New Technologies and Innovation Development in Russia #2

What it really comes down to is who else is going to use it too.

If everyone likes it then that is great... SWIFT works well but has proven to be political and therefore untrustworthy... ironically it is supposed to be European controlled so the rest of the world will probably like using a system their old colonial masters don't continue to profit from.

Russian companies began testing smartphones on the Aurora operating system, by Dmitry Bevza for Rossiyskaya Gazeta. 08.11.2023.

Almost immediately after several large Russian companies, ministries and departments banned the use of the iPhone for official purposes, testing of domestic mobile devices on the Aurora OS began in Russia.

So, Russian Railways said that the Aurora OS has already been installed on several thousand devices that are used by operational personnel. The planned adaptation of the domestic operating system for working devices of employees also continues. A mobile application has been installed on devices with Aurora to control the maintenance and repair of Russian Railways facilities.

According to the Izvestia newspaper, some Russian legislators have begun to receive smartphones running the Aurora OS. So, several dozen devices were delivered to the Federation Council.

The Aurora OS is developed by Open Mobile Platform LLC, owned by PJSC Rostelecom.

Rostelecom confirmed the fact of testing by Russian companies and organizations of devices on the Aurora OS.
"Our company is always ready to help customers switch from American operating systems to the domestic mobile ecosystem. Recently, this process has intensified, the use of devices based on the Aurora operating system is growing. But by agreement with customers, we cannot disclose the details of projects," the press release said.

Earlier, Russian Railways introduced a ban on the use of the iPhone for business purposes for its employees. Similar bans were introduced by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Transport, the Federal Tax Service and a number of other departments. They also banned their employees from using the iPhone to perform work tasks at Rostec. The ban also applies to organizations that are part of the state corporation, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade recommended that all industrial enterprises of the Russian Federation, subordinate to the ministry, abandon the iPhone at work.

All restrictions were introduced after the FSB, together with the Federal Security Service of Russia, announced the disclosure of an intelligence operation by American intelligence services carried out using Apple mobile devices.

The Center for Public Relations of the FSB of Russia said that several thousand iPhones were infected. Moreover, not only Russian subscribers were infected, but also foreign numbers and subscribers using SIM cards registered with diplomatic missions and embassies in Russia, including NATO and post-Soviet countries, as well as Israel, Syria and China.

The FSB stressed that the information received by the Russian intelligence services confirms the close cooperation of Apple with American intelligence and that the privacy policy of users declared by Apple is not true.

Almost simultaneously with the FSB, Kaspersky Lab experts reported that they had discovered a software spyware implant on some Apple devices. Hackers collected victims' data during the "Operation Triangulation" campaign. To do this, they used software called TriangleDB. The malware provided the attackers with covert surveillance capabilities, but ran exclusively in the device's memory, so all traces of its operation and the malware itself were removed upon reboot.

Dmitry Makhlin, partner and development director of HRlink, believes that since the Aurora OS was developed primarily for the needs of the public sector, it meets the requirements of government agencies and state-owned companies in terms of security. "Now many organizations are starting to prohibit employees from using Western operating systems because of the risks of sudden disconnection from the system, hacks and bookmarks. There are no such problems in the local product," Makhlin notes.

At the same time, the expert doubts that in the near future devices on the Aurora will be able to become widespread. "The system has been developed for a long time, in 2021 it was included in the register of domestic software. However, it is still quite "raw". It will take time to adapt to a large consumer market, and this is not one or two years. three to five years of active work, so that this operating system only approaches the required level," Makhlin believes.

The history of the creation of the Aurora operating system began in 2000, when the Finnish Nokia was working on new mobile devices and operating systems. These developments were developed in the new Jolla company and formed the basis of the Sailfish OS. In 2016, the Russian company "Open Mobile Platform" received the rights to develop and use Sailfish OS and, together with Jolla, began developing the operating system. The goal was to create a secure OS for use in large companies, government organizations and institutions. In 2018, 75% of the Open Mobile Platform company and a controlling stake in the Finnish project were acquired by PJSC Rostelecom. This made it possible to integrate the operating system with the products and solutions of Rostelecom, targeted at the public and corporate sectors. In 2019, Sailfish received a new brand "Aurora".

One of the manufacturers of smartphones and tablets based on the Aurora operating system is the Russian company Aquarius. RG has at its disposal a smartphone of this company, running on the Aurora OS, and in the near future we are preparing a full review of the device.

https://rg.ru/2023/08/11/v-rossijskih-kompaniiah-nachali-testirovat-smartfony-na-operacionnoj-sisteme-avrora.html

https://www.rst-com.ru/b2b/aurora/

@Garry: as far as I know this stuff is expected to be sold at 40000 rub (~420 USD). What do you think ?

https://time.news/the-russian-smartphone-r-fon-on-the-rosa-mobile-operating-system-is-presented/

The Russian smartphone R-FON on the ROSA mobile operating system is presented

2023-08-17 11:53:02

Head of the Association of Professional Users of Social Networks and Messengers Vladimir Zykov showed Russian smartphone R-FON, which became the first device based on the Rosa Mobile operating system.

The novelty has a 6.7-inch display, 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal memory, a 5 thousand mAh battery and a triple main camera with a 50 MP main module. There is a slot for two SIM cards, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC modules, a USB-C port, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a fingerprint sensor on the side. Detailed information about R-FON is not disclosed.

“All OS features and interface are kept secret until the announcement! ROSA mobile is scheduled to enter the consumer market in 2024. For the corporate sector and government customers, the operating system will be released in 2023,” said Vladimir Zykov.

It is stated that the developer of the operating system is the scientific and technical center of information technologies ROSA, and the manufacturer of the smartphone will be Rutek JSC, which already produces laptops and other electronics at its enterprise in Zelenograd.

Maxim Vershinin

"There are no analogues", by Vladislav Strekopytov for RIANOVOSTI. 09.04.2023.

The most advanced synchrotron is being created in Russia.

In the science city of Koltsovo near Novosibirsk, the construction of a unique mega-science facility, a specialized source of synchrotron radiation SKIF, is in full swing. Its discovery is already called the main scientific event of the coming year in Russia. About what research is planned to be carried out on the new accelerator - in the material of RIA Novosti.

"Magic" Rays

In 1895, the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, during an experiment with electrical discharges, discovered a new kind of beam that could penetrate dense obstacles. This marked the beginning of a new stage in the knowledge of the world - it became possible to look inside opaque objects without violating their integrity.

X-rays, for which the scientist was the first in history to receive the Nobel Prize, immediately found application in medicine. Later, another German physicist, Max von Laue, proved that they can be used to study the structure of crystalline solids. In 1912, he discovered the diffraction of X-rays and proved their wave character, for which he also became a Nobel Prize two years later.

Thanks to these achievements, a separate branch of physics has arisen that studies the structure of crystals at the atomic level - X-ray crystallography. Today, such research begins the creation of almost all new materials - from metal coatings with desired properties to drugs.

From tube to synchrotron

To study matter, classical X-ray tubes were first used as radiation sources. In 1944, the Soviet physicist Vladimir Veksler, who described the principle of operation of a ring particle accelerator, theoretically substantiated that electrons, if accelerated to relativistic speeds, rotating along a circular trajectory, would dump part of the energy in the form of synchrotron radiation (SR).

The prediction was confirmed when, during experiments in accelerators, the researchers noticed a bright white beam, which took part of the energy of the electrons. This was synchrotron radiation. At that time he was considered "parasitic". Later it turned out that the SR spectrum is extremely wide: it includes visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, and, most importantly, X-rays. So, it can become an invaluable tool for studying materials.

Academician G. I. Budker, founder of the Novosibirsk Institute of Nuclear Physics, called accelerators the microscopes of modern physics. If in an optical microscope light gives an image of the external appearance of an object, then the pattern of scattering of a beam of charged particles can be used to judge its internal structure. And the greater the energy of the particles, the brighter the picture. The brightness of synchrotron radiation is higher than the beam of an ordinary X-ray tube by many orders of magnitude. It reaches the deepest layers of matter down to the level of atoms.

More than a hundred ring accelerators belonging to the class of synchrotrons operate in different countries. The most famous is the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland . Basically, they solve fundamental theoretical problems, and the time for practical research is allocated according to the residual principle. Therefore, starting from the 1980s, specialized sources of synchrotron radiation, focused primarily on pressing problems, began to be built.

There are two such installations in Russia - at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INP SB RAS) and at the Kurchatov Institute in Moscow . As radiation sources, these synchrotrons are not very bright; they are classified as first and second generations, respectively. For complex studies in the field of structural biology, chemistry and materials science, they are no longer suitable. Now we need sources of the fourth generation.

SKIF universe

To overcome the technological gap, in the Novosibirsk region in the science city of Koltsovo , the SKIF synchrotron is being built - the Siberian Ring Photon Source. This is a generation 4+ megascience class unit. In terms of such an important parameter as the emittance (the product of the angular beam divergence and the size of the source), which directly affects the brightness, and hence the quality of research, it surpasses all foreign analogues.

The main components of the accelerator complex are already ready. They were shown to journalists during an excursion organized as part of the Popular Science Tourism initiative of the Decade of Science and Technology, which includes visiting the facilities of the Science and Universities national project.

“We are creating a synchrotron with an extremely small electron beam size,” says Academician Pavel Logachev, director of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. “This opens up unique prospects for many researchers in biology, chemistry, medicine, solid state physics, and electronics. There are facilities that are close in parameters to SKIF ", but there are no analogues. The creation of such equipment became possible thanks to the experience that the employees of our institute have. We have the most advanced level in the world in the development of devices for generating synchrotron radiation."

By the end of 2024, specialists from the INP SB RAS should complete the production, assembly and commissioning of equipment, and builders should erect a complex of 34 buildings and structures. The largest one, with a diameter of 230 meters, will house the main accelerating ring with a total length of 476 meters, from which dozens of output channels to user stations will be taken along the perimeter. The linear accelerator, where the electron beam is born, and the small ring booster accelerator will be placed in a separate building.

SKIF plans to study the structure of various organic and inorganic substances, solve issues related to genetics, pharmacology, biomedicine, geochemistry, aircraft building and space, energy and the oil and gas industry. The first stage provides for the construction of six experimental stations, each of which will specialize in its own type of research. For four, competitive procedures have already ended, design documentation has been developed and the production of experimental equipment has begun. In total, several dozen stations can be placed around the large ring of the accelerator.

Any specialized SR source is a shared facility. And SKIF is no exception. A whole research and production cluster is being formed around the accelerator, which is part of the Institute of Catalysis of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Roskosmos and Gazprom Neft , the Vector Center for Virology and Biotechnology, the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of High Current Electronics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk State University , Tomsk Polytechnic University , Ufa University of Science and Technology, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University , other scientific, industrial and commercial organizations.

"SKIF is designed for interdisciplinary research," notes Yan Zubavichus, Deputy Director for Research at the SKIF Center for Collective Use, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. "It will be open to any scientific groups from Russia and other countries."

Structural biology

To understand the reactions of protein chemistry responsible for the vital functions of organisms, it is necessary to see how molecules change when interacting with each other. Since these processes are very fast, observations must be made with ultra-short steps to highlight the stages at which failures occur. The 4+ generation source of SKIF is ideal for X-ray diffraction analysis of biopolymer compounds - proteins and their complexes. It allows you to study substances of low molecular weight, as well as to work without the stage of crystallization by freezing.

“There is a general principle: the minimum size of the object under study must be greater than the wavelength of the microscope,” explains Pavel Logachev. “Here, the size of objects can reach one angstrom, this is the size of an atom. Moreover, SKIF helps to see not only individual atoms in a complex organic molecule, but but also dynamics - how this atom moves from one place of the molecule to another, how the reaction takes place. This is a kind of movie that gives us the opportunity to observe quantum objects."

pharmaceuticals

Knowing how proteins and nucleic acids are arranged and interact with each other, it is possible to create molecules that enhance or block their activity. This will accelerate the development of anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial drugs.

Gone are the days when pharmacists prepared medicines by mixing various natural or artificial substances. Now drug design begins with the creation of a computer model of the main acting molecule. Then it is changed in such a way that it affects a specific target without harming the entire body. But in order to move from computer simulation to physical synthesis, it is necessary to determine the structure of the molecule, and here one cannot do without X-ray diffraction analysis. It can be done with high accuracy only at the synchrotron.

biomedicine

The State Center for Virology and Biotechnology "Vector", also located in the science city of Koltsovo, plans to use SKIF for a wide range of biological research. First of all, to study viruses, including new and potentially dangerous for humans and animals.

X-ray diffraction analysis makes it possible to decipher the spatial structures of protein pathogens, while X-ray microscopy allows one to look inside a cell infected with a virus. And radiography of laboratory animals will show how organs and tissues are damaged during a viral infection.

“At SKIF, we are going to implement the entire range of activities necessary for the development of antiviral drugs, from studying the structure of individual viral proteins to X-ray microtomography of cells, tissues and live laboratory animals,” says Anastasia Gladysheva, senior researcher at the SSC VB “Vector”. We expect that this will make it possible to make a breakthrough in applied research and significantly reduce the development time for drugs, vaccines and test systems."

In addition, high-contrast radiography helps to diagnose malignant tumors at an early stage, monitor the survival rate of implants, and promptly detect inflammatory processes that occur during prosthetics.

Petroleum geology

At the Technoprom-2023 International Technological Development Forum, which ended in Novosibirsk , eight organizations signed an agreement to establish a consortium to introduce synchrotron radiation in oil production. In addition to the SKIF CCU, it includes Novosibirsk State University, Gazprom Neft Scientific and Technical Center, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Kazan Federal University, the Institute of Catalysis of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Hydrodynamics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The objective of the project is to study in dynamics at the micro- and nanolevel the processes occurring in rocks saturated with oil and gas. This will help create technologies for maximum hydrocarbon recovery.

New materials

But developers and manufacturers of high-tech materials are most interested in synchrotron research. Today, without X-ray diffraction studies, it is impossible to create new metal coatings, polymers and composites with predetermined properties, including those for operation in extreme conditions: in the Arctic , space, inside nuclear reactors, and so on. And here in the first place is not just scientific interest, but the issue of technological security of the country.

https://ria.ru/20230904/skif-1893703504.html

It seems their new reactors are so efficient and compact that they are going to make extra boats with them and also floating power stations and even compact reduced size land based nuclear power stations based on the RITM-200 reactors...



I wonder how long it might be that a western country hires a few floating nuclear power reactors to sit in their harbour adding electricity to their power grid in a major port city...

GarryB wrote:I wonder how long it might be that a western country hires a few floating nuclear power reactors to sit in their harbour adding electricity to their power grid in a major port city...

Knowing the West, they'll ask Russia to send a bunch of floating power plants to one of their vassal nations then have them seized and payments blocked.

Actually you would be surprised KVS, there will be lots of countries with capital cities on the coast that generate electricity in less efficient ways... where a nuclear power station that can be sailed into port and hooked up to the grid to supply power... even if it is only for energy reliability that wind and solar power lack...

As mentioned island nations using fossil fuels with no rivers for hydro schemes, and even countries in the middle east that have the infrastructure but as the price of energy goes up then nuclear becomes more viable.

As an added bonus those floating nuclear power stations can use sea water in their cooling system and use the reactor generating electricity to actually also produce fresh water in large volumes which, for countries in the middle east and even countries like Australia and island nations in the pacific or anywhere it just makes sense.

In arctic regions the heat byproduct can also be used for heating which is an added bonus.

Even for a country like New Zealand, which consists of two main islands with most of the population living in three cities in the north island... Auckland, Hamilton, and Wellington, but the electricity generation in hydro electric dams in the south island thousands of kms away... it would actually be a good idea to have a nuclear power station built in the far north of the north island where the population is small and would create jobs and be nice and close to half of NZs population that is living in Auckland. A floating station in Wellington or Auckland harbour would also be a solution too.

Of course our anti nuclear weapon policy makes sense but many think it also means anti nuclear everything... which would mean all of our major hospitals would have to give up a lot of cancer treatments.

I would think Australia could do with nuclear power generation even just to make fresh water in the volumes they would need it.

The centre of Australia is below sea level so digging some canals to the centre of the region could create an internal sea, which would be interesting... most Australian areas of population are coastal.

Troika's production has become entirely Russian,12.23.2023.

Deptrans: production of Troika transport cards has become entirely Russian.

The Troika transport card and the new generation of chips for it are now entirely produced in Russia, the press service of the capital’s department of transport reported .

Russia's first production line for packaging chips into modules to protect microcircuits from damage was launched in Moscow. This is done at the Micron Security Printing (SME) plant in Zelenograd, said Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

In addition, SME began production of a new generation domestic chip for transport cards. The first thousand “Troikas” with it are already being tested in the metro, and from 2024 cards will be issued based on the new development.


“The new chip has three times more memory and also meets the highest security requirements. It accommodates more tariff solutions, which will further increase opportunities for passengers,” said Maxim Liksutov, head of the department of transport and development of road transport infrastructure in Moscow.


In April 2023, Liksutov reported that Troika has been in use for ten years , during which time it has helped “almost completely” get rid of queues at metro ticket offices. According to him, Troika operates in more than 25 regions of Russia, and “the convenience of the ticket system has been recognized at international competitions for two years in a row.” We are talking about the Transport Ticketing Global industry award, where Troika received first place in the category “Best Smart Ticketing System” in 2020 and 2021.

https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/6586ec6e9a79477df03aa157

dana
@dana916
‍ Russia has created Aristide, a unique material for the aerospace industry

Scientists from the Research Institute of Space and Aviation Materials (NIIKAM) have created a unique material - aristide. It has amazing properties. It is incredibly lightweight and weighs 10 times less than regular aircraft grade aluminum. But that is not all! Aristide is able to withstand extreme temperatures of up to 1300 degrees.

Moreover, even after being hit by a bullet, Aristide is able to gradually regenerate, returning to its original state.

But how is this amazing property achieved? Aristide is based on a cyanate ester binder, which makes it a unique and multifunctional material. This material has a wide range of applications and can be used as an antenna, as well as replacing aircraft aluminum and epoxy polymers.

Aristide can be used in the space and aviation industries. Its high temperature resistance allows it to be used even in extreme temperatures. And the ability to self-expand after damage makes it a durable and cost-effective material.

https://techinsider.ru/science/news-633293-v-rf-izobreli-novyy-material-dlya-kosmonavtiki/

Beto Ochoa
@Beto_In_Austin
This field of technology has produced amazing products. Most of them in the building trades but this extension of the application is what spawned the other things. It can be employed by deposition, or additive, fabrication so complicated parts can be 3-D printed in large volumes.

Kremlin hails repatriation of tech giant. 02.05.2024.

Netherlands-registered Yandex NV has agreed to sell its Russian operations to a consortium of local investors and spin off its main international projects.

The Kremlin welcomes the agreement to sell tech giant Yandex’s Russian business to a consortium of private investors, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Often referred to as “Russia’s Google,” Yandex has come under intense pressure amid Western sanctions. Since 2022, the Dutch-registered entity has been seeking to divest its Russian business, which generates the lion’s share of its revenue, and to spin off a number of its international startups.

“Of course, it is important for us that the company continue its work in this area. In this regard, we can welcome the agreement on the sale that the shareholders reached. The Russian management of the company will remain the main owner,” Peskov stated.

The Kremlin had been engaged in negotiations with Yandex for around 18 months. The cash-and-shares deal worth 475 billion rubles ($5.2 billion) would see the country’s largest technology player come entirely under Russian ownership. A consortium of local investors will get the largest stake in the Russian business, while oil major Lukoil will hold 10%, according to the company.

Peskov called Yandex “one of the national champions in the high-tech economy” and one of Russia’s largest companies,. “For us, of course, it is important for the company to continue to operate in our country. This is a company that provides work to many talented people. Many young people are looking for work at Yandex,” the spokesman said.

Once regulatory and shareholder approval is received, the sale is reportedly set to be completed in two stages, the first of which is anticipated to close in the first half of this year, with the second following within seven weeks.

Yandex’s Dutch parent company, Yandex NV, will retain a portfolio of four early-stage tech businesses in the cloud, data solutions, self-driving and education technology sectors.

https://www.rt.com/business/591884-yandex-repatriation-russia-kremlin/