Important Innovations Collection

MIT's Underwater Sensor Network to Monitor Oceans Source:  MIT Powered Only by Sound Waves To investigate the vast unexplored areas of the oceans, MIT engineers are building a submerged network of interconnected sensors that send data to the surface.  It's an underwater internet of things to monitor temperature changes from climate change, ocean pollution and marine life over long time periods.  The MIT team has invented a battery-free sensor, powered by sound waves. The device can monitor the ocean environment at great depths over long periods of time with no battery.  The submerged system uses the vibration of piezoelectric materials to generate power and send and receive data. Underwater Communications System This MIT invention appears to be a major breakthrough.  Up until now, the difficulty of deploying deep water sensors to study ocean conditions has been greatly limited by their battery life.  It's very difficult to change batteries at great de

China's Chang'e 4 Lunar Rover Find Source:  China Lunar Exploration Project Unusual, Gel-Like Substance China's Chang'e 4 lunar rover has discovered an unusually colored, gel-like substance in its exploration of the far side of the Moon.  The rover named Yutu-2 made the discovery on what the Chinese are calling lunar day 8. Scientists at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center changed the rover's itinerary to focus its instrumentation on the substance found in a small crater.  The material's color and luster is unlike anything surrounding it on the lunar surface. What Is It? The big question remains what the substance is.  Thus far, Chinese scientists haven't offered any explanation.  Other experts theorize that it could be melted glass from the collision of a meteorite with the Moon's surface. Lunar Mystery Chang'e 4 made the world's first soft landing on the far side of the Moon on January 3, 2019.  It's exploring the dark side

Dark Image Teaser on Lamborghini Instagram Channel  Source:  Lamborghini May Be Their First Hybrid Vehicle for the Roads Lamborghini has released a big dark teaser image of a vehicle it's going to unveil at the world largest auto show, the 2019 Frankfurt Auto Show, that opens on September 12.  Lamborghini posted the image on their official Instagram Channel with the tag "Just open your eyes to the future". Is It Lamborghini's First Hybrid? Automotive experts say it looks like a low-slung supercar with Y-shaped LED running lights.  There is speculation that it may be or may have taken styling and engineering details from the much acclaimed Terzo Millennio concept unveiled by Lamborghini as a design study in 2017. Source:  Terzo Millennio  MIT Joint Development Developed jointly with MIT, the concept is designed to be eco-friendly with in-wheel electric motors fed by supercapacitor energy storage technology.  This vehicle may be Lamborghini's fi

"Artificial Chameleon Skin" Source:  University of Cambridge Big Advance in Nanotechnology to Mimic Nature From scientists at the University of Cambridge in the UK a new innovative material that changes color when exposed to heat or light. The team calls it "artificial chameleon skin" and says it has wide application from active camouflage to large-scale dynamic displays.  The skin is powered by nanomachines.  The scientists say their work represents a big advance in using nanoscale technology to do biomimicry or mimic nature. Dramatic Color Changes The scientific inspiration came from color changing animals like chameleons and in particular their color changing skin cells, chromatophores.  The team essentially created artificial chromatophores by using tiny particles of gold, coating it with a polymer shell and then squeezing it into tiny drops of water in oil.  When exposed to heat or light, the nanoparticles stick together and dramatically ch

Starhopper Rocket Prototype Passes Highest & Final Test Source:  Space X Next: On to Orbital Prototypes for 2021 Launch Another big victory for SpaceX.  Starhopper, its Starship vehicle designed to colonize Mars, passed with flying colors its final test flight.  On its own, the vehicle was launched and rose several hundred feet into the air above the company's facility in south Texas.  Once it reached the targeted height, it flew sideways and then smoothly landed on a different pad at the SpaceX facility.  The test took 57 seconds and it was a big success.  The ceiling set by the FAA for test flights is 500 feet. Two New Starship Prototypes Starship Starhopper now hands the baton over to two orbital prototypes - Starship Mk1 and Starship Mk2.  Both are powered by at least three Raptor, next generation engines that SpaceX is developing.  Tests on these prototypes will result in the operational Starship and flights beginning in 2021.  It's expected that the first

Target New Tech for Autonomous and Electric Cars Source:  Toyota New Global Roadmap to Innovation Toyota and Suzuki are taking small equity stakes in each other.  The purpose, according to the Japanese automakers, is to develop new innovative technologies and come out on top in the rapidly changing global automotive industry.  According to experts, the industry is at a once in a century change in direction. Deepening Japanese Alliance This announcement deepens the alliance between the two global automakers with Toyota taking a 4.9% stake, amounting to $908 million, in the smaller rival Suzuki, which owns Mazda and Suburu.  Suzuki is investing $453 million in Toyota for 0.2% of Toyota shares. All About Developing Expensive Electric and Autonomous Technologies Today's R&D innovation tie-up between Suzuki and Toyota is another leading example of the technology partnerships in the global automotive industry.  It's all about joining forces, with big com

Next Generation Airbag that Catches & Cradles the Head Source:  Honda Airbag Innovative New Passenger Front Airbag Design Honda's new catchers mitt airbag is designed to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries by building a wide barrier of protection across the dashboard and by catching and cradling the head like a catcher's mitt.  It replaces the standard, single inflatable component of current airbags with four inflatable components. Invented in the USA The innovative airbag was developed by Honda engineers at the Honda R&D Center in Ohio.  Honda says it will deploy the advanced airbag technology in new vehicles in 2020.  Three inflated components form the wide cushioned barrier across the dash.  And a "sail" panel catches, cradles and decelerates the head, thereby reducing the effects of the impact. Next Generation Safety Technology The next generation airbag technology is the result of Honda engineers' analysis of real world car crashes a

Using Parachute with a Barrier System Work Source:  Ocean Cleanup Pacific Garbage Patch Success from Ocean Cleanup Ocean Cleanup is a foundation, headquartered in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, that develops advanced systems to rid the world's oceans of plastics.  They just reported the successful use of parachute-like devices as part of their Ocean Project System 001B in the Pacific's so-called Garbage Patch to aggressively capture ocean plastic pollution and it worked brilliantly.  001B is a highly advanced barrier system to retrieve the global dumping of plastics in the oceans. The addition of the parachute-like device, enhanced the capture of ocean plastic into the barrier. Parachute-Like Devices Attached to Barrier Worked Beautifully The Pacific Garbage Patch, loaded with plastic pollution that gets worse environmentally daily, is three times the size of France and twice the size of Texas.  Floating plastic is light, fast moving and difficult to contain

New Interactive Tech for Drivers Just Announced by Tencent Source:  Tencent Being Launched in China Tencent just announced a new version of its highly popular social media app WeChat, that has one billion active users.  The system's been customized for drivers and is voice operated and interactive.  Tencent, based in Shenzhen, China is partnering with Chinese automaker China Changan Automobile.  This announcement is the latest round in the battle for consumers over smart vehicle technology. Interactive Tech and Lots of Functionality Drivers' WeChat enables the driver to give voice commands.  There's also a button on the steering wheel to make calls on WeChat and send and read messages. It's hoped that drivers would get off the road, stop and then use those options.  The new device is expected to be in some of Changan's new 2020 cars including the CS75 Plus when they hit the market the end of this year.  Tencent is also working with Changan on a connected

New Innovation from KAIST of South Korea Source:  KAIST Many Potential Uses: Like Wearable Robotics, Active Biomedical Devices This is a remarkable invention by scientists at KAIST, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea.  They've developed thin strip muscles that respond to electricity and move.  In their announcement, the scientists say the muscles bloom, dance and wave.  As you can see in the picture of the robotic butterfly, the wings which open and close are made of the artificial muscle. Critical Ingredient This new artificial muscle could have important applications in soft robotics and for small muscle replacements.  The scientists made the muscle from an improved form of the high electrically conductive material MXene, which until now has been too rigid for such use.  The KAIST team bonded MXene into the polymer.  The result is a highly flexible and thin artificial muscle that flexes immediately when triggered by an electrical curr

"The Putin Limousine" - Aurus SENAT Sedan Source:  Russian News Agency Taking Orders Now Russia's first post-Soviet era luxury sedan just went on display and sale in Moscow this weekend with an official showroom. The car is part of the Aurus brand, used to drive Russian President Vladimir Putin during his inauguration in 2018. Hence, the nickname the "Putin Limousine".   The Aurus SENAT sedan is based priced at $274,000.  Aurus is taking orders for the vehicle.   Targeted, Global Customer Base Aurus says that the targeted customer bases are China, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Aurus executives expect the vehicle to have great appeal to business executives and government officials.  Russia has invested $189 million in the Aurus limousine project since 2013.  There are plans to open a showroom in China in 2020-2021. SUVs, Electric Vehicles on the Horizon and a Lot More The vehicles are produced by the Russian research institut

Astro May Be One of the World's Smartest Dogs Source:  Florida Atlantic University New Invention from Florida Atlantic University Roboticists Astro  is a deep learning and artificial intelligence powered, quadruped robodog created by a team of roboticists and other experts at Florida Atlantic University.  Like your dog, it learns by trial and error.  It has a deep neural network that enables it to learn and perform tricks.  Astro's 3D printed head is designed to resemble a Doberman and has a computerized brain.  The team calls it "a puppy in training" but already it can sit, stand and lie down.  The robot can see and hear. Loaded with Technology Astro contains cameras, high tech radar sensors, radar imaging and a directional microphone.  Most importantly, it has four teraflops of processing power or the capacity for 4 trillion computations per second with its Nvidia Jetson TX2 graphics processing units.  All of this technology allows it to be trained like

Fedor in Orbit Seeking ISS Source:  Russian Space Agency Roscosmos - Fedor Spacebot Docking at ISS Aborted Today Russia's first humanoid robot Fedor or Skybot F850 is travelling in space aboard an unmanned spacecraft to the International Space Station.  The Russian Soyez spacecraft tried to dock with the ISS to deliver Fedor today but the docking was aborted.  Russian cosmonauts issued the order to abort the approach to the ISS because the Soyez wasn't on target to properly lock-on. The Russian space agency says the approach did not cause any safety issues for the ISS or astronauts onboard. Second Try on Tuesday The crewless, automated Soyez backed away safely and Russian flight controllers are determining next steps.  They believe the problem was a radio failure aboard the ISS not the Soyez.  The Director of the Russian space agency Roscosmos says they'll try again to dock on Tuesday morning. Fedor, Astronauts' Assistant Once on board the ISS

3 Function Multitasker Patent Filed Samsung has a new smartphone that can expand to the size of a widescreen tablet.  The South Korean electronics company just filed a patent for the design.  It's called the Z-Fold smartphone and it's a three in one functional device.  Samsung first announced the device in February but has continued to work on the design.  Some of the details are unveiled in the patent. Foldable Smartphone The beauty of this device is its functionality.  It's a smartphone, tablet and small computer.  It opens from a standard, handset sized smartphone to a  tablet with a screen three times the size of standard smartphone screens.  The patent says it's designed for multitasking, including gaming and also watching videos and films.  Some experts forecast a concept Z-Fold phone will be unveiled in early 2020, perhaps at the Consumer Electronics Show.  For a free Kindle borrow of my book "List of Top New Gadgets" go to  amazon.com/author/e

Amazon Fires are Global Environmental Emergency Source:  Amazon Rain Forest Fire Image Global Environmental Concern About the "Lungs of the World" The Amazon Rain Forest is called "the lungs of the world" and it's on fire. The fires in the Amazon are an unprecedented international environmental crisis.  The Amazon Rain Forest, which is the world's largest, is engulfed in tens of thousands of raging fires.  In Brazil alone, there have been 74,000 fires in the Amazon this year.  The Amazon Rain Forest covers parts of nine countries, but Brazil is key.  Importantly, the Amazon produces 20% of the oxygen on Earth.   Brazil  May Call in Its Army to Combat the Fires The situation is so severe that French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for it to be included on the agenda at the G-7 Meeting in Biarritz.  In reaction, the President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro, whose environmental policies are under attack, has just announced he may call in the

Stardust Discovered Source:  Stock Image Antarctic Interstellar News Australian scientists have discovered large amounts of stardust in Antarctica snow, likely from the explosion of a supernova that had been close to the Sun.  The explosion rained down particles of a unique iron isotope discovered in melted snow from the South Pole.  The discovery of the rare isotope, iron-60, which is not native to Earth, was made by a scientific research team from Australian National University. South Pole Supernova The researchers have ruled out any chance that the isotope was created by human activity.  They say the only explanation is that it was created by an interstellar rock hitting the Earth.  The team melted more than 1000 pounds of snow and analyzed the contents of the melt - large amounts of isotope iron-60.  Their next focus is to determine the age of the isotope and to dig deeper for more samples in the icepack.  Their remarkable findings were just published in the journal Phys

India Innovation Hub for Key Services like Kindle and Amazon Home Source:  Amazon, Hyberabad facility that just opened Amazon Also Tests the Waters in Israel Amazon, Jeff Bezos' brainchild, has made him the richest man in the world.  And it continues to build his wealth through his entrepreneurial genius.  Amazon just opened its biggest global campus in Hyderabad, India to capitalize on the company's rapid market growth there.  India is one of Amazon's top growth markets.  It already has 62,000 full time employees there.  The new office complex can accommodate 15,000 but is expandable. Simultaneously, Amazon is test marketing Israel to further expand its international operations. India Tech Innovation Hub The new facility in India is huge, 1.8 million square feet of office space, and it's Amazon's first huge facility owned outside of the US.  It's an innovation hub for Amazon.  They intend to use it to build their services globally like Kind

Israel's TriEye Unique Sensor Technology for Driving Visibility Source:  TriEye Clearly Seeing the Road in the Worst Driving Conditions Israeli startup TriEye has invented short wave, infrared sensing technology that enables unprecedented vision under the worst weather and night driving conditions.  The company has expanded its funding round to $19 million with an investment from the German sports car manufacturer Porsche. HD Cameras TriEye's HD SWIR camera is smaller, has a higher resolution and costs "a fraction of the price", according to the company, of existing technologies.  It has also been proven to work and is ready for mass production.  The company says it will use the investment money for further product development and to build their team. 2020 Vision The company's first cameras will launch in 2020.  They will enable advanced driver assistance systems to achieve "unprecedented vision capabilities" under tough driving conditions

Highly Advanced Dog Monitoring System with Live Video & Live 2-way Audio Source:  PetNow Seeing Your Dog's Point Of View PetNow of Toronto, Canada has invented what they're calling the world's 1st, wearable, High Definition camera for dogs.  It shows you the world from your dog's perspective.  And, most importantly, it is a real time monitor, loaded with technology, that shows you exactly what your dog is doing when they're home alone.  The smart camera is WiFi enabled and sits in a comfortable, padded harness around the dog's neck.  The system also has 2-way, live audio that allows you to communicate to your pet, remotely and in real-time. Home Security This advanced dog security monitoring system can be detached from the dog's harness and function as a standard home security camera. For dog monitoring, the video from the camera can be live-streamed to a paired device via the internet for the owner to view remotely.  The device c

Out of This World Exoplanet Source:  NASA Artist Rendering Exoplanet LHS 3844b A NASA space telescope has revealed for the first time a rocky Earth-sized exoplanet.  It's outside of our solar system and tightly orbits around  the most common type of star in our home galaxy, the Milky Way.  The exoplanet has no atmosphere to sustain life. Atmospheric Void Researchers  published their discovery in the journal Nature.  They say the surface of the exoplanet, known as LHS 3844b, is most likely barren like the Moon or covered in dark volcanic rock.  The exoplanet is 49 light years away from the  Earth.  It's one of 4000 exoplanets, discovered in the past 20 years, that orbit stars in the Milky Way.  It's 1.3 times larger than the planet Earth.  

World's 1st Long Range Shark Deterrent System for Boaters Source:  Ocean Guardian Shark Shield System Virtual Shark Safety Net Jaws, beware.  New technology has just been unveiled that provides long range protection against sharks.  The system has been developed for boaters but has application for jetties and very small beaches.  The company that invented this new tech is Ocean Guardian of Australia. It's powered by their system Shark Shield Technology and the purpose is to protect swimmers from shark attacks by diverting the sharks with technology. BOAT01 Shark Deterrent The device is called the Ocean Guardian BOAT01 Long Range Shark Deterrent.  It's designed to increase swimmer safety from shark attacks while specifically swimming off a boat or jetty.  The device deploys electronic deterrence from the back of a boat.  It emits a strong electrical impulse that causes the shark strong but temporary discomfort and causes them to move away from the area.  This is a

Ferrari Expanding Lineup of Road Cars Source:  Ferrari The Future of Sports Cars Ferrari Chairman John Elkann announced that the Italy-based luxury car company plans to expand its GT - grand touring - lineup of cars that are easy driving vehicles.  It also plans to launch a premier SUV, the Purosangue, to compete in the luxury SUV category.   The company, known for its flashy, high performance sports cars, is producing strong financial and innovation results, including a new luxury hybrid vehicle.  Elkann is also Chairman of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.   Fiat is the majority owner of Ferrari. New SF90 Stradale and GT Models The company's new SF90 Stradale hybrid vehicle is expected to be a big contender against Tesla's luxury electric vehicle models.  The SF90 is the fastest Ferrari ever produced with 986 horsepower.  The new GT-type Ferrari could be unveiled in November.  The company says it's starting a new generation of innovative products.  Five ne