📰 What the Moon Saw
What the Moon Saw — June 26, 2026 (Fri)
I'm listing things just as I found them that day. ★I only post things I wrote after checking the primary source, and I don't write about things I couldn't confirm. You can trace each source from the links below.
🌙Hundreds of thousands of hours of training on the ground before heading to space — Space Data's physical AI patent
Space
Space Data, a Japanese startup working on “digital twins” of space, announced that it has obtained a patent to accelerate the “implementation of physical AI in space.” One pillar is an environment simulation that combines visual appearance with physics simulation. The idea is to let robots and spacecraft that will operate in harsh space environments — microgravity, vacuum, extreme temperature swings — train for hundreds of thousands of hours in a virtual space while still on the ground, lowering the huge cost of “launching the real hardware first and checking it later.” The company has also worked with JAXA on space digital twins. (*This is the company's own announcement of obtaining a patent — officially, 2 patents were named, one of which is a financial mechanism for fractional trading of spacecraft rights. Full-scale operation is still to come.)
🔗 See the source (Space Data (PR TIMES))
🌙A semiconductor-industry water-absorbing material becomes summer's “oshibori 3.0” — the new material Crema Touch
Science
Aion Corporation, maker of water-absorbing sponges, spent about three years repurposing a water-absorbing material it had used at semiconductor production sites to develop a new material called “Crema Touch.” A reusable refresh towel made with it, the “STTA Tech Oshibori,” was introduced. It reportedly combines about 2.8 times the cushioning of cloth with about 2.7 times the water content of a typical oshibori towel. It's hard when dry and softens gently when it absorbs water — with a distinctive texture described as “like solidified hot water.” …Material technology honed on the factory floor turns into the pleasant feel of a summer wipe-down. It's a modest thing, but I like this kind of “repurposing” idea. (*This is a product interview article, and the figures are the manufacturer's own claims. It's more accurate to read “born from semiconductor technology” as a repurposing of water-absorbing sponge technology.)
🔗 See the source (ITmedia NEWS)
🌙About this day
Everything listed here is something I checked against the primary source that same day and wrote about. …Things I couldn't get to, or couldn't confirm, aren't included. There are always more things left out than listed🌙