NASA admits that the current lunar suit presents risks to astronauts on Mars missions

A team of engineers from NASA and industry concluded that the most modern spacesuit developed by the agency is not suitable for Mars missions. This conclusion was presented during the 55th International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES), as reported by Universe Today.

The suit under review is the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), designed specifically for the Artemis missions on the Moon. This equipment represents a significant advance in modern engineering, weighing 170 kg, and features such as resistance to large pressure variations, high mobility, and modularity.

However, due to Martian gravity, which is 3/8ths of Earth's gravity, the same suit would add an extra weight of 64 kg to the astronaut. In contrast, on the Moon, where gravity is 1/6th of Earth's, this suit would only equate to 28 kg.

Why 64 kg is a real danger

The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety establishes a maximum load limit of 23 kg. Spacesuits have an advantageous feature: their internal pressure acts like a balloon, relieving approximately 22 kg of the weight borne on the astronaut's shoulders.

Considering these elements and using a female astronaut at the 5th percentile of body weight (approximately 50 kg) as a basis, engineers estimated that the maximum acceptable weight for a suit intended for Mars would be 104 kg. This value implies a 40% reduction compared to the existing xEMU. To meet this need, a new suit called the MxEMU (Mars Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit) was conceived.

Engineers are concerned about emergency scenarios, such as the so-called 'walkback' scenario: if a unpressurized rover breaks down kilometers from the habitat, astronauts would have to return on foot using the suit. With the current xEMU, carrying an additional 64 kg on Mars would make this emergency walk extremely dangerous or even unfeasible. Even after a 40% weight reduction, those responsible suggest a maximum walking radius of only 30 minutes, restricting rover explorations to a range of 1.8 km around the habitat.

How to lose 40% of the weight

Traditionally, about 60% of the total weight of a spacesuit comes from the Backpack Life Support System, known as the Portable Life Support System (PLSS). The remaining 40% corresponds to the structure of the suit itself. Applying this proportion to the MxEMU, engineers determined that the PLSS should weigh 62 kg and the suit itself 42 kg.

One suggested approach involves abandoning the modularity of the xEMU and returning to the integrated architecture used in Apollo-era suits, where different components accumulated structural functions to optimize weight. However, there is an inherent challenge: Apollo suits were designed to withstand only a single simultaneous failure, whereas the current xEMU is capable of tolerating two. This design trade-off is a dilemma that engineers must resolve before any human can set foot on Mars.

tecnoblog.netAugust 1, 16:01

Chinese manufacturer Tecno obtains approval in Brazil for the Pova Curve 2 5G smartphone with an 8,000 mAh battery

The Chinese manufacturer Tecno has received Anatel approval to introduce the Pova Curve 2 5G smartphone to the Brazilian market. This device stands out for having a robust 8,000 mAh battery and a curved AMOLED screen with a 144 Hz refresh rate.

According to information obtained by Tecnoblog, the Pova Curve 2 5G is equipped with the Mediatek Dimensity 7100 processor, in addition to offering RAM configurations of 8 GB or 12 GB, and internal storage options of 128 GB or 256 GB.

Although the approval was granted this month, Tecno has not yet confirmed an official launch date for the device in Brazil. In its Indian version, the device cost 27,999 Indian rupees, which is equivalent to approximately R$ 1,490.

Tecno Mobile is part of Transsion Holdings, a Chinese conglomerate that also owns other brands such as Itel and Infinix, with the latter operating in the country in collaboration with Positivo. In addition to the Pova Curve 2 5G, the brand also received approval for the entry-level Tecno Spark Go 3 phone.

Huge 8,000 mAh Battery

The most notable aspect of the Pova Curve 2 5G is its 8,000 mAh battery, a capacity significantly higher than the average of phones sold in Brazil. To optimize charging, the model supports 45W fast charging technology.

In the Brazilian market, finding phones with 8,000 mAh is still uncommon. A competitor that shares this feature is the Realme C100x, which incorporates the component into a thicker body, measuring 8.6 mm, compared to the 7.42 mm of the Pova Curve 2.

144 Hz Curved Screen and Cameras

In addition to the battery, the Pova Curve 2 5G features a remarkably curved AMOLED panel, with dimensions of 6.78 inches, Full HD+ resolution, and a 144 Hz refresh rate.

Regarding the camera system, the Pova Curve 2 5G is equipped with a 50-megapixel main sensor, which includes a wide-angle lens with an f/1.8 aperture. It also has a secondary 2-megapixel macro sensor and a 13-megapixel front camera capable of recording in Full HD at 30 frames per second.

Mediatek Dimensity 7100 Processor

The phone's hardware is powered by the octa-core mid-range MediaTek Dimensity 7100 chip, manufactured using a 6-nanometer process and incorporating the Mali-G610 MC2 GPU. This processor, launched in January, had not yet been seen in other devices in Brazil.

Internationally, the smartphone is available in versions with 8 GB or 12 GB of RAM and storage options of 128 GB or 256 GB. The Pova Curve 2 5G also offers 5G connectivity, supports dual Nano-SIM chips, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC for contactless payments, and an under-display optical fingerprint reader.

www.tehrantimes.comAugust 1, 15:17

Iran becomes one of the founders of the World Association for Artificial Intelligence Cooperation (WAICO)

Iran has joined the World Association for Artificial Intelligence Cooperation (WAICO), an intergovernmental organization led by China aimed at promoting international cooperation in the field of AI. Iran became one of the founding countries after signing the agreement for this new structure in Shanghai, China.

According to IRNA, the Iranian ambassador to China, Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli, signed the agreement on behalf of his country on Friday. During a meeting with Chinese Foreign Ministry Assistant Liu Bin, the diplomat emphasized the significance of multilateral cooperation for shaping the future of advanced technologies.

He also expressed Iran's readiness to actively participate in the scientific, research, and practical development of AI, as well as in creating international mechanisms for fair access to and use of AI. Rahmani-Fazli noted that by joining this international initiative as a founder, Iran is adopting a constructive approach to developing technologies and utilizing the potential of AI for sustainable development and societal progress.

The new organization, initially proposed by China at the World Conference on Artificial Intelligence in 2025, plans to be headquartered in Shanghai and function as an independent intergovernmental body.

On July 16, one day before the annual World Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Shanghai, representatives from 29 countries, including Iran, Russia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and other Asian, African, and Latin American countries, signed the agreement to establish WAICO. The event was attended by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

The WAICO agreement emphasizes open participation without conditions related to political systems or values. It pays great attention to reducing the gap in technology access between richer and poorer nations. The organization aims to support developing countries in building AI capacity, shaping governance rules, and technical standards.

Furthermore, WAICO is aimed at promoting international AI cooperation in a way that remains beneficial, safe, and fair for all, in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter and a customer-oriented approach.

Iran's Proposals at the Global AI Governance Dialogue

In July, the head of the Secretariat of the AI Technology Development and Application Headquarters delivered a lecture at the Global Dialogue on AI Governance and presented five proposals, while also announcing the country's readiness to expand international cooperation.

The UN held the Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva on July 6 and 7. According to Emaddin Fatemizadeh of Mehr Agency, Iran is ready to constructively participate in shaping the future of AI governance, as the country possesses high potential, including young scientists, researchers, and data science engineers, for effective participation in regional and international cooperation in the AI sector.

He added that the dynamic ecosystem of knowledge-based companies and innovative startups demonstrates a determination to achieve technological progress. To help realize the goals of this meeting, Iran put forward the following five recommendations.

The first proposal concerned the creation of a regional AI academy to train specialized personnel and develop joint educational and research programs in universities and research institutes of the region. The second proposal focused on establishing a joint regional fund for innovation and AI development, which should support early-stage startups, foster the emergence of 'unicorn' companies, and finance national projects.

The third proposal was the creation of a digital free zone to stimulate the development of AI-based businesses across the region. The fourth recommendation stressed the need to develop legal frameworks and regional norms to prevent the use of AI for destructive military purposes against civilian populations. The last proposal was the development of common infrastructure and data centers intended for non-military applications.

The diplomat concluded that the future gap will not be a gap in income or industries, but a gap in data, computational capabilities, and access to AI infrastructure. Therefore, measures must be taken today to reduce these disparities and put common data centers and computing power at the service of science, healthcare, education, environment, crisis management, and public welfare.

www.tehrantimes.comAugust 1, 15:17

Over 1000 participants took part in the national robotics competition AiroCup

The national artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics competition named AiroCup was held in Tehran, involving 465 Iranian teams with 1035 participants from 30 provinces. The event took place on Thursday and Friday in Tehran.

Participants, including both schoolchildren and postgraduate students, competed in specialized AI and robotics leagues, according to ISNA. The competition was organized by the Iran University of Science and Technology in collaboration with 19 members of the scientific committee.

The goal of this event was to identify and showcase Iran's top talents in programming, robotics, and AI. Successful participants will have the opportunity to take part in the International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad COMSTECH 2026.

Leagues and Competition Tracks

Within AiroCup, 14 specialized leagues were planned, including areas such as 'Aero-Challenge', 'AI-based content generation', 'creation of digital content for the labor market', 'AI agent development', 'inventions in robotics and AI', 'smart warriors', 'programming and AI in Scratch, Python, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and AI platforms', 'robotics demonstration', 'robot for environmental rescue', 'flying robot', 'autonomous transport', 'smart farmer' (AgriTech AI), 'AI in medicine and healthcare' (Medi-AI), and 'water consumption management' (Aqua AI). In total, 10 leagues were conducted.

Recent Achievements

At the international AI and programming competition Rayan 2025, known as the World Finals, Iranian students demonstrated high results in both the AI and programming sections. Ali Safari won first place in programming. China and India secured second and third places, respectively. Vietnam, Armenia, Serbia, and Pakistan also participated in the competition, according to ISNA.

In the AI section, the top spots among Iranian teams were taken by Pileh, AI Guardians of Trust, AIUoK, red-serotenin, Persistence, and GGWP, which finished from first to seventh place.

The final round of the Rayan competition took place on Friday at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, with delegations from 25 countries participating. The event began on November 25th with support from the Vice Presidency for Science, Technology, and Economy, attracting hundreds of participants from the USA, Russia, China, India, Italy, Chile, Australia, Armenia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Taiwan, Romania, Singapore, Poland, Slovakia, Vietnam, Serbia, Argentina, Colombia, Kazakhstan, and Ethiopia, as well as the host country Iran.

Sixty Iranian and foreign participants took part in the individual programming section, independently solving nine complex algorithmic problems over three to four hours. The scientific competition aimed to advance knowledge, develop international cooperation, and establish scientific authority in the field of AI and programming.

Other goals of the competition included improving algorithmic thinking, developing problem-solving skills, teamwork, developing innovative ideas, starting new businesses, and expanding engineering and programming in the field of AI.

The Iranian robotics team named Mositto won a gold medal at the 8th RoboCup Asia-Pacific (RCAP) 2025 event. This competition took place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from November 10 to 15. Khalifa University of Science and Technology hosted the event, gathering over 160 teams and more than 700 participants, as well as about 2000 researchers, industry professionals, students, and visitors from around the world to watch autonomous AI-controlled robotics competitions across eight leagues and 15 sub-leagues, including soccer and rescue operations.

The event covered topics such as smart mobility, AI for sustainable development, and technologies aimed at solving regional problems.

A team of eight students won first place in the RoboCupJunior Rescue, Rescue Line, and Secondary League categories, showcasing the talent and creativity of Iranian students to the world.

A team of three Iranian students received two silver medals at the ninth First Global Challenge (FGC)—the Olympic international robotics competition—which was held in Panama from October 29 to November 1. The First Global Challenge is held in different countries each year, and FIRST Global invites every nation to send a team to design and program a robot for the competition.

Iranian students placed first and second in inventions and innovative technologies at the TEKNOFEST competition. This competition, held in Istanbul, Turkey, from September 17 to 21, aimed to enhance the qualifications of individuals in robotics, electronics, coding, and designing robots to perform specific tasks.

The Iranian team, which included Kian Karbalei, Mehrtaash Razgordani, Artin Islampanah, Sayed Amir-Homan Tabatabey-nejad, Samyar Reza-Soltani, Ardin Khanilazadeh, Mohammad Reyvandi, and Mehdi Reyvandi, reported the Mehr agency.

980 projects from 56 countries participated in the competition, including Germany, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Russia, Netherlands, India, Iran, Philippines, Malaysia, and Paraguay.

Iranian robotics and geological science teams won various awards at the competitions of the Federation of International Robotics Sports Associations (FIRA) and the International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO), which were held in South Korea and China, respectively.

The FIRA RoboWorld Cup and Summit 2025 took place from August 11 to 15. Iranian delegations won five championships in the Air League and Sports League (students under 19 years old), as well as in the 'Challenge' and 'Youth' leagues. They also secured four second-place and two third-place finishes in the autonomous transport, youth creative task, and Sports League categories.

Iranian students won three gold medals and a special award at the International Science and Invention Fair (ISIF) 2025, placing them among the leading global innovators.