China’s Zhurong rover went into hibernation during a harsh winter on Mars due to cold, sand and dust storms.

The rover is solar-powered and has gone into sleep mode since May 18. Temperatures on the Red Planet, meanwhile, are around -20°C during the day and -100°C at night, according to the China Lunar Exploration Program.

China’s Tianwen-1 orbiter, which brought Zhurong to Mars last May, has also observed sand and dust storm activity over the rocker’s landing pad in Utopia Plain.

The design of the rover has several features to help withstand winter temperatures, sand and dust storms. These measures include the ability to tilt the solar panels to maximize the collection of sunlight and a special dust-proof coating on the panels.

The Chinese rover is not alone in its plight: Nasa’s InSight lander, which arrived on the Red Planet in November 2018, is also struggling to produce enough solar power to keep going. At the same time, the Nasa Curiosity and Perseverance rovers can continue their journey on the surface of Mars regardless of the time of year, since they use radioisotope thermoelectric generators.

The rover is expected to resume operations again in December, with the arrival of spring in the northern hemisphere and the end of dust storms.

The VTB Bank team announced the launch of a new feature in the web version of VTB Online. According to the press service, VTB was the first on the market to introduce the possibility of paying for services using QR codes in an online bank.

Thus, now users will be able to pay for services using a QR code without using the bank’s mobile application. The functionality is available on iOS smartphones through the Safari browser (starting from version 11), and Android smartphones through the Chrome browser (from version 57 and newer). Later, the service will start working on tablets, laptops and desktop PCs.

To pay using a QR code, the user needs to go to VTB Online through a mobile browser and select the appropriate icon in the interface, after which the device’s camera is activated to read the code. The system itself recognizes all the necessary information for payment and automatically fills in the payment order, which the client will need to check and confirm the transfer of funds to the recipient.

Huami has officially unveiled the T-Rex 2 smartwatch, one of the brand’s most secure models. Thus, the device remains operational at temperatures down to -30 ° C, it can be submerged in water (10ATM, you can swim with the watch). There’s also a built-in compass, barometer, altimeter, and GPS receiver (supporting Beidou, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS).

The watch uses a rechargeable battery with a capacity of 500 mAh, the declared autonomy reaches 24 days. The round AMOLED display is characterized by a diameter of 1.39 inches.

Amazfit T-Rex 2 supports 150 sports modes, six-channel optical sensor BioTracker 3.0 PPG of its own design supports heart rate and blood oxygen concentration. Also, the device allows you to determine the frequency of breathing and recognizes atrial fibrillation. Naturally, there are systems for monitoring sleep and stress.

The novelty will go on sale in China on May 31 at a price of $225. The color options for Amazfit T-Rex 2 are black and green.