Technologies

This Hyperspeed Space Sail Could Take Us to Next-Door Star Systems

For years, physicists have been trying to perfect a way to catapult space probes at a fifth the speed of light. One team is flagging an important section of the blueprint.

Only about 4 light-years away from our solar system lies Alpha Centauri, another bustling space neighborhood. It’s anchored by three stars with the same job as our sun, holds planets analogous to our eight famous orbs and may even have an Earth twin hanging out in the habitable zone. Almost like an alternate reality, the star system is a tantalizing region for space explorers.

There’s just one, glaring issue. With our present technology, spacecraft sent toward Alpha Centauri wouldn’t arrive until somewhere around the year 82022. That’s why, in 2016, late astrophysicist Stephen Hawking and investor Yuri Milner launched Breakthrough Starshot — an initiative to send microchip-size space probes over to Alpha Centauri at 20% the speed of light, reducing the whopping travel time to a mere 20 years.

Their blueprint centers on a lightsail that harnesses the power of photons, aka light particles, beamed from an Earth-based laser, instead of wind like a traditional sail. Though it’d fit right in with the sci-fi tech of Star Trek, the idea gained so much popularity that researchers everywhere began studying how to bring the contraption to fruition, hoping to produce a hyperdrive that blasts around the universe at dizzying rates.

Hailing from the University of Pennsylvania, one such team is tackling a big piece of the puzzle. In a pair of papers published this month in the journal Nano Letters, researchers suggested a way to ensure these innovative spacecraft don’t tear from intense laser pulses during the two-decade-long interstellar voyage. Basically, the researchers propose the sail must «billow» in space’s void like standard boat sails wave amid Earth’s winds.

«Some of the lightsail figures from early on were billowing, some were not, but it was not well studied,» said study author Igor Bargatin, an associate professor in the department of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania. «What we did is show you definitely need billowing.

«We realized people haven’t really looked at the mechanics of the problem, and in particular, the possibility of tears,» Bargatinadded. «We want to make sure if and when this idea is realized, people pay attention to things that could happen during acceleration.

«We don’t want these sails to fail.»

Interstellar ship parameters

Picture a boat venturing out to sea with a sail attached. The sail will heave with every gust of wind and propel the vessel forward. That propulsion happens because wind hitting the sail bounces off, creating pressure.

Lightsails aren’t all that different.

«When the photons hit our lightsail, they get reflected and they also create pressure,» Bargatin said. «The exact mechanism is a little different because we’re talking light versus actual molecules of air. But they create pressure nonetheless in both cases.» In fact, these devices have already been proven effective to a degree.

In 2010, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency launched a lightsail mission dubbed Ikaros and deemed it a success. In 2019, the experimental LightSail 2 followed suit. Funded by a Kickstarter campaign started by Bill Nye and Neil DeGrasse Tyson, it moved a small satellite in space using pure photon power.

But both Ikaros and LightSail 2 used light emanating from the sun, in contrast to Breakthrough Starshot’s vision of laser beams.

Though sunlight reduces the risk of tears, it’s too weak for Starshot’s endeavor. Plus, Bargatin says, Starshot light pulses must happen within a relatively short period of time because once the lightsail gets too far from Earth, scientists lose their ability to effectively accelerate it.

In short, to reach a fifth the speed of light — so it can access Alpha Centauri in the desired 20 years — within a strict window, lightsails would need extremely strong light pulses possible only with lasers.

«Designed pressures on our lightsails are not huge,» Bargatin said. «They’re about the same as having a penny on your hand.» In scientific terms, the pressure adds up to about 10 pascals, Bargatin says, but consider how we go about our lives without worrying about light pressure at all.

Ten Pascals of light force requires a significant amount of laser power, so unlike Ikaros’ dance with wispy sunrays, lightsails imparted with ultra harsh laser pulses can be badly damaged.

How to build a durable lightsail

According to the researchers, strong laser pulses could create pressure forceful enough to curve and tear the sheet like a taut boat sail may rip if hit by a giant gust of wind.

They believe lightsails must have the ability to «billow» and form a curved shape kind of like a parachute. Both the sail’s length and the radius of curvature, Bargatin explains, should be about 3 meters. In their new papers, the authors outline geometric measurements that ensure optimal billowing.

Even a lightsail protected from tears, however, will encounter other obstacles. To overcome such issues, the major parameter to consider is sail material. The sheets must be strong for durability, lightweight to minimize laser strength, reflect light efficiently for ideal propulsion and shed heat generated from laser pulses.

If the latter bit isn’t taken care of, Bargatin says, the sail could literally melt in space.

«You can come up with a combination of materials. The thicknesses of those materials and curved geometries would allow the sail to survive the pressures that we’re currently designing for,» Bargatin said, noting his team is mostly looking at a material called molybdenum disulfide.

In the grand scheme of things, though, building the massive laser array that’ll beam lightsails forward will be a big hurdle. Researchers working in space-based communication, Bargatin says, are also still figuring out how to retrieve information from the microchip probe attached to the lightsail.

If Breakthrough Starshot’s mechanism works one day, it’ll be a true testament to humanity’s brilliance in the field of science. In an announcement of the organization’s immense goals six years ago, Hawking stated:

«I believe what makes us unique is transcending our limits. Gravity pins us to the ground, but I just flew to America. I lost my voice, but I can still speak, thanks to my voice synthesizer. How do we transcend these limits?

«With our minds and our machines.»

Technologies

Apple’s iPhone 16 Still Leads the Smartphone Pack in New 2025 Sales Data

Apple’s flagship line dominated first quarter sales, with Samsung close on its heels.

You might have a sense that Apple’s iPhone is one of the most successful smartphones on the market even without looking into the specifics, but now it’s official: the iPhone 16 is the bestselling smartphone of the year so far.

This new data comes from market analysis firm, Counterpoint Research, and its Global Handset Model Sales Tracker. According to the findings, for the first quarter of 2025 — January through March — the base model iPhone 16 was the top-selling smartphone globally. Apple maintained a strong grip on the rest of the firm’s top 10 list, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16 Pro and previous-generation base model iPhone 15 taking up the second, third and fourth slots, respectively. They were trailed by the iPhone 16 Plus, which took tenth place.

Notably, Counterpoint highlighted that this quarter saw the current base model iPhone return to the top spot. In recent years, including the first quarter of 2024, the high-end Pro Max variant took first place. The firm attributed this in part to issues in China, where the government has subsidized cheaper phone models and where Huawei’s premium offerings have offered stiff competition.

A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Elsewhere on the list, Samsung was right on Apple’s heels last quarter, with the Galaxy A16 5G, Galaxy A06, Galaxy A25 Ultra and Galaxy A55 5G taking the fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth spots, respectively. Rounding out the list was Chinese manufacturer Xaomi’s Redmi 14C 4G, an extremely budget-friendly offering that you can snag at most US retailers for less than $150.

Technologies

Apple Expands Official Self Service Repair Options to Include iPads

DIY types, take note, the updated Self Service Repair Store provides iPad owners a whole new world of options.

Having iPad trouble? With Apple’s May 29 expansion of its Self Service Repair Store, you may be able to fix your device at home.

Users will have the choice of taking their iPads to an Apple Store Genius Bar or attempting certain repairs by themselves with help from Apple’s own resources. The Self Service Repair Store will now offer genuine iPad parts (including displays, batteries, cameras and charging ports), repair toolkits and the ability to arrange an Apple Diagnostics session, among other add-ons. This change also affects independent repair providers who were not previously able to legally repair iPads or offer parts to customers.

The service expansion will cover the iPad Air (M2 and later), iPad Pro (M4), iPad mini (A17 Pro) and iPad (A16) models.

This follows past expansions Apple has made to its self-repair program, which started in 2022, such as adding the MacBook Pro in 2023. At the time, we noted that this move may be in response to the Right to Repair movement, which has led to repair-oriented legislation in all 50 states. Whatever the reason, Apple has now expanded its own self-repair options to tablet owners.

«At Apple, our goal is to create the world’s greatest products that last as long as possible,» Brian Naumann, vice president of AppleCare, said in a statement. «With today’s announcement, we’re excited to expand our repair services to more customers, enabling them to further extend the life of their products, all without compromising safety, security, or privacy.»

Apple also announced its Self Service Repair options would be expanding this summer into Canada, making it the 34th country offering the program. A representative for Apple did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Technologies

T-Mobile Says It’s Not Spying on You. What the New Screen Recording Tool Actually Does

A new setting that looks like a privacy risk is popping up for some customers. T-Mobile explains what’s really going on.

Some T-Mobile customers during the past week have been surprised to discover a new — and enabled by default — feature in the T-Life app called «Screen recording tool.» In light of recent iffy recording tools such as Microsoft’s Recall AI feature in Windows, seeing a feature that records the contents of your screen is bound to raise privacy concerns.

Screen Recording in T-life
by
u/Ok_Theory5606 in
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How to disable Screen recording tool if you see it

If you’re a T-Mobile subscriber, you can check if this new option has been turned on by opening the T-Life app, tapping Manage and then tapping Settings (the gear icon). The Screen recording tool option shows up under the Preferences heading.

If the option is there, tap it to reveal a description and a toggle switch. The description reads: «We use a tool to record how customers use the app to analyze and improve your experience. Only T-Mobile will review and analyze your info. If you turn this toggle on or magenta, we will record your screen while you use the app. If you turn this toggle off or gray, we will not record your screen.»

To disable the feature, tap the switch so it becomes gray. (The «magenta» and «gray» in the text refer to the color of the toggle switch to indicate whether it’s active or not, respectively.)

Why T-Mobile stands behind the new feature

When I reached out to the company for more information, a T-Mobile spokesperson defended the feature, saying it was designed to improve the user experience.

«To help us give customers who use T-Life a smoother experience, we are rolling out a new tool in the app that will help us quickly troubleshoot reported or detected issues,» the spokesperson said. «This tool records activities within the app only and does not see or access any personal information. If a customer’s T-Life app currently supports the new functionality, it can be turned off in the settings under preferences.»

According to a post on droidlife, which earlier referenced the issue, the new option shows up on both iPhone and Android phones.

Why opt-in is so important

On the face of it, the Screen recording tool appears to do what it says, and the fact that it’s limited to just the T-Life app is a reasonable, and expected, limitation.

But as with all potential privacy issues, the fact that T-Mobile is enabling the feature by default has rightly made customers suspicious. It should be off initially, and if an issue arises that would require screen recording, then the company could get permission from the phone owner to turn it on.

T-Mobile in fact has a similar setup within the T-Life app. There’s another screen recording feature that is completely separate from this new Screen recording tool. In the app’s settings, under Help & support, is Screen Share, which can be used during a support call. It allows a T-Mobile expert to view your phone’s screen while troubleshooting an issue. It requires several steps and requires you to consent to having your screen recorded before allowing a support expert to connect to the app.

If you’ve ever tried to help a friend or family member over the phone and asked them to describe what’s on the screen, you’ll appreciate how helpful it can be to view what they’re seeing directly.