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:

Islamic Azad University Experts Assisting Knife-Manufacturing Industry in Northwestern Iran

Iranian experts at Islamic Azad University’s Zanjan branch succeeded in finding new ways to strengthen the local knife-manufacturing industry in the Northwestern province.

“The university has adopted an innovative approach to seriously support the local handicrafts of Zanjan province, specially the knife industry,” Ahmad Naqilou, the president of the Islamic Azad University’s Zanjan branch, told ANA.

Noting that by launching the Applied Metallurgy Research Center, the Islamic Azad University’s Zanjan branch has taken effective steps in scientificizing knife production processes, improving product quality, and increasing the competitiveness of Zanjan knives in domestic and international markets, he said, “One of the university's outstanding actions has been introducing a scientific and precise method of steel heat treatment to Zanjan knife craftsmen.”

Naqilou explained that in the past, the process of heating and cooling blades was mostly done based on traditional experience, adding, “Now, the manufacturers have benefited from scientific guidance for temperature control, precise timing of heat treatment, and the use of metallographic analysis to increase the hardness and durability of blades.”

“These actions have made Zanjan knives superior in terms of beauty and design and they are improved in terms of technical quality, resistance, and useful life,” he said.

Iranian Firm Uses Nanotechnology to Increase Efficiency of Mint Flavoring

Iranian technologists from a knowledge-based company managed to make an effective mint-based flavoring for the food, pharmaceutical, and health industries.

The mint flavoring produced by the company is designed with a nano-formulation that increases the stability of effective ingredients, faster effectiveness, and longer shelf life of the active ingredient in the final product. This technology helps the beneficial ingredients of mint to be better absorbed by the body and enhances its therapeutic properties.

Mint extract is prepared from the aromatic leaves of the mint plant, which has a special place among herbal flavorings due to its pungent smell and cool aroma. This natural compound not only plays a role in improving the taste and smell of dairy and protein products, but has also found widespread use in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products due to its therapeutic properties.

The company's nano-mint flavor has proven effects in reducing stress and anxiety, increasing mental focus, relieving nausea, improving digestive function, reducing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, and relieving headaches and cold symptoms.

This extract is also used as an anti-inflammatory and topical cooling agent in a variety of pain-relieving gels, herbal ointments, and skin care products.

Iranian Knowledge-Based Firm Produces Healthy Sperm Separation Chip for Infertility Treatment

An Iranian knowledge-based firm managed to design and produce a healthy sperm separation chip for infertility treatment.

Yasaman Asgari, a master's student in medical nanotechnology and a researcher at the knowledge-based company, announced the design and production of a specialized product in the field of microfluidics that is used in infertility treatment processes like IVF and ICSI.

“In our company, we are trying to produce cost-effective designs in the field of microfluidics, relying on our technical know-how,” Asgari said.

“Our product, which has successfully passed the clinical testing stages, is a chip for separating healthy and capable sperm that is used in assisted reproductive treatments,” she added.

Asgari explained that the chip separates healthy sperm in terms of movement, speed and quality and collects them inside a filter, and embryologists harvest healthy sperm and fertilize them with eggs.

Iranian Researcher, Colleagues Develop AI-Based Drone to Extinguish Wildfire

MIT researchers developed a new, machine learning-based adaptive control algorithm for drone that could minimize its deviation from its intended trajectory in the face of unpredictable forces like gusty winds.

An autonomous drone carrying water to help extinguish a wildfire in the Sierra Nevada might encounter swirling Santa Ana winds that threaten to push it off course. Rapidly adapting to these unknown disturbances inflight presents an enormous challenge for the drone’s flight control system.

Unlike standard approaches, the new technique does not require the person programming the autonomous drone to know anything in advance about the structure of these uncertain disturbances. Instead, the control system’s artificial intelligence model learns all it needs to know from a small amount of observational data collected from 15 minutes of flight time.

Importantly, the technique automatically determines which optimization algorithm it should use to adapt to the disturbances, which improves tracking performance. It chooses the algorithm that best suits the geometry of specific disturbances this drone is facing.

The researchers train their control system to do both things simultaneously using a technique called meta-learning, which teaches the system how to adapt to different types of disturbances.

Iranian Company Combines Nanotechnology with Smart Heating in Textiles, Cars

A knowledge-based company in Iran used nanotechnology to produce a new generation of car seat heaters, car panels, bathroom mirrors, and wearables that are lightweight, thin, washable, and highly efficient.

In this technology, nano-inks act as the raw material for printing on fabric or flexible surfaces, enabling the production of flexible electronic circuits, sensors, RFIDs, and heaters without the need for wiring or bulky parts.

The heaters produced by the company, using conductive nanoparticles, are able to provide uniform heat in less than a minute, and their temperature can be adjusted at three different levels. The structure of these products is designed to be free of hot spots, and is hypoallergenic and long-lasting.

This technological approach is not limited to consumer products. By developing a nano-ink-based electronic printing device, the company has enabled research, development, and industrial production in the field of printed electronics in the country. By indigenizing this technology, it has taken an effective step in reducing dependence and developing domestic production.

Iranian Company Produces Nano Glass Coating to Eliminate Sun Radiation

An Iranian company used nanotechnology to make special glass coatings to eliminate sun radiation and save energy.

“The glass coatings we have designed can control up to 75%-90% of the heat transfer that comes through the sun’s infrared wavelength. They also eliminate the harmful ultraviolet (UV) portion of the sun’s radiation that causes skin damage and discoloration of surfaces. The technology has been developed over about 3 years,” said Saeed Madarshahi, a representative of the company.

“The advantage of this technology is that there is no need to replace the existing glass or windows. Unlike solutions that require expensive replacement of entire windows, this coating can be applied to existing glass in older buildings and has a favorable effect on the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC),” he added.

“Unlike conventional glass, this technology does not transmit heat to the interior and just manages it. Even in winter, in cities where sunlight is a nuisance, this coating can be useful,” Madarshahi said.

Iranian Company Designs, Manufactures, Renovates Industrial Parts

A technological company in Iran has taken a step towards the country's industrial self-sufficiency by designing, manufacturing and renovating industrial parts and playing a role in mining and solar energy projects.

“Our company operates in the fields of design, manufacturing, production, reverse engineering and renovating industrial parts and equipment, specially in the steel sector, and also plays a role in the construction and commissioning of solar power plants,” Ali Baaj, the head of the technical office of the company stationed at the Innovation Center of Islamic Azad University’s Sirjan branch, told ANA on the sidelines of Asr-e Omid event in the Northwestern city of Tabriz.

“With complete equipment, including turning, milling and manual and CNC cutting machines, the company can produce all types of industrial parts,” he added.

“Our company manufactured parts, including hydraulic jacks, induction furnace for the Golgohar Mine Hematite Factory and the screen of the Hematite Factory. And the reconstruction of the vacuum pump of the Golgohar Concentrate Factory weighing 10 tons and special technical challenges was carried out for the first time in the province by our company,” Baaj said.

Home-Grown Technologies to Save Dry Lands in Iran

With over 100 million hectares of land exposed to desertification, Iran is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world, and to deal with this crisis, it has turned to the development of knowledge-based and indigenous technologies from the production of biological mulches and the restoration of aqueducts to seed-spreading drones and intelligent drought monitoring systems.

In Iran, due to the expansion of desert areas and chronic drought, researchers, knowledge-based companies, and government institutions have developed various technologies for desertification.

A number of the most important indigenized technologies in the field of desertification in Iran are as follows:

. Non-oil mulch technology (biocompatible)

The production of plant and polymer mulch to replace oil mulch by the National Institute of Genetic Engineering, the Forestry Organization, and knowledge-based companies is one of the desertification technologies that has features such as reducing environmental pollution, stabilizing soil, and reducing dust.

Also, plant mulch was produced by researchers at Yazd University and Ferdowsi University of Mashhad.

. Planting drought-resistant species with genetic engineering

Research on the cultivation of drought-resistant species with desertification goals is on the agenda of researchers in the country, and in this regard, extensive seedling planting projects have been implemented in the provinces of Khuzestan, Kerman, Sistan and Balouchestan, and Semnan.

The creation of a gene bank for drought-resistant plants at the Iranian Natural Resources Research Center is another of these measures.

. Stabilizing fast-moving sands with indigenous technologies

Using living windbreaks by planting local trees such as sycamore and beech, and designing and installing artificial windbreaks on roads and around cities exposed to dust are other technologies developed in the country.

Implementing mechanical desertification projects in the southeast of the country is one of these examples.

. Intelligent drought and vegetation monitoring systems

Developing systems based on GIS and satellite images to monitor desertification is another achievement of the country's technologists. For this purpose, the Meteorological Organization and the Natural Resources Research Center have launched the "National Drought Monitoring System".

Using remote sensing to predict critical desert areas is another technology developed in the country for this purpose.

. New irrigation technologies and aqueduct restoration

Designing low-pressure and smart irrigation systems in dry areas is another technology developed in the country with the aim of desertification. Reconstruction and restoration of thousands of aqueducts in desert provinces with the help of geotechnical technology is an example of the announced projects in this area.

Installing moisture sensors and smart agricultural applications for better management of water resources are other technological approaches of the country to combat drought.

. Biochar and saline soil improvement with Iranian methods

Pilot projects using biochar to increase moisture retention in the soil in order to reduce the size of the desert in the country.

Using symbiotic fungi (mycorrhiza) to increase the resistance of desert plants is another field of extensive research by the country's technologists at the Iranian Soil and Water Research Institute.

. Drones for seeding and planting

The initial test of using drones for seeding in inaccessible areas by some environmental startups is another technological solution for the country to adapt to drought conditions. In this regard, cooperation is underway between Sharif, Tarbiat Modares and Yazd Universities of Technology with the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad to develop this technology

Startup Team in Iran Develops Smart Pharmacy

An Iranian startup team has developed a smart pharmacy based on the artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate and increase the accuracy of prescriptions.

With the expansion of the use of technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics and the Internet of Things in the health industry, a new generation of pharmacies called ‘smart pharmacies’ have emerged to render services to people.

An Iranian startup team has also created a smart system in this field.

A smart pharmacy is an advanced automated system for delivering medicines and pharmaceutical services which is designed by using robotics, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things technology.

This device can provide medicines to patients accurately, quickly and safely without the need for a human operator.

The aim of this technology is to reduce human error, save time, increase access to medicine and improve the level of health services.

The possibility of drug interactions with the help of artificial intelligence, precise management of expiration dates and inventory, professional reporting of drug sales and automatic diagnosis of doctor's prescriptions with artificial intelligence are other capabilities of this drug distribution system.

Iran Constructs 1st Green Products Refinery in Middle- East

The first green products refinery in the Middle-East has been put into operation, relying on local technology and international standards of the US EPA.

For the first time in the Middle East, a group of technologists from one of the companies, with round-the-clock efforts and spending huge expenses, manufactured green products refining equipment, including centrifuges, reactors and other components of the production line, relying on US EPA standards.

“The first phase of this project (refinery number one) is now ready for operation and has a daily production capacity of between 100,000 to 300,000 liters of product. If the authorities support it, the second phase (refinery number two) can also produce between 5 and 10 million liters of product daily, meeting a large part of the country's needs,” said Ali Arabzadeh, the managing director of the company.

“Using our green products can reduce vehicle maintenance costs by about 50%, and fuel consumption by 5% to 10%, extend the life of the vehicle engine, help reduce noise, friction, and increase efficiency,” he added.

“Also, based on tests, using these products leads to a 60% to 70% reduction in air pollution. All of these products are non-toxic, biodegradable, environmentally friendly, contain the lowest amount of sulfur (120 times less than fossil fuels) and can be returned to nature,” Arabzadeh said.

“All of the company's products are manufactured based on to the global standard ASTM D6751,” he added.

Exports of Iran-Made Smart CPR Simulator to 6 Countries

Iranian technologists at a knowledge-based company designed and produced a CPR training simulator based on artificial intelligence and exported it to 6 countries.

“The product we made is a CPR training simulator that has been designed and produced by using artificial intelligence and XR technology,” said Amir Reza Bakhoda, a technologist at the knowledge-based company.

“XR is a combination of three technologies of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). In this product, we tried to simulate stressful conditions in public environments for learners so that they can touch the virtual environment while viewing it and have a more realistic feel of the training situation,” he added.

“In this simulator, additional information has been added to the product's smart mannequin, allowing users to analyze and correct their performance while performing CPR. In the CPR process, actions like chest compressions, mouth-to-mouth breathing, and vital signs monitoring must be performed with high accuracy,” Bakhoda said.

“This smart mannequin provides accurate feedback by simultaneously measuring the depth of compression, rhythm, hand placement, inhalation and exhalation, and vital signs,” he added.

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