Fusion power plant to finally answer the age-old question: Can we power a city with a star?

Helion Energy, a start-up backed by Sam Altman, claims it can power up the world’s first fusion power plant in just five years. The Washington-based firm claims that its process, which mirrors the process that powers the sun, is close to commercialization.

While some nuclear experts remain skeptical, Microsoft has already signed up as its first customer. A successful launch of the plant would produce clean, steady, and consistent electricity without the complications and challenges posed by solar and wind power. While it would help eliminate the greenhouse gases causing climate change, Helion Energy still has to face some major technical challenges, including producing more energy than the process uses and converting that energy into affordable electricity.

On the other hand, it’s a small plant that could make an important breakthrough for energy generation and will beat other companies aiming to begin operating power plants in the early 2030s.

Rapid Rundown

• 📢 Startup Helion Energy claims to build the world's first commercial fusion power plant by 2028, Microsoft has already signed up as its first customer.

• 💥 If achieved, it would be a big deal, delivering steady clean energy without solar or wind power's intermittency challenges.

City Retailers Left High and Dry as Remote Workers Flock to the 'Burbs

The pandemic may have caused office usage to plummet, but it's been a boon for suburban retailers. With everyone working remotely on Mondays and Fridays, city retailers are struggling while suburban ones are raking it in. It's a classic case of trickle-out economics: customers flock to the suburbs, businesses follow, and before you know it, suburban retail centers are thriving.

Meanwhile, city retail availability has hit its lowest point since 2013, and rent growth in the suburbs is outpacing that of the cities. Urban businesses are hoping remote work is just a fad, but if it keeps up, they may find themselves out of luck – and out of customers. So here's a hot tip for all the city slickers out there: if you want to stay in business, it's time to pack up and head to the suburbs. Who knows, you might even get to enjoy some fresh air and a yard while you're at it!

Rapid Rundown

• 🏬 Suburban retailers are thriving due to remote work while city retailers struggle.

• 📉 City retail availability is at its lowest since 2013 and suburban rent growth outpaces cities.

Can You Smell What VR Is Cooking? Wearable Interfaces Let You Experience Virtual Scents

Virtual reality just got a whole lot smellier, thanks to some ingenious scientists who have invented wearable interfaces that can create odors in VR. "People can touch in VR, and of course, you can see and hear in VR. But how about smell and taste?" asks Xinge Yu, a professor at the Department of biomedical engineering at the City University of Hong Kong.

The answer is now yes, with Yu and his co-author, Yuhang Li of Beihang University, developing two wearable interfaces that use miniaturized odor generators to create multiple odors in 1.44 seconds.

The hotter the heat, the stronger the odor and the more identifiable the smell, according to Yu and Li, although they acknowledge that a scalding hot device attached to your face might not feel all that safe. Nonetheless, this is an exciting development that could revolutionize the way we experience VR.

Rapid Rundown

• 👃 Wearable interfaces now create smells in VR, developed by scientists at the City University of Hong Kong and Beihang University.

• 🎮 The two interfaces use miniaturized odor generators and could revolutionize the VR experience.

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