Important Innovations Collection

US Army Soldiers to Get Microsoft's AR Headsets Source:  Microsoft HoloLens HoloLens for Strategic Advantages in Combat The US Army just awarded Microsoft a $480 million contract to equip its soldiers with HoloLens, its augmented reality technology.  The US Army and Israeli Army have used the technology for training, but this is the first time it's going to be used in combat. Microsoft beat out 25 other companies for the contract, including Magic Leap that's Google and AT&T owned. Awesome AR Tech It's a two year contract for up to 100,000 headsets.  The Army wants to use HoloLens to enable soldiers "to detect, decide and engage before the enemy".  The head-mounted displays use augmented reality to enable users to see virtual images superimposed over the real world around them. Many Extras  The headsets for US soldiers also incorporate night vision, thermal sensing, offer hearing protection, monitor for concussion and monitor vital signs like

Important Innovations- SNIFFPHONES Source:  SNIFFPHONE Breakthrough Innovation from Israel It's called the SNIFFPHONE. It uses nanotechnology sensors to analyze particles in the breath and pinpoints evidence of disease.  The diseases include certain types of cancers, pulmonary disease and the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases. Putting a Micro-Chip into a Breathalyzer-Like Device This device has been awarded the European Commissions Innovation Prize.  The recipient is Israeli Professor Hossam Haick of the Wolfson faculty of Chemical Engineering at the Technion -Israel Institute of Technology.  The scientist says this is all about humanity and our digital future.  He was cited by the Commission as the most innovative scientist achieving an idea in electronic systems. Microchips and Biomarkers The Israeli team places a microchip into a breathalyzer-like device to diagnose unique fingerprints of disease.  These are biomarkers of disease on the breath that can b

Togo Innovators Turn e-Waste into Robots and Printers Source:  Stock Image e-Waste Innovative Ways to Recycle and Re-purpose Electronic Wast e The small West Africa nation of Togo has a digital revolution going on.  It imports 500,000 tons of electronic and electrical waste a year.  Innovative citizens are converting it into robots, 3D printers and much more.  Some have built businesses out of e-waste recycling. e-Waste Viewed as a Gold Mine Many of the entrepreneurs set up their shops near the e-waste dump sites to give them access for parts they need for their innovations. They view e-waste as their gold mine.   This is a poor nation and the entrepreneurs are providing something the world desperately needs:  re-cycling and re-purposing of the growing amount of global e-waste. Award Winning & Big Recycling Need One Togolese innovator won first place in the Barcelona Fabrication Technology Conference for his e-waste made printer.  Globally 44 million tons of e-waste i

24/7 News Robot in English and Chinese Source:  Xinhua  Brand New News World - AI News Anchor Out of Beijing Being a television journalist, this international news anchor development really takes my attention.  China's state news agency Xinhua is debuting a virtual anchor to deliver the news 24 hours a day.  They call it their artificial intelligence "AI News Anchor" out of Beijing. Robotic News This AI robot anchor has been developed by Xinhua and the Chinese search engine company Sogori.  It simulates the human voice, facial expressions and gestures.  Xinhua says it learns from live broadcasting videos and can read just like a human professional.   Is This the Future of News? Not quite yet.  But it's a big trend.  Xinhua in China wants to cut news production costs and gain efficiencies with the robot.  They say you can use it on websites and social media platforms.  It's available in English and Chinese versions.  Globally, automated reporting is

Biofuel Made from Microalgae Euglena Photo of Euglena Potential of Green Jets - Japanese Energy Research A team of Japanese researchers are focused on extracting the oil from a microalgae Euglena and converting it into power for jet aircraft of the future. Rare Organism Euglena is a rare microorganism that combines the characteristics of plants and animals.  It grows by photosynthesis yet it produces fat in its body. That fat is suitable for the production of jet biofuel.  Japan is the first country in the world to cultivate Euglena on a large scale. Big Expectations There are big expectations for multifaceted biofuel uses of Euglena.  Japan lacks energy resources.  The Japanese government recognizes that the need for energy that doesn't harm the environment is growing.  For more stories on the latest in renewable energy innovation, go to my Amazon Author's Page  amazon.com/author/ekane   If you like, you can borrow my books from the Kindle library for free.

Electric and 3D Printed Concept Bike Source:  BigRep The Nera E Bike It's what the future potential of 3D printing holds.  BigRep, a leader in big, industrial scale 3D printing, has come out with the Nera E Bike, to showcase what the innovative process is capable of doing. Fully Functional The bike is almost entirely 3D printed through additive manufacturing.  The only parts that aren't 3D printed are the electrical components.  The bike is fully functional.  Even the airless tires are 3D printed. Lightweight, Green, Electric Rides The bike weighs only 132 pounds.  That's 50 pounds lighter than a Honda scooter.  The electric motor is hidden in the rear wheel and the batteries are embedded in the bike's body.  This is a concept bike that BigRep created to demonstrate the capabilities of 3D printing.  It's not known whether it will go into production.  For more news on transportation innovation, go to my Amazon Author's Page at  amazon.com/author/e

News on Important Innovations:  Collection I'm pleased to announce that we are now in the process of creating an Audiobook version of Important Innovations:  Collection - Latest Travel Innovations.  The audiobook provides another dimension to the e-book and paperback versions.  We are working with Amazon. The audiobook covers the latest in travel innovations including hypersonic and supersonic jets, hyperloops, flying cars and Maglev levitating, high speed trains.  It's narrated by national television business journalist Maryanne Kane. I'll keep you posted about availability and when it goes on sale.  For more information on our innovation collection, go to my Amazon Author's Page at  amazon.com/author/ekane

Top Renewable Producer & Latin America's 2nd Largest Renewable Market Source:  Chile's Cerro Pabellon Geothermal Power Plant Chile:  Renewable Energy Global Leader Chile is engaged in a renewable energy boom.  It's the second largest market for renewable energy in Latin America.  It is second only to China as a producer of renewable energy in 2016.  Twenty years ago, this transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy could not have been imagined. Innovation and Coalition Building Coalitions have been melded together in Chile by energy entrepreneurs, environmental organizations, social movements and the government to make this work.  A new study on where a fossil fuel nation has so successfully changed focus to renewables has just been published in Policy Studies Journal. Drill Down Chile is rapidly expanding its green energy grid.  The nation has vast solar and wind farms.  The geothermal plant (pictured above) powers 165,000 homes. Hydropower right no

Virtual Reality First by German & Dutch Scientists Image of Sagittarius A VR Showcases Sagittarius A For the first time, the black hole at the center of our galaxy Sagittarius A has been visualized in virtual reality.  It's innovation by German and Dutch astrophysicists.  The details were just published in the journal Computational Astrophysics and Cosmology. Immersive, 360 Visualization Scientists at Radboud University, The Netherlands and Goethe University, Germany used astrophysical models of Sagittarius A to create images.  They used the images to create a 360 degree virtual reality simulation of the black hole that can be viewed on VR consoles. Research and Educational Tools What the scientists have created is an important research opportunity to learn more about black holes and how they behave.  Their immersive visualizations, the scientists say, are just the start.  They promise much more to come.  VR is also a great educational tool to teach the public an

MIT Built and Flown Courtesy:  MIT Powered by "Wind of Ions" MIT engineers have built and flown the world's first plane with no moving parts in the propulsion system.  There are  no propellers or turbines.  Instead, it's powered by what they call "ionic wind".  There is a strong flow of ions onboard the plane that generates enough thrust to propel it for a steady sustained flight. Silent, Green Flights The light aircraft doesn't require any fossil fuel.  Batteries in the fuselage provide voltage to electrodes that are placed along the length of the plane generating the ionic wind. Big Horizons This is the world's first ever sustained flight with no moving parts in the propulsion system.  Lead developer Associate Professor Steven Barrett says this potentially opens new possibilities for aircraft that are "quieter, mechanically simpler and don't emit combustion emissions".  Near term the system could be used to power drones

Bee Inspired Flight & Navigational Control Systems for Cars & Robots New Research:  Keeping Turning Forces Constant Once again, a case of learning from nature advances innovation and technology.  Scientists at the University of Queensland have discovered that bees cleverly adjust their speed to keep turning forces constant. The discovery is very important because it can be applied to robots and autonomous cars, planes & drones. Key Finding:  Bees Maintain Constant Centrifugal Force When Turning in Flight The Australian team is the first to mathematically analyze the relationship between speed, curvature and centrifugal force in motion using bees. They videotaped and analyzed clouds of bees around their hives.  They found that the bees maintained constant centrifugal force when turning.  The bees cleverly reduce and accelerate their speed to maintain the right centrifugal force during turns. Why This Matters: Perfecting Navigation and Flight for Humans Bees hav

Flexible, Organic Solar Cells Developed Source:  Rice University Valuable for Constant, Low Power Generation A team of scientists led by Rice University along with Brookhaven National Lab have developed  organic, flexible solar cells.  The photovoltaics are valuable for constant, low power generation.  The scientists accomplished this breakthrough by adding a chemical reagent that provides flexibility to the material while maintaining its efficiency. Organic Value Organic solar cells are inexpensive, lightweight, semitransparent and thin.  They use carbon based material like polymers to capture sunlight as opposed to hard inorganics like silicon.  The team built in the flexibility by using the sulfur based additive thiol-ene.  They found at 20% thiol-ene the cells retained their efficiency and gained flexibility.  The results were just published in the journal Chemistry of Materials.  For more on the latest in renewable energy innovation, go to my Amazon Author's Pag

New Supercomputer Source:  DARPA  1 Million Processors A computer that is just like a human brain has just been developed.  It has 1 million processing cores and 1200 interconnected circuits.  The combination is a supercomputer that scientists say can simulate brain activity with more accuracy than any other computer in the world. 10 Years Under Development It's the world's largest neuromorphic computer, a type of computer that mimics the firing of brain neurons.  It's been developed over the past 10 years at the University of Manchester in the UK.  According to the scientists, it rethinks the way conventional computers work.  They call it SpiNNaker. Just Like a Brain The computer doesn't just think like a brain.  It creates models of neurons in human brains and simulates more neurons in real time.  Its primary purpose is to produce partial brain models such as of the cortex.  It may play a significant role in solving and curing brain disorders. 200 Quad

China Wants to Lead The World in AI by 2030 Source:  Chinese Government AI Announcement China Identifies Key Areas for AI Breakthroughs China is on an aggressive artificial intelligence development path.  It is inviting global research organizations and private entities to join it in the development of AI.  The Chinese government wants the nation to lead the world in AI technology races by 2030 and surpass the US. The Invite China is inviting AI research groups to lead key projects and set up near term goals by 2020.  The Chinese want to tap into the best of the best research to enable China to breakthrough and lead the world in AI. Interesting Priorities Some priorities and key areas of focus: intelligent service robots with environmental perception, strong human machine interaction capabilities and independent learning capabilities smart chips for autonomous driving, with vehicle intelligent algorithms and vehicle communications. It's ambitious and fascinating

Innovation Reads that Fascinate and Inspire STEM Learning Source:  Stock Photo Robot Band Free Borrow on Amazon I'm a journalist and the author of Important Innovations: Collection Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4 on Amazon.  The books are highly educational, fun and fast briefs on the latest in breakthrough innovation.  I wanted to make you aware that students and teachers can borrow the e-Books at no expense from the Kindle lending library right now. Flying Cars, Hypersonic Jets, Energy Kites, SpotMini Robots Vol. 1 focuses on the latest innovations in transportation including flying cars, hypersonic passenger jets and hyperloops.  Vol. 2 showcases robotics ranging from microrobots that fight disease to SpotMini, the house and office robot.  Vol. 3 details the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality and quantum computing.  Vol. 4 highlights the latest and most impactful innovations in renewable energy. Kindle e-Book Library The books are f

Artificial Intelligence Advances Source:  DARPA Artificial intelligence is now touching virtually every aspect of our lives to an extent many of us aren't aware.  The creation of algorithms that can learn, are equipped with speech recognition and can perform some capabilities of the human mind have powered huge advances. The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, is pumping $2 billion into research to develop what it calls the third wave of AI which includes teaching AI common sense.  Here are some examples of AI in action: disease detection self-driving car navigation predicting stock market changes guiding your housekeeper robot HR - who to hire and fire facial recognition to combat crime and terrorism. The list goes on.  AI has the potential to be one of the most powerful technologies created by humankind.  It's a disruptive technology I've written a book on which you can borrow for free on Amazon  amazon.com/author/ek

Message from Author Ed Kane Source:  NASA Welcome to the blog.  The blog aims to report the latest and most important innovations from around the world such as the supersonic jet concept from NASA pictured above.  For those interested in additional reading on innovation, I've authored four books on innovations.  They're called "Important Innovations:  Collection" on Amazon.  Vol. 1 focuses on exciting, breakthrough innovation in transportation such as hypersonic passenger jets and the hyperloop.  Vol. 2 showcases the latest in robots.  Vol. 3 highlights the latest innovations in artificial intelligence, augmented reality, quantum computing and much more.  Vol. 4 takes a look at the latest innovations in renewable energy. For easy access, go to my Amazon Author's page   amazon.com/author/ekane   I look forward to hearing your thoughts about innovation and sharing mine with you. Thanks and best, Ed Kane