that are designed according to the type of project and are usually not egg-shaped; rather, they are in the form of structural robots and one of their advantages is the possibility of their production in different dimensions. This issue reduces costs and allows operations to be carried out in small spaces.
"In addition to implementing industrial processes, these robots are also capable of military activities, including the capability to neutralize sea mines or naval mine planting. In spite of that, our approach is to develop industrial robots and inspect the priorities that are considered for these robots."
Iranian Knowledge-Based Firm Domestically Produces Electronic Equipment Used in Marine Industry
A knowledge-based company in Iran has domestically designed and produced explosion-proof cameras, marine motion stabilizers and fluctuating sea level simulators that are ideal for marine environments.
In an interview with local media, Farhad Fatourechi, the managing director of the knowledge-based company pointed to the fluctuating sea level simulator, explosion-proof cameras, specific displays for daytime visibility and waterproof vessels among some of the products produced by their company.
"Our latest achievement is stabilizing foundations. This product is placed on vessels and controls the currents that cause fluctuations on the vessel," he said.
"Using this product, all the equipment on the vessels can be kept horizontally despite the fluctuations that the vessel exerts on this equipment," he added.
Referring to the applications of these stabilizers, Fatourechi explained, "Floating antennas must be in a stable position to communicate with satellites; otherwise, with the fluctuations of the ship, finding a satellite for the antenna will not be possible. These stabilizers can ensure the performance of these satellites."
Iranian Companies Unveil 3 Technological Products at INOTEX 2024
The three technological products were unveiled at the opening ceremony of the INOTEX international exhibition held in Tehran’s Pardis Technology Park in the presence of the deputy of the Iranian Vice President for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, Mehdi Safarinia, Zimbabwe’s science minister and the experts working in Iran’s innovation ecosystem.
These products are used in automobile, shoe, sports equipment, glue industries and in making industrial parts and as raw materials for the production of specific parts.
One of the three products unveiled at the INOTEX this year was thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) which is any of a class of polyurethane plastics with many properties, including elasticity, transparency, and resistance to oil, grease, and abrasion. Technically, they are thermoplastic elastomers consisting of linear segmented block copolymers composed of hard and soft segments.
4155/v
