For the last article of 2022 we are exploring yet another perspective on Non-Terrestrial-Networks. The last two months the authors explored some interesting applications of NTN based communications networks, this month the authors acknowledged the great potential that these networks, when paired with terrestrial networks can have, while at the same time providing a perspective regarding the type of technologies that are needed to make the deployment and overall performance of these “3D” networks as efficient and reliable as possible. Of particular interest is the subject of smart surfaces and what they can do to aid the overall performance of 3D networks. Smart surfaces (a.k.a. RIS) have been and will continue to be the subject of extensive research and debate with many challenges remaining in the quest for implementable solutions. In the end, there’s no debating that sky/space-based networks in their many forms are already here, and the industry will continue to address many ope
Hydrogen (H2) is predicted to play a significant role in various sectors, including transportation, energy storage, and rechargeable batteries. Several research initiatives are underway to identify appropriate alloys for storing and using hydrogen in portable devices.